3 Days To Go: All-Injury Team

3 days to go and can Friday come any sooner?
I'm tired of waiting! Let's start the 2010 World Cup already!

No idea where I'm watching the first match between South Africa and Mexico.
I'll have more on that tomorrow.

For now, 3 posts today. So make sure to come back and check out the other material after reading this entertaining, enlightening post.

Today's big news concerns Portugal winger Nani, who's been ruled out of the 2010 World Cup with a collar bone injury.

Nani, who plays for English side Manchester United, suffered the injury in a training session with his national side in Portugal, before leaving for the tournament.

Bad news all around, as Nani is a wonderful talent.

But this tidbit got me to thinking: How many star players are going to miss the World Cup?

Take a look at this list of the injured and the doubtful ... You could field a nice team with all these guys. Also, lots of Germans and Chelsea players on this list, eh?

MICHAEL BALLACK, Germany

The German captain was ruled out of the Cup with an ankle injury after a late challenge during Chelsea's FA Cup final win over Portsmouth in May.

RIO FERDINAND, England

The England captain will miss the finals after injuring his knee in his country's first major training session in South Africa on Friday.

MICHAEL ESSIEN, Ghana

The Ghana midfielder suffered a knee injury at the African Cup of Nations in January and has failed to recover in time.

JOHN OBI MIKEL, Nigeria

The midfielder was forced out of the tournament with a badly bruised ankle suffered in Nigeria's first full contact training session in South Africa on Friday.

LASSANA DIARRA, France

The holding midfielder will not play in South Africa after being told he needed an extended rest because of persistent stomach pains which began during France's week-long training camp in the French Alps last month.

DAVID BECKHAM, England

England's most capped player ruptured his Achilles tendon playing for AC Milan in March.

RENE ADLER, Germany

Germany's first-choice goalkeeper underwent surgery on a rib injury in May and will play no part in the finals.

SIMON ROLFES, Germany

The midfielder ruled himself out of the World Cup after saying he was short of match fitness following knee surgery in January.

CHRISTIAN TRAESCH, Germany

The midfielder, who was considered a possible replacement for captain Michael Ballack, is out after injuring his ankle in a friendly at the squad's training camp in Italy.

HEIKO WESTERMANN, Germany

The defender will miss the tournament after fracturing a bone in his foot during a warm-up win over Hungary last week.

MIROSLAV KARHAN, Slovakia

Slovakia's most capped player has a hamstring injury and will miss his country's first World Cup appearance.

Doubtful


DIDIER DROGBA, Ivory Coast

The Ivory Coast's fearsome striker underwent successful surgery on an injured elbow on Saturday but remains a doubt for the finals. Drogba picked up the injury in a World Cup warm-up against Japan on Friday.

ARJEN ROBBEN, Netherlands

The Dutch winger needs a scan to determine the extent of a hamstring injury he suffered in a 6-1 friendly thrashing of Hungary on Saturday.

ANDREA PIRLO, Italy

The Italian midfielder will miss the defending champions' opening game of the tournament against Paraguay, and possibly the whole tournament, after injuring his calf in Thursday's 2-1 friendly defeat by Mexico.

HARRY KEWELL, Australia

The Australian winger has hardly played since December because of a troublesome groin injury.

TIM BROWN, New Zealand

It is unknown if the New Zealand vice-captain will recover in time from surgery on a fractured shoulder suffered in the friendly defeat to Australia last month.

HUMBERTO SUAZO, Chile

Chile's leading striker will reportedly miss their opening World Cup match against Honduras and possibly the second game with Switzerland because of a hamstring injury.

LEE DONG-GUK, South Korea

The South Korean striker was named in the final 23-man squad despite concerns over a thigh problem which is expected to keep him out of their opening game against Greece on June 12.

Nigerians Dropped from Squad for Lying About Age

Nigeria have dropped 15 players from their Under-17 World Cup squad, following tests to determine the ages of team members.

Nigeria are the hosts of the tournament, which kicks off at the end of October. The Golden Eaglets, as Nigeria's U-17 team is known, play in a group against Germany, Argentina and Honduras

The move to test the players came after football's world governing body FIFA announced plans to carry out tests during the tournament itself.

Coach John Obuh now has a squad of 23 players remaining for the event.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) spokesman Ademola Olajire told the BBC the move to drop the 15 had been taken after the results of the tests were discovered.

"The decision was taken because the NFF was concerned with the preservation of Nigeria's good image," said Olajire.

NFF President Sani Lulu Abdullahi said the decision to drop the players would not prevent Nigeria from the defending the title they won in South Korea two years ago.

"We had 38 players in camp and some of them failed [age tests]," he was quoted as saying.

"[But] that does not mean that we do not have a team that will represent us at the World Cup - we still have a good team."

Nigeria have won the Under-17 World Cup three times, in 1985, 1993 and 2007.

(Story from the BBC)

MY POV: Wow, tough luck. But does this also shed bad light on Nigeria's past performances in '85, '93 and '07? Could some players from those squads have also lied about their ages?

I mean, 15 of 38 players were older than 17 ... how old were they, anyways? 28? 29?

Bad ... real bad ...

Mourinho Causes Stir in Nigeria

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has long been a strong advocate of African football, buying the rights to such players as Ghana's Michael Essien and Nigeria's Salomon Kalou at Chelsea and Ghana's Sulley Muntari at Inter. 

Now, the Special One is in Nigeria as a special guest of the Kwara Football Academy (KFA). And his three-day visit is causing a major frenzy among Nigeria's soccer-mad followers.

Fans turned up to greet the former Chelsea boss and the rest of the delegation despite the fact that he arrived two hours later than announced.

"It is a great landmark in the history of Nigerian football as well as the KFA," Nkechi Obi, CEO of Premium Sports Marketing Services told BBC Sport.

"He is here with other coaches and trainers to conduct seminars and coaching clinics for indigenous coaches. We are positive that his presence will benefit the talented players in the academy and hopefully attract interest from international clubs throughout the world. Football fans, media and everyone involved with football will enjoy photograph and autograph sessions with the 'Special One' on this trip."

