Tell Magazine

English side Arsenal will embark on a playing tour of Nigeria next year. A delegation from the club arrived Nigeria on Monday to inspect facilities ahead of the visit in July 2012.   Nigeria is home to a huge number of Arsenal fans and this will enable the supporters to see their favourite stars like Robin van Persie, Thomas Vermaelen, Alexandre Song and Theo Walcott.   “Arsenal will tour Nigeria ahead of the 2012/2013 season and will play against some selected Nigerian clubs,” Fifa match agent David Omigie told MTNFootball.com. “I am therefore leading a delegation that will include Arsenal Football Club’s head of marketing.  We are in Nigeria to conduct a pre-tour visit. “   The trip is expected…

Nigeria defeated Zambia 2-0 in an international friendly football match on Tuesday in Kaduna.   The Uche brothers, Kalu and Ikechukwu, scored the goals that gave the Super Eagles victory over the Chipolopolo in Stephen Keshi’s second game in charge.   The elder Kalu opened scoring for the Nigerians on 9minutes after a good pass from the right flank by winger Ahmed Musa who had beaten his marker to send in a cross.   The Zambians tried without success to break the Nigerian backline even as they often dominated the midfield with impressive work by Rainford Kalaba who saw his first half short screech past Vincent Enyeama’s goal.   Substitute goalkeeper Austin Ejide had his hands full in the second…

A 3-1 loss to Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina side brought Siasia’s Eagles down to earth after a soaring victory in Madagascar days earlier   If image is everything, then the confused expression on Samson Siasia’s face on September 6 in faraway Dhaka, Bangladesh, after that cheeky, but brilliant run from Argentine and Barcelona football wizard, Lionel Messi, which left four Nigerian defenders lying in his wake, was a visual reminder that his Super Eagles team was far from being a finished product. The 3-1 loss to Argentina was also Siasia’s first competitive defeat as coach of the Eagles team.   Fresh from a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Madagascar on Sunday, September 4, in a crucial 2012 African Cup of Nations Qualifier…

Countless young Nigerians, driven by the prospect of making money from the beautiful game and encouraged by their patrons, drop out of school to enrol in football academies mushrooming around the country By Tosin Taiwo Dare Olasupo, 15, was exhausted after a game of football recently. He sat panting and sweating profusely at the back of the goalpost, while his mates were scattered across the pitch, celebrating their team’s victory over a rival club. Olasupo, who lives at Ojodu-Berger, Lagos, is an aspiring professional football player. Like many of his teammates, he is dreaming of playing professional football in Europe some day. Unable to cope with the rigours of academic work, he dropped out of secondary school two years ago…