International Football
BELIEF, MENTAL STRENGTH WILL MAKE EAGLES SOAR, SAYS PINNICK
Nigeria Football Federation chieftain, Amaju Pinnick is very positive that the Nigerian Super Eagles will soar at the World Cup next year.
Already the draw which has pitched Nigeria with usual opponent, Argentina, has put the country in limelight, especially after last month’s humiliation of the former two-time World Cup holders.
Pinnick is confident that mental strength, self –belief and youthfulness will serve the Super Eagles well at the 21stFIFA World Cup finals in Russia next year summer.
He spoke on the World Sport programme of the Cable News Network (CNN) from the station’s London studio on Monday.
Pinnick, who is a Member of the CAF Executive Committee and President of AFCON, also commended the African body for its decision to support the continent’s five flag bearers’ preparations for Russia 2018 with much –needed cash.
“First and foremost, I must commend all the 32 qualified teams because they came from very intense qualifying campaigns.
“What will then matter at the finals in Russia are factors such as the quality of preparation by each team, the mental state of the players and prayers from back home.
“We are in a ‘decent group.’ Argentina have such a high pedigree and Croatia and Iceland are very good. Iceland reached the quarter –finals of the European Championship last year and topped their qualifying group, so there are no minnows in there.
“We are banking on good preparation and the belief that our young players have in themselves. I am also happy that CAF is weighing in with some good money ($500,000 each) to support the preparation of the African flag –bearers.
“I can also tell you that CAF is looking to see an African team in the semi –finals or even to go all the way to win the trophy.”
Pinnick said nobody gave the Super Eagles any chance of defeating Argentina in a friendly in Krasnodar last month.
Significantly, that was the first time the Super Eagles came from behind to win a match under Gernot Rohr.
“We have a coach who has the mentality of a winner, and he has imbibed the players with the same attitude.
“We can do very well at the World Cup in Russia. I am very delighted that we have a team for tomorrow; a team for the next (2022) World Cup finals.
“African players light up the English Premiership every weekend. Liverpool FC appear not to be able to do without Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, and Chelsea FC sometimes struggle without Victor Moses. We have bright prospects in Russia.”
Nigeria will trade tackles with two –time world champions and reigning world vice champions Argentina, Iceland and Croatia in Group D at Russia 2018.
Argentina have narrowly won all four previous FIFA World Cup clashes with Nigeria (all at group phase: 1994, 2002, 2010, 2014) but the Eagles have lashed the La Albicelestein two prestige friendlies (2011 and 2014), while honours in two clashes in the final of the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament (1996 and 2008) have been shared.
Nigeria have never played Croatia – the small East European nation that shocked the world by winning bronze medals at her maiden FIFA World Cup appearance in 1998.
Nigeria and Iceland have met only once before in history – a friendly match in Reykjavik on August 22, 1981 that the Strakarnir Okkar (Our Boys) won 3-0. It was part of the Eagles’ preparation for the final round of qualifiers for the 1982 FIFA World Cup, which they lost to Algeria home and away.
Incidentally, the two teams’ clash in Russia will also be on the twenty –second day of the month – June 22, 2018 in Volgograd.
NIGERIA’S RUSSIA 2018 GROUP MATCHES
Croatia Vs Nigeria (Kaliningrad Stadium, 16th June, 9pm)
Nigeria Vs Iceland (Volgograd Arena, 22nd June, 6pm)
Nigeria Vs Argentina (Saint Petersburg Stadium, 26th June, 9pm)
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
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A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
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Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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