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International Football

AFTERMATH OF POT ALLOCATION, NIGERIA MAY DRAW FAMILIAR FOES

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

 

The possibility of Nigeria facing Argentina again in the World Cup looms large on Thursday as FIFA allocated qualified teams into four pots for the final draw coming up at Moscow’s State Kremlin Palace on December 1.

Expectedly, Nigeria, ranked 42 has fallen into the last pot along with seven other teams- Serbia, Australia, Japan, Morocco, Panama, Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia.

In principle, teams in the same pot will not meet at the group stage. The principle of drawing the teams into the groups will remain unchanged. This means that no teams from the same confederation, with the exception of UEFA, which could have up to two teams in the same group, will be drawn into the same group.

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With three African teams in Pot 3, Nigeria will therefore draw an opponent only from the following Pot 3 teams: Denmark, Iceland, Costa Rica, Sweden and Iran. With the exception of Europe, teams from the same continent are not put in the same group.

Europe sometimes had two teams owing to their higher number of teams than other continents. FIFA decided that only sporting principles were applicable in the allocation of teams into pots.

The three teams in Pot 3 are Tunisia, Egypt and Senegal. The top seeds along with hosts, Russia are in Pot 1. They are Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland and France. Nigeria will draw one of those teams on December 1.

Argentina is the only team in Pot 1 that Nigeria ever faced at the World Cup. Spain leads Pot 2 which also has the last team to qualify, Peru. Others in the Pot are Switzerland, England, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Croatia.

Sports Village Square recalls that Spain and England are the only teams in Pot 2 that Nigeria faced at the World Cup.

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But outside that, Nigeria had met Uruguay at the FIFA Confederation Cup in Brazil in 2013, Switzerland in a friendly match on November 20, 2007 in Zurich. Nigeria won the encounter, 1-0 through a goal scored by Taiye Taiwo,

Apart from the goalless outing at the World Cup 2002, Nigeria had also met England in a friendly match on November 16, 1994. In fact it is exactly 23 years this Thursday that the match was played on the sacred turf of old Wembley.

Nigeria had met Colombia twice in the past. The first was in Cali on November 19 2008. Nigeria lost 0-1. When Nigeria met Colombia again in the preparation for South Africa 2010, the encounter in Milton Keyne in England ended 1-1.

Mexico had met Nigeria five times in the past. The first time was a 1-1 draw at the then Intercontinental Cup (now FIFA Confederations Cup) in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. Mexico excelled 5-4 on penalties. Next was the 2-1 defeat of Nigeria in Dallas, in the 1995 US Cup, before a 2-2 draw in Mexico City on October 10, 2007 and another 2-2 draw on June 1, 2013. Both sides met again in another friendly match that ended goalless in Georgia, United States on March 6, 2014.

The Pot 3 is led by Denmark, the team that knocked Nigeria out at the Round of 16 at France ’98. Also in Pot 3 is Iceland. The only encounter Nigeria had with the country was on August 22, 1981 in Reykjavik. Nigeria lost the friendly match 0-3. It was in the preparation to face Algeria in the final qualifying series for Spain 1982 World Cup.

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Costa Rica is the only team in Pot 3 that Nigeria had never met. Sweden, Tunisia, Egypt and Senegal are other teams in the Pot 3. Sweden beat Nigeria 2-1 at World Cup 2002.

 

 

 POT 1   POT 2 POT 3 POT 4
Russia   Spain Denmark Serbia
Germany   Peru Iceland Nigeria
Brazil Switzerland Costa Rica Australia
Portugal England Sweden Japan
Argentina Colombia Tunisia Morocco
Belgium Mexico Egypt Panama
Poland Uruguay Senegal Korea Republic
France Croatia Iran Saudi Arabia

 

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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International Football

Players’ union, FIFPRO, wants 20-minute halftimes, more cooling breaks amid extreme heat

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Global players’ union FIFPRO is exploring whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better protect players from extreme heat.

Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered “extreme risk” for heat-related illness.

Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey and Philadelphia are expected to face dangerous levels of heat and humidity, posing player safety concerns and fuelling calls for mandatory cooling aids or schedule changes.

FIFPRO’s heat risk assessments are based on wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), a measure combining temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed to estimate how environmental conditions affect the body’s ability to cool itself.

Under FIFPRO guidelines, a WBGT reading above 28 degrees Celsius indicates conditions in which matches should be postponed or rescheduled to protect players’ health.

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By comparison, world soccer governing body FIFA’s own guidelines set the extreme risk threshold higher, at 32 degrees Celsius WBGT – but even by that standard, six of the nine cities are still projected to exceed safe limits.

Major League Soccer in the U.S. has a threshold of 29 degrees Celsius WBGT.

“Cooling breaks at the 30th minute and 75th minutes are quite traditional, but from a physiological point of view it does not make sense,” said Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s Medical Director.

