International Football
WILL ARGENTINA SPOIL MIKEL OBI’S 80TH INTERNATIONAL CAP?
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Super Eagles’ skipper, Mikel Obi may this Tuesday get the opportunity of playing his 80th international game when Nigeria face Argentina for the eighth time.
With that, Mikel will become the fifth most capped Nigerian international. Incidentally, all those before him were also skippers of the Nigerian national teams.
Those that attained the 80th match milestone before now were Muda Lawal on June 16, 1985; Nwankwo Kanu on June 20, 2009; Joseph Yobo on September 3, 2011 and Vincent Enyeama on June 5, 2013.
Nigeria did not lose the matches in which those players made their 80th appearance. That is the burden Mikel Obi possibly carry as he is expected to lead Nigeria against a strong opposition like Argentina and also under an inclement weather condition which is expected to drop to almost freezing point.
When Muda Lawal had his 80th cap, Nigeria played a goalless draw with Cote d’Ivoire on June 16, 1985.
The result was the same for Nwankwo Kanu as he came off the bench to replace Kalu Uche in a World Cup qualifying match with Tunisia to earn his 80th cap.
The match played in Rades, Tunisia ended goalless. It was even more remarkable for Joseph Yobo when he earned his 80th cap in Antananarivo, Madagascar, the home country of the current CAF President who was his nation’s FA president at the time.
In the September 3, 2011 Africa Cup of Nations duel, Nigeria did not just have a 2-0 away win, Yobo, a defender opened scoring! When on June 5, 2013 Vincent Enyeama made his 80th appearance for Nigeria in Nairobi, Kenya, he had a clean sheet and Nigeria won the away World Cup qualifier 1-0.
Will Mikel’s 80th cap also be marked on a sweet note for Nigeria? Sports Village Square recalls that the record books are replete with tales of broken dreams in milestone games.
While the likes of Diego Forlan had victories to tell on their milestones as his Uruguay’s 2-1 defeat of Nigeria in the 2013 FIFA Confederation Cup tie at Salvador, Brazil marked his 100th international appearance, that of Yobo was soiled.
It was on the day that Yobo clocked 100th match that Nigeria crashed out of the World Cup just as Enyeama’s 100th cap celebration was spoilt in front of home crowd in Uyo when Uganda shocked Nigeria 0-1.
Only last Thursday, Northern Ireland’s captain, Steven Davis had the marking of his 100th cap spoilt by a home defeat to Switzerland in a European play-off match for Russia 2018. On Sunday, his team eventually crashed out.
MIKEL OBI’S PREVIOUS 79 MATCHES
- August 17, 2005 (F-Tripoli) LIBYA 0 – 1 NIGERIA. (sub)
- January 27, 2006 (AFCON-Port Said) ZIMBABWE 0 – 2 NIGERIA. (sub) 1 goal
- February 4, 2006 (AFCON-Port Said) TUNISIA 1 – 1 NIGERIA* 5-6 pens
- February 7, 2006 (AFCON-Alexandria) COTE D’IVOIRE 1 – 0 NIGERIA. (sub)
- September 2, 2006 (AFCONq-Abuja) NIGERIA 2 – 0 NIGER. (sub)
- February 6, 2007 (F-London) GHANA 4 – 1 NIGERIA.
- March 24, 2007 (AFCONq-Abeokuta) NIGERIA 1 – 0 UGANDA.
- September 8, 2007 (AFCONq- Warri) NIGERIA 2 – 0 LESOTHO.
- October 14, 2007 (F- Mexico City) MEXICO 2 – 2 NIGERIA.
- January 21, 2008 (AFCON- Sekondi) COTE D’IVOIRE 1 – 0 NIGERIA.
- January 25, 2008 (AFCON- Sekondi) MALI 0 – 0 NIGERIA.
- January 29, 2008 (AFCON- Sekondi) BENIN 0 – 2 NIGERIA. (1 goal)
- February 3, 2008 (AFCON- Accra) GHANA 2 – 1 NIGERIA. (sub)
- May 27, 2008 (F- Graz) AUSTRIA 1 – 1 NIGERIA.
- June 1, 2008 (WCq- Abuja) NIGERIA 2 – 0 SOUTH AFRICA.
