Super Eagles star Alex Iwobi has committed his next five years to London club, Fulham, in a deal that sees the midfielder return to London after a four-year absence.

The 27-year old made a deadline day switch from the Merseyside Blue in a £22 million deal, an amount lesser to what he was bought from Arsenal by Everton to join his former Manager Marco Silva at the Craven Cottage.

Having had a four-year spell with Everton where he was an integral part of the club helping them escape relegation last season under Sean Dyche, Iwobi will be teaming with Super Eagles’ colleague, Calvin Bassey at the London club.

Repay faith

Similar to his transfer to Everton from Arsenal in 2019, Iwobi told Fulham media that his move to London was as result of the trust Marco has for him seeing the plans of the Portuguese Manager, he knew that’s the best challenge he needs at the moment.

However, both parties, Marco and Iwobi, couldn’t gel well last time out as the manager was laid off five-month after the Nigerian’s arrival at Everton.

“Marco Silva spoke to me about the ambitions of the Club, and I’m on board. Hopefully I can bring something to the Club.

“And I hope I am able to repay the faith,” Iwobi said in his first interview with his new club.

He continued, “Four years in Everton but I felt like it’s a new challenge back home in London, I can’t just wait to see where my journey goes. Like I said, I am back home and can’t wait to see how this gets to play. It’s a new challenge and how Marco appreciates me as a player like come and express yourself, I am just going to get that running.”

While speaking about his contribution to the Fulham team, Iwobi, a regular with Everton during his three-year spell has 140 appearances scoring nine goals with 16 assists which accompany playing in multiple positions.

“I am an attacking minded player and I like to create chances and let my teammates score goals. As long as I am able to do that with the qualities we have in the team, I am sure we are able to get our way.”

“I am able to play in numerous positions and whichever works out for the team and I will just keep up 100%. I know a couple of players, Calvin is my little brother, born here and we have a good relationship from Arsenal.”

He further added that he and Nigerian defender, Calvin Bassey had spoken about the move a week before finalising the deal to the London side.

“I spoke to Calvin about Fulham the previous week and he tried to tell me to hurry up, I will wait for you. I will see him and I am sure I am going to message him when the whole thing is all done. He isn’t going to see me next week because of International trip but he will see me eventually.”

Iwobi concluded that he hopes to see Fulham playing in either of the UEFA competitions.

“Hopefully UEFA league or conference league, I see why not,” he quipped.

The 22-year-old Nigerian struck twice in last week’s win over Borussia Moenchengladbach while also netting in the German Cup once.

New signing Victor Boniface scored twice for the second consecutive week as Bayer Leverkusen blew Darmstadt 98 away 5-1 on Saturday.

The result meant Bayer Leverkusen made it three wins out of three league games for a perfect Bundesliga start.

The 22-year-old Nigerian struck twice in last week’s win over Borussia Moenchengladbach while also netting in the German Cup once.

He joined a month ago from Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium but has hit the ground running.

Boniface opened his account with a superb solo run and chipped in his finish in the 21st minute after driving past three defenders.

Darmstadt levelled through Oscar Vilhelmsson’s close-range header but Xabi Alonso’s team went back in front four minutes after the restart through Exequiel Palacios.

Boniface then bagged his second goal of the afternoon, slipping into the box and flicking the ball past the keeper from a tight angle after a quick passing move.

Jonas Hofmann’s 20-metre drive made it 4-1, killing off any chances of a Darmstadt comeback.

Substitute Adam Hlozek then slid in to add another and keep his team on a maximum of nine points from three matches.

Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) chairman, Gbenga Elegbeleye has assured that all the 20 clubs in the Nigerian flagship league get financial benefit for their participation in in the league.

He made the clarification following an earlier press release by NPFL Club Owners Association that the winner will get a minimum of N100 million and that there will be no take-off grant to the clubs.

Elegbeleye told Sports Village Square that although the take-off grant has not been paid to the clubs, payment shall certainly be made in the course of the league.

“This shall be before the league gets to the halfway mark,” the league boss remarked.

In the last season, each of the 20 clubs got N2 million take off grant when the league, played in abridge format commenced.

Teams will play the usual marathon this time around. The NPFL boss who is also the 2^nd Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation Board explained that the money for the take off grant is not available at the moment, but efforts are being made to get sufficient fund for the 20 clubs.

