The NFF boss says Peseiro has demonstrated a high-level knowledge of Nigerian football.

While opinions remain divided on the choice of Jose Peseiro as the next substantive coach for the Super Eagles, the Nigerian Football Federation President, Amaju Pinnick, has expressed a great deal of confidence in the Portuguese manager.

The NFF, just before the end of 2021, announced Peseiro as the man to take over from Gernot Rohr, though it was clearly stated that the 61-year old will only be an observer at the AFCON tournament in Cameroon, where coach Augustin Eguavoen, will be in charge.

Mr Pinnick, in a recent interview, explained why Peseiro was settled for as the right choice for the Eagles and how the former FC Porto coach has endeared himself even before fully taking over.

According to the NFF boss, Peseiro has demonstrated a high-level knowledge of Nigerian football history and Nigerian players at large.

He said: “If you look at Peseiro, when I was talking to him, he was talking as if he has been coaching the Super Eagles for a long time.

“He said to me, ‘listen, Nigeria, you played against Croatia (at 2018 World Cup) in your World Cup opening match, they did not over dominate you. It was 45 per cent/55 per cent ball possession. And he said ‘Croatia eventually played in the final of the World Cup, it could have been Nigeria.

The organisers of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) also fined Dakkada FC a total sum of N3.5 million

The League Management Company (LMC) has announced the immediate expulsion of Sunday Etefia, the Assistant Coach of Dakkada Football Club of Uyo.

In a statement released on Wednesday in Abuja, the LMC disclosed that this was after it concluded a preliminary investigation into the case of an assault on an assistant referee.

The organisers of the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) also fined Dakkada FC a total sum of N3.5 million.

It further ordered the club to play their next three home matches at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin.

The sanctions were for the club’s breach of Rules B13.52 and C9 following incidents recorded during their Match Day 4 fixture against visiting Remo Stars of Ikenne on Sunday.

The LMC also recommended a review of the performance of the match’s officials, including the Match Commissioner, N. Anyanwu.

This was for her failure to duly report the incident of assault on the Assistant Referee Two, Sani Baba.

The league organisers noted that “curiously, the Match Commissioner identified the perpetrator as a fan whereas he was a club official.”

Also recommended for a performance review is the Match Referee, Mathew Tanimu, from Plateau.

This was for his match management and failure to timely submit the match report, given the serious incident.

Etefia was indicted for assaulting Baba at the end of the fixture against Remo Stars in Uyo.

The LMC recommended to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to review the coaching licence of Etefia “as he has failed the threshold to be a coach under the NFF Licence”.

It fined the club three million Naira for failure to provide adequate security in the course of the match.

Dakkada FC were also ordered to pay N250,000 each to Baba and the General Manager of Remo Stars for medical expenses and may include any additional verifiable and authenticated medical costs.

LMC ruled that the club would only be permitted to return to its home stadium “upon receipt of a satisfactory report or update on the formal report to the Police and prosecution of the official involved in the alleged assault.”

The prosecution must be authenticated by the LMC legal team and compliance unit.

The club must pay the stipulated fines within seven working days and have a two-point deduction which shall be suspended for a probationary period of the remainder of the season.

Both the club and the charged official have 48 hours from the date of the notice to submit to the summary jurisdiction or elect to face a disciplinary hearing.

Eagles land in Garoua six days before their opening match against Egypt

The Super Eagles flew out of Abuja airport on Wednesday night and landed safely at Garoua just before midnight. Only three players – Tyronne Ebuehi, Jamilu Collins, and Odion Ighalo – were missing from the flight.

They were taken in an Air Peace chartered flight straight to Garoua, a city on Cameroon’s outskirts and about 950km from the capital, Yaounde.

There have been speculations that Ighalo could be replaced in the squad after being held back by his Saudi Arabian club Al Shabab. Ebuehi will join his teammates as soon as he finishes playing for Venezia on Thursday in Serie A while the reason for Collins’ continued absence is not clear.

Also, the squad numbers for the 2021 Nations Cup were revealed. Joe Aribo holds on to the famous No.10 jersey; Ighalo has been handed the No.9 shirt while Maduka Okoye, the expected first-choice goalkeeper, has been given the No.1 jersey.