- June 7, 2008 (WCq-Freetown) SIERRA LEONE 0 – 1 NIGERIA. (sub)
- June 21, 2008 (WCq- Abuja) NIGERIA 2 – 0 EQUATORIAL GUINEA. (sub)
- February 11, 2009 (F-London) JAMAICA 0 – 0 NIGERIA.
- March 29, 2009 (WCq-Maputo) MOZAMBIQUE 0 -0 NIGERIA.
- June 20, 2009 (WCq-Rades) TUNISIA 0 -0 NIGERIA
- September 6, 2009 (WCq-Abuja) NIGERIA 2 – 2 TUNISIA
- November 14, 2009 (WCq-Nairobi) KENYA 2 – 3 NIGERIA.
- January 6, 2010 (F- Durban) ZAMBIA 0 – 0 NIGERIA. (sub)
- January 12, 2010 (AFCON- Benguela) EGYPT 3 – 1 NIGERIA. (sub)
- January 16, 2010 (AFCON- Benguela) BENIN 0 – 1 NIGERIA.
- January 20, 2010 (AFCON- Lubango) MOZAMBIQUE 0 – 3 NIGERIA.
- January 25, 2010 (AFCON- Lubango) ZAMBIA 0 – 0 NIGERIA (aet) 4-5 pens
- January 28. 2010 (AFCON- Luanda) GHANA 1 – 0 NIGERIA.
- January 30, 2010 (AFCON- Benguela) ALGERIA 0 – 1 NIGERIA. (sub)
- September 5, 2010 (AFCONq – Calabar) NIGERIA 2- 0 MADAGASCAR (sub)
- March 29, 2011 (F- Abuja) NIGERIA 3- 0 KENYA
- June 1, 2011 ( F- Abuja) NIGERIA 4- 1 ARGENTINA
- June 5, 2011 ( AFCONq- Addis Ababa) ETHIOPIA 2-2 NIGERIA
- September 3, 2011 (AFCONq- Antananarivo) MADAGASCAR 0-2 NIGERIA
- September 6, 2011 ( F- Dhaka) ARGENTINA 3-1 NIGERIA (sub)
- October 8, 2011 ( AFCONq-Abuja) NIGERIA 2-2 GUINEA
- October 11, 2011 (F-London) NIGERIA 0-0 GHANA (sub)
- October 13, 2012 (AFCONq – Calabar) NIGERIA 6-1 LIBERIA (1 goal pen)
- January 9, 2013 (F – Faro) CAPE VERDE 0-0 NIGERIA
- January 21, 2013 (AFCON – Nelspruit) BURKINA FASO 1-1 NIGERIA
- January 25, 2013 (AFCON – Nelspruit) ZAMBIA 1-1 NIGERIA
- January 29, 2013 (AFCON – Rustenburg) ETHIOPIA 0-2 NIGERIA (sub)
- February 3, 2013 (AFCON – Rustenburg) COTE D’IVOIRE 1-2 NIGERIA
- February 6, 2013 (AFCON – Durban) MALI 1-4 NIGERIA
- February 10, 2013 (AFCON – J’burg) BURKINA FASO 0-1 NIGERIA
- March 23, 2013 (WCq- Calabar) NIGERIA 1-1 KENYA
- June 5, 2013 (WCq – Nairobi) KENYA 0-1 NIGERIA
- June 12, 2013 (WCq- Windhoek) NAMIBIA 1-1 NIGERIA
- June 17, 2013 (Confed – Belo Horizonte) TAHITI 1-6 NIGERIA
- June 20, 2013 (Confed – Salvador) URUGUAY 2-1 NIGERIA (1 goal)
- June 23, 2013 (Confed – Fortaleza) SPAIN 3-0 NIGERIA
- September 7, 2013 (WCq – Calabar) NIGERIA 2-0 MALAWI
- October 13, 2013 (WCq- Addis Ababa) ETHIOPIA 1-2 NIGERIA
- November 16, 2013 (WCq- Calabar) NIGERIA 2-0 ETHIOPIA
- November 18, 2013 (F- London) ITALY 2-2 NIGERIA
- March 6, 2014(F- Georgia) MEXICO 0-0 NIGERIA
- June 4, 2014 (F- Pennsylvania) GREECE 0-0 NIGERIA
- June 7, 2014 (F- Florida) USA 2-1 NIGERIA (sub)
- n June 16, 2014 (WC- Curitiba) IRAN 0-0 NIGERIA
- June 21. 2014 (WC- Cuiaba) BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA 0-1 NIGERIA
- June 25, 2014 (WC-Porto Alegre) ARGENTINA 3-2 NIGERIA
- June 30, 2014 (WC- Brasilia) FRANCE 2-0 NIGERIA
- September 6, 2014 (AFCONq- Calabar) NIGERIA 2-3 CONGO
- September 10, 2014 (AFCONq- Cape Town) SOUTH AFRICA 0-0 NIGERIA
- October 11, 2014 (AFCONq – Khartoum) SUDAN 1-0 NIGERIA
- October 15. 2014 (AFCONq – Abuja) NIGERIA 3-1 SUDAN
- November 15, 2014 (AFCONq- Pointe Noire) CONGO 0-2 NIGERIA