The trip facilitated by DanJan Sports is widely seen as an opportunity to expose the Kwara Football Academy to the rest of the world.

"The KFA epitomizes what a perfect football academy truly is and Gestafute are happy to be associated with them," David Omigie of DanJan Sports explained.

"We have seen what the visit of Manchester United and Portsmouth gave to Nigeria as a country in the past. The coming of Mourinho and KFA will bring a lot of positive attention to football in the country once again.

Former Nigeria coach Clemens Westerhof is the director of the Kwara Football Academy which is in Ilorin, the capital of Nigeria's Kwara State.

MY POV: Love the work Mourinho has done in Nigeria and the exposure his visit gives to African football. For more on the Kwara Football Academy, please visit their website. 

Final Phase of African World Cup Qualifying Continues

Africa's road to the 2010 World Cup heats up this weekend with a full slate of action as countries compete for the 5 available spots in South Africa.

There are already some teams in trouble.

Like Cameroon and Morocco, who have collectively qualified for nine previous World Cup finals. Also in peril are reigning African champions Egypt and the unpredictable Guinea, both of whom were expected to feature among the serious contenders for the finals.

The first match day in March provided a host of surprises. With two more matches in quick succession this month, the picture could soon become a lot clearer.

Both Cameroon and Morocco were humbled in their opening group outings and now go head-to-head in Yaoundé on Sunday. Egypt, having dropped potentially vital points at home, seek to revive their campaign away against long-standing rivals Algeria.

Guinea hope to overturn a run of five successive defeats in head-to-head matches with Ivory Coast when they host a Group E tie in Cotonou, also on Sunday.

Of particular interest is the Group B clash between Kenya and Nigeria.

Nigeria's Super Eagles came under heavy criticism following their opening draw with Mozambique but their recent friendly win over France has restored morale.

Now they are at home against Kenya, whose own build-up has been disrupted by a pay dispute between their coach Antoine Hey and Football Kenya Ltd., which runs the game in the country.

The team left for Nigeria without him but he is now on his way.

Hey is planning to exploit the perceived differences within the Nigeria camp.

"I think they [Nigeria] are very much under pressure at home after the result in Mozambique," Hey said. "We will try and get a result that no-one is expecting," he told the BBC.

Here are the current African qualifying standings.

Over in Group D, Ghana were at the World Cup in Germany and the Black Stars gained a taste for the biggest stage.

They started this round of qualifying with a win but will be missing a series of high-profile players in their squad for a trip to Mali.

Sulley Muntari, Stephen Appiah, Derek Boateng, Asamoah Gyan and Laryea Kingston are all out of action.

Mali's coach Stephen Keshi will have high hopes of securing a valuable win as he goes into the game with a fully fit squad.

In the other match in this group, Benin host Sudan, who must turn themselves around after a heavy 4-0 defeat in a friendly international against Tunisia.

Benin are hopeful of continuing the good form they showed in the previous round, after their narrow defeat by Ghana.

Squirrels' midfielder Romauld Boco says the team are in good spirits.

"We have played a lot better in the last 5 years, [because] we are the same group of players and we know each other very well," he told the BBC.

"The game against Sudan is the most important game for us."

The top team in each group goes to the World Cup.

Here are all the matches scheduled for this weekend:
Saturday 6 June 

Zambia-Rwanda, Malawi-Burkina Faso, Gabon-Togo, Tunisia-Mozambique

Sunday 7 June

Cameroon-Morocco, Benin-Sudan, Nigeria-Kenya, Guinea-Cote d'Ivoire, Mali-Ghana, Algeria-Egypt

Kenya Coach Boycotts Nigeria Trip

Kenya's coach Antoine Hey boycotted the team's trip to Abuja, Nigeria for Sunday's World Cup qualifying match against the Super Eagles, a day after Kenya's players protested over non-payment of their allowances.

Hey arrived at the airport 30 minutes after the plane had taken off, saying he'd been held up in the traffic. But later, Hey revealed that he deliberately boycotted traveling with the team after Football Kenya Limited failed to pay him his salary.

The team's physical trainer, Kamal Harat also joined the head coach in the boycott over non-payment of their salaries. The assistant coach Swaleh Muhiddin had left for Nigeria earlier in the week, and will now possibly handle the team in the absence of Hey, who was appointed in February this year.

His short tenure has been surrounded by quarrels with Kenya's premier league clubs, which have almost derailed the national team’s preparations for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

Since he was appointed, Harambee Stars have only played one international match - against Tunisia in March - which they lost 2-1.

The Hey snub comes a day after Kenya's players boycotted training on Tuesday, demanding to be paid their allowances after being in the camp for three weeks.

But yesterday the government, through the Minister of Youth and Sports Hellen Sambili, settled their allowance claims by presenting 2.7 million Kenya shillings ($34,730) to Harambee Stars captain Musa Otieno.

MY POV: Strange times for Kenya football. But isn't that always the case?

So will he show up? If he does, how will Kenya do against a motivated Nigerian side?
If he doesn't, who coaches the side? And how will the team be affected by not having their trainer there?

Top 10 African Youngsters at the 2010 World Cup

My friend Tom Legg has a keen eye for talent. He's often telling me about this new prodigy or that new wunderkind that I should be keeping my eye on. He knows more about the Beautiful Game than just about anyone I know!

With that in mind, I asked him if he'd share a post he recently started on the famous soccer forum BigSoccer.com about the Top 10 African Youngsters every one will be talking about come the 2010 World Cup.

I hope to share more of Tom's insights with you in the future.

With that in mind, take it away Tom!
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I started a review of the top 10 African prospects back in 2005 and have only recently begun updating my initial reviews of them. For those of you interested in joining in on the discussions, please visit the forum post here.


