International Football
TODAY IN HISTORY: DANE GUN DOWNS SUPER EAGLES
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Till date, it remains Nigeria’s worst defeat in all 21 World Cup matches the Super Eagles ever played.
Never since the 30 October 1955 Jalco Cup encounter in which the then Gold Coast (now Ghana) beat Nigeria’s Red Devils 7-0 in Accra had a Nigerian national team been so humiliated in a competitive encounter as it happened on this date 28 June 1998 at the France ’98 World Cup.
Even though an earlier 5-1 loss to Algeria at the opening match of the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations could be heavier, it was not as devastating as the loss to Denmark eight years later.
So much was expected from the Nigerian national team that the entire France ’98 followers were shocked when the team was beaten 4-1 by Denmark.
But this time, the world had expected Nigeria, which had beaten two European sides, Spain by 3-2 and Bulgaria by 1-0 to do the same to Denmark and set up for the first time, in the World Cup a quarterfinal clash of reigning Olympic champions and World Cup holders.
The players that won the Atlanta ‘96 Olympic gold medal composed the bulk of the Super Eagles. Brazil, the current World Cup holders had already scaled into the quarterfinals.
But the clash was not to be. Nigeria crumbled miserably 4-1 on a night the duo of Uche Okechukwu and Rashidi Yekini played their last international matches.
The match was barely three minutes old when Peter Moller put Denmark ahead. Brian Laudrup added the second in the 12th minute. When Ebbe Sand put in the third in the 60th minute, it turned to be the fastest goal by a substitute player in the World Cup history.
He was just 18 seconds on the pitch after coming in as a substitute for Peter Moller.
“It is a shame to lose like this”, remarked Victor Ikpeba. He was the first Nigerian to come out of the dressing room after they had kept reporters waiting for more than 30 minutes.
In the days they won matches, the Super Eagles marched out to the “Mixed Zone” to meet reporters within seconds of conclusion of the games.
For the Nigerians, reaching the quarter-finals of the France ’98 World Cup could have been a dream, but that night, it was more than nightmares for the Super Eagles who were the obvious favourites over the hitherto unsung Danish team that re-enacted its flaming form of the early stage of Mexico ’86, scoring at will.
The 4-1 defeat of Nigeria brought back the memories of Mexico ’86 in which the Danes went goal-berserk beating, for instance, Uruguay 6-1.
Glorious Danes! They did their homework well providing antidotes to every Nigerian strategy.
“We knew the Nigerians are skilful and often like to attack … so we closed the midfield tightly”, said Bo Johansson, the Swedish coach of Denmark.
For Nigeria, everything went awry. Poor goalkeeping, clumsy defenders, unimaginative midfielders, wingless flank men and clay-footed attackers, were the spectacle the Super Eagles presented the French crowd who cheered the Nigerians all the way, even in the face of obvious humiliating defeat.
Poor Austin Okocha, perhaps the only imaginative player in the Nigerian squad. He was struggling bravely to redeem a hopeless situation.
Coach Bora Milotinovic, obviously bereft of ideas, sat glued to the bench as if the pressure of the rampaging Danes had consumed him.
The Super Eagles looked spineless. Upfront, Victor Ikpeba was lost, roving aimlessly. Garba Lawal was deserted by imagination, unable to take any direct shot at goal, even when the field was clear for him.
He preferred to make unserviceable passes. Nwankwo Kanu was irritating. He put every foot wrong and everyone concluded he was not psyched up for the World Cup.
After 20 minutes, he was no better than a wandering passenger on the field. His substitution was forced on Bora. Even then, Yekini did not prove to be an alternative. He was clumsy with the ball.
Mutiu Adepoju had a fairly good game, playing in the unfamiliar position of right full back and having to support a glaringly feeble attack. The defence ruined an already bad situation.
Not even the hitherto celebrated Inter Milan ace, Taribo West could rise above average. He was heavy, very heavy like a pregnant woman due for delivery. He had obviously burnt himself out in the tough Italian league.
Goalkeeper Peter Rufai appeared to have blurred vision. Within three minutes of the game’s kick off, Peter Moller had put his side ahead.
After the match, Col. Abdulmumuni Aminu the then chairman of NFA sat glued to his seat, even five minutes after the state-of-the-art Stade de France was nearly empty.
His dark suit over black trousers and shoes perhaps reflected the melancholy state of his mind as he glanced blankly into the dark Paris sky. Deserted on the bench, Aminu was obviously finding it difficult to come to terms that the World Cup dream was over.
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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