Sports
Osimhen wins Serie A player of the month for January
Victor Osimhen has won the best player in Serie A of the month for January.
The winner of the prestigious monthly award was announced in a statement released by the league on Friday.
The 22-year-old Nigerian beat Ademola Lookman, Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala, and Luis Alberto to the award.
Osimhen, who has been in blistering form for Napoli, garnered the highest number of votes from fans to clinch the gong as the best player in Serie A for the past month.
⚽ 5 goals
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) February 10, 2023
🅰 1 assist
Victor Osimhen is January’s @EASPORTSFIFA #POTM 🔥#FIFA23 @EA_FIFA_ITALIA
The award will be presented to him when Napoli take on Cremonese on Sunday at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
“In the month of January Victor Osimhen has confirmed himself as an authentic top player, one of the strongest strikers on the international scene,” the statement reads.
“With five goals in five matches, the Nigerian striker consolidated his place at the top of the goalscoring chart and once again demonstrated his leading role in a team that never stops surprising.
In fact, this is the third time in five months that a Napoli player has been awarded the Player of the Month award, a demonstration of Napoli`s ability to discover and develop great talents.”
Sports
19 years later, NFF still owes me salary as Eagles coach, says Christian Chukwu
Christian Chukwu, former Super Eagles captain, says the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) still owes him salary from his time as the country’s male senior national team head coach.
Chukwu, nicknamed “The Chairman”, was head coach of the Eagles between 2002 and 2005.
He led the team to a bronze medal at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Tunisia.
The manager was relieved of the job in June 2005 during the qualification campaign for the World Cup in Germany.
In a chat with The Athletic Nigeria on Monday, Chukwu said 19 years after his stint with the Eagles, NFF is yet to pay him some of his salary from the period.
The Chairman added that he is not the only indigenous coach owed by the federation, adding that some of the victims are dead now.
“They owe Nigerian coaches. They don’t owe foreign coaches. It is a problem. You take on an indigenous coach who takes a cheap salary, and you owe him,” Chukwu said.
“Is it proper? Are you encouraging him to do his job? I am still being owed up to today. They are still owing me till tomorrow. My files are there with the NFF. There is nothing I can do [to get them to pay me]. The file is there. Go to their office, and you will see how much they owe me. Not only me, other indeginuos coaches are being owed too. Some are late.”
In 2019, Chukwu suffered prostate cancer, which affected his leg. The family had to open a GoFundMe appeal to solicit funds for the Nigeria football legend’s medical treatment.
Femi Otedola, the billionaire businessman, eventually paid $50,000 for Chukwu’s treatment overseas.
Chukwu captained Nigeria to its first AFCON success in 1980. He also led the Enugu Rangers FC team that won the Africa Cup Winners Cup in 1977.
Sports
Nnadozie wins best goalkeeper of the season award in France
Chiamaka Nnadozie, Super Falcons of Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper, has been voted the season’s best goalkeeper in the French Division 1 Feminine League.
The 23-year-old was announced the award winner on Monday night. She received the individual accolade following a stellar season in which she garnered a reputation as a penalty expert, saving seven spot-kicks in the league and Champions League, the highest in Europe this season.
Notre gardienne @Nadoziechiamaka est élue 𝐌𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐞 𝐥𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 🥇✨
— Paris FC Féminines (@PFC_feminines) April 29, 2024
🔵⚪️ #CertifiéParis #TrophéesD1Arkema pic.twitter.com/mMOzaG7jxk
Her penalty-saving heroics saw her lead Paris FC to shoot-out wins over giants Arsenal and Wolfsburg in the Women’s Champions League. She also guided the Paris-based club to the semi-final stage of the competition where they were knocked out by rivals Lyon.
Speaking at the event, the 2023 CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year winner said she is “very happy” to have won the award.
On his part, Pierre Ferracci, president of the club, praised the Nigerian goalkeeper.
“It’s very pleasing, because she deserves it and she achieved an exceptional Champions League and not only on penalties. She is adorable. It is deserved. We know that she will be courted this summer but we will try to keep her,” Ferracci added.
Paris FC are third in the League with 42 points, eight points behind Paris, their local rivals, and a further 11 points away from Lyon, the league leaders.
Sports
Iheanacho, Ndidi promoted back to EPL with Leicester City
Leicester City gained promotion back to the English Premier League (EPL) on Friday night.
The 2016 EPL champions were relegated last season. The Foxes’ promotion was confirmed following Queens Park Rangers’ 4-0 win over promotion-chasing, second-placed Leeds United.
Leeds United’s defeat means Leicester have an unassailable points haul that ensured they have picked up one of the two automatic promotion tickets.
Straight back up, Leicester City! 🦊 pic.twitter.com/j89S1qiuqB
— Leicester City (@LCFC) April 26, 2024
The Midlands club earlier put their foot at the door with a 5-0 win over Southampton on Tuesday night in a match where Wilfred Ndidi, the Super Eagles of Nigeria midfielder, scored a goal.
Ndidi, who will return to the EPL with Kelechi Iheanacho, his international teammate, also congratulated the club via a post on X.
“Congratulations to me, the boys, the staff the club and the amazing fans.. 2 more to go!!! We back!! 😁,” the 27-year-old midfielder wrote.
Congratulations to me, the boys, the staff the club and the amazing fans.. 2 more to go!!!
— Ndidi Wilfred (@Ndidi25) April 26, 2024
We back!! 😁
Enzo Maresca’s team tops the championship table with 94 points and is well-placed to win an eighth championship title.
The King Power side have a four-point lead with two matches left in the 44-game season.
Leicester can now claim the championship title on Monday with a victory at Preston if third-placed Ipswich fail to beat Hull City on Saturday.
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