The game which the Nigerian national team needed to win to remain relevant in the journey to 2010 World cup has come and gone. The outcome of the game has thrown-up more challenges on the 2010 project. Prior to this September, 6th game, it was a consensus of opinion of keen followers of football that having played a goalless draw with the Carthage Eagles in Tunisia, our own Eagles should take advantage of this home game to take a one point lead of the opponent.

Austin Jay Jay Okocha was enveloped by momentary madness the moment he saw Tunisia’s Derragi Oussma run into a wide space created for him by Taye Taiwo.

FIERY Lawyer Dudu Orumen was short of shedding tears when he talked about the shameful outing of Nigeria’s Super Eagles in their 2-2 draw with Tunisia that has sent many Nigerians into mourning.

Tunisian Karim Haggui has warned his countrymen not to over-celebrate the 2-2 draw obtained by his side in Nigeria on Sunday as the World Cup ticket was still a bridge too far. The inspirational player urged his mates to remain focused on the task at hand in order to successfully book their ticket for South Africa 2010. The North Africans lead Group B with eight points while Nigeria trail with six points.

The Nigeria Football Federation has expressed shock at the death of its former Board Member, Chief Jude Ezechukwu.
Chief Ezechukwu, proprietor of the Jasper United Football Club of Onitsha, was said to have died in his sleep in the early hours of Wednesday, September 9, 2009.

THE Publicist of the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON), Ben Ekpo, has condemned the Nigeria Football Federation for putting the Eagles’ World Cup qualification hopes in serious jeopardy.

Nigeria will require, at least, N60 million to host the International Exhibition of Young Inventors (IEYI), according to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Alhassan Zaku. The event, to be hosted by the government with the collaboration of private organisations and international agencies would hold in November, a statement said.

AS Nigerians come to terms with the 2-2 draw against Tunisia that has placed our chances of going to the World Cup on thread, one man has advocated that each member of the Super Eagles, coaches and NFF officials should be whipped 24 times for the opprobrium they inflicted on Nigerians.

Former Chairman of the Gombe State Football Association, Shuaibu Gara Gombe has moved for the disbandment of the Super Eagles even as he has fingered top shots of the Nigeria Football Federation as the major culprits, who should be held responsible, in the increasingly likely event that Nigeria fail to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

MANY may think that I would be triumphant over the Super Eagles loss of the 2010 World Cup ticket, haven warned endless about the consequences of our inane preparations. On the contrary, I am sad with millions of Nigerians who are often led to over-estimate the strength of the national team. The play with national emotions must stop.

Governor Rotimi Amaechi has bluntly said no to sports minister’s directive that Green Eagles players be paid a winning bonus for the 2-2 draw against Tunisia on Sunday.

ABUJA — The Nigeria Football Federation Technical Committee called for new players to be injected into the Super Eagles as a measure to beef up the team after Sunday’s dismal performance against the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in 2010 World Cup qualifier at the Abuja National Stadium.

Officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) maintain that the players rather than the NFF, should be held responsible, if Nigeria fail to make it to 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

[More…]

Old players continued with their impressive performance in the game of scrabble as they shoved aside the younger generation led by Delta State’s Wellington Jighere and Dennis Ikekeregor at the just concluded Verallen Scrabble Classics held in Abuja.

AC Milan youngster, Nnamdi Oduamadi, will miss out on this month’s FIFA Under-20 World Cup after he suffered a hamstring injury while training with the Nigerian squad in Mallorca, Spain, this week.
A scan has revealed that Oduamadi will be out of action for at least six weeks.