The Nation Newspaper

Tag: faces

  • Double contract: Abwo faces ban in Poland

    Double contract: Abwo faces ban in Poland

    Former Flying  Eagles midfielder David Abwo is in hot water with his Polish fourth division club, LZS Piotrówka, who have threatened to take him to court for not honoring contractual obligations.

    Despite having an existing contract with LZS Piotrówka, Abwo sensationally turned up in Turkey this week to pen a two – year deal with I Lig newcomers Giresunspor.

    Przegladsportowy.pl is reporting that Abwo had no choice but to sign for the Polish basement side as he wanted to extend and legalize his stay in the Eastern European country after his contract with Zaglebie Lubin was not extended following their demotion.

    Now, without telling his new employer, he suddenly flew to Turkey to pen a deal with 2 Lig champions Giresunspor.

    “We managed to get all the papers allowing Abwo remain in Poland. The player signed an agreement with Piotrówka.

    “He then flew to Turkey without our permission. If necessary, we do not rule out legal consequences,” Ireneusz Strychacz, the president of LZS Piotrówka, said.

    Abwo was rated among the top ten players in Poland in the early part of the second half of the season, after scoring four goals in three consecutive games between February and March.

  • Ogu faces sack in Portugal

    Ogu faces sack in Portugal

    The future of Super Eagles midfielder John Ogu is in doubt at his Portuguese club Academica Coimbra with reports suggesting that he has been released by the club.

    Ogu was sparingly used by former Coach Sergio Conceicao last season after a fall out which Ogu claimed is due to his commitment with the Nigeria national team.

    He appeared only seven times from the bench all through last season costing him a place in the Nigeria World Cup team.

    Conceicao moved to Braga at the end of the season but it appears the 24-year-old doesn’t have a future under new Coach Paulo Sergio who is lining up Ogu’s national teammate Obiorah Nwankwo as his replacement in central midfield.

  • Onazi faces two months lay-off

    Onazi faces two months lay-off

    Nigeria midfielder Ogenyi Onazi could face a lengthy spell of at least eight weeks on the sidelines following an injury he suffered in Monday’s game against France at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

    The Lazio midfielder broke his tibia and fibula from the horror tackle of France midfielder, Blaise Matuidi in a second-round match which Nigeria lost two-nil.

    There has been no official word from the Nigerian camp as they left Brazil on Tuesday, a day after they were eliminated from the World Cup by Les Bleus of France.

    But outgoing Nigeria head coach, Stephen Keshi, said after the match on Monday that Onazi will be “out for probably weeks.”

    “I am not happy with the officiating because Onazi, on two occasions, had a very bad tackle and nothing was done. He is out now probably for weeks,” Keshi said at the post-match conference in Brasilia on Monday.

    John Obi Mikel also felt that Onazi had suffered a broken ankle from the tackle.

    “There were some heavy challenges and I think Onazi has broken his ankle. Challenges like this are bad but it was a 50-50, he just miscalculated,” Mikel said.

    Onazi now has the lower part of his left leg in a cast in the wake of Matuidi’s challenge.

    The Frenchman has now apologised to Onazi in the aftermath of his tackle.

    “I had no fear of being sent off. I’m sorry I didn’t want to hurt Onazi. I am very sad, I’m not a bad player. I even went in the locker room of Nigeria to apologise,” said Matuidi.

    Onazi earlier on Tuesday took to the micro-blogging website, Twitter, to say he has accepted Matuidi’s apology.

    “Hello Blaise Matuidi thanks for the support and for your concern. Let the game go on,” he wrote via his Twitter account.

  • Onazi faces Lazio sack

    Onazi faces Lazio sack

    ONAZI Ogenyi’s days at the Stadio Olimpico looks to end this season following a report on Italian daily, La Repubblica that Serie A side, SS Lazio may part company with the Super Eagles midfielder.

    La Repubblica didn’t give reasons for the planned axe.

    Recall, Onazi earns a shocking 200,000 euros (about N45.8m) a season.

    Meanwhile, aside the Nigerian, top of the list is said to be Bosnian Senad Lulic, who the newspaper say has run out of chances with the Biancocelesti and could be offloaded.

    Juventus could be a surprise destination for the 28-year-old, with Antonio Conte thought to be looking for players who would help the team change to a 4-3-3 formation in time for next season.

  • Delta Speaker faces contempt charge

    Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly Victor Ochei is yet to declare the Ukwani Constituency seat vacant, despite a Federal High Court judgment.

    The seat is presently occupied by Alphonsus Ojo, who was sacked by Justice C.M Olatoregun-Ishola of the Federal High Court, Asaba.

    Justice Olatoregun-Ishola, last Friday, ordered Ochei to declared Ojo’s seat vacant for leaving the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) on September 28, last year to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    The judge said: “The third defendant is caught by the extant provision of Section 109 of the Constitution.

    “I am under the mandatory obligation to declare his seat vacant.

    “Consequently, the seat of the Ukwani Constituency has been declared vacant.

    “The Speaker has been ordered to declare the seat vacant. INEC should conduct another election.”

    At yesterday’s sitting, the embattled lawmaker was present during the House Committee sitting to deliberate on the Vigilante Committee Bill.

    Ojo told reporters that his lawyers will study the judgment before knowing the next line of action to take.

    The lawmaker was first sworn in 2009 after a legal challenge against Nicholas Ochor Ochor but defected to DPP during the 2011 general elections.

    Ochei could not be reached for comments.

  • NFF big shots wear long faces

    NFF big shots wear long faces

    Top officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), who have officially resumed duties at the Glass House, have been wearing long faces, SportingLife has gathered.

    They have been keeping to themselves since their return from the Nations Cup in South Africa.

