International Football
WHICH TOP SEED WILL NIGERIA FACE AT THE WORLD CUP?
On Friday December 1, the 32 teams for the 2018 World Cup will know their group stage opponents and would then begin to plan strategies of crossing the group stage into round of 16, then the quarter finals, the semi finals and then the ultimate challenge for the prized World Cup trophy.
For now, coaches’ plans for the World Cup are in the interim. They will get to know their opponents first, know the locations for their group stage matches and then identify the ideal base camps.
Nigeria, like other qualified countries will draw opponents from the three pots they did not belong to. The pots are arraigned in order of relative strength. Pot 4 for instance, has eight teams technically believed to be outsiders, while the Pot 1 is believed by bookmakers as having the real contenders for the title.
Winners of past 20 editions have always come, if not entirely from the Pot 1 or the top seeds.
The Pot 1 teams are expected to be the toughest in the World Cup. The line-up is intimidating: Russia as host, Brazil as record five time winners, Cristiano Ronaldo-propelled Portugal, Messi (ah)-inspired Argentina who are two time champions and two time runners up. Belgium has the Manchester United hit man, Romelu Lukaku just as the Pot 1 also houses Poland and Paul Pogba’s France winners of the 1998 edition.
It will be ‘no easy day’ facing any of the eight Pot 1 teams. Yet, it is inevitable. The Super Eagles must face one of them. Starting from now till the midnight on November 30, you can predict which of the eight countries will fall into Nigeria’s group.
Will it be Argentina again as it happened in 1994, 2002, 2010 and 2014? A poll is now running on the right hand side of this blog. Make your choice, you may just be right. Tick the team, you think or you want Nigeria to face among the eight in Pot 1. Let’s hear your voice at the Sports Village Square. Your opinion may count.
The Pot 1 teams and their FIFA rankings are:
Russia (Hosts) |
Germany (1) |
Brazil (2) |
Portugal (3) |
Argentina (4) |
Belgium (5) |
Poland (6) |
France (7) |
International Football
Portugal call up same player named in England Under-18 squad
Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.
Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.
Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.
He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.
With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.
Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.
While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.
-Reuters
International Football
Soon Cisse ceases to be Senegal’s Coach
After 107 matches spanning nine years, Aliou Cisse will not have his contract renewed as Senegal coach, officials confirmed on Wednesday. Of the 107 matches, Cisse’s team won 70, drew 24 and lost 13.
But the impressive scorecard is not enough to impress his employers.
Thus, the end beckons for Cisse’s successful nine-year spell in charge of the side that included a first Africa Cup of Nations title and two World Cup qualifications.
He had been under increasing pressure after Senegal’s surprise last 16 exit at the 2023 Cup of Nations when they lost on penalties to hosts Cote d’Ivoire.
Senegal are unbeaten in six matches since then, but home draws with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burkina Faso, and criticism from certain quarters over their style of play, made up the mind of the country’s sports ministry, who fund the salary of the national team coach, that a change was needed.
“The FSF would like to thank Aliou Cisse for his good collaboration and his brilliant results at the head of the various national selections that he has managed since his arrival in 2011 and wish him every success for the future,” the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) said in a statement.
FSF added Cisse’s exit stemmed from a failure to fulfil the targets in his last contract, which expired at the end of August, which included victory at the 2023 Cup of Nations and reaching the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
They also said the “regression of our national team in the FIFA rankings and the risk of disaffection between our national team and the Senegalese (public)” had played a role.
The FSF will appoint an interim technical team to lead the side in Cup of Nations qualifiers against Malawi at home on Oct. 11 and away four days later.
Cisse, 48, was captain of Senegal when they reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup with what is heralded as a golden generation of players.
He briefly had a spell as caretaker coach of the national team in 2012, but took over full time three years later.
He led Senegal to 2018 and 2022 World Cup qualification, making the last 16 in the latter before losing to England. They were beaten in the final of the 2019 Cup of Nations by Algeria.
The side made up for that disappointment when they beat Egypt in the final two years later to be crowned African champions for the first time.
International Football
Why FIFA banned Samuel Eto’o
Always in the news for bad reasons, Samuel Eto’o has again made global headlines. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has banned the former striker and the current president of the Cameroon Football Federation.
He is banned from attending Cameroon’s matches for the next six months for violating conduct rules during the recent U-20 Women’s World Cup, where his national team faced Brazil in the round of 16.
According to FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee, Eto’o was found to have breached articles 13 (“Offensive behaviour and violations of fair play principles”) and 14 (“Misconduct of players and officials”) of FIFA’s Disciplinary Code.
The sanction stems specifically from the match between Brazil and Cameroon, held on September 11 in Bogotá, Colombia. As a result, Eto’o will be prohibited from attending any matches involving Cameroon’s national teams, both male and female, across all age groups.
“Mr Eto’o has been notified today, the date on which the sanction comes into force,” stated the FIFA press release.
This is not the first time Eto’o has faced controversy. He previously drew attention for his behavior towards players and national team coach Marc Brys, whom he allegedly threatened in front of cameras if his directives were not followed.
During the Qatar World Cup, the former Real Madrid, Mallorca, and Barcelona player made headlines again after assaulting a fan who filmed him outside a stadium after a match.
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