Football

‘Be strong, you did your best for Nigeria’ – Sports minister tells Iwobi

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The Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh recently had a discussion with Super Eagles midfielder, Alex Iwobi following cyber bullies against the Fulham star.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by Enoh’s media aide, Diana-Mary Tiku Nsan on Monday.

Enoh, who led the Super Eagles of Nigeria back home after the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final against Ivory Coast, told Iwobi:

“I am aware of what is happening on social media and as a ministry, this is not the first time we are going to make a statement against bullying, not just you but our sportsmen and women in general who are exposed to bullying due to the outcome of competitions.

“We are concerned about how our sportsmen and women are treated.”

The final AFCON 2023 has seen Iwobi experience a routine of unpleasant remarks hurled at him.

Iwobi confirmed leaving social media after the final game.

“For me, I have taken myself out of social media after yesterday’s game,” he said.

Enoh, however, encouraged the former Arsenal star saying:

“You did your best for your country and I am proud of you. The leadership and the rest of the country is proud of you.

“Those who are not are in the far minority and do not speak for the rest of our country, so just be strong.

“You did your best, you are part of a team that brought home a silver medal which the country last won at AFCON 2000, which is 23 years ago. You put in your best, thank you very much.”

Football

Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi laments bad Nigerian football pitches

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Super Eagles and Everton midfielder, Alex Iwobi has lamented about the bad pitches the Super Eagles play on during home games, saying it has negatively affected the team.

Recall the Nigeria squad failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and, they were also beaten by Guinea-Bissau at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja last Friday in one of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

They later claimed an away victory in the return leg which was played days later in Guinea-Bissau.

Alex Iwobi, 26, has now blamed poor pitches for the team’s poor performances on home soil.

“We don’t know if we are going to have a nice pitch to play,” he said in an interview with The Beautiful Game podcast.

“Obviously, we got a new coach and we played Sierra Leone and we beat them 2-1 in a very difficult game, then we played Sao Tome and Principe and beat them 10-0 because we played on a great pitch.

A lot of us play in Europe now and we play on great pitches where it is easy to manipulate the ball around and play freely. If we had that in Nigeria it will be difficult to beat us and I am confident to say that not many teams can beat us.

“To start with, we don’t have a good pitch because if we have that I feel like we will be unstoppable. That is one thing about Nigeria and I don’t know what’s going on behind but we could play in Asaba, we could play in Lagos or Abuja.

We understand that everyone wants to see the Eagles play and Nigeria is a very big nation but at the same time, it will just be nice to have just one base where we know how it is going to be, the hotel we are going to stay and the food we eat. It just makes everything easier.”

The Everton midfielder added that they were still a young side and needed to learn. “Our team is still young and we still have a lot to learn and even as a team we are still learning about ourselves,” he added.

“One thing I can promise Nigerian fans is that as much as the talent is still there only God knows where we will be in the next few years and they just need to be patient with us because we are trying.”

Football

Everton open talks with Alex Iwobi over new bumper contract

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Everton football club of England has opened talks with Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi over a new contract.

According to reports from Liverpool Echo, discussions of a new contract have started as the Blues are keen to tie down Iwobi, who is now an integral part of the squad under Frank Lampard.

Iwobi is under contract until 2024 but Everton is looking to secure his future at Goodison Park following a dramatic rise in his importance over the last six months.

The 26-year-old Nigerian has been one of the most impressive players of the opening seven games of the Premier League season shining in a central midfield position for Everton.

He ensured a dramatic 99th-minute winner over Newcastle United in March and then played a vital role in the final stages of the relegation battle while operating as a right wing back.

Iwobi also created Neal Maupay’s winner against West Ham United on Sunday.Everton is also in discussion with Jordan Pickford and Anthony Gordon over new contracts, as reported by the ECHO.

The former Arsenal player is part of Jose Peseiro’s 25-man squad for this month’s friendly game against Algeria in Oran.

He missed the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualify with the Black Stars of Ghana due to suspension.

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