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Nigeria’s Samuel
Peter has disclosed that his next bout following the September 11 world
title fight against Wladimir Klitschko, will be against Britain’s David
Haye.

Haye is currently
one of the top heavyweights in the world and is the holder of the World
Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title. The Briton has for long
been linked with a fight against either Wladimir or his elder brother
Vitali, but that has yet to see the light of day.

Peter, a former
heavyweight champion, has fought against the Klitschko brothers, losing
on both occasions. The first was against Wladimir in 2005, before
coming up against Vitali in 2008.

Speaking recently
on a radio programme in the United States of America, the 29-year-old
Peter discussed why he continues to reach agreements for Klitschko
fights, while other prominent heavyweights like Alexander Povetkin,
Nikolai Valuev and, especially the very outspoken Haye, are unable to
reach a deal with the Ukrainian-born brothers.

Promoters

According to the
Nigerian, a lot of the negotiations are political and some have too
many promoters involved. He then went on to disclose that if he ends up
winning his September 11 bout, he will request his promoters, Top Rank,
to make a deal for him to get into the ring with Haye.

“In each case,
there are issues,” said Peter. “Take Valuev, he has two promoters, and
each of them takes a certain percentage for their fees. After this,
there remains little money. So he wants to get paid more.

“David Haye is
another story. In the press, he has made these aggressive attacks and
gave the image of a fighting boy,” Peter said. “But once Haye took the
WBA title from Valuev, he grew up from fighting boy into a businessman.

“He no longer wants
Klitschko. To him, it’s better to earn without the risk of defeat.
Let’s see if my promoters can agree on a fight with Haye after
September 11, when I’ll take the championship belt from Wladimir,”
boasted Peter, before adding: “To tell you the truth, I already feel
like a champion.” If Peter emerges victorious on September 11, he will
annex the WBO and IBF titles from the Ukrainian. A fight against Haye,
who plans on taking on Audley Harrison before the end of the year, will
thus act as a unifying bout.

The WBC crown is, however, held by the older of the Klitschko brothers.

Ismaily’s coach,
Mark Wotte, has accused the Confederation of African Football (CAF),
following the Egyptian side’s defeat at the hands of Nigeria’s
Heartland in last weekend’s CAF Champions League fixture.

This follows the
decision of the football governing body to reject the Egyptian club’s
request to alter the timing of the game decided at the Dan Anyiam
Stadium in Owerri.

The match got
underway at 1500 hours local time, with Heartland securing their first
win of the group stage of the tournament after coming from a goal down
to win 2-1 with the winning goal arriving five minutes from the end of
the game.

With only two games
left before the end of the group stage, Sunday’s loss all but ended
Ismaily’s hopes of advancing to the semi-finals, but Wotte feels the
situation would had been different had CAF, whose headquarters is in
Egypt, accepted their request to change the kickoff time after his
players refused to break their fast.

Depleted energy

Last Sunday was the
19th day of Islam’s holy month of Ramadan and the Ismaily coach
believes the fasting depleted his players’ energy levels.

“I don’t want to
speak about religious issues but the fasting affected my players
today,” Wotte said, following Ismaily’s third group stage defeat in
four games.

“CAF is to blame for that because it forced us to play during the day. It should have changed the timing of the match.

“Food is very
important for the players. They couldn’t perform well in the second
half. They lost energy and concentration.” Ismaily’s defeat leaves them
at the bottom of the Group B standings with three points, one behind
third-placed Heartland and two behind fellow Egyptian club side Al-Ahly
who lie in second place following their unimpressive 1-1 draw against
visiting JS Kabylie of Algeria, also on Sunday.

The draw in Cairo
ensured Kabylie, who finished the game with 10 men, became the first
club to advance to the semi-finals of this year’s CAF Champions League
with an unassailable 10 points.

