Eagles and the NFF Follow up

To many Chelsea supporters Super Eagles midfielder, John Mikel Obi may have been one of their best players so far this season but to UEFA,the body responsible for the administartion of football in Europe,Mikel is not among the top four Blues’ stars this year.

And this was clearly manifested yesterday when the body released as many as 60 nominees for the UEFA Team Of The Year honour.

Instead UEFA,courtesy of fans who patronise,as it were its website shortlisted the quartet Branislav Ivanovic, Ashley Cole, Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba.

These four and 56 others will be vying for a place in the 12-man team of the year to be released soon.

John Terry made it into the final side in 2009, 2008 and 2007, when he was joined by Drogba, as well as 2005.

The final team will be decided by fans’ votes before being announced on Wednesday 19 January 2011. To vote click Uefa Team of the Year 2010 and select your favourite players in each position now.

OBODO WON’T LEAVE TORINO IN JANUARY

 

Forgotten Super Eagles midfield dazzler, Christian Obodo has no intention of leaving his Italian Serie B side, Torino despite falling out of favour at the club, says the Nigerian’s agent, Sam Udegbunam.

The agent says the ‘Bundle of Skill’ will stay to show his true value to the fans and management of the club.

Obodo has gone through some difficult periods since his loan move form Serie A side,Udinese last summer.The Nigerian has had two terrible knee injuries as well as the trauma of losing his father but Udegbunam believes the player wont’t be leaving Torino in January as was once reported in Italy.

‘Obodo is not leaving Torino in January.He is not thinking about leaving at all.Instead he wants to show the club and its supporters what he can deliver’,he said.

  

NSOFOR VOTED WEST HAM PLAYER OF NOVEMBER

 

Victor Obinna Nsofor has been voted the SBOBET player of the month for November 2010.

The forward was terrific last month, notably having a hand in all four goals as the Carling Cup holders Manchester United were humbled 4-0 at the Boleyn Ground on the last day of the month. Four days before, he had scored his first Barclays Premier League goal in the vital 3-1 win against Wigan Athletic.

Obinna earned 39 per cent of the fan vote, with Scott Parker his closest rival on 35 per cent. The Nigerian international follows Kieron Dyer, Manuel da Costa and Mark Noble, who took the awards for August, September and October respectively.

KALIKA ARRIVES FOR EAGLES JOB

 

Super Eagles assistant coach Simon Kalika is expected to arrive Nigeria tomorrow ahead of his national team job discussion with the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.

The Dutchman was picked ahead of indigenous coaches by newly appointed Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia as his assistant following his over five years romance with the soccer tactician.

Siasia who revealed the arrival schedule of his assistant to Complete Sports said that he would be coming to finalise his discussion over the Super Eagles job with NFF.

“I spoke with him and he told me that he would be coming on Wednesday. Probably, he would have been here earlier but we all know the situation of things in Europe now,” says the coach.

Kalika who assisted Siasia to the 2005  FIFA U-20 World Cup in Holland and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China could not be part of the Super Eagles coach’s unveiling last week.

According to a very reliable source, the Dutchman was in Brazil last week to attend to his personal business.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation, have begun search for the second assistant coach who will be a Nigerian.

Already, the likes of Emmanuel Amuneke, Ike Shorunmu, Alloy Agu, Ben Iroha and a host of others have been shortlisted for the Super Eagles second assistant job