He also revealed that contrary to belief, it is not only the league champions that will be paid. “The money will trickle down as the interest of all the 20 clubs will be protected”, the league boss remarked.

Elegbeleye revealed that the emoluments of the match officials – referees and match commissioners – have been increased by 30% owing to the prevailing economic situation in the country.

Propel Sports Africa has done very well in getting a telecommunication firm to cough out money for the prize money to the champions and that the champions shall get more than the N100 million paid in the last season.

“The league must not just grow, it must be seen to be growing, hence we have to improve on  what we paid last season”, Elegbeleye remarked.

He pointed out that more windows of revenue are been constructed that will see all the clubs getting rewarded for their participation in the league.

“There will be more viewers of the Nigerian league through telephone subscription worldwide and that will raise enough revenue to grow the league, make it more transparent and also expand its scope,” said Elegbeleye.

Twenty years after becoming the first Nigerian club side to win the CAF Champions League, Enyimba begin a new adventure at the inaugural African Football League, facing Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca.

That is one of the four pairings in the fixture conducted this Saturday in Cairo, Egypt.

In other pairings, Tanzania’s Simba Sports Club will face Egypt’s Al Ahly while TP Mazembe of Congo will face Tunisia’s Esperance. Angola’s Petro de Luanda are drawn against South Africa’s  Mamelodi Sundowns.

The fixtures of the Inaugural AFL competition are structured on a home and away basis.

The competition starts with knock-out quarter finals and will be followed by the semi-finals and the final; all of which are played over two legs.

This historic Inaugural edition of the AFL will take place over four weeks, kicking off with the Opening Ceremony and the first match on 20 October 2023 in Dar es Salam, Tanzania.

The semi-finals will take place between 29 October and 1 November.

The final matches which will determine the winner of the Inaugural AFL competition will take place on 5 and 11 November 2023.

The Inaugural AFL is a precursor to the fully-fledged AFL competition which will feature the 24 highest ranked football clubs on the African Continent and will commence during the 2024/2025 football season.

All quarter-final fixtures:

With the Super Eagles’ last match day in the qualifying series of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations holding on Sunday next week, the kick-off of the Nigeria Premier League will now hold on Saturday 9 September.

Most clubs have adapted to playing on Sunday, but the NPFL has ruled that the 2023/24 NPFL season will kickoff on Saturday  across Nigeria.

All games will be played on Saturday because of the Super Eagles Africa Nations Cup qualifiers against São Tomé and Principe tie at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State slated for Sunday September 10

NPFL season kicks off in Ibadan with 3SC, Plateau United clash

This curtain-raiser fixture in Ibadan will be the only game to grace the opening day of the season,

The much-anticipated 2023/24 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season is set to commence with a mouthwatering clash between Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) and former champions Plateau United.

As explained by the League organisers on Friday, the curtain-raiser fixture billed for Saturday, 9 September, will be the only game to grace the opening day of the season.

The iconic Lekan Salami Stadium in Adamasingba, Ibadan, will be the battleground where the first set of points for the season will be earned.

NPFL boss Gbenga Elegbeleye explained the rationale behind this decision, noting that it was influenced by the Super Eagles’ final AFCON qualifying match scheduled for Sunday, 10 September, in Uyo.

He said, “Some of our clubs prefer playing their home matches on Sundays to attract a full house of fans, and we cannot start from the first day with scattered fixtures; hence, all other games apart from the curtain raiser have been moved to the following weekend.”

Elegbeleye further emphasised that this decision is not alien as it aligns with the tradition established during the previous season under the then Interim Management Committee (IMC).

Last season’s opening day fixture was the match between Akwa United and Bendel Insurance in Uyo, with the other nine fixtures taking place the following weekend.

Elegbeleye, now the 2nd Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), stated, “It is one of the traditions we are bringing into the new league era.”

n an exciting development for football enthusiasts, the match in Ibadan will also be the first to be streamed on the new NPFLLive app, available on mobile phones and other devices.

The Lekan Salami Stadium authorities have ensured the stadium meets the necessary broadcasting requirements by completing the construction of a camera stand with a safe staircase for AI Camera crews and commentators.

The duo of Ola Aina and goalkeeper Francis Uzoho have been recalled for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations’ qualifiers last match day even as Ahmed Musa has been excluded.

