Nigeria drop to 35th position in Fifa ranking

The Super Eagles saw their fortunes tumble after their hectic campaign in June saw them win two, lose two and draw one of their matches The descent of the Super Eagles on the Fifa ranking continued as the team dropped four spots to finish in 35th place in the new listing released on Thursday. Nigeria had a hectic June playing two 2014 World Cup qualifiers before heading to Brazil to play in the Fifa Confederations Cup. Stephen Keshi’s side won two of their five matches last month, losing two with one draw. The Super Eagles beat Kenya 1-0 in Nairobi and drew 1-1 with Namibia in Windhoek. They won 6-1 against Tahiti before losing 1-2 and 0-3 to Uruguay and Spain respectively. The team finished in 31st spot in the previous ranking released in June. Cote D’Ivoire continue to be the top ranked African side staying in the 13th position while Ghana dropped three spots to 24th and Mali dropped five spots to 28th to remain the second and third ranked African sides. Algeria overtook Nigeria for fourth place in Africa as they climbed one place to finish in 34th position with the African champions being the fifth ranked side from the continent. Despite losing the Confederations Cup final 0-3 to Brazil, Spain maintained their hold on the top spot as the Selecao climbed up 13 spots to finish in ninth position following their heroic run to the title on home soil.

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Nnamdi Oduamadi handed jersey No. 90 at AC Milan

The Nigeria hat trick hero says he looks forward to a great time with the Rossoneri after his performance in Brazil earned him a recall to AC Milan.  The Nigeria forward was recalled to the Rosoneri following his hat trick performance against Tahiti at the Confederations Cup. Oduamadi played last season on loan at Varese in the second division in Italy but now faces an uphill task to cement a place with the high flying Milanese side. “I went to Italy from Brazil as my club wanted to confirm the extent of the ankle injury [picked up at the Confeds] and they found it was not too serious,”  “So now I have been given the No. 90 jersey which I requested for as it is the year of my birth and I hope to convince the coaches that I merit a place in the team for next season,” he concluded. The midfielder has spent time doing philanthropy since returning home for the summer after his exploits in Brazil. He donated cash and food items to a Lagos orphanage on Monday.

Maradona: Brazil would not have beaten Spain on neutral ground

Argentina legend Diego Maradona believes that Spain would not have lost the Confederations Cup final against Brazil had the game been played at a neutral venue. The European and world champions were comfortably beaten 3-0 at the Maracana following a double from Fred either side of a Neymar strike and the 52-year-old feels the hostile environment affected Vicente del Bosque's men. "Spain were unlucky that the tournament was being played in Brazil. They looked promising. Brazil wouldn't have beaten them had the game been played on neutral ground," he told reporters on a visit to Indonesia. The Napoli icon then went on to praise Lionel Messi and stressed that the Barcelona star is still a cut above Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo. "Messi remains the best in the world. He is still a better player than Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo." Maradona also had his say on the 2014 World Cup and he is hopeful that Argentina can emerge victorious in Brazil. "Next year's World Cup belongs to South Americans. I hope Argentina will be crowned champions," he added. 

But, the only question that come to my mind as a scientist is "on what ground did Brazil did this stuff"?...

Keshi banks on Confederations Cup experience for CHAN assignment

Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi has told has it that the experience acquired by his players in the Fifa Confederations Cup would come handy in subsequent matches starting from Saturday’s African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier against Cote D’Ivoire in Kaduna. Nigeria have never qualified for the competition meant for players based in local leagues on the continent while Cote D’Ivoire have played in both editions having hosted the maiden tournament in 2009. “Playing against top class footballers in the world, getting to know their behavior off and on the field of play, their professionalism, these are qualities you can’t buy anywhere. All these would always come handy in any match the guys play henceforth,” Keshi told Goal. “The Confederations Cup has taught me some few things and I am sure most of the guys too have learnt some things that will be very useful in our subsequent matches beginning from CHAN qualifying game this weekend. His side was well appreciated by all and sundry with the impressive way they played against quality sides like Uruguay and Spain. Keshi told Goal he would like to continue on the high by churning another impressive display against the Ivorians in Kaduna on Saturday. ”Every match is crucial for us be it practice game, all matches are important because this is what we do for a living. Mind you Cote d’Ivoire has a pedigree as far as African football is concerned and I can assure you that they will surely give us a good fight. But we will make sure we do our best to make Nigeria proud come Saturday,” Keshi assured.

