John Obi Mikel and Croatia’s Lukas Modric and Ivan Rakitic are on the same level, according to former Super Eagles head coach, Samson Siasia.

The Super Eagles face the Europeans on June 16 for their opening Group D fixture at the Kaliningrad Stadium - with the former Chelsea man expected to lead Gernot Rohr’s men.

 “Mikel is in the same quality with Modric and Rakitic, even though Modric plays in Real Madrid,” he told Goal. 

“Mikel has played in Chelsea for many years and he is doing well in the Chinese Super League. I think they will fight for that position on the field of play.”

Following the Super Eagles’ unbeaten run to their sixth World Cup appearance, the 50-year-old urged Rohr’s men to prepare well and not dwell on their 4-2 victory over Argentina.

“They’ve done well but the problem is that most of our players are not playing in the big leagues and they don’t get enough playing time, the World Cup is not where to do physical activities,” he continued.

Daily Trust

Super Eagles assistant coach Salisu Yusuf was on Monday named the national Under-23 team’s substantive coach.

The position had been vacant after Tunisia ’94 Africa Cup of Nations winner Samson Siasia guided Nigeria to a third-place finish (bronze) at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

According to the Nigeria Football Federation, Salisu, who helped Nigeria reach the final of the 2018 African Nations Championship in Morocco where they were humiliated 4-0 by the hosts, will be assisted by El-Kanemi coach Imama Amapakabo, Plateau United coach Kennedy Boboye, MFM coach Fidelis Ilechukwu and Alloy Agu.

Enyimba manager Paul Aigbogun landed the Flying Eagles head coach job, with Akwa United coach Abdullahi Maikaba, Abubakar Bala, Hassan Abdallah and Suleiman Shuaibu as his assistants. The men’s Under-20 team became managerless after Emmanuel Amuneke was sent packing after Nigeria failed to qualify for the South Korea 2017 FIFA Under-20 World Cup won by England.

Manu Garba staged a comeback to the Golden Eagles after he was re-appointed along with Tunisia ’94 Africa Cup of Nations winner Nduka Ugbade, who assisted him when Nigeria won the UAE 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup. Jolomi Atune Ali, Bunmi Haruna, Abideen Baruwa Olatunji are the men’s Under-17 team’s other coaching staff members.

The NFF also appointed Manu’s assistant Atune as the head of the Under-13 boys team, with Jude Agada, Abdullahi Tyabo, Adewale Laloko and Adeoye Onigbinde as his assistants.

Alala Nasidi was named the coach of the Under-15 boys team with Haruna Usman, Ahmed Lawal Dankoli, Patrick Bassey and Ernest Salolome as his assistants.

Chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee Ahmed Fresh told thenff.com that the coaches were to resume immediately.

The vice-chairman of the NFF Strategy Committee said, “All the coaches will be unveiled at a later date, alongside the coaching staff of the U20 and U17 girls appointed earlier as a result of their World Cup qualifying campaigns.”

Punch

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has declined the invitation extended to 13 more athletes and two more coaches to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang even though their doping bans had been lifted.

On February 2, 2018, the suspended Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) provided a list of 15 people whose suspension had been lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAF). Thirteen are still active athletes and two are retired athletes who competed at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games and are now acting as support personnel.

The Invitation Review Panel unanimously recommended that the IOC not extend an invitation to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 to the 15 individuals requested by the suspended ROC.

The panel agreed that the decision of the CAS had not lifted the suspicion of doping or given the panel sufficient confidence to recommend to the OAR IG (Olympic Athlete from Russia Implementation Group) that those 13 athletes could be considered clean.

With respect to the two officials (coaches), the panel took the view that, due to the evidence available from the Oswald Commission reports and additional information at the disposal of the panel, these two individuals should not be considered for an invitation to attend the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

Xinhua

A new World Cup event, featuring eight of top athletics nations is to take place in London this year, British Athletics said on Monday.

Britain and the U.S. are to take part along with South Africa, Poland, France, China, Germany and Jamaica in the inaugural competition, scheduled for July 14 to July-15.

The President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Sebastian Coe, said in a statement that the prospect of the competition was exciting.

“This is one of the exciting innovative events we are seeing in our sport and our thanks go to British Athletics and the Mayor of London for creating it and hosting it.

“We have 8 lanes, 8 top nations, 8 teams and a host of world-class athletes lining up in each event to win the trophy and prize pot.

“This will be a fast-paced and exhilarating experience for athletes and fans.”

He said that one male and one female athlete from every nation would be selected for each track and field event, with the total prize pot set at $2 million over two evening sessions at the London Stadium.

Reuters/NAN

Anthony Joshua is undergoing rigorous anti-doping testing to KO Joseph Parker’s baseless “king of steroids” slur.

