NFF Slashes Eagles' Bonuses, Coaches Salaries...

The Nigeria Football Federation has taken a very significant step to curtail overhead cost in the administration of football in the country. The Technical and Development Committee of the federation, which met in Abuja on Tuesday, recommended for immediate implementation, a list of decisions that would substantively cut down the cost of prosecuting games involving the national teams.

One of the major decisions is the review of the salaries of all the national team coaches, including that of Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi. Even though he has a contract still running, Every coach in the employment of the federation would be affected as soon as the implementation begins.

Keshi, NFF Have Abandoned Me - Emenike

Injured Spartak Moscow striker Emmanuel Emenike has fired a broadside at the Nigeria Football Federation and Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi by accusing them of being insensitive to his plight.

The South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Golden Boot winner with four goals sustained a hamstring injury after scoring two goals to help Nigeria beat Mali 4-1 and set up a final clash with Burkina Faso. The Eagles beat the Stallions 1-0 to win the championship for the third time.

Emenike, who was not invited for the Eagles’ March 23 World Cup qualifier with Kenya in Calabar, has been on the treatment table at his club.

The former Fenerbahce star alleged on Friday that neither Keshi nor the NFF had contacted him since he returned to his Russian club.

“I have not been treated well by the coach and the NFF because they ignored me so soon, so fast,” Emenike was quoted by MTFootball.com as saying.

Keshi Names Final 23-Man List For AFCON 2013

Nigeria Captain Joseph Yobo will play in his sixth Africa Cup of Nations finals. The 32-year old defender had previously played at the 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 finals, winning bronze on four occasions.

Vice captain and first choice goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama and forward Ikechukwu Uche are also included in the team that Keshi held on to the list insisting he could only make public after the first half of the Wednesday match. January 9 was the last day for submission of team list according to the Confederation of African timetable.

The list may have been as widely expected but Keshi surprised many when he chose to drop Bright Dike from the team. Keshi had spoken highly of the America-based Dike who also scored the country lone goal against Catalonia last week in a friendly match which gave the inkling that the rookie striker could make the cut.

Apart from Yobo, goalkeepers Enyeama and Austin Ejide, defender Elderson Echiejile, Mikel and forward Uche who were at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, the rest will be making their debut in South Africa.

It will be the first appearance for goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim, defenders Kenneth Omeruo, Efe Ambrose, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Juwon Oshaniwa and Godfrey Oboabona, midfielders Nosa Igiebor, Ogenyi Onazi, Obiora Nwankwo, Fegor Ogude and Reuben Gabriel, and strikers Ahmed Musa, Emmanuel Emenike, Sunday Mba, Ideye, Victor Moses and Ejike Uzoenyi.

Nigeria will play Burkina Faso, Zambia and Ethiopia in Group C, with their first two games against the Etalons and the Cup holders coming up inside Nelspruit’s Mbombela Stadium on 21st January and 25th January respectively, before a clash with Ethiopia’s Walya Antelopes in Rustenburg’s Bafokeng Sports Palace on 29th January.

Final list:

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel); Austin Ejide (Hapoel Be’er Sheba, Israel); Chigozie Agbim (Enugu Rangers, Nigeria)

Defenders: Elderson Echiejile (SC Braga, Portugal); Juwon Oshaniwa (Ashdod FC, Israel); Joseph Yobo (Fenerbahce, Turkey); Efe Ambrose (Celtic FC, Scotland); Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves, Nigeria); Kenneth Omeruo (ADO Den Haag, Netherlands); Godfrey Oboabona (Sunshine Stars, Nigeria).

Midfielders: John Mikel Obi (Chelsea FC, England); Nosa Igiebor (Real Betis, Spain); Ogenyi Onazi (SS Lazio, Italy); Obiora Nwankwo (Calcio Padova, Italy); Fegor Ogude (Valerenga FC, Norway); Reuben Gabriel (Kano Pillars, Nigeria);

Forwards: Ahmed Musa ( CSKA Moscow, Russia); Emmanuel Emenike (Spartak Moscow, Russia); Victor Moses (Chelsea FC, England); Sunday Mba (Enugu Rangers, Nigeria); Ikechukwu Uche (Villarreal FC, Spain); Brown Ideye (Dynamo Kyiv, Ukraine); Ejike Uzoenyi (Enugu Rangers, Nigeria).

Keshi Voted Yaya Tourè As World Footballer Of The Year...

Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi and Nigeria captain Joseph Yobo were part of the process that produced Lionel Messi as the Ballon d’Or winner for a record fourth time on Monday but the two had different opinions on who should be the best player in the world.

In the full list of the votes for the award released by FIFA shortly after the event, it was revealed that Keshi voted for African Footballer of the Year, Yaya Toure of Ivory Coast while captain Yobo gave his vote to the eventual winner, Messi.

The winner for the award is always decided based on decisions made by international coaches, captains and a selection of the media representatives from each member nation.

Keshi’s solidarity with African products saw him giving his second vote to former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast while his third vote went to Manchester United’s Robin van Persie.

Keshi’s choice Toure finished outside the top 10 while Drogba was ranked eighth in the world. Van Persie was not listed in the top 10 too.

Yobo got it right as Messi won while his second pick Cristiano Ronaldo came second. However, his third choice Neymar of Brazil finished outside the top 10.

Osaze Eats Words, Apologizes...

Estranged Super Eagles attacker Osaze Odemwingie has said he regrets his abusive Twitter comments. He claimed they were made because coach Stephen Keshi was not fair to him.

The West Bromwich striker had in the wake of the release of the Nigeria provisional team list for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations taken to his Twitter account and made disparaging comments against Keshi, the team captain and some Nigeria Football Federation officials. Past coaches, including Samson Siasia and Lars Lagerback, were not spared and continued days later with direct hits at ex-Nigeria international Victor Ikpeba.

However, the England-based forward said his mistakes were made in a fit of anger.

On Sunday, he described Chris Green whom he had abused also “as a good man.”

“I remember it was Green who settled my case with Siasia then, but I was too angry when he called me over this matter, and was impatient to listen to him,” he said in a comment published by Mtnfootball.com.

“My comment was not directed at him personally, but to those who made the decision, but I think I overreacted then.”

On his face-off with Keshi, he said, “I called the coach two or three times within that period, maybe two or three days before the list was made public and told him of my commitment to be part of the Nations Cup, and have told my (club) coach I will be going to the Nations Cup.

“I told the coach I was ready to report to camp by January 3, even before other professionals start reporting to camp, if I were in his programme for the Nations Cup, and even told him to feel free to drop me, if I were not in his programme.

“I felt betrayed after that seeming heart-to-heart discussions with the coach few days to the release of the team list and he could not hint me I was not in his plan for the Nations Cup.

“I am human and open to errors by the way I may have taken the issue, and regret the whole controversy, and want to put all this behind me now and focus on my club career, while wishing the team the best of luck as a Nigerian.”

In Faro, Portugal, Russia-based Ahmed Musa and Emmanuel Emenike as well as Italy-based midfielder Ogenyi Onazi arrived at the Eagles camp on Sunday. Raheem Lawal, who now plays in the Turkish second division showed up just as the players prepared for a training session.

Keshi has said apart from Ikechukwu Uche, who has been given January 6, January 5 remains deadline for all players.