“Even if you ingest more than 200 millilitres of fluid, you already cannot take it all. So I would definitely like to see some project where we look at the efficacy of perhaps more frequent but shorter cooling breaks – every 15 minutes, rather than only one during each half.”

LONGER HALFTIMES

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Gouttebarge also questioned whether the traditional 15-minute halftime interval is sufficient when matches are played in extreme heat.

“You can imagine that halftime of 15 minutes might not be enough in order to decrease the core temperature,” he said.

“It could be a halftime of 20 minutes which would be significant. That has been shown in the laboratory and FIFPRO, together with the national union in Portugal in August, we are going to test this kind of mitigation strategy.”

The urgency of stronger heat protocols became clear at this month’s Club World Cup where two matches — Benfica-Bayern Munich in Charlotte and Chelsea-Esperance in Philadelphia exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO considers unsafe.

“According to our position, those games should have been postponed later that day or rescheduled,” Gouttebarge said.

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FIFPRO officials acknowledged that FIFA has responded constructively during the tournament by lowering thresholds for mandatory cooling breaks and improving pitch-side hydration, but stressed that proactive planning is critical.

“FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was under way,” said Alex Phillips, FIFPRO General Secretary.

“They have actually modified how they’ve been dealing with heat during the matches based on FIFPRO’s input, which is credit to the work of the team. Obviously, it would have been better if that happened in advance, but it’s better that they have adapted.”

FIFPRO warned that the risks highlighted at the Club World Cup are a preview of what players could face at the expanded 2026 World Cup.

“This is not just affecting the Club World Cup, but also future tournaments either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO Director of Policy & Strategic Relations.

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“We need a better balance between commercial interests and the health and safety of players,” he added, referring to earlier kick-off times to accommodate European television audiences.

-Reuters

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Former England and Man Utd midfielder Ince charged with drink-driving

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Championship - Norwich City v Reading - Carrow Road, Norwich, Britain - December 30, 2022, Reading manager Paul Ince applauds fans after the match Action Images/Matthew Childs/File Photo 

Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving, police said on Monday.

Ince, who earned 53 caps for England and won two Premier League titles during his six years at United, has been released on bail and will appear in court on July 18.

“The incident involved a black Range Rover which had collided with the central reservation barrier. Officers attended the scene and arrested a 57-year-old man,” the Cheshire police said in a statement.

“Paul Ince, of Quarry Road, Neston, has since been charged with drink-driving.”

Reuters has contacted Ince’s representative for comment.

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After retiring as a player, Ince led Milton Keynes Dons to a League Two title in 2007-08. He most recently managed Reading during 2022-23.

-Reuters

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From garbage collector to Starman of Ancelotti’s Brazil team: the story of Ribeiro

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I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me.!” Alex Ribeiro

Alexsandro Victor de Souza Ribeiro (Rio de Janeiro, 1999) was, until a few days ago, a semi-unknown to the general public in Brazil. 

However, Carlo Ancelotti, impressed by his strong performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, insisted on calling up the Lille centre-back… and giving him his debut.

Not only that. He started alongside Marquinhos against Ecuador (0-0) and Paraguay (1-0) and helped the Seleçao keep two consecutive clean sheets for the first time in the qualifying rounds.

Alex, as he likes to be called, impressed with his 1.92 meters (6′ 1″) frame and confidence. According to ‘R10Score’, he was the Brazilian player who completed the most actions with the ball (186) and the second with the most cuts (11).

He completed 154 of the 166 passes he made (92% accuracy) and won 12 of the 16 duels he was involved in: 5 of 7 at ground level and 7 of 9 in the air. “A gentleman defender,” boasted the official Ligue 1 Portuguese account.

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His path to the elite wasn’t easy. “I don’t think you know this, but this is my first game as a professional in Brazil. Strange, isn’t it? There’s nothing better. To debut in Brazil like this, with a win and qualification,” he boasted after defeating Paraguay.

These first few days with Ancelotti have been unique; I’ll remember them for the rest of my life. I’ve responded well not only to myself, but also to the coach and the Brazilian people.  I was able to demonstrate my ability to those who had doubts. Few people give me the opportunity that the manager has given me,”  he insists

The Lille centre-back took his first steps in Flamengo’s youth system, where he even met Vinicius. 

“When we played against Real Madrid, Vini came up to me and hugged me. He said, ‘I’m glad to see you here, brother.’ That inspired and motivated me even more,” he told ‘Globo Esporte’.

‘Fla’ cut him off. He had to make a living as a street vendor. He also collected trash, especially cans. “I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me, so I went to Europe to play in Portugal’s Third Division.”

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Praiense (2018-20), Amora (2020-21), and Chaves (2021-22)—the latter already in the Second Division—were his springboard to Lille. The Bulldogs signed him in 2022-23 for €2 million. He has become a more than worthy successor to his compatriot Gabriel Magalhaes.

Little by little, my name is spreading. My football is reaching everywhere. This includes Brazil,” he said before making his debut with the Seleçao. Now that he’s made it, he has another challenge: I want to continue it.”

-Marca

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