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Ifeanyi Ndukwe Seals Loan Move To Levante Of Spain, After Work Permit Rules Block Deal With Liverpool
Nigerian-born defender Ifeanyi Ndukwe will play this new season on loan at Levante of Spain, after UK Work Permit restrictions blocked clearance papers that would have allowed him to play in the English Premier League.
Sports247 gathered that the Spanish side have already added Ndukwe’s name to their roster for the season, following his arrival from Liverpool, which he joined from Austria Wien this summer, before which both clubs had agreed to a deal for him in January.
Ndukwe went on to twinkle bright in Liverpool’s pre-season games, but strict rules of UK’s Home Office prevented him from getting a work permit, thereby making him ineligible to play in England and The Reds had to ship him out before the beginning of the new campaign this weekend.
A report by One Football noted, “The 18-year-old was outstanding in pre-season, particularly in the 3-2 defeat to AS Monaco at Anfield. He looked composed alongside Virgil van Dijk.
“Liverpool’s director of global talent, Matt Newberry identified Ndukwe as a player who could eventually break into the first team. The Austrian youngster is an imposing centre-back with recovery pace and outstanding tackling skills, while he is also comfortable with the ball at his feet.
“However, Ndukwe is ineligible to play for Liverpool this season because he does not have a work permit. Liverpool believe Levante offers a good environment for young players to develop, which played a key role in their decision to allow Ndukwe to join them.
“Ndukwe will have the opportunity to gain more first-team experience at Levante. He could be part of Liverpool’s senior side in the 2027/28 season if he impresses with the La Liga outfit.”
Sports247 reports further that the move to Levante provides another opening for Ndukwe, who was born in Vienna, Austria, to a Nigerian father and Russian mother, who backed his football career, which he started at Brigittenau before joining the academy of Wien in 2016.
He captained Austria Wien at under-16 level, prior to being a regular starter with the second team in the 2024/2025 season, when they secured promotion to the 2. Liga, following which he signed a three-year professional contract with the club’s senior squad in June 2025.
On January 26th, 2026, Ndukwe officially joined Liverpool in a deal that was valued at an initial £2.6m (€3m), with additional performance-related add-ons potentially increasing the total fee, which was finalised on March 3rd, once he became eligible upon turning 18.
Former National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, has finally broken his silence on why he left the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi a few weeks to the 2027 presidential election.
Tanko, who was unveiled on Wednesday as the National Coordinator of the Presidential Campaign Council of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, for Prince Adewole Adebayo, said he left because the group around Obi did not want him anymore.
He spoke in an interview on Symfoni TV, stating that he has no problem with Obi but could not stay where he was only being tolerated.
"The group did not want me. You don't stay where you're being tolerated. You go to where you're being appreciated.
"I respect Peter Obi, but since they don't want me, people who want me picked me up from the dustbin and made me a bride. That's what happened," Tanko said.
Tanko was one of the closest allies of Obi, who served as Obi's spokesman and Media Director of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Organisation during the 2023 election.
Recall that in September 2024, Obi appointed him as the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement worldwide.
He was later removed as coordinator of the movement in October 2026 and was made Political Adviser, North, to Obi.
Tanko said he informed Obi and the National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Senator Seriake Dickson, before he took the SDP job.
He said his relationship with Adebayo did not start now, but dates back to 2023.
"This is not a mistake in history. When you go back into history, you will see my warm relationship with him way back in 2023. So this is a relationship that has long been built," Tanko said.
Tanko finally breaks silence on why he dumped Peter Obi for SDP
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“I Cannot Give Up” — Flamingos Star Umejiaku Reveals Mother’s Struggles Behind Her Golden Ball Triumph
For Oluebube Umejiaku, winning the Golden Ball at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup was more than a personal sporting achievement. The Flamingos forward says her determination to succeed in football is driven by a desire to give her mother a better life after years of hardship.
Speaking to BBC News Pidgin, the Nigerian teenager opened up about growing up in a family with limited financial resources and the challenges that have shaped her ambition.
“It’s not easy coming out from a family that has nothing. It was a very big challenge for me to make it in life. No matter how, in this football career, I won’t give up. I cannot give up,” she said.
Umejiaku explained that her mother’s experiences remain her strongest motivation, particularly the way people have treated her.
“I can’t give up because of my mother; she has suffered a lot. I need to take her out of where she is. People insult her, talk to her anyhow. Even when I’m there, they talk to her anyhow,” she added.
The forward said she regularly prays for recognition and success, hoping that her achievements will change how people perceive and treat her mother.
Her determination has already produced a remarkable breakthrough. Umejiaku played a decisive role in Nigeria’s historic campaign in Morocco, where the Flamingos became the first African country to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Although she did not start Nigeria’s opening 2-1 defeat to Poland, she came off the bench to score the team’s first goal of the tournament. She went on to contribute goals or assists in every match she featured in.
She scored against North Korea and Mexico, won the late penalty that secured Nigeria’s quarter-final victory over Venezuela, assisted a goal against Brazil in the semi-final and scored in the 2-1 final victory over Japan.
Her performances earned her the tournament’s Golden Ball, recognising her as the competition’s outstanding player.
Reflecting on the achievement, Umejiaku revealed that she never imagined receiving such recognition when she began playing football at the age of seven. She also credited her mother’s constant encouragement during the tournament for helping her maintain belief in herself.
For the young forward, the Golden Ball is an important milestone, but her ambition stretches beyond individual awards. She wants to build a successful football career that will transform her family’s circumstances and give her mother the comfort she believes she deserves.
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