Al-Ahly or
Heartland can still join Kabylie if they win their remaining two games
but they’ll have to play each other in Cairo on September 12, making it
impossible for both teams to overhaul the Algerians.

Al-Ahly’s coach
Hossam Al-Badri however feels his side, rather than Heartland, will be
the ones to join Kabylie in advancing to the last four of the
tournament they have won a record six times.

When asked about Ahli’s hopes of reaching the Champions League semi-finals,

Al-Badri, who berated his strikers for fluffing the numerous chances
that came their way against the Algerians, replied: “We are in second
place, so our chance to qualify for the next round is substantial.”

You must be very
familiar with the phrase “a coach is as good as his/her last match
result”. This is especially so in Nigeria, where winning at all costs,
by hook or by crook, is becoming the standard pattern in our sporting
activities. It can be argued that it is so in other parts of the world,
since sports, especially football, has a universal appeal and language.
Yes, this may be correct. The difference may be the level of moral
decadence and utter shamelessness with which we deal with issues
concerning competitions in this part of the globe. Decorum does not
seem to be part of our sports vocabulary. What a shame!

Past performances

We are now becoming
uncomfortable with the results of your recent performances, especially
some very crucial ones that now make you, with all due respects, look
like a tiny start-up, taking on giants.In Nigeria, advantage
increasingly depends on strategic manoeuvres with the highest level of
dexterity, rather than political position.

I am sure that you
also know, more than before, that mediocrity is not only celebrated in
Nigerian sports, it is preferred to professionalism. You must have also
come to realise that lawlessness, ineptitude, absolute disregard and
disrespect for the laws of this country, are being legitimised.

Otherwise, how do
we reconcile the fact that Nigerians are now being made to believe that
the so-called NFF congress and FIFA are more powerful than the Federal
Government? How does anyone explain why the FIFA statues have rendered
our law courts ridiculously nonsensical? The truth is that, honourable
minister, you have lost three games in very quick successions, and
these results have affected your rating terribly.

Repercussions

But what went
wrong? Well, since we are talking sports, permit me to draw from my bag
of Judo experience. Maybe this metaphor will help, if only you will
have time to practise some of the tips.

For instance, how
do you compete with opponents who have size, strength, and history on
their side? Maybe I should warn you never to believe anyone who tells
you that your opponents, the enemies of sports in Nigeria, are
toothless or powerless. A bulldog is a bulldog, just as a snake will
remain a snake – big or small, it is dangerous.

Believe me, your
opponents are not only desperate, they have the size, strength,
history, and most importantly, the money to squander. They are also
experts at fighting without rules. My advice is simple. Please get one
of our Judo masters as a personal coach, and you will discover that
with the core principles of Judo – movement, balance, and leverage, you
can easily turn your opponent’s weight and power to your own advantage.
My coaching instinct tells me to keep the details for ‘security’
reasons.

But then, something
tells me that your opponents have successfully studied your antecedents
as transport minister, discovered your strength and weaknesses, and
bang…bang…bang…

The average
Nigerian athlete is not happy with you, sir. Why postpone the National
Sports Festival? Thousands of these athletes have been training – in
very terrible conditions, and they have been looking forward to the fun
derived from participating in this festival.

Poorly paid coaches
have worked on these athletes. Parents have bought training kits for
their wards, believing that this may be the sports festival that will
provide the platform for their wards to become national champions and
eventually have the opportunity to represent Nigeria at international
competitions. Whoever is responsible for the postponement has not done
any good. The postponement is counter-productive.

Did anyone in the
Sports Commission think of the implications? What happens to the
training regimen put in place by the coaches and trainers? Do athletes
and trainers also “postpone” their training programmes? What happens to
the funds already allocated for the festival? Would this not be another
opportunity for the hawks in Nigerian sports to swoop on?

If the state to
host the festival is not ready, is there no back-up state standing by
to host? Has Abuja not got the required facilities to host? And to
think that February 2011 is the new period being considered, is beyond
reasonable imagination, except this is an indication that there will be
no “operation totality” (sincere apologies to Uncle Aremu) general
elections in January 2011, in Nigeria.