The list below highlights some of the best under-23 African players and other young players I expect to be on your lips, and the lips of many European pundits come the end of the 2010 World Cup:

1. Taye Taiwo (Olympique de Marseille/Nigeria): Over the last three season Taye has made the left back berth at OM - and Nigeria - his own. Although his development into a 'battering ram' attacking full-back has drawn praise from some quarters, its his defensive limitations - positioning, lapses in concentration and slow in the transition - that have deterred English and Italian suitors. He is without doubt a fantastic left back on his day; a pocket rocket with a shot to match, strong in the tackle etc., I only hope he gets the opportunity to move to a Premiership club at the end of this season to aid his development further as I for one would love to see him blossom into a excellent - all-round - left back in time for the 2010 World Cup.

2. John Obi Mikel (Chelsea/Nigeria): Being a Man Utd fan I should resent John Obi for what he did to us prior to joining Chelsea, but I don't. Over the last two season John seems to have finally settled down in London, securing a place - in the absence of the excellent Michael Essien - in the heart of the Chelsea midfield. But for those of us who watched John in his earlier years at Lyn, there is a hint of disappointment when I see him sitting in front of that Chelsea defense, void of creative duties. Of course he is currently not a spot on Frank Lampard as an attacking option in the middle, but give the lad a chance at least. The Chelsea fans I know are still not keen on him, generally speaking, but that's mainly due to them never seeing him played consistently in a position that suits him best. Saying this, I do believe he could turn out to be a more than effective defensive midfielder, if Chelsea decide to settle on that role for him and coach in accordingly. But there will always be a hint of ‘what if’ in my mind when I see him play. Lets hope in the next two season he can settle into a position and begin to convince the doubters out there. He certainly has the potential.

3. Alex Song (Arsenal/Cameroon): The defensive midfielder is seen as the most utilitarian player in the Arsenal first team this season, playing right back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, central defender and left winger. For those of you who have not had the pleasure to watch the young Cameroonian play, imagine a player with the squad standing of John O’Shea (Man Utd) but double the ability (Man Utd fans out there, don’t you dare even think of retorting to that statement).



Without a doubt, Alex’s best position is sitting in front of the back four doing all the dirty work. The 21 year old's determination and sheer power in the tackle has made him a fan's favorite at the Emirates; during Arsenal’s ‘purple patch’ at the end of 08, Alex was one of the few players void of criticism from all of my Gooner “friends”. Similar in some cases to John Obi, let us all hope that Alex can find his place at Arsenal in the next two seasons, in time to impress us all in South Africa.

4. Jonathan Quartey (Kaizer Chiefs/Ghana): Currently playing for Kaizer Chiefs; to be honest, I haven't seem Jon play for a while. But the move to Kaizer's in 2008 is a positive step for the 20 year old. The PSL will give the central defender a good development platform and chance of being scouted to play in Europe; most likely France or England. ‘Giant Jon’ as he’s know in Ghana is a product of the famous Liberty Football Academy and first caught my eye at the 2005 U17 World Cup in Peru. A player who from an early age resisted the chance to move to Europe, preferring to develop in an environment where he's guaranteed first team football, Jon is a player with a firm grasp on his present and future development. He recently made his debut for the national team in Ghana’s opening World Cup Qualifying game against Benin.

5. Isaac Promise (Nigeria/Trabzonspor): Captained the fabulous Nigeria side in the Beijing Olympics last year and impressed several European/Nigerian scouts/officials at the competition. Currently playing for Trabzonspor - one of the top five in Turkey - and doing very well indeed. He has blossomed into a typical number 9, good on the ball, fantastic positional awareness and good first touch. The one thing he lacks at the moment? A decent goal ratio. A move to Germany or France would aid the 21 year old's progression greatly.

6. Stephan Mbia (Rennes/Cameroon): Regarded as one of the best all round midfielders in France, Mbia and Song will be the foundation for Cameroon’s midfield for the next 10 years. Song’s power, combined with Mbia’s unbelievable engine is a combination most international sides would be more then happy to have.


The 22 year old is regularly linked with moves to the Premiership; Newcastle, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, Tottenham and Everton who have all been keeping tabs on the energetic midfielder over the past two seasons. If he doesn’t move this summer, I will eat my hat and scarf!

7. Gervinho (Le Mans/Ivory Coast): The 21 year old forward is on a fast-track to success; he has already made 3 appearances for the Ivory Coast and is continually linked with the big clubs in France and Premiership giants Arsenal. By no means a prolific striker the young Ivorian is usually deployed as a support striker/winger. The worry I have for him is that the Ivorians are blessed with options on the wings and upfront; Baki Kone, Drogba, Kalou, Sanogo, Sekou Cisse, Arouna Kone, Dindane, the list goes on. I really hope Vahid takes a chance with the speedy Gervinho and includes him in the squad.

8. Andre Ayew (OM/Ghana): Son of Ghana legend Abedi Pele, Andre has been causing waves for Ghanaian youth sides over the past season. Dede - as he’s know - captained the U20 side to victory in the African U20 championships in Rwanda earlier this year and impressed continental and international pundits with his performances. Like Gervinho, Dede is regularly used as a winger/second striker for both club and country.


A quick turn of pace, good eye for goal and a decent box of tricks, he should develop into a more than useful asset for the Ghanaian national side. My worry with Dede is his build; relatively short and slightly built there are times when simply disappears in more physical games. For me he has to address this as the foremost area of development in his game if he's to be a success in South Africa.

9. Clifford Mulenga (Zambia/Bidvest Wits): Voted CAF Best Young Player in 2008, Zambia’s Ryan Giggs is one of Zambian football's biggest superstars. The speedy winger was, in his youth, linked to such clubs are Real Madrid and Lyon but the player has suffered from an hugely inflated opinion of himself over the past few seasons. His ability to striker fear into the eyes of covering defenders with his direct style of play has won over some Zambian journalists, but his petulance and ego leads him to over do the basics and frustrate team mates at club and international level. He has undoubted potential, and at 21 has plenty of time to grow up and realize that talent. Let's hope a World Cup stage will allow him to do that.