- November 19, 2014 (AFCONq- Uyo) NIGERIA 2-2 SOUTH AFRICA
- October 8, 2015 (F- Vise, Belgium) DR CONGO 2-0 NIGERIA. (sub)
- October 11, 2015 (F-Vise, Belgium) CAMEROON 0-3 NIGERIA. (sub)
- November 13, 2015 (WCq- Lobamba) SWAZILAND 0-0 NIGERIA. (sub)
- March 25, 2016 (AFCONq- Kaduna) NIGERIA 1-1 EGYPT.
- March 29, 2016 (AFCONq- Alexandria) EGYPT 1-0 NIGERIA.
- September 3, 2016 (AFCONq -Uyo) NIGERIA 1-0 TANZANIA. (sub)
- October 9, 2016 (WCq -Ndola) ZAMBIA 1-2 NIGERIA.
- November 12, 2016 (WCq -Uyo) NIGERIA 3-1 ALGERIA. (sub, 1 goal)
- September 1, 2017 (WCq -Uyo) NIGERIA 4-0 CAMEROON (sub, 1 goal)
- September 4, 2017 (WCq -Yaoundé) CAMEROON 1-1 NIGERIA
- October 7, 2017 (WCq -Uyo) NIGERIA 1-0 ZAMBIA
International Football
Players’ union, FIFPRO, wants 20-minute halftimes, more cooling breaks amid extreme heat

Global players’ union FIFPRO is exploring whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better protect players from extreme heat.
Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered “extreme risk” for heat-related illness.
Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey and Philadelphia are expected to face dangerous levels of heat and humidity, posing player safety concerns and fuelling calls for mandatory cooling aids or schedule changes.
FIFPRO’s heat risk assessments are based on wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), a measure combining temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed to estimate how environmental conditions affect the body’s ability to cool itself.
Under FIFPRO guidelines, a WBGT reading above 28 degrees Celsius indicates conditions in which matches should be postponed or rescheduled to protect players’ health.
By comparison, world soccer governing body FIFA’s own guidelines set the extreme risk threshold higher, at 32 degrees Celsius WBGT – but even by that standard, six of the nine cities are still projected to exceed safe limits.
Major League Soccer in the U.S. has a threshold of 29 degrees Celsius WBGT.
“Cooling breaks at the 30th minute and 75th minutes are quite traditional, but from a physiological point of view it does not make sense,” said Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s Medical Director.
“Even if you ingest more than 200 millilitres of fluid, you already cannot take it all. So I would definitely like to see some project where we look at the efficacy of perhaps more frequent but shorter cooling breaks – every 15 minutes, rather than only one during each half.”
LONGER HALFTIMES
Gouttebarge also questioned whether the traditional 15-minute halftime interval is sufficient when matches are played in extreme heat.
“You can imagine that halftime of 15 minutes might not be enough in order to decrease the core temperature,” he said.
“It could be a halftime of 20 minutes which would be significant. That has been shown in the laboratory and FIFPRO, together with the national union in Portugal in August, we are going to test this kind of mitigation strategy.”
