MEDIA
After heroic performance against at Old Trafford, Uzoho may be Man United-bound
Man United made hard work of it again against Omonia Nicosia but they have all but qualified for the knockout stage of the Europa League.
According to Manchester Evening News, Nigeria’s Francis Uzoho may be on the radar of Manchester United following his spectacular form last Friday.
“Going off Manchester United’s penchant for recruiting back-up goalkeepers who have excelled against them, Francis Uzoho’s chances of an Old Trafford transfer are auspicious”, reports the newspaper.
The only difference is Uzoho did not step off the pitch undefeated.
For 93 minutes, he was until Scott McTominay rifled the ball in from close range.
In the 90th minute, McTominay almost endangered spectators with a shot and that was the cue for thousands to vent and exit.
The days when United supporters stayed until the final kick belong to yesteryear. Uzoho collaped to the turf at full-time and was hauled up by his manager Neil Lennon.
The mentality of this United squad is still a work in progress and labouring to two wins over the Cypriot league runners-up underlines that. McTominay’s mentality is never lacking and his recovery was a swift one.
Thirty-four attempts, 13 corners, 12 saves, one stubborn custodian and one goal.
Uzoho was blamed for Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the World Cup yet has salvaged his calendar year with a night to remember, despite the belated blemish.
Omonia Nicosia were deprived of their impressive goalkeeper Fabiano yet Uzoho was as vigilant and busier, denying Marcus Rashford twice in the first-half and grazing Casemiro’s piledriver onto the crossbar. There were two saves inside the first 30 seconds of the second-half.
Tom Heaton and Martin Dubravka, spectators in the dugout, and Lee Grant were men possessed against United before they transferred to the club. Uzoho is a boyhood United fan and vowed he would “die” in goal against them. His goal certainly led a charmed life
In the 87th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo was impatiently demanding the ball’s return and Erik ten Hag scratched his goatee quizically.
Ten Hag found the solution, though. Substitutes Christian Eriksen and Jadon Sancho created the opening for fellow substitute McTominay.
The ignominy of two goalless home group games would have all but guaranteed United an additional knockout tie in February. Real Sociedad beat FC Sheriff and have taken maximum points and it remains likely there will be something to play for in the return tie in San Sebastian on November 3.
Omonia had the disadvantage of playing on Monday, losing to AEL. Their 5-3-2 formation was hardly watertight – United unleashed more efforts at goal than in Cyprus – yet there is something about insipid Thursday nights that drain the entitled of focus and United’s finishing was feckless.
Winning the group has been incentivised as the runner-up has to endure a two-legged tie against a team demoted from the Champions League. United are all but through, with only a point required at home to Sheriff in a fortnight.
United’s travelling supporters possibly hope they do finish second as Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, Ajax, Sporting Lisbon, Atletico Madrid or Sevilla could await. Shakhtar Donetsk has the appeal of a trip to Warsaw, the Ukrainian team’s temporary residence.
Two free midweeks in February are particularly appealing to Ten Hag with two Premier League fixtures already postponed and yet to be rearranged, with the King’s coronation coinciding with a capital trip to West Ham.
United were more penetrative with Sancho and Luke Shaw combining down the left and Eriksen, benched for the first time all season, joined the cavalry in the 70th minute.
Tyrell Malacia and Fred demonstrated why they have had seats reserved for them of late. Antony, guilty of botching a chance he converted on his debut and at Goodison Park, regressed after a promising performance against Everton.
“F–k’s sake,” Lennon roared amid United’s dominance. He was soon cursing at his own side’s bluntness. United peppered the ‘keeper’s goal, rattled the woodwork and with a goal apparently inevitable the best chance of the first-half fell to Omonia. Selfishly, Bruno disregarded the free Andronikos Kakoulli, who was square.
A stricter referee would have expelled Lisandro Martinez for his barge on Kakoulli as he attempted to seize on Diogo Dalot’s hospital pass. It was a careless night at both ends.
The fixture was primarily enriched by the sight of 4,500 Cypriots in the away end, almost all of them bedecked in Omonia green. Lennon, synonymous with Celtic, will have appreciated that on his return to a stadium he last played at 14 years ago in the Champions League. The Ulsterman savoured every second, recording a video on his phone with the stands empty prior to kick-off.
Old Trafford was impressively vast for such a humdrum fixture, another reminder the Europa League would be better off scrapping the ‘league’ element and reverting back to straight knockout ties.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s candour about potentially buying United was felt as thousands stood and clapped during a rendition of “Stand up if you hate Glazers”. Many sported this season’s replica shirts and all had already lined the Glazers’ wallets by stepping inside the stadium.