10. Anthony Annan (Rosenborg/Ghana): You may all rave about Ghana’s midfield three of Appiah, Essien and Muntari; but the apple of my eye is 22 year old Anthony Annan. I have saved the best for last folks, he’s brilliant in the tackle, quick in the transition and he will be coming to a TV screen near you in 2010. Those who worry that the decline of Stephan Appiah will have a detrimental effect on the Ghanian side, worry no more! With Appiah sitting in front of the defense - unable to move those old legs of his, Annan and Essien will do all the running... and then some.


Annan could become everything that Michael Essien has developed into, and more; his range of passing is far superior to Essien, with the young Rosenborg defender as comfortable with a 40 yard pass then he is with a 5 yard one. I hope for Ghana’s sake they play five across the middle when defending, then allow two; Muntari and Essien/Annan to bomb forward and support a loan striker.

Besides the players above there are two other players that you will not be seeing in 2010, but should hear more about in the coming two seasons.

Mcdonald Mariga and Osmane Jallow.

Osmane (Brondby/Gambia) is one of Gambian football's best kept secrets. Jallow currently plays for the famous Brondby IF in Sweden. Netted 5 in 10 this season and one Brondby fan I know has said the tall and agile Gambian is already a fan favorite. After a spell in Qatar with Al Ain and then Raja Casablanca, he made the move to Sweden at the start of this season. Already a full international with Gambia - 3 games and 1 goal - Jallow is one African player who's stock is rising by the game. He hit 11 in 15 for Al Ain and 15 in 19 for Raja. This kid is going places people. I've seen one league game this season - Brondby against SønderjyskE - where Jallow scored a sublime over-head kick. Big, quick and with a goals ratio to write home about, the striker will no doubt be on the radars of some of Europe’s elite this coming summer.

McDonald Mariga (Parma/Kenya) has not only blossomed into one of Parma's best players this season, but one of Serie B's most consistent and impressive midfielders. The tall midfielder was already on the verge of a Premiership move in 2007, but his £2.7 million pound move to Pompey broke down due to work permit problems. He moved to Parma instead, initially on loan, but impressed so much that cash strapped Parma decided to splash the cash on Mariga and make his move permanent.


This season's performances have drawn speculation that the midfielder will move to new pastures in the summer, with AC Milan and Juventus the most likely destinations. I only hope that if he does move in the summer, he will not be warming benches in Turn and Milan next season.

Will Nigeria Make the 2010 Cup?

Nigeria is one of Africa's football super powers. But things are not going so well for the 'Super Eagles' ahead of Africa's first World Cup.

According to reports online, there's chaos amid the Nigerian coaching staff.

Coach Shaibu Amodu is currently enmeshed in a 'crisis of confidence' regarding his position as the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) is said to be planning a consortium of coaches to oversee the Eagles qualifiers for Nigeria's final round of Cup qualifiers.

Amodu is fighting for his job, which will certainly affect his focus in leading Nigeria.

However, in a swift reaction, the NFF’s spokesman, Ademola Olojire dismissed the consortium of coaches’ issue as a rumor designed to whip up confusion within the ranks of the national team.

He went further, saying an ex-international player allegedly started the rumor for reasons unknown.

Olojire stated that Coach Amodu, who has so far maintained an impressive record, should disregard the rumors and focus on getting Nigeria to the 2010 World Cup. First up? Mozambique later this month.

MY POV: Anyone who cares about African football wants Nigeria to be at Africa's first-ever World Cup. The situation needs to stabilize and Amodu has to be given the patience and time to do his job.

If he's given that, Nigeria has the talent to go far.

Just let him be!

'I'll Sell My House if Nigeria Fail to Qualify for 2010!'

'I'll Sell My House in South Africa if Nigeria Fail to Qualify for the 2010 World Cup!'

These words, or something to that affect, were spoken by former Nigeria technical adviser Clemence Westerhof, who said he'd sell his property in South Africa should Nigeria fail to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

Wow! Big words!

“Now that the World Cup finals is being held here on the African soil, Nigeria should be very much at home and there should be no excuse for (coach Shuaibu) Amodu not to qualify. If Nigeria fails to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa, I will sell my house there in South Africa.

“Yes, I have a big house there in South Africa. I will sell it off immediately if Nigeria fails to qualify," Westerhof said yesterday.

Westerhof said he believed Amodu is capable of qualifying the team to next year’s World Cup. He also said Amodu has a good pool of players to select heading into the next round of matches.

But the big Dutch warned that Amodu should not put all his eggs in one basket in the campaign for the World Cup ticket.

“In this regard, there should be plans A, B, and C; and in the event where plan A fails, plan B comes in before considering plan C. In my time with the Super Eagles, I have those plans which helped in winning the African Cup of Nations in far away Tunisia."

MY POV: Who is this guy, anyways? He's got a lot of bombast.

Westerhof has an extensive coaching resume, beginning his African coaching career with Nigeria's Super Eagles in 1989, leading them to the 1994 Nations Cup title and a debut World Cup appearance in the same year.

He has also coached in the Netherlands, South Africa, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

But selling your house?

Calm down, Mr. Westerhof!! Just enjoy the football!

Will Nigeria Make the 2010 World Cup?

Will Nigeria make the 2010 World Cup?

According to Nigeria coach Shaibu Amodu, the answer is a resounding YES.

Many pundits voiced concern after a below-par outing against Jamaica in an international friendly in London two weeks ago. But Amodu isn't concerned in the least.

"We are not worried by the comments, because at the end of the day, we know where we are going. Is it better for us to break bones and win a friendly against Jamaica and then go below strength to a World Cup qualifier in Mozambique and lose?

"That is the critical question. I want the team to win every match, the entire technical crew wants the team to win every match, but there are situations you get to that you know there is nothing in being penny-wise and pound-foolish."

MY POV: I tend to side with Amodu here. It was a friendly. Nothing to get too excited about.

Now should they falter in their next Cup qualifier ... well, watch out. The knives will be sharpened, calling for the coach's head.

After the Super Eagle's poor showing at the African Cup of Nations last year, a poor run in Cup qualifiers will not sit well.