The Super Eagles will on Sunday face an already eliminated Sao Tome as the Nigerian side hope to retain their leadership of the Group A.

They need just a draw to wave off any last minute upstage by second placed, but also qualified Guinea Bissau.

Ola Aina’s last competitive match with the Super Eagles is the first leg encounter with Sao Tome & Principe which the Nigerian side by a massive and record-making 10-0.

He got cautioned in the match day 2 encounter and was ineligible in the matchday 3 which was the first leg match with Guinea Bissau in Abuja. Aina, like Uzoho, was cautioned on Match day 1 against Sierra Leone in Abuja.

He also missed the return match and was not called up for the return leg match with Sierra Leone.

Uzoho got his second caution in the return leg match against Guinea Bissau in which the yellow card, like an earlier one he got, was occasioned by time-wasting.

Also invited are the on-field captain William Ekong, defender Tyronne Ebuehi and Semi Ajayi.

Newly cleared for Nigeria by FIFA, Jordan Torunarigha who is based in Belgium Peseiro may make his debut for Nigeria on Sunday.

The centre-back  has been called for the first time. He is the son of a former Shooting Stars player,  Ojokojo Torunarigha who emigrated to Germany and played for Chemnitzer Fußballclub from 1991 to 1995 and scored five goals in 77 matches for the club.

Jordan Torunarigha had featured for Germany’s men’s Olympic football team.

He was at the centre of a controversy two years ago when the German team  walked off the field with five minutes left of their friendly against Honduras after defender Torunarigha was allegedly racially abused.

The game, played behind closed doors in three 30-minute periods, did not resume and finished 1-1

The Nigeria Football Federation and Mr. Jose Santos Peseiro have reached an agreement for the latter to continue in his role as Head Coach of the Senior Men National Team of Nigeria, Super Eagles.

As stipulated in the original contract, drawn in May 2022, the Portuguese has been handed the mandate to lead the Super Eagles to, in the minimum, the semi finals of the 34^th Africa Cup of Nations finals taking place in Cote d’Ivoire in a few months.

Peseiro has steered the Super Eagles through the qualifiers and to a ticket with a match to spare, including a 10-0 record international win against Sao Tome and Principe in Agadir, Morocco in June 2022. 

He has now agreed to continue in the role after accepting a pay cut on his earlier terms, with the new agreement also putting him in charge of the Super Eagles B – the home-based professionals who contest the biennial African Nations Championship.

Meanwhile, the Super Eagles’ supremo has invited on-field captain William Ekong, defender Tyronne Ebuehi and Semi Ajayi, midfielders Wilfred Ndidi and Frank Onyeka, and forwards Moses Simon, Victor Osimhen and Taiwo Awoniyi, among others, to next weekend’s qualification series final-day encounter against Sao Tome and Principe in Uyo.

Peseiro called three goalkeepers (including home-based Olorunleke Ojo), eight defenders, four midfielders and eight forwards for the game, slated for the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Sunday, 10 September.

Nigeria, on 12 points from their previous five matches, are already guaranteed a place in the finals, but must earn at least a point to be sure of topping the group ahead of second-placed Guinea Bissau, who are on 10 points and play at home to Sierra Leone in Bissau.

Peseiro has called for the first time, Belgium-based centre-back Jordan Torunarigha and forwards Victor Boniface and Gift Orban, and there are recalls for Portugal-based left back Bruno Onyemaechi and defensive midfielder Raphael Onyedika.

ALL THE INVITED PLAYERS:

Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (Omonia FC, Cyprus); Olorunleke Ojo (Enyimba FC); Adebayo Adeleye (Hapoel Jerusalem, Israel)

Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest, England); Tyronne Ebuehi (Empoli FC, Italy); Jordan Torunarigha (KAA Gent, Belgium); William Ekong (PAOK FC, Greece); Semi Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Jamilu Collins (Cardiff FC, Wales); Bruno Onyemaechi (Boavista FC, Portugal)

Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium); Joe Ayodele-Aribo (Southampton FC, England); Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England)

Forwards: Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy); Victor Osimhen (Napoli FC, Italy); Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest, England); Gift Orban (KAA Gent, Belgium); Victor Boniface (Bayern Leverkusen, Germany)