Connect with us

News

Portugal Can Be Next World Cup Champions, Eric Chelle Posits Ahead Of Epic Friendly With Cristiano Ronaldo’s Team

info

Published

on

Portugal Can Be Next World Cup Champions Eric Chelle Posits.jpg

Super Eagles’ coach, Eric Sekou Chelle posited ahead of his team’s international friendly away to Portugal on Wednesday that the hosts’ squad are capable of becoming champions at this year’s FIFA World Cup, Sports247 reports.

READ ALSO: Wilfred Ndidi Describes International Friendly Against Portugal As ‘Very Massive Test’ For Super Eagles

Chelle gave the permutation in his pre-match comments 24 hours before kick-off in Leiria, Portugal, where the Franco-Malian tactician affirmed that his team will give the best they can against their star-studded hosts.

He acknowledged that Portugal have many key players to count on under all circumstances, but equally assured that the Super Eagles will give a very good account of themselves during the encounter at Estádio Dr Magalhães Pessoa.

The former Mali and MC Oran FC of Algeria gaffer then spoke about the significance of his side’s clash with Cristiano Ronaldo et al, noting that it is another big step forward in the rebuilding process for the Nigerian team, after missing another FIFA World Cup.

Chelle submitted, “We will play against a big team. Normally, this team can be the next world champions. There are many big players in the team. So, we are very happy to have this chance to play against them. This is a big game for them and for us.

“This is not a question about the result. We played three years ago and we lost. This is not a question about that. The most important objective is to improve at every game. We have to come with a great state of mind and our philosophy.

“We want to take some pleasure in the field. We come with ambitions, with our strengths and weaknesses, and it will be a great game for us for sure. Portugal are preparing for a great competition and they need to be focused on that too.”

Sports247 gathered that the game in the Portuguese city of Leiria will begin at 8:45pm Nigeria time and it will be the hosts’ last match before flying out to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

‘They told me I won’t see my husband alive’ – Widow of Plateau clergy killed by bandits

info

Published

on

By

Plateau.jpg

The widow of a Plateau State-based clergy, Pastor Emmanuel Hills, who was abducted and killed by gunmen said to be Fulani bandits on Friday, August 28, has narrated how the abductors taunted her.

According to her, the gunmen told her she would never see her husband alive again, before dragging him and another clergyman, Pastor Gabriel Dipak, into the bush.

True to their words, the body of Pastor Hills, a Ghanaian missionary and Senior Pastor of Wonderful Grace of God Ministry, as well as treasurer of the Bokkos chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, was discovered the following morning close to where they were abducted.

DAILY POST had reported on Saturday that the gunmen intercepted a vehicle in which Pastor Hills was travelling from Jos to Bokkos, along with his wife and other passengers.

Recommended

According to the report, after forcing the vehicle to stop, the bandits singled out Pastors Hills and Dipak, a pastor of the Christ Apostolic Church, CAC, while other passengers were robbed of their valuables.

In a viral video shared on social media platforms on Monday, Mrs Hills narrated that while the bandits were dragging her husband and Dipak into the bush, they taunted her and told her she would not see her husband alive again.

“We, that is, my husband, myself, Pastor Dipak and other passengers, were travelling from Jos to Bokkos on Friday at about 9 p m when the Fulani bandits ambushed our vehicle,” the grieving widow said.

Continuing, she said: “I can confirm that they were Fulani people because they were speaking the language.

“And they were carrying different guns and weapons. When they stopped the vehicle, they began searching, and when they realised my husband and Pastor Dipak were men of God, they seized the two of them.

“They robbed other passengers, collecting our phones, money and other valuable items. I was pleading with them to release my husband and the other pastor since they had robbed us of our belongings, but they said they were going to kidnap the two of them.

“As they were being dragged into the bush, one of the Fulani men turned to me and said I would not see my husband alive again.

“And true to their words, they killed him and dumped his body close to the scene of the kidnapping, where we found him on Saturday morning.

“My husband was a dedicated servant of God and a respected leader within the Christian community in Bokkos.

“We had five children, and now they have made me a widow and my children fatherless,” she cried.

Continue Reading

News

Honest Ahanor’s Move To Crystal Palace, On Loan From Chelsea, Raises Eyebrows In Italy

info

Published

on

By

735ced9b 812c 4468 81f9 3e9ab8de1163.jpeg

A lot of eyebrows are already rising high in Italy, following the exit of Nigerian-born defender, Honest Ahanor from Atalanta to Chelsea of England, who immediately loaned him to their fellow-London-based English Premier League rivals, Crystal Palace.
Sports247 reports that, while the move is being celebrated as a personal achievement for Ahanor, critics of Italian football have rated it yet another setback for their country’s dwindling fortunes, as highlighted in three straight FIFA World Cup misses.
Ahanor joins two other Nigerian-born players of Italian origin – Destiny Udogie at Tottenham Hotspur and Michael Kayode at Brentford – in the EPL, but his exit after just one season at Atalanta has left Italian football buffs raising dust about a mass exodus of talent.
Growing apprehension in Italy about exits of their most promising talentts, both native born and many of other ancentral oigins, has been highlighted by an erudite writer, Antonio Moschella, who noted that the lure of pounds in England has become too tempting to ignore.
Moschella opined further in an article via Tribal Football, “Some players seem destined for the Premier League. That’s the case for Ahanor, whose name is English and whose Nigerian family has historical ties to Britain, due to longstanding colonial connections.
“The move of the 2008-born player from Atalanta to Chelsea, however, is just the latest confirmation of a trend that resembles a diaspora of young Italian talents. In fact, the defender is set to become the 13th Italian player in the Premier League.
“In the 2026/27 Premier League season, there are already 12 Italian players, including the new summer arrivals. Italians who will take the field in England this year are Donnarumma, Calafiori, Savona, Chiesa, Tonali, Udogie, Kayode, Gnonto, Palestra, Ruggeri, Di Gregorio and Leoni.
“It’s clear that the prevailing trend is now to leave the Mediterranean and cross the Channel. This trend, a sad reflection of Serie A and its domestic product as a whole, is mainly due to the extremely high salaries offered by Premier League clubs. But that’s not the only reason.
“The appeal of the Premier League, which for at least a decade has been the most exciting in terms of style and intensity, is undeniable. Ahanor’s move from the relatively provincial reality of Bergamo to a London that pulls the strings of European football is certainly a sign of growth.”
On the other hand, The Eagles are celebrating, as a post on their X handle @PalaceReport read: “Crystal Palace agree deal to sign Honest Ahanor on loan from Chelsea, the eagle has landed. Verbal agreement done as Honest Ahanor joins Chelsea from Atalanta for £40m and then joins Palace on loan.”

Continue Reading

Trending