The 2022/23 European club competition semi-finals will be devoid of the presence of Nigerian players this year,

The quartet Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Terem Moffi and Gift Orban all failed to get past the quarter-final stage of the European club competition with their respective club this season, unlike last season when Samuel Chukwueze reached the last four of the Champions League with Villarreal only to lose to Liverpool.

Also, the duo Joe Aribo and Cyriel Dessers also reached the final of the Europa League and Conference League but ended up losing.

This season, Nigerian players started the European club competition on a bright note only for their hope to be dashed in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Osimhen started the season in a spectacular fashion steering Napoli to the top Group A with 15 points from six games.

The 24-year-old scored five goals in the competition before the Partenopei were knocked out 2-1 on aggregate by AC Milan in the quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw in Naples with the Eagles star grabbing a stoppage-time equaliser.

The Nigeria international is the second-highest African scorer in the competition with five goals having played 424 minutes. He is behind Mohamed Salah with eight strikes.

The fine run of Boniface in the UEFA Europa League, which saw him score seven goals, ended when his club Union Saint-Gilloise was trounced 4-1 at home by Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.

Boniface enjoyed a good shift before he was replaced nine minutes from time. He is currently the top scorer in the Europa League.

Union SG is now second in the Juplier Pro League rankings, and a continuation of their strong success would see them return to European tournaments.

Also, Gent prodigy, Orban also exited the Conference League with head up high despite his side’s 4-1 thumping in the hands of West Ham at the London Stadium on Thursday night.

Having drawn 1-1 at home last Thursday, Gent knew they needed to avoid defeat at the London Stadium to stand any chance of progressing to the semi-finals of the competition.

West Ham were the clear favourites but the hopes of Gent rested on the slender shoulders of Orban, who netted a hat trick in the previous round.

The encounter began poorly for Orban as he was shown a yellow as early as the 18th minute for a clumsy challenge.

Still, it was Gent that took the lead midway through the half following a fine strike from Hugo Cuypers. That was as good as it got for the Belgians as West Ham replied with four goals.

Michail Antonio grabbed a brace that sandwiched a Lucas Paqueta penalty and a rare Declan Rice effort. Orban was substituted in the 72nd minute as Gent looked for a way back in vain into the tie.

Orban would be disappointed not to register his name on the score sheet or help Gent advance to the semi-final but the 20-year-old can be proud of his impact in his first-ever appearance in a European club competition.

Until Thursday night, Orban had five goals in five appearances in the Conference League, including the fastest hat trick in the history of UEFA’s cup competition.

His brilliance has already seen him being linked with a move to some of the continent’s biggest clubs including La Liga giants Barcelona.

Orban, though, will want to turn his attention to the domestic scene where Gent are fourth in the league with 55 points.

The Buffalos are battling with champions Club Brugge and Standard Liege for the last Championship playoff spot.

Last Thursday, also saw OGC Nice parading Moffi saw their dream of European glory dashed right in front of their fans when they lost 2-1 to FC Basel after extra time to crash out of the UEFA Europa Conference League 4-3 on aggregate.

Moffi had put up a superb performance for Nice in the first leg at St. Jakob Park last week, scoring twice in the 2-2 draw but the Eagles striker could not replicate the same brilliance at the Allianz Riviera.

Arsenal will reportedly compete with Real Madrid in the race to sign Super Eagles 23-year-old Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze this summer.

Chukwueze is the subject of interest from Arsenal. Three other Premier League clubs are also interested in the 23-year-old Villarreal winger. In addition, the in-form winger is a target for Real Madrid ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Nigerian has taken his time to get going. But he has been a highly-rated winger since joining Villarreal nearly half a dozen years ago.

Meanwhile, he is also a regular for the Nigerian national side, scoring four goals in 24 appearances.

The 23-year-old has enjoyed an excellent 2022/23 season thus far while being a leading light for Villarreal. One of the best wingers in La Liga, he has contributed to 24 goals, finding the back of the net 13 times while providing 11 assists. And Chukwueze’s progress has captured the attention of Real Madrid and Arsenal.

Real Madrid will delve into the market for a winger this summer amid uncertainties surrounding Eden Hazard. The Belgian attacker is not a part of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans. And a summer departure is on the cards for the experienced wide man. In addition, Marco Asensio’s future with the reigning La Liga champions is not set in stone.

