The Nigeria Football Federation has expressed shock and sorrow at the death on Friday morning of Nigeria U23 team’s Media Officer, Timi Ebikagboro.
Nigeria have been handed a fitness boost ahead of their World Cup qualifier against Zambia in Uyo, with Alex Iwobi given a clean bill of health by Arsenal medics to resume full training And has been included in the matchday squad.
Iwobi took part in full training with the Gunners first team at London Colney on Saturday morning, and was photographed contesting for the ball with his good pal Chuba Akpom.
Iwobi played for the team wearing white bibs at the training session, and the team also included Alexis Sanchez, Nacho Monreal, Alexandre Lacazette, Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey.
Chuba Akpom, Theo Walcott, Per Mertesacker, Maitland-Niles and Jack Wilshere were in the team wearing black bibs.
And that is an indication that the Super Eagles star is in line to be named in the match day squad against Brighton & Hove at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
If Iwobi features against the Seagulls and comes through the game unscathed, then he will report for international duty with the Super Eagles as from Monday, October 2
Max Verstappen took his first victory of the Formula 1 season with a dominant drive in the final Malaysian GP, as Sebastian Vettel recovered from starting last to take fourth.
Red Bull’s Verstappen passed pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton into Turn 1 on lap four at Sepang and from there controlled the race to take the second win of his career.
Hamilton finished 12.7 seconds adrift in second, with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo completing the podium in third.
Ferrari’s Vettel, running a new spec engine, hunted Ricciardo down in the closing laps, but had his challenge cooled when his team told him to back off because of concern over engine temperatures.
In a bizarre incident on the slow down lap, Vettel collided with Lance Stroll’s Williams, causing significant damage to the left rear of the Ferrari.
Vettel, who hitched a lift back to pits on the side of Pascal Wehrlein’s Sauber and took his steering wheel with him, now trails championship leader Hamilton by 34 points with five races to go.
There was drama for Ferrari before the start as Kimi Raikkonen, who was due to start second, suffered a turbo problem, and though the team tried to rectify it, it was unable to do so before the race began, forcing him into retirement.
Hamilton got away cleanly from pole, with Verstappen holding off a fast-starting Valtteri Bottas to take second, and Ricciardo slotting into fourth.
Verstappen then set about closing the gap to Hamilton and once he was in DRS range, the Red Bull driver was able to launch a move down the inside at Turn 1.
His team-mate Ricciardo hustled Bottas, getting alongside around the outside of Turn 1 and though the Finn held on around the outside of Turn 2 to get the place back, Ricciardo had the momentum to pass into Turn 4.
Further back, Vettel was making strong progress, climbing up to 12th by lap two and eighth by the end of lap 11.
Hamilton was the first of the frontrunners to pit for the first and only time at the end of lap 26, the Mercedes driver swapping super-softs for a fresh set of soft tyres.
Race leader Verstappen reacted the next lap, taking the softs, too, and rejoining ahead of Hamilton.
Ricciardo inherited the lead, but relinquished it to Verstappen, who led Hamilton by around nine seconds, when he pitted two laps later.
As Verstappen controlled the race out front, Ricciardo set about trying to catch Hamilton, but in the end the Mercedes was out of reach and Ricciardo had to focus on the threat from Vettel.
Vettel got close enough to launch one attack into Turn 1, but Ricciardo slammed the door shut in front of him, and after that Vettel was forced to back off.
Bottas finished a lonely fifth with Force India’s Sergio Perez having a clean race to take sixth.
Stoffel Vandoorne made a strong start, rising up to fifth from seventh, but he did not have the pace to match Vettel and Perez and ended up seventh for the second successive race.
Stroll was eighth, ahead of team-mate Felipe Massa, who came out on top in a feisty battle for ninth with Esteban Ocon.
It was a scrappy race for Ocon, who was sandwiched between Massa and team-mate Perez at the start, leading to him picking up a puncture.
He also collided with Carlos Sainz Jr at Turn 1, pitching him into a spin, and then found himself on the grass when battling Massa later in the race.
Nico Hulkenberg finished just outside the points in 11th with Renault team-mate Jolyon Palmer having a scrappy race, including two spins in close succession, the second of which was the result of contact with Kevin Magnussen, and ended up 16th.
