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International Football

TODAY IN HISTORY: DANE GUN DOWNS SUPER EAGLES

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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.

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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.

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“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.

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“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.

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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.

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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.

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

Portugal call up same player named in England Under-18 squad

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Mateus Mane in England's colour

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.

Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.

Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.

He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.

With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.

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Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.

While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.

-Reuters

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Soon Cisse ceases to be Senegal’s Coach

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After 107 matches spanning nine years, Aliou Cisse will not have his contract renewed as Senegal coach, officials confirmed on Wednesday. Of the 107 matches, Cisse’s team won 70, drew 24 and lost 13.

But the impressive scorecard is not enough to impress his employers.

Thus, the end beckons for Cisse’s successful nine-year spell in charge of the side that included a first Africa Cup of Nations title and two World Cup qualifications.

He had been under increasing pressure after Senegal’s surprise last 16 exit at the 2023 Cup of Nations when they lost on penalties to hosts Cote d’Ivoire.

Senegal are unbeaten in six matches since then, but home draws with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burkina Faso, and criticism from certain quarters over their style of play, made up the mind of the country’s sports ministry, who fund the salary of the national team coach, that a change was needed.

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“The FSF would like to thank Aliou Cisse for his good collaboration and his brilliant results at the head of the various national selections that he has managed since his arrival in 2011 and wish him every success for the future,” the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) said in a statement.

FSF added Cisse’s exit stemmed from a failure to fulfil the targets in his last contract, which expired at the end of August, which included victory at the 2023 Cup of Nations and reaching the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

They also said the “regression of our national team in the FIFA rankings and the risk of disaffection between our national team and the Senegalese (public)” had played a role.

The FSF will appoint an interim technical team to lead the side in Cup of Nations qualifiers against Malawi at home on Oct. 11 and away four days later.

Cisse, 48, was captain of Senegal when they reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup with what is heralded as a golden generation of players.

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He briefly had a spell as caretaker coach of the national team in 2012, but took over full time three years later.

He led Senegal to 2018 and 2022 World Cup qualification, making the last 16 in the latter before losing to England. They were beaten in the final of the 2019 Cup of Nations by Algeria.

The side made up for that disappointment when they beat Egypt in the final two years later to be crowned African champions for the first time.

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Why  FIFA banned Samuel Eto’o

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Always in the news for bad reasons, Samuel Eto’o has again made global headlines. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has banned the former striker and the current president of the Cameroon Football Federation.

He is banned from attending Cameroon’s matches for the next six months for violating conduct rules during the recent U-20 Women’s World Cup, where his national team faced Brazil in the round of 16.

According to FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee, Eto’o was found to have breached articles 13 (“Offensive behaviour and violations of fair play principles”) and 14 (“Misconduct of players and officials”) of FIFA’s Disciplinary Code.

The sanction stems specifically from the match between Brazil and Cameroon, held on September 11 in Bogotá, Colombia. As a result, Eto’o will be prohibited from attending any matches involving Cameroon’s national teams, both male and femaleacross all age groups.

“Mr Eto’o has been notified today, the date on which the sanction comes into force,” stated the FIFA press release.

This is not the first time Eto’o has faced controversy. He previously drew attention for his behavior towards players and national team coach Marc Brys, whom he allegedly threatened in front of cameras if his directives were not followed.

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During the Qatar World Cup, the former Real Madrid, Mallorca, and Barcelona player made headlines again after assaulting a fan who filmed him outside a stadium after a match.

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