African Teams Slide Down World Rankings

FIFA released their world rankings last week and African teams feel heavily ... ouch!

Cameroon dropped two places to 16th and are now the only African side in the top 20.

Nigeria were 17th but have fallen six places to 23rd in February's list.

The biggest decline sees African champions Egypt drop 15 places from 15th to 30th position.

The Pharaohs' slump in the table is due to less importance being placed on their results over the last three years - namely their successes at the African Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2008.

The wider decline in the rankings of African teams is caused by the fact that FIFA place more emphasis on recent results than those over the past four years.

Ghana's Black Stars are down 10 places to 35th, while Ivory Coast are down nine places to 36th.

The only non-movers from Africa in the top 50 are Morocco, who remain in 41st position.

The African sides that dropped down this month will be looking to improve on their positions in the upcoming final round of World Cup and African Cup of Nations qualifiers, which begin next month.

A Slew of African Friendlies

Tomorrow is World Cup qualifying for some of the world (USA-Mexico and some Asian Cup qualifying).

For Africa, it's all about getting ready for March's final Cup qualifiers.

With that in mind, the BBC's Durosimi Thomas looks ahead at the African friendly matches taking place on Wednesday ...

Nigeria play Jamaica in London.
Tunisia squares off against the always-tough Holland.
Reigning African champions Egypt play Ghana in Cairo.
South Africa plays Chile in Polokwane and Turkey takes on the Ivory Coast in Izmir.

Following is the Nigeria-Jamaica preview. Please click the link for a full preview.

This game is certain to attract a big crowd, given the large Jamaican and Nigerian communities living in London.

The John Barnes-coached Reggae Boyz are way below the Super Eagles in the world rankings, and Nigeria coach Shaibu Amodu has named a strong squad.

Chelsea's Jon Obi Mikel, Joseph Yobo of Everton and Portsmouth's Nwankwo Kanu are set to turn out.

Amodu has stressed he sees the game as a crucial part of his preparations for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, which begin in March.

Olympic Gold For Nigeria?

Nigeria squares off against Argentina in Saturday's Olympic gold medal final and while the game is a repeat of the 1996 gold medal match that Nigeria won 3-2, can the Super Eagles' offense deal with Lionel Messi and the Albicelestes this time around?

Argentina are favored after their 3-0 destruction of Brazil in the semi-finals.

But Nigeria's "Dream Team" also put in an impressive performance in their semi-final victory over Belgium 4-1.

Argentina boast the skills of Spanish-based trio Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Fernando Gago.

But Nigeria have their own quality attackers in Peter Odemwingie and Victor Obinna Nsofor backed up by wingers Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi and Solomon Okoronkwo.

"We have to play like (coach Samson Siasia) told us, and not have everyone trying to do something special," Hertha Berlin striker Okoronkwo said.

"We have to play simple and conserve energy."

Truth be told, it's how the Nigerian defense handle the mercurial Messi that will determine the outcome of the game.

"We have to make sure we don't give them room to operate," coach Siasia said.

"Messi is going to be a handful, we know that. But if you shut off the supply to Messi, it makes it more difficult for him."

It was Messi who sparked Nigeria's downfall in the final of the 2005 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Holland when he earned and converted two penalties in a 2-1 win.

"It's still fresh," recalled Siasia.

"We actually gave that game up ourselves with the two penalties. But this team has grown, and now we have more experience. I don't think we'll make the same mistakes twice."

Argentina football legend Diego Maradona, a regular at their games in Beijing, is forecasting a 2-0 win for his team in the final.

"Hopefully it will turn out how I say, so that the boys can win the gold medal, because they deserve it," he said.

"But be careful, Nigeria are a good team, we have to respect them, but I am very confident in this team, and in 'Checho' (coach Sergio Batista)."

Argentina are looking to defend the title they won in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Nigeria is hoping to add to their impressive array of international accolades which include 1996 Olympic gold and the 2007 Under-17 World Cup.

It's been bedlam in Nigeria as fans celebrated their advancement into the gold medal match.

When Nigeria scored the fourth goal against Belgium in the semifinal, policemen in the capital's police headquarters celebrated so loudly the building shook.

People gathered around every available television set to watch the so-called "Dream Team" play, mainly made up of under-23 players.

The roar when each goal was scored could be heard out in the streets of the capital, Abuja.

Petty trader Idriss, known to his customers as "Old Man", watched the game through the window of the restaurant next door to his street side stall in the Capital's Wuse 2 area.

"When I can't see, other people tell me what's happening," he said.

Some of the other spectators by the window hid their faces and refused to speak for fear of being caught out of work.

Football fan Martins Stephens said the win had restored his faith in Nigerian football.

"I know we can go ahead and beat Argentina," he told the BBC.

MY POV: Should be a wonderful game. Go on, Nigeria!!

Africa in the Olympic Quarterfinals

While we lament the loss of the Nigerian Super Falcons in the Women's Olympic football tournament, praise must be heaped on the African men, who all swept into the quarterfinals of the men's Olympic tournament.

One thing we know for sure is that Africa will be represented in the semi-finals, as Nigeria take on Ivory Coast in the last eight. Cameroon advanced to play Brazil.

1996 gold medalists Nigeria advanced as winners of their group and were unbeaten after an opening draw with one of the pre-tournament favorites Holland, coupled with wins over Japan and the USA.

The Super Eagles are without several key players following the balmy club-vs. country rows that affected superstars such as Lionel Messi of Argentina/Barcelona.

Russia-based Peter Odemwingie is the only over-aged player in the squad after goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama and striker Ikechukwu Uche were not released by their respective clubs.

The lack of an experienced goalkeeper has already cost Nigeria as Ambruse Vanzekin's poor clearance led to a goal for Japan.

The Ivory Coast are making their first appearance in the Olympic football tournament and began their campaign with a 2-1 loss to defending champions Argentina.

The Ivorians bounced back from that defeat with an easy 4-2 win over Serbia and assured qualification with a 1-0 win over Australia.

