International Football
THROUGH ALEX IWOBI, NIGERIA BACK AT EVERTON, 70 YEARS LATER
It was on the training ground of Everton FC that Nigeria’s national team first trained on a foreign soil in 1949.
Sports
Village Square recalls that it was also on the same ground that the team took
what is easily the first official group photograph on August 31, 1949.
Seventy years on, another Nigerian national team player, Alex Iwobi goes to Everton ground as the sixth Nigerian for Everton, which beat the deadline to make him the seventh signing of a productive summer transfer window on Thursday.
Before
Iwobi, there had been Daniel Amokachi at Everton. He was part of the FA Cup
winning side in 1995.
He played six times for the club and scored two goals in seasons 1994-95. There was also Victor Anichebe who played 10 matches for Everton in the seasons 2008 to 2011.
Yakubu Ayegbeni also featured for Everton from 2008 to 2010 and played 24 matches and scored seven goals. Henry Onyekuru also made a cameo appearance for Everton this year.
But the Nigerian with most matches for Everton is Joseph Yobo who had 55 matches for Everton from 2008 to 2011.
The latest Nigerian in Everton is Iwobi. Born in Lagos, Alex Iwobi moved to England at the age of four and spent his formative years in the east London borough of Newham, home to Premier League regulars West Ham United.
However, it was cross-city Arsenal who spotted the youngster’s early footballing promise and, in 2004, signed him up as an eight-year-old to their Hale End academy.
Cultivating a reputation as an
offensive-minded player who could make things happen but also work hard for his
team, Iwobi progressed through the Arsenal ranks to earn his first-team debut
in an October 2015 League Cup last-16 match against Sheffield Wednesday at the
age of 19.
The nephew of Jay-Jay Okocha, the early suggestions were that the young Iwobi
had dutifully studied his idolised uncle, his game – like Okocha’s – being
based on flair, skill and an abundance of natural ability.
Iwobi made his Premier League debut as a late substitute against Swansea City
four days later and would go on to amass another four appearances off the bench
before netting on his first top-flight start in March the following year – a
2-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park.
His eye-catching performance on Merseyside that afternoon proved the catalyst
to him starting all but one of Arsenal’s remaining eight league fixtures –
adding another goal, against Watford, and two assists – as the Gunners
overhauled north London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur to claim second place in
the Premier League behind shock 5000-1 winners Leicester City.
Having won the Victory Shield with England in 2011 and represented the Three
Lions at Under-16, Under-17 and Under-18 levels, Iwobi’s form saw him handed
his first competitive senior appearance for Nigeria at the end of the 2015/16
campaign, the forward’s switch of allegiance to the Super Eagles already having
been signified by his involvement in a friendly against DR Congo the previous
October.
Like on his first Premier League start for Arsenal, he
marked the occasion with a goal as Nigeria defeated Zambia 2-1 in a 2018 World
Cup qualifier. He was named in Nigeria’s provisional 35-man squad for the
Olympic Games that summer but did not feature in the final 18-man party.
Iwobi quickly shelved that disappointment and was picked for Arsenal’s opening
game of the 2016/17 season against Liverpool, providing an assist for Theo
Walcott in an eventual 4-3 defeat for the Londoners.
Despite sustaining a thigh injury that kept him out of the Gunners’ following
two league fixtures, he was quickly reinstated by boss Arsene Wenger and went
on to make 27 starts in a campaign that yielded 39 run-outs in all
competitions, four goals, eight assists and an FA Cup winners’ medal. After
featuring in early round wins over Preston North End, Southampton and Sutton
United, Iwobi was selected in Arsenal’s squad for their 2-1 Wembley victory
over Chelsea in the final.
A notable breakthrough campaign also included another international goal
against Zambia in October, on this occasion Iwobi’s cool, sweeping finish
proving enough to inflict a 1-0 defeat on Nigeria’s opponents but, more
importantly, seal the country’s place at the following summer’s World Cup
finals in Russia.
Iwobi and Arsenal were back at Wembley to face Chelsea in the Community Shield
ahead of the 2017/18 campaign and this time there was a starting role for the
youngster as the Gunners overcame their capital city rivals on penalties
following a 1-1 draw.
That triggered another profitable season in 2017/18, Iwobi adding a further 39
appearances, three goals and seven assists as Wenger’s 22nd and final campaign
at the Arsenal helm ended in a sixth-placed Premier League finish and League
Cup final loss to Manchester City in which the forward came off the bench for
the final 17 minutes.
Having led his nation to Russia, Iwobi featured in all three of Nigeria’s World
Cup group matches in the summer of 2018 but defeats against Argentina and
eventual finalists Croatia proved fatal as the Super Eagles failed to qualify
for the knockout stages.
Unrattled by the blow, Iwobi returned to Arsenal and enjoyed his most
productive goals coring season to date last term, kicking it off by applying a
clinical finish to a flowing, 18-pass team move in a 3-2 opening weekend loss
against old foes Chelsea.
It was against the same opposition that his sixth and final goal of 2018/19
came 10 months on, albeit against the backdrop of Arsenal’s crushing 4-1 Europa
League final defeat in Baku.
Nevertheless, a fruitful campaign also saw the improving Iwobi add a further 51
Arsenal appearances to his tally, while his record of nine assists was bettered
only by France international forward Alexandre Lacazette.
It means the Everton-bound Iwobi leaves the Emirates having contributed 15
goals and 27 assists in 149 games. Of those, he started a hefty 103.
And Iwobi’s impact at international level continues to be felt, too. An
integral figure as Nigeria finished third in the Africa Cup of Nations last
month, he notched the winner to settle a thrilling five-goal contest against Cameroon
in the last-16 – his sixth international goal.
The Super Eagles’ 1-0 victory over Tunisia in the
third-place play-off saw Iwobi collect his 36th cap at the age of just 23.
Everton had to bide their time in their pursuit of Iwobi but beat the transfer
deadline to land their man on Thursday evening, tying him to a five-year deal
until the summer of 2024.
He became the Blues’ seventh summer acquisition, reuniting with former colleague Walcott, but was not registered in time to be eligible for Saturday’s Premier League opener at Crystal Palace.
International Football
Players’ union, FIFPRO, wants 20-minute halftimes, more cooling breaks amid extreme heat
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.
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
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.
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.
“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 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.
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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International Football
From garbage collector to Starman of Ancelotti’s Brazil team: the story of Ribeiro
“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.
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.”
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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