Chukwueze has thus emerged as a viable target for Real Madrid. And considering the 23-year-old prefers to play on the right flank, he can compete with Rodrygo Goes. But Real Madrid will face a transfer battle with several Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, for the Villarreal winger.

Arsenal bolstered the offensive unit in January by signing Leandro Trossard. And while the Belgian international can play across the frontline, the Gunners should dip their toes in the market for a right-winger. That will enable Arsenal to create a well-rounded attack that can help them compete on all fronts.

Chukwueze is thus a viable target for Arsenal. But Everton, West Ham United, and Aston Villa are also keen on signing the 23-year-old winger. And it will be interesting to see which club can prise him away from La Liga club Villarreal this summer.

Chukwueze is thus a viable target for Arsenal. But Everton, West Ham United, and Aston Villa are also keen on signing the 23-year-old winger. And it will be interesting to see which club can prise him away from La Liga club Villarreal this summer.

Manchester United seem to be very much in the race to sign Napoli hitman, Victor Osimhen after the club sent scouts to watch the 24 year old Nigerian in last Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League game at the Maradona stadium in Naples.

Osimhen, who just returned from injury did not disappoint as he scored his side’s only goal in the 1-1 draw against AC Milan albiet his club crashed out 2-1 on aggregate having lost the firstleg without Osimhen 1-0 at the San Siro.

It was his 26th goal of the season in 31 appearances across all competitions for Napoli.

The 21 goals the Nigerian scored in 24 Serie A games have made Napoli the fim favourite to win the Scudetto, their first in 33 years.

According to Daily Star of England, the Red Devils ‘sent a scouting delegation to Naples with the specific remit of monitoring Osimhen’s performance.’

The newspaper further reported that Man United are aware of the former Lille of France forward’s talents but due to his hefty price tag, they are demanding a comprehensive review of his capabilities ahead of any possible approach.

Osimhen has never hidden his intention of playing in the Premier League one day.

‘I think playing in one of the top five leagues in the world is an amazing feeling for me. A lot of people worldwide consider the Premier League as the best and the strongest league but now I’m in one of the best leagues in the world which is the Italian Serie A.

“I’m working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League someday but as I said, it’s a process and I just want to keep on this momentum and continue to do well.”

The Nigeria Football Federation are yet to redeem promises of qualifying bonuses to the Flying Eagles for both the WAFU U20 AFCON qualifiers as well as the U20 AFCON. According to reports, each player is owed the sum of $10,000 for emerging champions at the WAFU B championship and picking the World Cup ticket at the just-concluded CAF U20 African Nations Cup.

Several officials confirmed that the Flying Eagles have not been paid the two qualifying bonuses.

It was gathered that based on the promises by the NFF, each player was to receive $5000 for finishing top of the WAFU B qualifiers for the U20 AFCON and another $5,000 for booking their passage to next month’s FIFA U20 World Cup now scheduled for Argentina.

This week, the NFF in a communique charged the team led by coach Ladan Bosso to win the U20 World Cup after what they described as “a below-par” outing at the recent U20 AFCON in Egypt, where the team finished third.

“They want the team to win the World Cup, but they have not paid bonuses promised this same team.

“Last May in Niger Republic, they topped the WAFU qualifiers and almost a year after the Flying Eagles have not been paid what was promised them.

“Are these people really serious and know what it takes to run football in this country?”

“The NFF are hugely indebted that all the coaches of the various national teams are owed backlog of salaries.

“The flagship of Nigeria football, the Super Eagles, are also yet to receive bonuses and allowances running into millions of US Dollars,” officials said.

The FIFA U20 World Cup which commences on 20th May, 2023 will be hosted by the most successful country at the tournament, Argentina. 

The two times World Cup finalists, Nigeria will begin their campaign on 21st May against Dominican Republic.

Reigning world 100m hurdles champion, Tobiloba Amusan tops the list of five Nigerian athletes WHO have secured qualification to next year’s World Indoor
Championships scheduled to hold in Glasgow, Scotland after the entry standard was unveiled Friday by World Athletics.