Strikers Salomon Kalou and Sekou Cisse have lead the way for the Ivorian Elephants with two goals each , while midfielder Gervinho has scored one goal as well as assisting two.

The 2000 gold medalists Cameroon face a tough task in the last eight as they play Brazil.

The Brazilians have won all three of their games so far scoring nine goals and are yet to concede.

Cameroon have struggled to find the net in China with only two goals at the Games.

Georges Mandjeck has been both hero and villain for Cameroon, scoring a late equalizer in the opening game against South Korea that ended 1-1. But he was then sent off in a goalless draw with Italy.

The only other goal was scored by Stephane Mbia as Cameroon narrowly beat Honduras 1-0.

All the quarter-finals are on August 16th.

Good luck, Africa!

Nigerian Ladies Out of Olympics

We had an idea this would happen, but we're sad nevertheless.

The Nigeria women's football team, the Super Falcons, were beaten 3-1 by Brazil on Tuesday at the Workers' Stadium in Beijing in their final group game at the Olympics.

The result left the Nigerian women bottom of the group with three defeats from three matches, and eliminated from the tournament.

They also lost 1-0 to Germany and 1-0 to North Korea besides the Brazil loss.

Nigeria were first to score, with a 19th-minute penalty driven home by Perpetua Nkwocha.

But Brazilian starlet Cristiane went on to bag a first-half hat-trick, as Brazil finished top of the group.

Her first was a powerful header in the 33rd minute, then two minutes later she scored with a stunning overhead kick.

The hat-trick was completed at the end of the first half with a shot after she was unmarked inside the penalty area.

Nigeria tried a few long-range shots after the break, but the best chance of the half fell to Cristiane.

The Brazilian forced a finger-tip save from Nigeria keeper Precious Dede with a shot from the edge of the area in the 65th minute.

Nigeria were dangerous on the break with Sarah Michael and Ifeanyi Chiejine causing trouble for the Brazilian defenders.

The three defeats for the Super Falcons mean that they have failed to improve on the 2004 Olympics, where they reached the quarter-finals.

But in a very difficult group, they performed with credit, though their strikers often let them down.

Despite defeat, Super Falcons coach Jossy Lad said he was satisfied with the performance of his team. However, he blamed the strikers for the defeat.

“Before this event some people called this group the zone of death and you can see it is not easy to play against Brazil, Germany and Korea in the same competition. The girls gave their best.

“Against Brazil the problem was not that of luck but rather our attack failed to click. We created scoring chances but failed to utilize them. I am disappointed with the attackers because I worked so hard in this area.

“The players showed so much promise in training but failed to perform when it mattered most. Football is a crazy game, we gave a good performance but failed to get the results and so we are out.”

Maybe next time, eh?

Women's Olympic Preview: Nigeria

Africa is sending only one nation to the 2008 Women's Olympic Football Tournament: Nigeria.

Nigeria are a dominant force in African women's football, winning the continental championship seven times. But when it comes to the world stage, the Super Falcons barely register a blip.

In five appearances at the FIFA Women's World Cup finals, two at the Olympic Football Tournament and three at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, the Super Falcons have only managed to progress beyond the opening round on two occasions. Not the best results.

Their star player is Cynthia Uwak, a 21-year old striker.

Uwak, now 21, first burst on to the scene in 2006 when she scored four goals in as many matches to lead Nigeria to the quarter-finals of the U-20 Women's World Cup in Russia. Later that year, the powerful forward, mature beyond her years, went on to be short-listed for the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year award. Though she came in 11th in the final votes' tally, Uwak did manage to earn the CAF African Women's Player of the Year award.

She followed up that achievement by scooping the African award again in 2008, after playing a crucial role in a tense Olympic qualifying series against Ghana.

Despite Uwak's striking prowess, the Super Falcons can't seem to put it together.

They made it all the way to the quarter-finals of the U-20 Women's World Cup in Thailand 2004 only to lose out on penalties to eventual champions Germany. The African queens bowed out at the same stage in Russia two years later following a 2-1 defeat to Brazil.

They bowed out early at China 2007, when they drew with Sweden and went down to South Korea and USA. Luckily, the Nigerians recovered their poise to secure a ticket to Beijing 2008.

Their one and only qualifying defeat was a 1-0 loss to Ghana, a setback that did little to dent their reputation as the pre-eminent force on the continent. The aim now is to perform in Beijing.

"Qualifying for the Olympics is not an end in itself," said coach Jossy Lad. "It was only to be expected for a team of our status. We are continuing to make progress and I have a feeling the girls can go on and do great things at the Games. They are hard workers and they pay attention. If we can get our preparations right and set up some high-profile friendlies before the tournament, the fine blend we've got here could cause a real splash in the summer."

"We have a good team," Uwak said. "African footballers like to improvise and play the ball on the ground, and this team is not different. We can beat anyone on our day and we just need to play according to our style and instincts."

2004 and 2005 African Female Footballer of the Year Perpetua Nkwocha remains optimistic.

"I'm not afraid, neither are my colleagues. We are used to being in the toughest groups at the World Cup," she said.

They're in a very difficult group in Beijing, drawn with Brazil, Germany and North Korea in the women's 'Group of Death.'

Things haven't started out as they expected at the Games.

Although the opening ceremonies don't come until Friday, the soccer tournament is upon us.

Nigeria were beaten 1-0 by North Korea in their opening game of the Olympic women's football tournament.

Kim Kyong Hwa scored with a powerful shot inside the penalty area in the 27th minute of a game that North Korea dominated.

North Korea captain Ri Kum Suk put a penalty wide in the 43rd minute, while Ifeanyi Chiejine failed to connect with a cross in second half stoppage-time, an opportunity that could have given Nigeria a point.

With games coming up against Germany and Brazil, who were winners and runners-up respectively at last year's World Cup, Nigeria's chances of getting out of the group seem slim.

Can Africa Win an Olympic Gold Medal in Football?