Sainz was running in the points when he was forced to retire with an engine problem, while rookie Toro Rosso team-mate Pierre Gasly finished 14th in his first grand prix.
Wayne Rooney and pregnant Coleen had a huge bust up while watching love cheat drama Dr Foster, according to reports.
Rooney and wife settled down to watch the BBC drama just days after his drink drive shame – but the pair quickly started to argue about the episode, according to The Sun on Sunday.
Wayne Rooney and wife
| image: mirror
Dr Foster sees Suranne Jones battling her cheating ex husband Simon after his affair led to their marriage breakdown.
A source told the paper: “A source said: “Wayne and Coleen have both been through a lot in recent weeks and the atmosphere at home has been tense.
“They were trying to have a quiet night in and were just watching Doctor Foster like millions of other couples.
But something to do with the storyline sparked a big row between them so they ended up switching it off.
Everton Striker Wayne hit the headlines when he was caught over the legal limit behind the wheel of ‘party girl’ Laura Simpson’s car earlier this month.
Wayne and Coleen Rooney | image: mirror
A source has now revealed to Closer magazine that the shamed 31-year-old footballer is doing whatever it takes to regain his wife’s trust – even buying her a luxury pad abroad.
The latest alleged ‘fight to save their marriage,’ comes after Coleen, who is pregnant with the couple’s fourth child, reportedly told Wayne she wanted him to end his nights out with former teammate Wes Brown – believing he is a bad influence.
Rooney is believed to have been with Brown, who he played with during his time at Manchester United, on the night of his arrest in the early hours of September 1.
Dr Foster sees Suranne Jones battling her cheating ex husband Simon after his affair led to their marriage breakdown.
Antonio Conte says that Alvaro Morata was taken off more as a precaution in the first half of the game and does not believe it is “serious”, but said he is likely to stay in London this week rather than travel with the Spanish team.
The striker went off after just 36 minutes, gesturing to his hamstring after telling Content of his intentions to be replaced .
“It’s a muscular problem,” Conte said. “I don’t think it’s a serious problem because he stopped before it will become a serious injury.
He said to me ‘coach I prefer to stop myself otherwise I risk a bad injury’. I don’t know. The doctor now in the next days has to check the situation, but I don’t think he’s available for the national team.
“It’s normal when you play three massive games in only seven days, you must consider this aspect. We needed to take this risk because Morata for us is an important player.”
Conte however did not go for a like-for-like replacement, bringing on Willian and putting Eden Hazard up front as a false nine, rather than introducing Michy Batshuayi.
“It was a simple tactical decision,” Conte said. “This type of game I thought Willian with Hazard was a good decision, to try to exploit the space behind the defenders. It’s a simple tactical decision.”
A somewhat toothless Chelsea were eventually beaten by a Kevin De Bruyne goal, and had generally looked outclassed, but Conte did not express too much concern at that in public as he also reflected on how difficult the champions’ opening fixtures have been.
Chelsea have had to face four of last season’s top seven in their opening seven games.
“Last season Manchester City was a very good team, very strong. I think after this transfer market they improved a lot.
They strengthened. I think so. But I repeat: it’s right to compliment them, compliment our opponent.
This is football. We have to accept the result, above all because today we know that we gave everything.”
Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel is confident that the Super Eagles will qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals this week when they host Zambia’s Chipolopolo in a World Cup qualification Group B match in Uyo on Saturday, October 7.
A victory for current Group B leaders Nigeria will see them win the group and qualify for the finals which will be hosted by Russia next year.
Mikel, who currently plies his trade in China for Tianjin TEDA, praised second-placed Chipolopolo, but he believes that the Super Eagles deserve to qualify.
The former Chelsea FC central midfielder was speaking to the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) official website.
“I must admit that I applaud the resurgence of the Zambians this late in the qualifiers. Beating Algeria home and away is no mean feat,” he said.
“We will take them very serious because they clearly have a new spirit.
It is time we wrap this up,” he continued. “We have all shown professionalism, dedication and determination to be at the pole position in a group tagged ‘Group of Death’.
“Commendations must go to the entire team and the Coach, but we must finish it up in Uyo and secure our ticket right there.”