It has been three weeks since Bayelsa United emerged the new champions of the Glo Premier League ,and Chief coach of the Bayelsa State side says, the feeling is still fresh. Coach Monday Odiga was happy when his team lifted the trophy in Oleh after a 2-2 scoreline with Warri Wolves.

Underperforming Super Eagles striker, Obafemi Martins, who arrived late for the first day of training at Newcastle yesterday, has been offered an amazing pay rise as the club intend to use the cash bait to hold the player back in their fold as they prepare for the Championship next season.

HERE technology shows Kaka’s goal against USA in the Confederation cup final actually passed the line and should have been allowed. But the referee and his assistant were undecided and game continued. Replay technology will help referees on this if it is eventually introduced to help officiating.

BENIN High Chief Oyiki Obaseki (he warns that Jackson is off his names) must have been startled by the moral questions his statement on that the last minute precocity of Zamfara United’s scorers brought to the last day of the Nigerian Premiership.

THE Globacom Premier League is swimming in very dangerous waters that might bring the game to disrepute and ridicule. World soccer-governing body, FIFA, is listening with rapt attention to the offensive odour oozing out from the country. Chairman of the Nigerian Professional League, Chief Jackson Oyuiki-Obaseki has placed curses on those trying to smear the league even though he confessed that it was difficult to prove whether the match was compromised by the clubs.

That Nigerian players are blessed with technique is never in doubt. In fact, their technical abilities marvel Europeans and other football nations. They are usually likened to those of Brazil, the kings of the game of soccer.

World football governing body FIFA has now set August 7 as the new date for the Draw Ceremony of the FIFA U-17 World Cup finals, which Nigeria will host October/November this year.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have dropped to the 34th spot in the July edition of the FIFA world rankings that have Confederations Cup winners, Brazil returning to the top on Wednesday, for the first time since August 2007, by jumping four places and knocking European champions Spain down to second spot.

Despite suffering a Federation Cup q-final defeat to Enyimba, Shooting Stars Chief Coach Franklin Howard says the team has come to stay, stressing that Tuesday’s result confirms the fact that 3SC can hold its own against the big boys of Nigerian football.

The national beach soccer team, otherwise known as ‘Supersand Eagles’ mauled their counterparts from Mauritius 13-0 in their first match of the African Beach Soccer Championship in Durban, South Africa yesterday.
Veteran striker Isiaka Olawale hit six goals past the hapless Mauritian goalkeeper as he nonchallantly announced his fourth appearance at the continental championship.

The secretary-general of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Bolaji Ojo-Oba, has announced that the country will not play a warm-up game before their World Cup qualifier against Tunisia in Abuja on September 6. Nigeria were on line for a friendly against Argentina before the Tunisia match in Abuja.

Chairman of Delta State Sports Commission, Amaju Pinnick, went into celebration yesterday when world football governing body, FIFA, officially announced Warri and Kaduna as venues for the U-17 World Cup that Nigeria will host this October.

Nwankwo Kanu has assured Portsmouth supporters that he will not be leaving Fratton Park at the end of his contract as he is close to agreeing a new deal.

Director of Communications of the Confederation of Africa Football, Suleiman Habuba, has sent congratulatory messages to a man of the people, Alhaji Abdulrahman Shuaibu, who has been turbaned the Talban Mubi in Adamawa State.

FIFA announced on Monday that one of four German journalists injured in a car crash on their way to a Confederations Cup semi-final match has died.