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World Cup Qualifiers: I can’t beg Osimhen to play for Super Eagles — Head coach Finidi George

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Super Eagles’ head coach, Finidi George has said he can’t beg the team’s poster boy, Victor Osimhen, to play for the team in the ongoing World Cup qualifiers.

This comes amidst widespread backlash following Super Eagles ‘underwhelming’ performance that saw the team taking the fifth place in the six-team table.

Recall that the Super Eagles failed to win any of their first four games against Lesotho, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Benin in the ongoing World Cup Qualifiers.

Opening up on the turmoil he faced in his first few weeks in charge of the Super Eagles, Finidi said he has not received much support from his employers the NFF and he did not hesitate to fault the commitment of the players to the cause of the national team.

A source told SCORENigeria that Finidi used Osimhen to drive home his point that the country’s top stars are not fully committed to the Super Eagles.

Osimhen was not available for the two all-important World Cup qualifiers with an official explanation that he was injured and sidelined for four weeks.

“Finidi said the Napoli striker could still have managed to play these matches.

The coach will go on to say that it appears that Osimhen chooses the games he plays for Nigeria and he cannot beg him to play for his country,” the source said.

The former Enyimba coach also bemoaned the complete breakdown of discipline in the team and was totally disappointed with how the players strolled into training camp for the crucial World Cup qualifiers.

He said many of these players have the backing of some powerful NFF Board members and that it became increasingly difficult to sanction them because he would often be warned that a player “belonged” to a certain “big man”.

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Transfer: Osimhen has arrived, Galatasaray reach agreement with two more players

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A sports commentator, Zeki Uzundurukan has insisted that Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen has arrived at Galatasaray.

Uzundurukan, who said this while commenting on Galatasaray’s transfer agenda, said that the Turkish champions have also reached an agreement with two more players after securing Osimhen’s permanent transfer deal from Napoli.

“Victor Osimhen had always planned to stay at Galatasaray from the beginning to the end, and the thought of going to Saudi Arabia had never crossed his mind,” Uzundurukan said (via habersarikirmizi).

“President Dursun Özbek managed the process very well. If it had been another Turkish team with €150 million in its coffers, they might not have been able to make this transfer.

“There were those who tried to sabotage Victor Osimhen’s transfer, and there were those who intervened. This transfer happened thanks to Osimhen’s upright stance.

“Osimhen has arrived. Galatasaray has reached an agreement with two more players. One of them is a goalkeeper… They will announce them as well,” he said.

This is coming after Galatasaray vice-president Abdullah Kavukcu insisted that no one can mock the club regarding Osimhen’s permanent transfer.

According to Kavukcu, Osimhen wants to join Galatasaray badly to the extend that the 26-year-old attacker rejected incredible offers from other clubs.

Galatasaray and Napoli had already reached an agreement on bank guarantees and payment plans regarding Osimhen’s transfer.

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WAFCON 2024: We respect Super Falcons, not scared – Zambia captain, Banda

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Ahead of their quarter-final meeting at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Zambia captain, Barbara Banda says they have no fear for the Super Falcons of Nigeria, Ekwutosblog reports.

The Copper Queens are seeking a second consecutive appearance in the semi-final of the competition.

Nora Hauptle’s side went home with the bronze three years ago, edging past Nigeria 1-0 in the third-place match.

The Super Falcons waltzed through Group B without conceding, though yet to hit expected heights.

They still remain a strong force, and have some of the best players on the continent.

Banda, who is the current African Footballer of the Year, declared that they respect the Super Falcons but have no fear for Justine Madugu’s team.

“We are not scared, but we respect them because we know the game is 90-plus, so we are going to speak on the pitch. We want to hunt it,” she told a press conference in Casablanca.

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EPL: Alan Pardew predicts top team that could be relegated next season

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Former Premier League manager, Alan Pardew, has predicted that Manchester United could be relegated next season.

He said this is due to the failure of the Red Devils to solve their defensive issues.

Pardew, a former Newcastle United boss, said that the club’s decision to ban about five of their first-team players from squad training sent the wrong message to the rest of the players.

Speaking to talkSPORT, the former Crystal Palace man responded to the question of the Premier League team that’s most at risk of relegation in the 2025-2026 season.

He said, “All the teams in that bottom ten, including Man United.

“The issue is keeping goals out and at the moment they haven’t changed much from that.

“It all hinges on moving these five players, it’s almost like a fire sale at the moment.”

Players such as Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia and Antony have been banned from training with the Red Devils first team.

Pardew feels that such a dressing room situation sends a negative signal to other Red Devils’ players.

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