The Eagles will kick off their quest for a fourth title on January 11 against seven-time African champions, the Pharaohs of Egypt, before battles against Sudan and Guinea Bissau on January 15 and 19 respectively.

of Egypt, before battles against Sudan and Guinea Bissau on January 15 and 19 respectively.

The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, on Tuesday night sent forth the  Super Eagles to the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroon with a dinner.

The well attended event was held at the Transcorp Hilton hotel, Abuja. 

The Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Ismail Abubakar, the Director of Federations and Elite Athletes Development(FEAD), Dr Simon Ebhojiaye, Nigeria Football Federation(NFF)2nd Vice President, Alhaji Shehu Dikko, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi and board members, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau and Yahaya Kwande were in attendance.

Also at the event were the Special Adviser to the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Femi Adeagbo, NFF Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire and NFF Director of Finance, Charity Kadiri.

The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare in his address to the team, read by Prince Clem Agba, said the Super Eagles are being sent forth as Nigerian ambassadors and worthy representatives to Cameroon as the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations tournament begins in a few days. 

According to him, “Mr. President believes this Super Eagles squad has the skills and talents to excel at the AFCON in Cameroon and over 200 million Nigerians are fully behind you.

“Three times we have been Champions of Africa by winning the Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON), that was in 1980, 1994 and 2013, and many other times we have ended as losing finalists and bronze medalists but this time around we want you to strike gold in Cameroon on the 6th of February, 2022 when the tournament’s final match will be played.

“We have followed your preparations for this tournament and have seen the challenges that you have faced with the late release from your clubs, the Covid 19 protocols, injuries and other factors, we urge you not to be deterred by these and rather see these obstacles as stepping stones to your success and glory. We are also appealing to you to demonstrate that Nigerian spirit of determination, focus, resilience, discipline and conquest on and off the pitch.”

Dare also urged the players to have self belief and trust in the coaching crew led by Augustine Eguavoen.

“You have to believe in yourselves, be confident in your own abilities and show trust in your coaches and officials.

“As you carry the hopes and aspirations of millions of Nigerians, be assured of the support of the Federal Government. 

“Be patriotic, defend the green and white of Nigeria, fight for her pride and honour like the true soldiers and warriors that you are and this nation will 

celebrate you further upon your return,” The Minister added.

In his own remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Ismail Abubakar thanked the Super Eagles for their patriotism and said the dinner was the Ministry’s ‘little’ effort at encouraging them to giving their best and excelling at the biennial continental football showpiece. Nigeria’s campaign in Cameroon begins on the 11th of January, 2022 against Egypt in Garoua.

World number one men’s tennis player Novak Djokovic has had his visa to enter Australia dramatically revoked on his arrival in Melbourne, amid a huge backlash over a vaccine exemption.

Djokovic was held in the airport for several hours before border officials announced he had not met entry rules.

He was then taken to a government detention hotel. A court will decide on his deportation on Monday.

The row is around an exemption he had to play in the Australian Open.

Tournament organisers said the Serbian player, who has said he is opposed to vaccination, had been granted medical exemption by two independent medical panels organised by Tennis Australia, the body that runs the event, and Victoria state.

The decision infuriated many in a country that has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases, and where over 90% of those over 16 are fully vaccinated. People have also had to endure some of the world’s strictest restrictions and some still cannot travel between states or internationally.

On Wednesday, border officials said the 34-year-old had “failed to provide appropriate evidence” for entry after arriving from Dubai. He is now being held at a hotel in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton which is used for immigration detention.

“Non-citizens who do not hold a valid visa on entry or who have had their visa cancelled will be detained and removed from Australia,” the Australian Border Force (ABF) said in a statement.

Djokovic’s team challenged ABF’s decision, and a hearing at the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia has been scheduled for Monday.

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison denied Djokovic was being singled out and said no-one was above the country’s rules. But he added that Djokovic’s stance on vaccination had drawn attention.

“When you get people making public statements – of what they say they have, and what they are going to do, and what their claims are – well they draw significant attention to themselves,” Mr Morrison told reporters.

Though Djokovic’s reason for an exemption has not been disclosed, Mr Morrison said contracting Covid-19 in the past six months was not among federal criteria for one.

Mr Morrison, who had initially said he would support the Victoria state’s decision about the exemption, is now being accused of politicising the issue. The prime minister himself is under pressure amid the Covid-19 surge, and a federal election is scheduled for May.

Separately the country’s deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, said Djokovic should be deported if he had not told the truth.