The Kiwi WBO champion casually threw out the controversial jab in a bid to speed up the big-fight negotiations and he retracted it and apologised swiftly after.

AJ revealed at the first press conference that he spends around £30,000 per fight getting tests by the UK anti-doping authority, as well as WADA.

And the IBF and WBA champ even revealed he would invite the testers – who must know his exact whereabouts twice a day – into a nightclub with him to maintain his squeaky clean reputation.

One of AJ’s team revealed on Thursday on his Instagram account that the Watford hero had been tested three times inside five days and twice consecutively.

After announcing the fight, AJ and promoter Eddie Hearn hit back at the unfounded steroid claim by revealing the lengths they go to meet regulations.

AJ said: “I sign up three months in advance every time and I have to give them two slots in the day where I definitely will be – so they are able to drug test me.

“I am not trying to prove anything. I pay my money.”

And Hearn – who has serious concerns the massive fight with Tyson Fury could turn to dust – added more detail on the costly process.

The Matchroom kingpin said: “We pay something like £30k every fight, to make sure the fighters are tested.

“As soon as the contract is signed, that testing is under way, that’s WADA. We optionally sign up for that

“We are also with UKAD, through the BBBofC and that’s 365 days a year, random whereabouts testing.

“The last three or four fights we have been test eight times in camp by UKAD and WADA over a 12-week period.

“We are also on 365 days a year WADA testing for the WBA. People ask ‘why is he not on the WBC (testing programme) but he is not a WBC fighter.

“The WBA now have 365 days testing and he pays for additional for random testing and the UKAD.

“He is the one pushing for a clean sport.”

The Sun

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday lifted life bans on 28 of the 43 Russians accused of doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, meaning some could still compete at this month's Pyeongchang Games.

Sport's top court ruled there was "insufficient" evidence that the athletes had benefited from a system of state-sponsored doping at the last Winter Games, hosted by Russia.

CAS said in its judgment: "In 28 cases, the evidence collected was found to be insufficient to establish that an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) was committed by the athletes concerned." It added: "The evidence put forward by the IOC in relation to this matter did not have the same weight in each individual case."

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said he was "very glad" about the ruling.

The International Olympic Committee has banned Russia from competing at Pyeongchang as a team over the doping scandal, although 169 Russian competitors have been cleared to take part as neutrals.

Forty-two Russians - bobsleighers, cross-country skiers, competitors in the skeleton and ice hockey players - appealed against the bans at CAS.

In addition to lifting the bans on the 28, CAS also lifted the life bans of another 11 Russians but barred them from competing at the Pyeongchang Olympics that start on February 9.

Among those whose life bans were scrapped is Alexander Legkov, 34, who won gold in Sochi in the 50-kilometre freestyle cross-country skiing event and silver in the 4x10km relay, only to have his results annulled over the doping allegations.

AFP

Suzann Pettersen, the 15-time LPGA Tour winner and a golfing partner of Donald Trump, says the president “cheats like hell” on the golf course.

Pettersen, who has known Trump for a decade and says she is fond of the president even though she does not agree with his policies, was speaking to the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang.

“He cheats like hell ... so I don’t quite know how he is in business,” said Pettersen. “They say that if you cheat at golf, you cheat at business. I’m pretty sure he pays his caddie well, since no matter how far into the woods he hits the ball, it’s in the middle of the fairway when we get there.”

Trump is listed as having a three handicap, a phenomenal achievement for a man in his 70s who also has to find time to run a country. Pettersen is a little skeptical of that figure.

“He always says he is the world’s best putter. But in all the times I’ve played him, he’s never come close to breaking 80,” she said. “But what’s strange is that every time I talk to him he says he just golfed a 69, or that he set a new course record or won a club championship some place. I just laugh. I’m someone who likes being teased and I like teasing others, and Trump takes it well, and that must be why he likes me.”

The Norwegian, who reached No2 in the world rankings and has career earnings of $14m, said that Trump was a more complex figure than his public persona suggests and “cares” about issues important to him. She did, however, say she did not agree with his politics.

“I’m not a supporter of what he says or stands for,” Pettersen said. “I thought it was very strange during the presidential campaign that he wasn’t smarter about how he communicated. He could have won more easily, but made some blunders with his statements. That’s because he is so stubborn. He has not changed five millimetres since becoming president.”

Cheating in golf is not restricted to Republican presidents, however. Bill Clinton was famed for taking “mulligans” or uncounted strokes if he was displeased with his initial effort. “Playing partners don’t just give [Clinton] gimme putts,” wrote Don Van Natta Jr in a book about golfing presidents. “They give him gimme fairway shots, and gimme drives, and gimme chip shots. If someone makes a par, Clinton gets a par, too. If everyone makes a triple-bogey, Clinton gets a double-bogey.”

The Guardian