Sincerely, the odds
seem to be against you, sir. By the way, are Nigerians sure that we
will be adequately represented at the forthcoming Commonwealth games?
Is the NOC still in existence in this country?

I wish these thoughts will find an echo in your heart. There is the
urgent need for a review of your strategy. There may be hypocrites and
very obsequious people around you. Please do not forget that this is
Nigeria, where money talks. Watch out for the banana peels. For the
sake of millions of Nigerians praying for you, please, beware!

The Africa Cup of
Nations qualifying match between Nigeria and Madagascar originally
scheduled for the National Stadium in Abuja will now take place in
Calabar, Cross River State.

Robinson Okosun,
Media officer of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), who disclosed
this yesterday, said the match was moved from Abuja because of the
ongoing ECOWAS youth games taking place at the National Stadium.

“The match will now be taking place at the U. J.Esuene Stadium in Calabar,” Robinson said.

Two states, Kaduna
and Cross River were pencilled down as possible venues for the match,
given the interest shown by them in hosting the encounter. But NFF
officials favoured Calabar.

The federation has
been in dire financial straits since the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), which is investigating allegations of financial
impropriety against the last board headed by Sani Lulu, had its
accounts frozen in July.

The situation
forced the federation to go begging for funds to organise the last
Federation Cup final, which took place in Kano. It finally reached an
agreement with the Kano State Government, which bankrolled the event to
the tune of N30 million.

It is not yet clear
how much the cross river State government will be making available to
host the match. What is certain is they will be splashing money on the
hosting of the encounter.

Pros flock in

Meanwhile, Eagles
coach, Austin Eguavoen stepped up preparation for the encounter with 21
players in attendance during yesterday’s training session. Eleven of
these were the foreign-based professional most of who started coming
into the country on Sunday. Present at yesterday’s session were
Fulham’s Dickson Etuhu, Obafemi Martins, Michael Eneramo, Vincent
Enyeama, Kalu Uche, Olufemi Ajilore, Solomon Okoronkwo, Stanley Okoro,
Dele Aiyenugba, Chidi Ordiah, and Sam Sodje who was recently linked
with a move to MK Dons in the English premiership.

Robinson revealed
that the team’s assistant captain, Joseph Yobo, who was expected to
wrap up a deal with Turkish side Fernabache yesterday evening after
being initially thought to be close to a deal with West Ham, is
expected to fly in tomorrow along with Mikel Obi, who was reported to
have been threatened by the NFF to forget about future invitations to
the national team if he does not show up for the match against
Madagascar.

Bolton defender,
Danny Shittu is also expected in camp today. The player who was in
Lagos on Monday to promote a football talent programme, which he is
organising along with a sports paper based in Lagos, flew out of the
country immediately to wrap up a deal with an undisclosed club. Shittu,
who has endured a difficult time on the bench at Bolton Wanderers since
his move there in 2008, was said to have two offers on the table.

Players in Dickson Etuhu Obafemi Martins Michael Eneramo Vincent
Enyeama Kalu Uche Sam Sodje Obafemi Ajilore Solomon Okoronkwo Stanley
Okoro Dele Aiyenugba Chidi Ordiah

After a brilliant
start in the English Premier League, where he scored on his debut with
newly promoted West Bromwich Albion, Super Eagles striker, Osaze
Odemwingie failed to get on the score sheet as his side succumbed to a
1-0 defeat away to Liverpool.