“Then he’s taking the sovereign capacity of another nation for a joke,” Mr Joyce told the BBC. “You can’t just wander around the world thinking that because you’re really rich you’re really above the laws of other nations”.

The row prompted Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to say Djokovic was a victim of “harassment” and that “the whole of Serbia” supported him. Mr Morrison denied the visa cancellation was because of “any particular position in relation to Serbia”, describing the nation as “a good friend of Australia”.

Outside the hotel where Djokovic was being held, supporters of the tennis player expressed anger at his treatment. The player’s father, Srdjan, said his son had been held in a room guarded by police at the airport. “This is not just a fight for Novak, but a fight for the whole world,” he said in a statement.

Richard Arnold will replace Ed Woodward as Manchester United’s most senior executive on 1 February.

Woodward stated his intention to leave his role as Executive Vice Chairman last spring amid the fallout from the doomed European Super League project.

Arnold, 50, joined United in August 2007 and has been the club’s managing director since 2013.

He will become chief executive in a change of title from Woodward.

“I would like to thank Ed for his tireless work on behalf of Manchester United during his nine years as executive vice-chairman and 16 years with the club,” said United co-chairman Joel Glazer.

“We are now looking forward to Richard and his leadership team opening a new phase in the club’s evolution, with ambitious plans for investment in Old Trafford, the strengthening of our engagement with fans, and continued drive towards our most important objective – winning on the pitch.”

Woodward’s time in charge has not been a successful one.

He replaced David Gill in 2013 when the club won the last of its 20 league titles. Since then, United have suffered an alarming fall in status.

In that time they won the FA Cup in 2016, plus the Europa League and EFL Cup in 2017.

However, they have failed to mount a realistic challenge on either the Premier League title or the Champions League and in November, Woodward sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager, the fourth time he has been forced to dismiss his own appointment ahead of schedule.

Arnold has been in charge of day-to-day operations at Old Trafford and is widely credited with building bridges with United’s major fans groups. In his previous role as commercial director, he was viewed as one of the biggest influences behind the club’s huge commercial growth.

“I am honoured to have the chance to serve this great club and its fans,” he said. “I am determined to return that honour in any way I can.”

Woodward will remain on the football club board until the end of the season, which will involve attending a couple of meetings.

However, he will not stay on in a consultancy role as had previously been suggested.

Attendances at the Africa Cup of Nations will be capped at 80% of capacity for games involving hosts Cameroon, and 60% for all other matches at the tournament.

The move by organisers Confederation of African Football (CAF) comes following consultation with the Cameroon government regarding the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Spectators must be fully vaccinated and present a negative test result in order to attend games.

Just 2% of people in Cameroon have had both vaccination jabs, according to figures from Our World in Data but reports indicate there has been an increase in the number of people in the country trying to get vaccinated so they can buy tickets for the competition.

“CAF will continue to monitor the situation and the evolution of the health conditions and adapt measures if needs be,” said a statement from African football governing body.  

Cameroon open the tournament against Burkina Faso at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, which has a capacity of 60,000, on Sunday (16:00 GMT).

Cameroon’s Group A opponents Cape Verde have reported several cases at their pre-tournament training camp, with coach Bubista revealed to be among their latest positive tests.

Blue Sharks have six players – including two goalkeepers – isolating ahead of their match against Ethiopia on Sunday.

Senegal, runners-up in 2019, delayed their departure for the tournament after Saliou Ciss, Mamadou Loum and Habib Diallo tested positive, with other cases suspected.

Tunisia forward Seifeddine Jaziri and winger Youssef Msakni have also tested positive this week.

Jaziri was top scorer at the FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar in last month, with four goals as Tunisia reached the final where they lost 2-0 to Algeria.

Meanwhile, Msakni is set to appear at his seventh successive Nations Cup.

Kyrie Irving returned after Covid-19 vaccination controversy to help the Brooklyn Nets claim victory in Indiana.

In December, the Nets reversed an earlier decision that the 29-year-old could not play until he was vaccinated.

The NBA All-Star can now play part-time but will miss games in areas that require players to be jabbed – including the Nets’ New York home.

Able to make his season debut in Indiana, the point guard scored 22 to help Brooklyn win 129-121.

Playing for the first time since June, Irving helped the Nets overturn a 19-point deficit and end a three-game losing streak.