Amusan, who did not run in the 2023 indoor circuit, secured her qualification through her outdoor performance. The 12.59 she ran in the 100m hurdles at the
Tom Jones Invitational in Gainesville, Florida about a week ago ininside the 12.80 outdoor entry standard set for the event.

The world 100m hurdles record holder (12.12) who will be 26 on Sunday will now be among the 48 athletes that will compete for podium appearances in the event
in Glasgow.

Also through are sprinters Rosemary Chukwuma and Favour Ofili, who, unlike Amusan secured their qualifications in the NCAA indoor circuit.

Both ran new lifetime best to scale through with Chukwuma speeding to a historic 7.09 seconds in the 60m event to become the seventh Nigerian to break 7.10
in the event while Ofili ran 7.14 to scale through to the Championships.

Two Nigerian men have also booked the ticket to Glasgow. They are Favour Ashe and Ezekiel Nathaniel. Both secured their qualification at the NCAA indoor
circuit.

Ashe’s 6.51 seconds run at the semifinal stage of the 2023 NCAA indoor championships in New Mexico ensured his qualification while Ezekiel Nathaniel made the
most of his first indoor campaign in the 400m to race to what will be his first World Indoor championships.

Nathaniel ran a new lifetime best of 45.69 in the event which is enough to get him through to Glasgow next March.

The qualification window is however still open till February next year and a number of Nigerian athletes are expected to also book their tickets.

Top amongst them will be Ese Brume who won a silver medal at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia to become the second Nigerian after
Glory Alozie to win medals at the World Athletics championships, indoors and outdoor.

Also expected to scale through will be long jumper, Ruth Usoro whose 6.87m mark indoors this year was just two centimtre short of the 6.89m qualification
mark set by World Athletics.

Another athlete who came close to meeting the standard is Udodi Onwuzurike whose 6.59 run in the 60m was just a hundreth of a second short of the 6.58
standard set for the event.

The entry standard for the 60m event for women is 7.19 indoors and 11.05 outdoors while for the 400m an athlete is expected to run 51.60 indoors and 50.50 outdoor.

For the long jump it is 6.89m, 8.02 and 12.80 indoors and outdoor respectively for the 60m hurdles.

For the men, Onwuzurike and the rest of the sprinters will have to run 6.58 indoors or 10.00 outdoor to run in the 60m event and 45.90 and 44.80 indoors and outdoor respectively over the 400m.

Former World U20 champion, Imaobong Nse Uko was a step ahead of her competitors as she powered home first in the women’s 400m, running a personal season’s best of 51.66 at the Michael Johnson Invitational in Waco, Texas.

The 19 year old’s 51.66 run was the only sub-52 seconds performance of the day as her nearest rival, Shiann Salmon ran 52.04 to finish second in a race veteran Nigerian quartermiler, Patience Okon George did not start despite being listed to run in heat 6.

Nse Uko’s time is the third joint fastest of her career after running her lifetime best of 51.24 at the Big 12 Conference Championships in Lubbock, Texas last may and 51.55 to win the World U20 Championship gold in Nairobi, Kenya in 2021.

The talented Nigerian is expected to set new lifetime bests in the 200m and 400m this outdoor season after her impressive indoor campaign where she set a new
23.57 personal best in the 200m and African U20 record of 52.10 in the 400m.

Nse Uko is also expected to be the first Nigerian in eight years to break the 51 seconds barrier in the 400m outdoor.

Meanwhile, Amarachukwu Obi ran 54.99 in the 400m to finish fifth in the final classification at the Crimson Tide Invitational held at the Sam Bailey Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The Minister explained the planned move is in the interest of public safety

There are indications that the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, may be temporarily closed again. The Minister for Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare hinted as much after visiting the crumbling edifice on Friday.

Mr Dare was on the ground to have a first-hand assessment following Wednesday’s collapse of one of the floodlight masts at the stadium.

While the Minister expressed gratitude that there were no casualties from Wednesday’s incident, he reiterated the need for proactive measures to guarantee public safety.

In a Twitter thread, he wrote: Surulere Stadium: Friday at 7 a.m. I inspected the floodlight mast that broke in half & collapsed from the rainstorm last Wednesday.