Shooting Stars: Asuquo, Edjomarigwe remain our players

The Oluyole Warriors say they are not ready to release any player as they are confident of getting a continental ticket at the end of the season Shooting Stars Sports Club have described the story of Kano Pillars snatching their winger, Tony Edjomarigwe and midfielder Philip Asuquo as untrue as the duo remain members of their team. While clarifying the issue in Ibadan, 3SC media officer Jubril Arowolo said they only permitted the two players to visit their family consequent upon the short break in the league and not until they failed to report back on the scheduled period given to them that any suspicion can be entertained. Arowolo stated further that no club has approached them for clearance that would come to a close on Friday June 28 of any of their player, so they wonder how a player can be signed without following formal procedures. “Asuquo and Edjomarigwe are players of Shooting Stars, we wonder where the website that posted the story got it from, as far as I’m concerned we are not ready to sell any player at this mid-season stage that we are finding a way to strengthen and fortify the team. “We are not happy with such one-sided report that is capable of causing rancour between the team and its teeming followers who are looking forward to a rejuvenated squad when the second round gets underway,” Arowolo noted

Brazil favourites for Confederations Cup, says Del Bosque

Vicente del Bosque has played down Spain's chances of winning the Confederations Cup final against Brazil. La Roja booked their place in Sunday's showpiece following a tense penalty shootout against Italy on Thursday, from which the Spaniards emerged 7-6 winners after Jesus Navas capitalised on Leonardo Bonucci's miss during sudden death. However, Del Bosque's men have played an extra 30 minutes compared to the Selecao and will have one day less recovery time before the final, making the Spain boss believe his side are underdogs. He told a press conference: "Brazil are the favourites. They have five World Cups, three Confederations Cups, we're going to be facing them at the Maracana and we're excited to do so. "We want to recover and get there in the best condition possible. In the next three days, we'll try to do so. "Spain played 120 minutes tonight and they are players who usually play two matches a week, so we believe that we will be able to give it our all on Sunday. "We don't know who will dominate, who will have more possession. We'll try to. Tonight, Italy were very strong and they held control of the match." The former Real Madrid coach went on to identify where Luiz Felipe Scolari's men will pose most threat to his team and concluded it would be a mistake to focus on one individual while ignoring the collective force of their opponents. He stated: "[Dani] Alves and Marcelo are great. They're able to influence a game. "Neymar is fantastic and their middle of the pitch is also absolutely fantastic, but we can't talk about just one Brazilian player who we'll guard against."

Tottenham close in on Villa

Spurs are closing in on the Barcelona striker after he reached a broad agreement on personal terms, with both clubs now negotiating a transfer fee to secure the deal ANWARASISTRANS Tottenham are closing in on a deal to sign David Villa after the Barcelona star confirmed he would like to move to White Hart Lane during talks with the player and his representatives, Goal has learned. The Spain striker has reached a broad agreement on personal terms to move to Spurs this summer and is eager to play in the Premier League. Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has spoken informally to Villa on the phone while the club's new technical director, Franco Baldini, has held productive discussions with the 31-year-old's agent. Spurs officials are understood to have been in Brazil last week, where they held talks over a deal for Villa - who is in the country for the Confederations Cup - while also reaching a €17 million agreement to sign Paulinho from Corinthians.Spurs are willing to pay the attacker more than €117,000-a-week but the former Valencia man is understood to have accepted that he must take a reduction on his €163,000 weekly salary at Barcelona. Villa-Boas has made Villa his top final-third target for the summer transfer window as he looks to boost the club's forward line and improve Spurs' chances of a top-four finish next season. Spurs tried to rival Arsenal for the Spaniard's signature in the January transfer window but Barcelona refused to sell the forward midway through the season. The Gunners have dropped their interest in Villa while Barcelona are now prepared to sell the striker, who would find his opportunities further limited next season following the arrival of Neymar at the Liga giants. Tottenham are looking to conduct their major transfer business early this year and have agreed a deal of €18m plus €2m in add-ons to sign Paulinho. The 24-year-old is expected to sign an initial four-year contract and undergo a medical after the Confederations Cup final on Sunday, having scored the late winner in Brazil's semi-final win over Uruguay on Wednesday.

John Ogu: The Confederations Cup was a great learning experience

The Academica midfielder is relishing the prospect of qualifying for the World Cup to once more play against the world's top sides having gained valuable experience this term ANWARASISTRANS With the argument still raging whether the Super Eagles had a good tournament in Brazil, one of the protagonists, John Ogu told Goal that the experience will serve the national team very well in the coming months. Ogu returned with the team following their early exit after two losses to Uruguay and Spain in Brazil last week. “The Confederations Cup was a great experience for me personally and to my football career and for the team,” Ogu told Goal. The Academica midfielder started the game against Uruguay and came on for the other two – against Tahiti and Spain. He said playing against Spaniards Xavi and Andres Iniesta was an experience that will help him get better. “It was great coming on against Spain because I like watching most of their players and playing on the same pitch with them gave me goose bumps. “This was a great learning experience for me and the other guys. The Eagles will only get better from now on because we now better understand the challenge we will face in 2014 by God’s grace when we come back for the World Cup,” he added. The 24-year old midfielder said he will be taking some weeks off the game to relax with family and friends and then to pre-season with his Portuguese club. “Right now, my focus is firmly on playing for Academica next season but you never know in football. I do not worry about transfer speculations.” Ogu also spoke about the must-win encounter against Malawi in September which will qualify the Eagles for the last round of African qualifiers. “I think with what we have seen [in Brazil] and with our performances against top sides, we know that we have to win to get to the next stage and that is the only thing on our mind,” Ogu concluded.