Keshi urges NFF to move for Sam.
Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi has expressed fears over the eligibility of Sidney Sam to play for Nigeria at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
The NFF recently revealed that although it has started doing the paper work needed to make the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder eligible to play for Nigeria, it will not be possible for the whole process to be completed before the Nations Cup.
Keshi is however mounting pressure on the NFF, urging them not to give up on the possibility of getting the player eligible to play for Nigeria soon enough.
"There is no way we can give up on the player. The NFF should be pushing hard because we have the World Cup qualifiers after the Africa Cup of Nations and he could be very useful in the team for the qualifiers to the Nations Cup," he said.
"I have watched Sam he’s a very good player and he will add quality to the team." Keshi said.
Eaglets soar to Morocco 2013
Nigeria's Under-17 national team on Sunday made certain of a place at next year’s African Under-17 Championship in Morocco with a 2-0 victory over the Junior Eagles of Mali away in Bamako.
Widely touted as the future of Nigeria football, Manu Garba’s teen terrors took charge of their return leg, final qualifying fixture against the Malians right from the first blast of Guinean referee Ahmed Sekou Toure’s whistle, and in spite of the raucous home crowd at the Stade Mamadou Konate.
The bean-pole figure of effervescent midfielder Alhassan Ibrahim, scorer of the second in the Eaglets’ 2-0 home win in Calabar on November 18, tormented the hosts all evening, and was inevitably involved in the first goal by big striker Success Isaac after 23 minutes.
Bernard Bulbwa wiped clean any hopes the home crowd might be nursing of a spectacular comeback by their team, when he scored the second goal 10 minutes after resumption. Nigeria qualified with a 4-0 aggregate.
Morocco will be Nigeria’s first outing at Africa’s kindergarten party since lifting the trophy in Togo in 2007. The Golden Eaglets failed to qualify for the 2009 championship that took place in Algeria and the 2011 finals that were held in Rwanda.
Sunday’s win in sunny Bamako also capped a sunshine year for Nigeria football, in which all the National Teams qualified for all major tournaments for which they took part in qualifying campaigns.
Other countries that have qualified for Morocco 2013, which Draw Ceremony will be staged alongside that of the Algeria 2013 African Youth Championship in Cairo next Sunday, are: Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Congo-Brazzaville and host Morocco.
NPL gets new congress and kick-off dates
The Nigeria Premier League congress will now be held on Thursday, December 6, in Kano.
The congress, which had earlier been scheduled for November 17, was suspended by the NFF pending the resolution of outstanding issues in the League.
Chairman of the media sub-committee of the NPL, Joe Amene, announced the new date of the congress yesterday, and stated further that the draws for the new season will be held at the Tahir Hotels in Kano.
In a related development, December 22 is being mooted as the kick-off date for the new season.
Mikel could be Benitez's first victim
John Obi Mikel looks set to be dropped from the Chelsea squad as new manager Rafa Benitez attempts to inspire Fernando Torres back to his best.
Chelsea are up against Fulham in the London Derby at Stamford Bridge tonight.
Benitez is under pressure to produce results, and is said to regard Mikel as too defensive and not creative enough to provide opportunites for Torres.
Mikel was missing from preparations for the match, and could be replaced by Oriel Romeu, who came on for him against Manchester City on Sunday.
The new Chelsea coach spoke out on Torres as well, insisting that the 28-year-old can return to form.
"He's not exactly the same player now, because he was at maximum level at this time [at Liverpool]," Benitez said of his fellow Spaniard.
"But I think he can come back. How close? I don't know. It depends on the rest of the team. I'm sure he can improve, but the team has to help him."
Torres has scored just 19 goals in 88 games for the European champions, but Benitez says he can see what the striker needs.
"The first thing is to give him some confidence, instructions as to how he can do things in a different way, improve him a little bit physically," the manager said.
"You need to be stronger in defence, regain the ball easier and then you can create your own chances. That will benefit Torres.
"Players with mobility, quality ... we can improve all these things."
When asked if he has been under pressure to pick record signing Torres by club owner Roman Abramovich, Benitez said: "It's easy at the moment because [Daniel] Sturridge is still injured."
Sturridge is Chelsea's only other recognised centre-forward, and it seems likely the club will make some signings in the January transfer window.
Pearce blamed for England's loss of Moses
The blame game continues over Victor Moses' decision to play for Nigeria instead of England.
England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce has been criticised for his poor handling of Moses as one of the factors that led the Chelsea winger to choose Nigeria over England.
Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan, who oversaw the development of Moses as a youngster at Selhurst Park, told the Daily Mail that Pearce, who has been criticised for his poor relationship with players, should have done more to make Moses feel welcome during his time with the English youth team.
According to the Daily Mail, Jordan's faith in Moses' potential extended to the multi-millionaire football chairman having a £50,000 bet with former Arsenal forward Paul Merson that Moses would win more England caps than Merson's tally of 21 — although that wager has been voided by Moses' decision to play for Nigeria.
This latest development comes hot on the heels of criticism of the English FA over the Moses saga, from Neil Warnock and Roberto Martinez, both of whom coached the 21-year-old, at Crystal Palace and Wigan respectively.
Falconets starlet listed for CAF award
Flamingoes forward Chinwendu Ihezuo has been nominated for the CAF African Woman Player of the Year award.
Ihezuo, 15, scored six goals as the Nigerian Under-17 women fell short at the quarterfinal of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, losing on penalties to France.
Her lethal finishing in front of goal was enough, however, to earn her the adidas silver boot at the tournament.
Ihezuo will face competition from favourite Equatorial Guinea's Genoveva Anoman, who helped her country to their second African title with six goals.
Also nominated for the award is South African veteran Portia Modise, whose Banyana Banyana finished second behind Equatorial Guinea at the AWC.
Kalu Uche fires on in Turkey
Kalu Uche scored his eighth goal of the season for Turkish Super Ligi Kasimpasa in a 2-2 away draw on Sunday.
The former Almeria of Spain forward scored in the 72nd minute to bring the scores to 1-1 after hosts Eskisehirspor had taken the lead.
Kasimpasa are now sixth on the table with 22 points from 14 matches.
Uche is now a goal short of the league’s leading scorer Bulut of Galatasaray.
Still in Turkey, former Enyimba striker Uche Kalu returned to scoring ways when he handed Rizespor the lead in the 12th minute to register his ninth goal of the season in a 1-1 home draw with Sanliurfaspor.
In Belgium, Nigeria wonder kid Ezekiel Imoh scored his eighth goal of the season when he led his team Standard Lierge to a 2-0 win at Waasland Beveren.
The ex-36 Lion of Lagos star put Standard Liege ahead in the 12th minute.
His club are now fifth on the table with 29 points from 18 games.
'Jay Jay' Okocha fires hat-trick
Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha netted a hat-trick for past Eagles stars against Nollywood celebrities in a benefit game to mark World AIDS day in Lagos.
The Eagles stars, who paraded several past greats like Nwankwo Kanu, Daniel Amokachi, Benedict Akwuegbu and Celestine Babayaro, won the match 9-3.
Other ex-Eagles stars scorers were Kanu, Amokachi, Akwuegbu and Jonathan Akpoborie.
Past Eagles stars who starred in the benefit game include Emeka Ezeugo, mobi Oparaku, Teslim Fatusi, Taiwo Enegwa
The Nollywood celebrities who featured include Segun Arinze, Uti Nwachukwu,Sound Sultan, Klint da Drunk and Nonso Diobi.
Chief host of the game was former Nigeria head of state Yakubu Gowon.
2013 Champions League: Pillars list Reuben, Kabiru Umar
Pillars have registered Nigeria international Gabriel Reuben as well as Heartland striker Kabiru Umar for next year’s CAF Champions League.
Defensive midfielder Reuben has yet to agree to play for the Nigeria champions in the coming season, but it is believed that his agent may now have reached an agreement with the Kano club for his player to be involved in the Champions League before he leaves for Europe.
Umar, who has been capped by Nigeria at ‘B’ level, has also been entered for the competition.
Last season, he featured for cup winners Heartland. He has also played for Enugu Rangers, who were rumoured to want him back for the Champions League.
He has already featured for Rangers in the sub-regional WAFU Cup as well as this year’s Confederation Cup with Heartland.
Soccer4life can specially report that Pillars have registered a total of 27 players for Africa’s foremost club competition.
Sunshine Stars central defender Ado Ali, Kabiru Musa from Egyptian club Arab contractors as well as Samuel Mathias (Gombe United) and Promise James (Enyimba) have also been registered.
Pillars made their Champions League debut in 2009 and reached the semi-finals.
They failed to go past the qualifying rounds of the same competition the following season after they lost out to Wydad Casablanca of Morocco.
They and Rangers will represent Nigeria in the Champions League, while Heartland and Lobi Stars feature in the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup.
Join us next monday for another Edition of Football made in Naija.
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