The men's Olympic football tournament will be one of the most highly anticipated sporting events of the upcoming 2008 Beijing Games.

This year's tournament features three teams from Africa, with Cameroon, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast sending over their young, developing talent in hopes of Olympic glory.

We covered this topic in some depth in an earlier post. Now today, ESPN Soccernet journalist Sulaiman Folarin offers his take on Africa's chances. And really, he's a lot more qualified than I am at this point to offer a worthy opinion ...

Can Africa strike gold? Can the young talent at display in China come up big?

I don't know. I don't see why not ... African teams have won gold two of the last three times.
From my uneducated view, I'd say it's probable.

Folarin is an educated journalist whose opinion I value. He seems to think along the same lines.

Here's a small excerpt of his article. For more, please click here.

Of the three representatives, two teams; Nigeria in 1996 and Cameroon four years later, have finished with a Gold medal. The Ivorians, making their debut appearance this year, will hope to follow them when they send out a young and energetic team for the first game against Argentina.

The West Africans have a few mainstream names, but none in category of the Toure brothers; Kolo and his brother Yaya, and they could certainly use the services of Didier Drogba. But with coach Gerard Gili in charge of the team - a tactician with Ivorian football for over two years at all levels - the young Elephants have the potential to trample their way to the podium at end of the competition.

With the full commitment of young talents like Salomon Kalou pairing with the enterprising playmaker Gervais Yao Kouassi (popularly referred to as Gervinho), the Ivory Coast, up front, will be a threat to teams during the group stages and should be safely through to the knock-out phase.

With key players plying their trade in smaller clubs around Europe, fans should also watch out for Sekou Cisse and Kafoumba Coulibaly; two of the players that exemplify the potential of a team with relatively unfamiliar talent.

There are also the home grown players from some established local clubs; Asec Mimosas and Africa Sports. Both have been known not only to develop quality African players, but also prove themselves as quality opponents in the physical African club competitions.

But you cannot mention anything about physical football without pointing in the direction of Cameroon. The Indomitable Lions parade the most physical team in Africa, and probably the world. This style compliments Cameroon's pattern of play, although the Lions are probably the least skilled of the powerhouses on the continent.

Premier League Destroying African Football?

Cause and effect. It's something we learned about as young kids.

Now, we get to see cause and effect in motion in the world of professional football.

The cause: The rise of African football, coupled with the advent and wide use of satellite teleivion.

The effect? The crippling of the African game.

What causes one to be so successful is also it's eventual downfall.

This report by Andrew Walker of the BBC draws light on the strange conundrum of African soccer.

Matches between English Premier League sides are widely watched across Nigeria.
But as the popularity of the English game goes up, the domestic game slips.

As an executive for a local club says, "Whenever we play at the same time as an Arsenal game, nobody shows up."

In a country of 140 million people, where crowds will stop and watch amateurs playing in the park, professional league games struggle to get more than 20,000 paying fans to come on match days.

What can be done?

Please read the entire article by the BBC here. Here's a small preview.

Tony Collins is from Anambra State in south-eastern Nigeria - and he supports Manchester United. "I like Man Utd because they're winners. Actually I like any club that wins in Europe. Nigerians like winners, we're simple people. Nigerian clubs? Can you really compare? They're rubbish, I don't waste my time with that."

Only one or two teams have the following to sell out their home grounds, says Ismaila Lere, sports editor at the Daily Trust newspaper.

"When you look at the stadiums you'll find that the stands are virtually empty, while the bars and the joints that have satellite TV are full. People will pay to watch the Premier League on TV but not to watch Nigerian football live," he says.

The trouble started back in the early 1990s, he says.

Economic reforms meant many teams went bust and were not able to pay their players.

Those players started looking towards Europe for employment.

Initially, they went to Italy and Germany.
Most Nigerians first got wind of the Premier League when Celestine Babayaro joined Chelsea in 1997.

"In the 1980s, I was the only person in my area who was watching English football," Mr Lere says. Now Nigerians are, like most of the world, obsessed with the English Premier League.

But in Nigeria the obsession is now going too far - after the Champions League final in May, seven people in Nigeria died in clashes between Manchester United and Chelsea fans.

African Football at the 2008 Olympics

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China are but a few weeks away.

The men's Olympic Football Tournament looks like it will be a hotly contested competition, with countries like Argentina, Holland and the United States seeking Olympic gold.

Africa will be well represented with three formidable squads in the 16-team tournament for the gold medal.

Former gold medalists Nigeria and Cameroon are joined by newcomers the Ivory Coast.

Cameroon and Ivory Coast were assured of qualification as far back as November 2007, with victories in their penultimate games to ensure that they couldn't be overtaken by the other contenders in their respective groups.

Cameroon triumphed in a tough section in which Morocco were their major rivals, finishing their campaign with a 1-0 win at home over Botswana, surprise qualifiers from the preliminary knockout rounds.

Serge Ngal, the Portugal-based striker knocking on the door of selection to the national side, got the only goal for Cameroon's U-23 side in their win to ensure they finished four points clear at the top of Group C.

Cameroon were the last African side to win men's football Olympic gold, winning at the Sydney Games in 2000. This time around, they're considered the weakest of the three African representatives at Beijing 2008.

Ivory Coast are the team to watch.

They finished a comfortable five points clear at the top of Group B. The Elephants' U-23 side boasts several players who are also part of the star-studded senior Ivorian squad, which reached the last four at the recent African Cup of Nations in Ghana.

They lost their opening Group B game against Zambia but then won the next five to stride into the Beijing Games.

Captain Gervais Yao Kouassi, better known as Gervinho, a regular in French side Le Mans, has been an impressive performer along with Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou, who was drafted in for the key qualifier against Zambia last year, when he scored to help ensure qualification.

Meanwhile, Sekou Cisse, who plays his club football in the Netherlands, scored both goals in the Ivorians' last match, a 2-1 away win over Senegal in Dakar in March.

Yet it is Nigeria who are expected be the most charismatic of the African representatives.

