The Nation Newspaper

Tag: KALU UCHE

  • Moses, Uche opt out of Eagles’ June schedule

    Moses, Uche opt out of Eagles’ June schedule

    Chelsea ace Victor Moses will miss next month’s World Cup qualifiers and the Confederations Cup due to injury, MTNFootball.com reports.

    Nigeria travel to Kenya and Namibia in June in continuation of the qualifying series for Brazil 2014 and will also be in Brazil next month for the Confederations Cup.

    Chelsea has informed the Nigeria Football Federation that Moses, one of the best players of the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, has withdrawn from the Super Eagles matches so as to treat a recurring injury.

    He will therefore not be fit in time for the World Cup qualifiers and the Confederations Cup in Brazil next month.

    However, the London club said he will be with the team during the pre-season tour of United States to be monitored closely by doctors, but would not participate in the tour.

    Also opting out of the squad due to injury is Turkey-based Kalu Uche.

    In a message to coach Stephen Keshi, Uche claimed to have been playing with injury for some time now in the Turkish League, and on the advice of his doctor, will be using the opportunity of the off-season to undergo treatment.

    Keshi said he was disappointed both players did not inform him earlier about this development, but maintained on Monday night: “We have the players to deliver the World Cup ticket and to make Nigerians proud in Brazil.”

     

  • Kalu Uche marks Eagles return with 17th goal

    Kalu Uche marks Eagles return with 17th goal

    KALU UCHE celebrated his Nigeria recall with his 17th goal of the season in the Turkish top flight on Saturday.

    The former Barcelona Espanyol maestro, who had expressed surprise over his Eagles recall, scored Kasimpasa’s second goal in the 71st minute in a 3-2 loss away to Promise Isaac’s Antalyaspor.

    Uche senior was this week handed a recall to Super Eagles ahead of a hectic May/June schedule after he has been away from the team for 16 months.

  • Osaze sets for Eagles return

    Osaze sets for Eagles return

    …  Nsofor, Kalu Uche too

    West Bromwich Albion striker, Osaze Odemwingie, is set for a sensational Super Eagles return only weeks after it seemed he will never play for Nigeria again.

    MTNFootbal.com gathered that Osaze, who has been at the wars with his English Premier League club, will be handed a lifeline by the Super Eagles handlers after a recent tirade by the player against Stephen Keshi and the team.

    “Osaze will return to the Eagles,” a top official specially disclosed to MTNFootball.com.

    “Besides the fact that he deserves to be in the team, it would also be a big boost for Osaze after his troubles with WBA.”

    The outspoken Osaze resorted to social network platform Twitter to vent his frustrations after he was sensationally axed from the Eagles squad to last month’s Africa Cup of Nations.

    The striker accused Keshi of not being professional in the manner he was dropped from the national team, while he also took a dig at skipper Joseph Yobo, saying the Super Eagles had lacked a true leader.

    He also suggested he was through with the national team.

    Keshi has since said Osaze was dropped because of “character problems” which would have disrupted team spirit at the AFCON.

    ‘Big Boss’ has already sent out words of encouragement to Osaze following his travails at the EPL side.

    The former Lille and Lokomotiv Moscow star last featured for Nigeria in a 2013 Nations Cup qualifier in Rwanda in February 2012.

    Other top stars lined up for a return to the team are Obinna Nsofor and Kalu Uche.

    Uche, for one, has been on fire in Turkey with his Istanbul outfit Kasimpasa, where he has so far netted 15 goals in the league.

    He last played for Nigeria in a November 2011 friendly against Zambia in Kaduna, where he scored the opening goal and his younger brother Ikechukwu was also on target in a 2-0 win in Keshi’s second game in charge of the team.

     

  • No stopping Kalu Uche in Turkey

    No stopping Kalu Uche in Turkey

    Nigeria midfielder, Kalu Uche is now one of the most feared goal scorers in Turkey’s Super Lig after scoring his fourth goal in as many matches for his new club, Kasimpasa.
    The 29-year-old smashed home Kasimpasa’s second goal on the stroke of full time in the 3-0 win over Gaziantepspor on Saturday.

    Uche had laid down the marker and announced his presence in Turkey’s top flight with a brilliant hat-trick as Kasimpasa thrashed Elazigspor 3-0 at Atatürk on Matchday Three of the competition.

    Uche, whose goal ratio for Kasimpasa is an impressive one goal in every game, is now the top scorer in the league.
    Uche has been capped 35 times at international level netting four times for the Super Eagles.