International Football
SEX WAS THE REASON SUPER EAGLES LOST 4-1 TO DENMARK AT FRANCE ‘98
Twenty years today, the Super Eagles lost heavily to Denmark in a France ’98 World Cup. British newspaper, Daily Mail has revealed that one of the prime actors on the match, Taribo West has claimed that the Nigerian players “were tired after overworking themselves with women, the night before the match.”
According to the report, Taribo made the hilarious confession of why his side lost 1998 World Cup clash against Denmark after sneaking groupies into training camp.
Before the match, the Super Eagles were one of the fairytale stories of the competition after surprisingly topping their group with six points ahead of Spain, Bulgaria and Paraguay.
The Super Eagles were paired against the Danes for the knock-out tie and were overwhelming favourites but failed to continue their astonishing run as an abject performance saw them bow out as 4-1 losers.
After becoming one of the tournaments main talking points, West said players enjoyed the sudden attention they started to receive.
The former Inter and AC Milan defender, well known for his outlandish haircuts, said his team-mates were too complacent for the game and had made themselves fatigued the night before.
Brian Laudrup and co went ahead just three minutes into the tie at the Stade de France and sailed into a four-goal lead, with Tijani Babangida’s strike a consolation for the African side.
‘I read reports about Eagles visiting nightclubs and driving limousines during the World Cup in France, honestly, I don’t know about that,’ Taribo told the Punch.
‘But what I know is that some players sneaked women into camp, I saw that.
The women were Africans who came to watch the tournament and fell in love with our team, because of the way we played in the group stage. So, it was easy for these players to woo them to their rooms.
‘That is why on match day, you could see a lot of the players didn’t have the strength to curtail the Danish players.
Nigeria’s popular side included stars such as former Bolton showman Jay Jay Okocha and ex Arsenal and Portsmouth striker Nwankwo Kanu.
‘They were tired after overworking themselves the night before with the women. I was yelling at them on the pitch, I was very angry with them. They did all these because they thought we were going to beat Denmark,’ West added.
The 46-year-old, who had a brief spell in England with Derby County, now practices as a Christian pastor in his native Nigeria.
International Football
BREAKING – Video: Osimhen accepts to join Galatasaray
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/osimhen-jubilates.jpg)
At last, Nigeria’s striker Victor Osimhen is out of the limbo. He has accepted to join Galatasaray on loan.
He is now asking for a release clause at Napoli to become €75m instead of €130m
He also wants a break clause for January in case top clubs approach him over move.
The final points are being discussed. He has been videoed celebrating with the Turkey club’s fans.
International Football
Uruguay striker Suarez to play last international match on Friday
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Uruguay striker Luis Suarez announced his international retirement on Monday, ending a 17-year career with his national team as their top scorer with 69 goals.
The 37-year-old, who has 142 caps for his country, made his international debut in 2007 and was key in the squad that reached the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup and won the Copa America a year later.
“Friday will be my last match with my country’s national team,” an emotional Suarez told a press conference.
“The fact that is my decision to retire and that I’m not retired because of injuries or that they stop calling me for one thing or another, that gives me a lot of comfort, it helps me individually.
“It’s difficult but it gives me peace of mind that until the last game I have given my all, and that flame has not been extinguished little by little,” the striker added.
Uruguay take on Paraguay at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo on Friday in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup before facing Venezuela four days later.
Suarez scored the stoppage-time goal against Canada that secured third place at the Copa America in July and the striker added that one of his aims was to show he could continue to contribute to the national team.
“My dream was for my children to see me win something important with the national team … that last goal was very nice for them and even though it wasn’t a trophy to take home, it was very nice for them,” he said.
“I wanted to show people again that I can continue to contribute to the national team and, well, I had the Copa America and yes, I could have done it (retired) perfectly after that, but having analysed the situation, I want to do it with my people, in my stadium.
“I want my children to live this experience. Saying goodbye with the people here is something that I don’t know if many have done.”
Suarez has already said Inter Miami will be his last club after joining the Major League Soccer side last year to reunite with former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
-Reuters
International Football
Quitting Portugal never crossed my mind, says Ronaldo
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/34P2HEWYWJOKBFGYISOZT244ZE.jpg)
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo dismissed suggestions he had considered ending his international career in the near future, adding that post-Euro criticism did not worry him.
Portugal host Croatia in their Nations League opener on Thursday before welcoming Scotland in League A Group One on Sunday.
“That’s all from the press. It never crossed my mind that my cycle (with Portugal) had come to an end. Quite the opposite: it gave me even more motivation to continue to be honest,” Ronaldo told a press conference on Monday.
“The motivation is to come to the national team to win the Nations League … We’ve already won it once and we want to do it again. I might say the same thing over and over again, but I don’t think long term, it’s always short term.”
Ronaldo captained Portugal to success in the opening edition of the Nations League in 2018-19, three years after they became European Champions for the first time in France.
“Until the end of my career, I will always have the mindset that I will be a starter,” Ronaldo added.
“What I feel at the moment, and the coach’s (Roberto Martinez) words also demonstrate this, is that I continue to be an asset to the national team and I will be the first (to admit it) if that isn’t the case.
“When I’m (no longer) an asset I will be the first to leave. But I will go with a clear conscience, as always, because I know who I am, what I can do, what I do and what I will continue to do.”
The 39-year-old appeared untroubled by criticism he faced for failing to score at the 2024 European Championship.
“Criticism is great because if it doesn’t exist there’s no progress. It’s always been like this. Is it going to change now? It won’t,” Ronaldo said.
“So I try to follow my path, be as professional as possible, help in the best way possible with my professionalism and not just with goals, assists, discipline, and example, because football is much more than just playing well or scoring a goal.
“The people who give their opinions have never been in a locker room, and I often laugh because it’s the same thing as me talking about Formula 1.
“How can I give my opinion on Formula 1 if I don’t know anything about tires, rims or the weight of the car … It’s normal and that’s why for me criticism is good and part of it, it’s no problem at all.”
-Reuters
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