OPINION
The phrase: “Founded 1945” adorns the circular emblem of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Super Eagles Coach, Salisu Yusuf is one of many, well respected tacticians at club level in Nigeria.
Perusing the list of 59 Coaches applying for national team positions as released by the NFF, a name stood out, but it wasn’t Finidi George, rather it was Haruna Ilerika.
UEFA Player 2017 Award: Buffon Ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo is How I’d Vote – Abdulmueez Alao
As the group stage draws for the UEFA Champions League is to be announced next week in Monaco, the UEFA Men’s player of the year will be also be announced as well as the UEFA Women’s player of the year; but all eyes will be who wins the Men’s Award after an incredible year of football from all the teams who participated in the competition.
Guilty as Charged! NFF’s Silence on Kalu’s Assault on Referee Ghorbal is Complicity
There’s no bigger problem in Nigeria football like hooliganism and the thought of that is pathetic.
Match officials, fans and even players have been victims and the culprits have been just about anybody inside the arenas.
Brazilian forward, Neymar completed his world record transfer of 222 million Euros to French outfit, Paris Saint Germain. There has been a lot of talk about why he decided to make this world record move to PSG who are less of a better team compared to his former employers, Barcelona.
PSG have paid Barcelona the full release clause after the French giants announced the deal in an official press conference where they unveiled the player. Neymar in the process signed a five year deal worth 515,000 pounds per week and will receive 26.8 million pounds a year after tax.
He will also wear the No.10 jersey at the club. With this move happening, we will like to know some of the reasons why the Brazilian made this crazy transfer and also what it holds for further transfer business as years come by.
A lot of people are struggling to decide whether the move is money instigated or whether he would like to be the main star attraction at a club as well as leaving the ‘’shadow’’ of five time Ballon d’ Or winner, Lionel Messi.
These reasons are just part of the list of reasons why the former Santos player decided to leave the Catalan giants. The main question to be asked about Neymar ’s move would be why he would be leaving Barcelona which is bigger club than PSG. The reason may be part aiming to the “shadow “of Messi tag.
Neymar may have realized that a way to outshine Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and possibly claim the World best player award would be playing in a team where he is the best player and it is the fair to say that if he makes the move he would be the best player at the club.
Another reason why Neymar might want to make the move would be the opportunity for him to play with his fellow Brazilian team mates such as Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Lucas Moura and his close friend Dani Alves. The player might also want to make the switch because of the recent switch in management.
Barcelona recently announced the appointment of Ernesto Valverde from Athletic Bilbao and Neymar might not relish the change as former boss; Luis Enrique gave the Brazilian the freedom to play his style of football. He might feel that a change in management would mean that there might be a change in his style of football which he may not relish.
Neymar ’s move to PSG became more suspicious as the President of PSG, Nasser Al- Khelaifi hinted that the he was going to make the move after he was quoted saying that he was a Barcelona player “for now”. With this move happening, it would be more than double the current record transfer fee which lies at 89 million Euros.
It will also mean a lot of things in the seasons to come. It may or will mean that clubs will be evaluating their players at ridiculous prices which is already happening. An example would be Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson who is valued at 30 million pounds which is crazy by all means.
People might be wondering why the Financial Fair Play (FFP) officials are not taking action despite this ludicrous use of money in the transfer market. But according to the rules, the laws help make sure there is a balance in investments and maintaining overspending and these are linked to the clubs earnings in the various competitions they take place in.
Furthermore FFP may not have much of a say in the transfer as Barcelona were the ones who inserted in the release clause for the Brazilian and since PSG were willing to pay and the player wanted the move, there was not much of a choice for the Catalan giants but to sell him.
These reasons and a few others are why Neymar has chosen to make this world record transfer to Paris Saint Germain. This move would obviously draw more attention to the Ligue 1 in France and will mean PSG should be one of the teams in contention to claim the UEFA Champions League and major trophies such as the Ligue trophy which they lost to AS Monaco last season.
Someone said somewhere that there’s no moral justification for any team to complain of unjust officiating because according to him “every team benefits from it in the course of the season”.
Is Christian Coleman the man to take over from Usain Bolt as world’s fastest man?
Christian Coleman could be the heir to Usain Bolt thrown – despite finishing second at London 2017.
All eyes were on Usain Bolt in the World Championships 100m final on Saturday night as he bowed out from the individual race as he won the bronze, with Justin Gatlin taking gold.
The former drugs cheat is now 35 and hasn’t got too long left at the top.
So is Coleman the next big thing in sprinting?
The Tennessee Volunteers young gun ran a blistering 9.82 at the NCAA Championships in Eugene on June 7, his personal best.
Coleman qualified for the semi-finals second fastest with 10.01, behind only Jamaica’s Julian Forte who was the only man to break 10 seconds with a PB of 9.99 seconds.
Given this is his first major championships in an individual event, Coleman is as far as is possible from the total 11 world titles Bolt has to his name – along with his eight Olympic gold medals and every world record he’s aimed at.
Coleman is certainly a name for the future.
No other athlete in the world has gone sub 9.9 this year without wind assistance, with Bolt’s best being 9.95, making Coleman’s 9.82 more impressive.
The time makes his ninth on the all-time list. Of those ahead of him only Bolt, justin Gatlin and Ashafa powell have bettered that time since the last Worlds were staged in Beijing in 2015.
So he’s the real deal. What is yet to be established is whether he can hold his nerve on the biggest stage of all.
“This is my first individual competition at international level and the goal for me is to come out with the win,” he says confidently.
“Bolt is the greatest of all time right now. He’s done some things that 20 years ago not many people thought could be done.
But I’m locked in and focused in and when you do that, special things happen. I will be ready. ”Coleman impressed during Saturday night’s semi-final and final and with no more Bolt, big things are expected. Without the Jamaican opportunity knocks. And Coleman knows it.