It is a complex and nuanced situation but such chants are not going to significantly startle a family that has owned the club for nearly 18 years and has the safe distance of the Atlantic Ocean between them and the mob in Manchester. Momentum has not been as sustained as the captivating, if flawed, green and gold campaign and the mobilising is not as febrile as in 2005.
On this evidence, United are not worth their valuation. Uzoho’s has soared.
By KUNLE SOLAJA.
Former Lagos State Governor and ex-Minister of Works, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has urged Nigeria to adopt sports as a central pillar of national economic development, describing it as an untapped solution to the country’s youth unemployment crisis.
Speaking at the public presentation of sports journalist Mumini Alao’s autobiography at the University of Lagos, Fashola said Nigeria’s policymakers have “ignored a solution hiding in plain sight” by failing to fully develop sports as a business.
“Sports is a profession that employs mainly young people from their teenage years to around 40.
“When I reflect on the Nigerian problem of youth employment, I tell myself that it persists perhaps because we have been ignoring the solution,” he stated.
Fashola cited global examples of sports as a major economic driver, including the English Premier League’s £3.36 billion GDP contribution to the UK economy in 2015, and Saudi Arabia’s recent sports investments that have added 1% to its GDP.
He recommended integrating sports into national development plans, revamping school curricula to nurture talent from an early age, developing modern sports infrastructure, and ensuring safety, security, and good governance in sports administration.
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Top dignitaries expected at the public presentation of frontline journalist Mumini Alao’s autobiography have been confirming their attendance at the event, which will hold at the Tayo Aderinokun Lecture Theatre, University of Lagos, on Sunday, 10th August 2025, at 1:00 pm.
Top of the bill is former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, who will deliver a lecture on the topic, ‘Rethinking the Current Football Business Model in Nigeria As a Catalyst for Sports Development.’ Fashola met Alao at the final of the ITTF Africa Youth Cup table tennis tournament at the Teslim Balogun stadium on Tuesday, 5th August and reassured the author of his preparedness for the lecture.
Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Mudashiru Obasa, also noted his commitment to the event in a message sent to the author, who is the speaker’s constituent in the Agege area of Lagos State, where he (Alao) grew up.
Obasa will be the chief presenter of the autobiography. He will be supported by Honourable Kabiru Amadu, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports.
Also confirming his attendance is the Chairman of the occasion, Mallam Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC). Dikko will lead other top sports officials from the NSC, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to listen to Fashola’s postulation on Nigerian football.
Rounding off the list of principal guests expected at the public lecture and book presentation is former sports minister Senator John Owan Enoh who is currently the Minister of State for Industry. Enoh wrote a foreword in the book alongside former Super Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu.
Other guests expected at the event are federal and states sports associations officials, Nigerian former Olympians and former Super Eagles players, journalists, family, friends, associates and fans of the book writer.
Dr. Mumini Alao, is an accomplished Nigerian sports journalist, author and media entrepreneur. He rose to the position of group managing director of Complete Communications Limited, publishers of widely-read popular journals, Complete Football magazine and Complete Sports newspapers. His last published book was “The Making of Nigeria’s Dream Team: Football Gold Medal Winners At Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games.”
Alao’s latest work, his autobiography, is a no-holds-barred narration of his professional and private lives spanning 60 years. Dr. Bolu John Folayan of the Department of Mass Communication, Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro will be the book reviewer, while SuperSports presenter, Mozez Praiz, will be the master of ceremony.
The event will be streamed live to a global audience on the YouTube channel of Complete Sports.
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All is set for the public presentation of the autobiography of renowned Nigerian sports journalist, Dr. Mumini Alao, with former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), confirmed as the keynote speaker at the high-profile event.
Dr. Alao, a respected figure in Nigerian sports media and former Group Managing Director of Complete Communications Ltd., announced the development following a meeting with Fashola on Tuesday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium during the finals of the ITTF Africa Youth Cup.
Everyone anxiously awaits the launch of the autobiography. It is about one of Nigeria’s best sports journalists. This author has contributed appreciably to Nigeria’s sports literature.
The former governor, who was at the venue to present trophies at the continental table tennis event, confirmed his readiness to speak at the book launch scheduled for Sunday, August 10, at the University of Lagos.
According to Dr. Alao, Fashola will speak on the topic: “Rethinking the Current Football Business Model in Nigeria as a Catalyst for Sports Development.”
“I’m sure this topic will be of interest to all of us stakeholders in Nigerian football,” Dr. Alao remarked, while inviting members of the public and sports community to grace the event.
The book, chronicling Alao’s decades-long career in sports journalism, promises to be a compelling reflection on the evolution of Nigerian sports media, landmark events, and the personalities that have shaped the industry.
The launch is expected to attract a broad audience of media professionals, football administrators, athletes, and policymakers.
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