The urgency of stronger heat protocols became clear at this month’s Club World Cup where two matches — Benfica-Bayern Munich in Charlotte and Chelsea-Esperance in Philadelphia exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO considers unsafe.
“According to our position, those games should have been postponed later that day or rescheduled,” Gouttebarge said.
FIFPRO officials acknowledged that FIFA has responded constructively during the tournament by lowering thresholds for mandatory cooling breaks and improving pitch-side hydration, but stressed that proactive planning is critical.
“FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was under way,” said Alex Phillips, FIFPRO General Secretary.
“They have actually modified how they’ve been dealing with heat during the matches based on FIFPRO’s input, which is credit to the work of the team. Obviously, it would have been better if that happened in advance, but it’s better that they have adapted.”
FIFPRO warned that the risks highlighted at the Club World Cup are a preview of what players could face at the expanded 2026 World Cup.
“This is not just affecting the Club World Cup, but also future tournaments either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO Director of Policy & Strategic Relations.
“We need a better balance between commercial interests and the health and safety of players,” he added, referring to earlier kick-off times to accommodate European television audiences.
-Reuters
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International Football
Former England and Man Utd midfielder Ince charged with drink-driving

Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving, police said on Monday.
Ince, who earned 53 caps for England and won two Premier League titles during his six years at United, has been released on bail and will appear in court on July 18.
“The incident involved a black Range Rover which had collided with the central reservation barrier. Officers attended the scene and arrested a 57-year-old man,” the Cheshire police said in a statement.
“Paul Ince, of Quarry Road, Neston, has since been charged with drink-driving.”
Reuters has contacted Ince’s representative for comment.
After retiring as a player, Ince led Milton Keynes Dons to a League Two title in 2007-08. He most recently managed Reading during 2022-23.
-Reuters
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International Football
From garbage collector to Starman of Ancelotti’s Brazil team: the story of Ribeiro

“I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me.!” Alex Ribeiro
Alexsandro Victor de Souza Ribeiro (Rio de Janeiro, 1999) was, until a few days ago, a semi-unknown to the general public in Brazil.
However, Carlo Ancelotti, impressed by his strong performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, insisted on calling up the Lille centre-back… and giving him his debut.
Not only that. He started alongside Marquinhos against Ecuador (0-0) and Paraguay (1-0) and helped the Seleçao keep two consecutive clean sheets for the first time in the qualifying rounds.
Alex, as he likes to be called, impressed with his 1.92 meters (6′ 1″) frame and confidence. According to ‘R10Score’, he was the Brazilian player who completed the most actions with the ball (186) and the second with the most cuts (11).
He completed 154 of the 166 passes he made (92% accuracy) and won 12 of the 16 duels he was involved in: 5 of 7 at ground level and 7 of 9 in the air. “A gentleman defender,” boasted the official Ligue 1 Portuguese account.
His path to the elite wasn’t easy. “I don’t think you know this, but this is my first game as a professional in Brazil. Strange, isn’t it? There’s nothing better. To debut in Brazil like this, with a win and qualification,” he boasted after defeating Paraguay.
These first few days with Ancelotti have been unique; I’ll remember them for the rest of my life. I’ve responded well not only to myself, but also to the coach and the Brazilian people. I was able to demonstrate my ability to those who had doubts. Few people give me the opportunity that the manager has given me,” he insists
The Lille centre-back took his first steps in Flamengo’s youth system, where he even met Vinicius.
“When we played against Real Madrid, Vini came up to me and hugged me. He said, ‘I’m glad to see you here, brother.’ That inspired and motivated me even more,” he told ‘Globo Esporte’.
‘Fla’ cut him off. He had to make a living as a street vendor. He also collected trash, especially cans. “I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me, so I went to Europe to play in Portugal’s Third Division.”
Praiense (2018-20), Amora (2020-21), and Chaves (2021-22)—the latter already in the Second Division—were his springboard to Lille. The Bulldogs signed him in 2022-23 for €2 million. He has become a more than worthy successor to his compatriot Gabriel Magalhaes.
“Little by little, my name is spreading. My football is reaching everywhere. This includes Brazil,” he said before making his debut with the Seleçao. Now that he’s made it, he has another challenge: “I want to continue it.”
-Marca
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