Stringent regulations of German tax authorities have conspired to abort the agreement between the Nigeria Football Federation and Coach Bruno Labbadia for the latter to mount the saddle as Head Coach of Nigeria’s Senior Men Team, Super Eagles.   “We have been on the tax issue for the past three days, and I told him clearly that there was no way the NFF will agree to offset the concomitant tax percentage on his salary that will be demanded by German tax authorities. It is not possible for us to shoulder the responsibility of shelling out another money, between 32% to 40% of his salary, after paying the agreed monthly wage. “The NFF and Mr. Labbadia reached an agreement in principle before we made the announcement that he would become the Head Coach of the Super Eagles. The tax details were never part of our discussions, and he had personally agreed to all terms before the tax issue came up. We were doing our best to be flexible in the discussions but he was adamant that the NFF had to pay the full tax amount as well. We simply cannot do that,” President of NFF, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, said on Friday evening. In the event, Technical Director of Nigeria Football Federation, Coach Augustine Eguavoen will now take charge of the Super Eagles for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin Republic (Uyo, 7th September) and Rwanda (Kigali, 10th September). It will be Eguavoen’s fourth stint in charge of the three-time African champions, after earlier experience in 2005-2007, 2010 and 2022.

Egyptian official Amin Mohamed Omar, who has been a FIFA referee since 2017, has been selected by the Confederation of African Football as referee for next week’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and the Cheetahs of Benin Republic. The Matchday 1 encounter, scheduled for the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, will kick off at 5pm Nigeria time. Omar will be in company with compatriots Mahmoud Abouelregal (Assistant Referee 1), Ahmad Hossam Taha (Assistant Referee 2) and Ahmed ElGhandour (Fourth Official) as the three-time African champions confront a team coached by former Nigeria manager Gernot Rohr. The match will be the baptism for new Nigeria manager, Bruno Labbadia. CAF has also appointed Ghanaian official Munkaila Nassam Adam as commissioner, with Fatou Gaye from Senegal to serve as referee assessor and Ivorian Atte Claude Elloh in the role of security officer.

Al-Ahli have reached an agreement with Napoli for Victor Osimhen (mafter the Saudi Arabian side offered an €80 million transfer fee for the Nigerian international. Al-Ahli have also offered the striker a lucrative four-year contract which would see him earn €35 million per year and he would also be provided with a release clause. Chelsea have not given up hope on signing the striker and last night sent personnel to Naples to try and convince Osimhen to join the club. However, Osimhen is still thought to be closer to agreeing to the Saudi Arabian side over Chelsea. Paris Saint-Germain had been in the race for Osimhen for much of the summer, however, reportedly pulled out of negotiations despite suffering an injury to Gonçalo Ramos in the first game of the season. Osimhen had also been a target last summer when the French champions had sent two offers to Napoli valued at over €100 million.

Nigeria’s U20 girls, Falconets have taken up residence at their Wyndhad Hotel, Bogota, where the team will reside for their first two matches of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024. After scoring 27 goals in a total of eight premium games (six competitive and two friendly matches), the 2010 and 2014 runners-up arrived in high spirits while looking forward to their first match of the tournament against Korea Republic on Monday, 2nd September. The Koreans have finished in third place in one championship in the 22-year-old competition, and have promised to provide stiff opposition for the perennial finalists. Nigeria is one of only four countries to have featured in every edition of the finals since the competition was launched in Canada as an U19 event in 2002. The Falconets have further group phase encounters against three-time champions Germany (also in Bogota) and Venezuela (in Cali) on 4th September and 7th September respectively.

African footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen is considering a move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli following an improved offer. This development comes as Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain continue to monitor the situation closely. Media report claimed Al-Ahli has intensified their pursuit of Osimhen, with the club’s sporting director personally traveling to Italy to present a new, more lucrative offer to Napoli. The substantial increase in the bid, accompanied by an attractive personal package for the player, has prompted Osimhen to seriously consider the possibility of joining the Saudi Pro League. Despite this new development, both Chelsea and PSG remain interested in securing Osimhen’s services. Chelsea, in particular, has ramped up their efforts in recent hours and is reportedly preparing to submit an offer to Napoli before the transfer window closes on Friday. Napoli, for their part, are hopeful of finalizing the deal with Al-Ahli. However, the final decision rests with Osimhen and his representatives, who are carefully evaluating all offers without ruling out any options. A source close to the negotiations stated, “Osimhen and his agent will assess all offers and every situation without precluding anyone. The player is now open to the possibility of moving to Saudi Arabia, but Chelsea and PSG’s interest adds an interesting dynamic to the situation.”