“Thank God there was no casualty. I also inspected the 3 other light masts & the effects of age & weather elements were visible… clearly, they are also suspect after 51 years.

“Based on my assessment, advice of experts and in the interest of public safety, the Ministry will announce shortly the temporary closure of the stadium and surrounding facilities for proper assessment &necessary action.

“The concession process towards fully privatizing the Surulere stadium which began last year will be expedited by the Federal Government through the ICRC towards a comprehensive rehabilitation and upgrade of the 51 years old edifice…

“We have decided to err on the side of caution, hence the decision to impose extensive restrictions around the stadium. We request the cooperation of anyone who this decision may inconvenience as we cannot (ascertain) the reality on the ground”

The National Stadium in Lagos officially opened in 1972 and has been an iconic symbol of Nigeria’s sporting achievements

The stadium has played host to many notable events since the 1973 All-Africa Games, including the 1980 and 2000 African Cup of Nations and the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.

However, the stadium’s infrastructure and maintenance have been declining steadily, raising questions about its safety.

Five-time world champions Nigeria are scheduled to arrive in the Algerian city of Constantine on Sunday night for their final preparations for this year’s Africa U17 Cup of Nations.

Following complications that arose in the process of securing entry visa into Germany for a planned final training camp in that country, the Nigeria Football Federation opted to send the squad earlier to Algeria for the final build-up, and Constantine, the renown city where the Eaglets will play Morocco, Zambia and South Africa in Group B, is the choice.

The wards of FIFA Cadet World Cup -winning captain, Nduka Ugbade, swept all before them to win the WAFU B U17 Championship in Cape Coast, Ghana 10 months ago, and have put on display tremendous firepower in their preparations for the continental showpiece.

After resuming camp mid-March following the break for the general elections, the Eaglets played 12 friendly matches at their NFF/FIFA Goal Project, Abuja base, winning 11 of the matches and drawing the other one. They scored a total of 66 goals and conceded 14.

“We are going to Algeria with confidence but with level heads. We’re the champions of WAFU B, but in essence, nothing has been won. What matters now are winning a ticket to the FIFA World Cup and winning the Africa Cup. I believe we have the boys to do the job,” Ugbade said before the team left Nigeria on Sunday.

Nigeria will launch her campaign for honours at the 12-team continental championship on Sunday next week, against Zambia at the 22,000 -capacity Stade Mohamed Hamlaoui. They will then take on Morocco and South Africa in other matches in Group B.

The top four-placed teams in Algeria will qualify to represent Africa at the FIFA U17 World Cup finals scheduled for later this year.

THE 26 PLAYERS IN ALGERIA:

Richard Odoh (HB Football Academy)

Yahaya Danjuma Lawali (Mahanaim FC)

Emmanuel Michael (Simon Ben Football Academy)

Haruna Abdullahi (Kurfi Tigers Academy)

Tochukwu Joseph Ogboji (Purple Crown Academy)

Jeremiah Oluwaseyi Olaleke (Ablaze Football Academy)

Umar Abubakar (Devine Football Academy)

Abubakar Idris Abdullahi (Jega United)

Precious Tonye Williams (HB Football Academy)

Ifeoluwa Adewale Olowoporoku (Triple 44 Academy)

Charles Adah Agada (Mavlon FC)

Hope Yusuf Linus (E.E. Sporting Club)

Jubril Opeyemi Azeez (Right Vision Choice Academy)

Anongu Isaac Aondoakaa (FC Bathel Sporting)

Israel Nwachukwu Usulor (Real Sapphire FC)

Temiloluwa Oluwayimika Adelakin (Box2Box Academy)

Simon Karshe Cletus (Mavlon FC)

Tochukwu Simeon Ogbadibo (Jossy United)

Light Chijioke Eke (C&C Football Academy)

Favour Oluwasegun Daniel (G12 Football Academy)

Chijioke Julius Linus (Triple 44 Academy)

Quadri Oluwatobiloba Adewale (Nathaniel Boys FC)

Gift Ukeh Adie (Paul E Football Academy)

Musa Oluwaseyi Akinfenwa (Real Sapphire FC)

Usman Ajibola Owoyemi (Triple 44 Academy)

Matthew Awodi Kingsley (Brook House Academy)