The Eagles stormed into the 2008 Games after a 3-0 win over South Africa on Wednesday. The Group A match in Abuja marked the return of Olympique Marseille defender Taye Taiwo and the debut of Everton striker Victor Anichebe, who came off the bench to score Nigeria's third goal.

Taiwo had earlier broken the deadlock in the first half before South African defender Thapelo Tshilo put through his own goal to double the Super Eagles' lead in Abuja.

The African squads won't have an easy go at it.

The Ivory Coast is in Group A along with Argentina, Australia and Serbia.

Nigeria sinks their talons into Holland, Japan and the USA in Group B.

And Cameroon tries to get past Italy, South Korea and Honduras in Group D.

Here are all the teams scheduled to be at the 2008 tournament for Olympic Gold. The competition begins August 6th with the champion crowned August 24th. Men's teams are allowed to augment their squad with three players over the age of 23.

Qualifiers for Beijing 2008
CONMEBOL: Brazil and Argentina.
UEFA: Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Serbia.
CAF: Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Nigeria.
OFC: New Zealand.
CONCACAF: Honduras and the United States.
AFC: Australia, Japan and Korea Republic.
Host nation: China.

Please click here for groups, standings and schedules.

Africa's Greatest Ever Player Retires

We've had this debate many times before: Who is Africa's Greatest Ever Player?

I haven't a clue, although I could list the usual suspects.

One of the men who would make most everyone's Top 10 list has just called it quits: Jay-Jay Okocha.

On Thursday, more than 20,000 fans came to pay their respects to one of the greatest African footballers of all time at his testimonial game.

Okocha, who twice won the BBC African Footballer of the Year award, is retiring after 18 years in football.

Despite torrential rainfall a big crowd witnessed a star-studded game that saw a Super Eagles XI beat a World XI 2-1.

Stars including Nigerian star Kanu, Joseph Yobo, El-Hadji Diouf and Benjani Mwaruwari all played in the game at the Warri Township stadium in Delta State, Nigeria.

The 34-year-old Okocha played for both sides during the match and scored for the Super Eagles XI, which also included Taribo West and John Utaka.

"It's a day of joy considering the achievements and adoration in my football career but also one of sadness as I am leaving a game that brought me fame and fortune," an emotional Okocha said after the match.

"I thank the clubs and fans where I have played as well as team-mates and of course the Nigerian public for their love and support throughout my career."

Current Nigeria coach, Shaibu Amodu, who coached Okocha at the 2002 Cup of Nations in Mali, was full of praise for the talented midfielder.

"Okocha is a model professional on the pitch, on the training field and off the pitch," Amodu said.

"The national team have missed him as he has such a huge influence in big games. The fact that the stadium is packed is a total reflection of how much he is loved in the country."

Former South Africa and Leeds United captain Lucas Radebe revealed that he had to leave his sick wife behind in South Africa to honor Okocha.

"I pleaded seriously with my wife to let me be here. Okocha was a recognised maestro in African football and the continent will surely miss him," he said.

After footing the bills for the testimonial, the Delta State government in south-western Nigeria have also renamed the Ogwashi-Ukwu stadium the Jay-Jay Okocha Stadium.

A fitting end for a classy player ... I doubt I'll get a testimonial at my current job when I'm handed a pink slip.

African Player of the Season

I found this interesting article on my goal.com mobile service.

I can't find it online, but you can click the above link and read the article anyways.

I think it's a fascinating look at 20 players around Europe of African descent who've shown their talent and set the continent ablaze!

Goal.com's African correspondent Awenlimobor Sylvester is wittling the list down from 20 to 5 later this week.

What do you think? Who is the African Player of the Season? Check out the article above and have your say ... Here's a sampling of what Sylvester has to say.

Emmanuel Adebayor Arsenal FC (England) Togo

The Togolese striker has undoubtedly been the main threat up front for the Gunners this season, scoring some “unbelievable” goals from truly “unbelievable” positions. He is the presently the second-highest goalscorer in the English Premiership with 24 strikes so far. Surely Adebayor has shown character and consistency despite being in an underachieving Arsenal team.

MY POV: I wouldn't say he's consistent, but then again 24 goals is nothing to sneeze at.

Didier Drogba Chelsea FC (England) Ivory Coast

The big Ivorian was able to silence his critics - Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez the biggest one of them - with killer influence in Chelsea’s 3-2 UEFA Champions League victory over Liverpool. In truth, “the Drog” has not been as prolific upfront for the Blues as he was last season, but he surely is still as lethal as ever. Just ask Rafa.
MY POV: I love the guy but he's proven to be hot and cold this season. A move away from England after this season will surely fire up his engines once again.

Taye Taiwo OLM Marseille (France) Nigeria

The 23 year old Nigerian stopper became a prominent figure in the Nigerian Soccer scene during the 2005 WYC held in the Netherlands, and has not let down his followers since then. He has shown his trademark consistency with his French club this season, helping his team to some important wins this season with his equally famous long range strikes and great headers.

MY POV: I'll be honest and say I don't know much about Taiwo. But he sure sounds like a good player ...

Frederic Kanoute Sevilla (Spain) Mali

The Sevilla front man is currently Africa’s reigning king according to CAF, and he is also presently Africa’s leading striker in the Primera Liga: a position he has held for the past two years. This season isn't his best, but he's still cutting a mean figure in Andalucía.
MY POV: Here's another guy I think would benefit from a move away from his current club. He's been rumored to be seeking a move back to his old club Tottenham. With the Spurs approach for Valencia striker David Villa rebuffed, maybe Kanoute could return a saviour.

Yaya Toure Barcelona (Spain) Ivory Coast

He is another of the few bright sparks that can be picked out from the Catalan giants' almost awful season. Toure has been a solid force in the middle of the team, helping out with several incisive tackles and putting through fantastic passes as well.

MY POV: Awful season? I guess that's what 3rd place in Spain and a Champions League semifinal berth gets you these days. Still, he has been a bright spot in an otherwise lackluster season. Much was expected of Barca. They delivered little. But awful??