Sports

Napoli make shocking final decision over Victor Osimhen’s future after failed Chelsea move

Napoli have taken a final decision over Victor Osimhen’s future at the club after his failed move to Chelsea, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Chelsea attempted to sign the Nigeria forward on transfer deadline day, but were unable to get a deal over the line.

Elsewhere, Al Ahli reached an agreement to sign Osimhen on a permanent deal, but opted to sign Ivan Toney to take their final foreign player slot instead.

The 25-year-old has been left in limbo as a result of the failed transfer negotiations, having not featured in any of Napoli’s first three games of the season under Antonio Conte.

Conte has insisted that any decision over Osimhen’s future is a club matter, but added that his job is to ‘make the best decision for the game and find the right balance in every game’.

Now, Romano claims that Napoli have decided to exile Osimhen entirely and not include him in their first team squad for the 2024/25 season.

The same decision has been made over left-back Mario Rui, who also failed to secure a move away from the 2022/23 Serie A champions.

The latest decision caps off a bizarre turn of events for the Nigeria forward, who comfortably won the Serie A Golden Boot as Napoli lifted the Scudetto one year ago.

He followed that up by scoring 15 goals in 25 appearances last term, but it was a disappointing title defence for Napoli as they failed to even qualify for Europe for this season.

Now, despite being one of the top strikers in world football, Osimhen faces an enforced spell on the sidelines without being able to play football.

The reason for Napoli’s desire to sell him, according to The Independent, is because of the club’s precarious finances and their belief that Osimhen, who is on a reported £300,000 per week, would be sold this summer to ease their situation.

They had the opportunity to sell the striker last summer, but club president Aurelio de Laurentiis demanded at least £170 million and no club was willing to offer that sum.

Whether a transfer to another club can be resurrected remains to be seen – the Saudi Pro League’s window shuts on September 2 – but as of right now, Osimhen faces four months out of first team action.

(Source- sportsbible)

Sports

Eguavoen denies quitting as interim coach of Super Eagles

JUST IN: Eguavoen steps down as NFF terminates contracts of entire technical crew of Super Eagles

Austin Eguavoen has denied stepping down as the interim coach of the Super Eagles after the two 2025 AFCON qualifiers against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.

Eguavoen was appointed by the NFF to take charge of the two games following the inability of the federation to secure the services of German coach, Bruno Labbadia.

The 59-year-old led Nigeria to a 3-0 win over the Benin Republic in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, last Saturday before being held to a goalless draw in the second game against Rwanda on Tuesday.

After Tuesday’s goalless draw in Kigali, London reports broke out that Eguavoen stepped down as interim coach but the gaffer has denied the reports ahead of next month’s AFCON qualifiers double header against Libya.

“It’s quite unfortunate that people just trigger something that is not correct. And the situation we are in now, we don’t need negative stories,” Eguavoen said on arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja in a media chat.

“I only talked about sitting down with the hierarchy of the federation after these two games and we will see how to go about prosecuting the next games.

“But when I saw that story I was worried. Whatever people are reading out there aren’t correct. I’m still very much in charge. I’m the Technical Director of the NFF, saddled with the responsibility of taking the Super Eagles at this moment,” he said.

News

Murdered Ugandan Olympic athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei to be buried September 14

The funeral for Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who died in Kenya after being set on fire by her ex-boyfriend, will be held on September 14 in her home country.

The 33-year-old, who competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics last month, succumbed to severe burns on Thursday, September 5, four days after being doused with petrol and set alight at her home in western Kenya.

Doctors said she had suffered burns to more than 80 per cent of her body after the attack on Sunday last week.

The attack was carried out by Cheptegei’s Kenyan partner, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, who also suffered serious burns and is being treated in hospital.

“The burial date of Rebecca Cheptegei has been set for September 14, in Kongasis sub-county in Bukwo district (eastern Uganda),” Beatrice Ayikoru, secretary general of the Uganda Olympic Committee and a member of the funeral organising committee, told AFP.

Bukwo is the location of Cheptegei’s family home and lies on the border with Kenya about 380 kilometres (240 miles) northeast of the Ugandan capital Kampala.

Last week Friday, the city of Paris said it would honour Cheptegei, who came 44th in her Olympic marathon debut in August, by naming a sports venue after her.