    The sudden change in attitude has become a subject of discourse among staff of the federation. Prior to their departure, they were very cheerful.

    A competent source however revealed that the unusual behaviour may not be unconnected with the reception organised for the Super Eagles by President Goodluck Jonathan and some state governors.

    SportingLife’s source added that the officials have not been happy with the persistence criticism of the leaders by different sections of the country, which was further worsened by the purported resignation of head coach Stephen Keshi.

    “It is very unusual of them to be in that mood. I can tell you that since some of them returned from South Africa their behaviour has changed. In fact you can hardly get them to laugh with the workers. We don’t know what really happened in South Africa and after, but l must tell you they have really changed,” said a staff.

  • Ideye faces Dynamo sanction

    Ideye faces Dynamo sanction

    Super Eagles forward Brown Ideye will be sanctioned by Dynamo Kiev for failing to return to Kiev on Thursday after Nigeria’s heroics at the just-concluded African Cup of Nations.

    Ideye returned with the Eagles to Abuja on the orders of Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday, and was missing in Dynamo Kiev’s 1-1 draw with Bordeaux on Thursday night. However, Dynamo coach, Oleg Blokhin insists the Nigerian striker will be called to order, even as he hailed the professionalism showed by Celtic’s Efe Ambrose.

    ”It is necessary to take some kind of sanctions, as the man left the team. Sanctions are necessary to force players to return to the club on time. Ambrose was back in time because of Celtic. He played in the final of the African Cup on the 10th and was already out on the field for Celtic on the 12th,” Blokhin was quoted as saying by footboom.com.

    Meanwhile, SportingLife can authoritatively reveal today that Ideye departed for Kiev Friday night and will be able to make it for today’s training with the Ukrainian Premier League outfit.

    It would be recalled that former Golden Eaglets captain, Lukman Haruna was on target for Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League tie against Bordeaux on Thursday before Ludovic Obraniak equalized for the French side.

    Ideye and his Dynamo mates return to action in the Ukrainian Premier League on March 3 with a home game against Kryvbas.

  • FAILURE TO TRAIN: Lawal faces legal action

    FAILURE TO TRAIN: Lawal faces legal action

    Turkish first division club Adana Demirspor has threatened to take legal action against Raheem Lawal after he refused to appear in training for the second successive day, according to reports in Turkey.

    The defensive midfielder had trained with the Super Eagles at their Faro base in Portugal. Unfortunately, he failed to make the final roster to South Africa.

    Officials of Adana Demirspor have been waiting for Lawal to return to the club, but in vain.

    Allnigeriasoccer.com can exclusively reveal that Lawal and his manager are in Istanbul negotiating a contract with Super League club Istanbul Büyüksehir Belediyespor.

  • Aluko faces two months out

    Aluko faces two months out

    Hull City boss Steve Bruce fears forward Sone Aluko could be out for two months with an Achilles injury.

    The 23-year-old Nigeria international has scored eight goals in 24 appearances this season.

    Bruce told BBC Radio Humberside: “It looks as if he has a small tear in his Achilles and he’s going to be in a boot for the best part of four weeks.

    “It is going to be the best part of six to eight weeks before he is back and it is a major concern to us.”

    He added: “He has been paramount to the way we have played so it is a horrible blow.

    “We’ll be trying our utmost to try and bring someone in now.”

    The Tigers boss also revealed the club have submitted a bid to bring Fulham keeper David Stockdale back to the KC Stadium on loan. Stockdale, 27, made five appearances for the Championship promotion chasers before being recalled by the Cottagers in December.

  • OPERATION WIN CUP OF NATIONS: Osaze faces axe if…

    OPERATION WIN CUP OF NATIONS: Osaze faces axe if…

    SportingLife can reveal exclusively today that West Bromwich Albion FC of England’s striker Osaze Odemwingie may be dropped from the country’s 23-man squad to the 2013 South Africa Cup of Nations if he formally makes a request for a delay to report in camp over his wife’s pregnancy.

    Disclosing this exclusively to SportingLife on telephone, a dependable source at the GlassHouse in Abuja stated on Sunday night that he wants to consider what he read in the newspapers on Sunday as a wish especially as Osaze has not communicated his request to the federation or the team’s chief coach, Stephen Keshi.

    Indeed, the NFF chief who was livid, argued that: “Ask Osaze if he would tell his coaches that kind of message? Ask him why he thinks he would be granted that kind of favour given the number of strikers that are available to the coaches to pick from? My brother, Keshi has over 12 strikers (Ameobi, Martins, Emenike, Ike Uche, Ideye, Ahmed Musa, Utaka, Aiyegbeni, Akpala, et al ) doing well in their European clubs, so, Osaze can remain in England to do whatever he wishes.

    “We will pick committed players not those with divided attention. If he wants to stay away for some time, then he should forget about making the 23-man squad. All players would be judged by what they show in training during the camping session. There won’t be any sacred cows. No automatic shirt for anyone in the Eagles. Anyway, I consider what you are teling me as another media hype until when we get his message, would we act. But, if that comes today, we will reject it and wish him well. He can join us during the 2013 World Cup campaign.

    “Just to add my brother, any player who colludes with his club to remain in Europe will be dragged to FIFA. The rules are very clear about the release of players for big national team competiitons such as the Africa Cup of Nations. And we are determined to get all our best players in the camp to train for the Africa Cup of Nations. Mr. President has challenged the federation to prepare the Eagles properly for the event in South Africa and we will do that.

    “If the coach picks anyone, he must report to the camp if he has any excuses to make. We will not want anyone to tells us anything from afar. If we clear him, he won’t play for his European club until after the Africa Cup of Nations,” the NFF buff said.