Nigerian Football
WHAT MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE TO PAY TO KEEP IGHALO TILL 2021
Manchester United have extended Odion Ighalo’s loan until the end of January, with United agreeing a £6million fee with Shanghai Shenhua and continuing to pay just under half of Ighalo’s £300,000-a-week wages.
The extension comes after problems over the player’s return to China convinced the Chinese Super League club – who will receive a total of £10.5m, with the £6m loan fee and £130,000-a-week salary combined – to let him stay at Old Trafford.
There is no option or obligation for United to buy the 30-year-old striker when his new deal runs out on January 31.
Shanghai had demanded Ighalo’s return after his initial four-month loan at United expired at midnight on Sunday, but both clubs confirmed on Monday that a compromise had been reached.
The breakthrough in lengthy negotiations was helped by a further delay to the Chinese Super League season which still has no start date in place.
United’s hand was also strengthened after China told foreign nationals late last week that there will be no visas allowing them to return to the country until October.
Emergency visas will not be granted for those involved in the Chinese Super League, meaning Ighalo would have been unable to play for Shanghai in the coming months.
In the circumstances, the Chinese club were reluctant to pay more than £1m-a-month for Ighalo when their season, and his availability, are still up in the air.
A statement from Shanghai read: ‘In view of the uncertainty over the opening of the new Chinese Super League season and the uncertainty over foreign aid policy, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua and Manchester United have extended the loan for the Nigerian player Odion Ighalo.’
Shanghai have offered Ighalo a contract extension until 2024 on improved terms of £400,000-a-week, but the player was keen to stay at United – the club he supported as a boy – after scoring four goals in eight games since arriving on loan in January.
Talks have been ongoing in recent weeks and the seven-hour time difference between England and Shanghai is said to have further complicated negotiations as Sunday’s deadline passed.
Ighalo will give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer another option in attack following Marcus Rashford’s recovery from a back fracture, and take the pressure off United to sign a new striker in the transfer window that is expected to open from August until October.
-Daily Mail
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.
It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.
Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
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