The Nigerian
striker, who was one of the Baggies best players on the day, proved a
thorn in the side of Liverpool but failed to get the better of the
defenders when it mattered. Liverpool made sure that the hangover of
the 3-0 loss to Manchester City was partially cured with Fernando
Torres’ half volley. Liverpool started the better side in the early
parts looking for the early goal to calm the Kop, but West Brom stood
firm especially through central defender, Jonas Olsson. The Norwegian
stood firm and kept a close leash on Torres throughout the game. There
was a first start for Christian Poulsen and he started in the position
vacated by departed Javier Mascherano. Raul Meireles was also unveiled
before kickoff. Olsson almost scored an own goal in the 36th minute
when his attempted back-pass evaded Scott Carson but it went out for a
corner kick. Liverpool fans were getting restless as the visitors
visibly grew in confidence; and an attempt on target by West Brom, and
subsequent save by Pepe Reina led to the Liverpool goal. A combination
between Dirk Kuyt and Torres freed the Dutchman and he fed the Spaniard
on the edge of the box to volley in. That was in the 65th minute, and
that helped Liverpool to their first three points. Torres almost
doubled the scores in the 72nd minute but Carson made a great block.

City shocked at Stadium of Light

Manchester City had
dominated the early exchanges and was just waiting for the first goal
but £180 million worth of City could do nothing about the 94th minute
penalty goal by Darren Bent. Mancini will be ruing the bad miss by
Carlos Tevez in the 13th minute when Yaya Toure dribbled past Kieran
Richardson and ran through the midfield before serving up the ball on a
plate for Tevez. The Argentinean somehow contrived to scoop the ball
over the bar. Sunderland had to replace Michael Turner and Frazier
Campbell during the half time but started the second half the better of
the two teams. The match will have ended square but Micah Richards
fouled Bent in the 93rd minute. The English international dusted
himself down and drilled to the right side with Joe Hart diving the
other way. Sunderland had snagged an unlikely three points and Mancini
will be asking questions of his squad today.

Ibrahim Bio,
Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission, has
described the death of the immediate past Chairman of the Sports
Writers Association of Nigeria, Emeka Enechi, as a great loss not only
to the sports lovers but also to Nigeria.

Enechi was, until
his death yesterday, the Business Development Manager of Sports Day
Newspapers, a media organization based in Lagos.

‘‘It is very sad
that at this time when his family and nation needed him most death took
him away. This is a very sad development; words cannot describe my
grief.

“I was looking
forward to meeting him and other members of the sports fraternity
during the Sports Summit, which begins in Lagos today, but unfortunate
death took him way. The Almighty Allah knows what we human beings don’t
know, may his soul rest in perfect peace.”

‘A great loss’

Patrick Ekeji, the
Director General of the sports commission said Enechi’s contribution to
sports development was not just as a reporter, but also as
administrator, having served on the board of many national sports
associations, games and championships organizing committees and the
Lagos State Sports Council.

‘‘This is a great
loss; I don’t know what to say. I have spoken to his colleagues and
employers and I can only pray that God will give all of us the grace to
bear the loss. This is a great loss to Nigeria, especially the sports
family. I extend my condolences to his family and members of the sports
family’’, Ekeji said.

The late Enechi had
a brief stint with The Guardian newspapers before joining This Day
Newspapers where he rose to the position of Group Sports Editor, and
later Deputy Editor of the Sunday title. He was one of the founding
editors of Sports Day Newspapers.

Roger Federer has
agreed to hire Paul Annacone as his new coach after the pair hit it off
during a one-month trial. Federer said Annacone would join forces with
Swiss Davis Cup captain Severin Luthi in coaching him.

“We’ve moved it
from a test trial to integrating him into the team now, so that’s going
ahead,” Federer said at Flushing Meadows.

American Annacone,
best known as the former coach of Pete Sampras and Tim Henman, joined
Federer’s camp earlier this month and the pair enjoyed instant success
when the Swiss won the Cincinnati Masters.

Federer said
Annacone had agreed to work with him on a part-time basis during the US
Open, starting on Monday, and would be part of his regular team once he
finished his current job with the British Lawn Tennis Association in
November.

“Obviously he has
had stuff to do for the LTA here and he will have things to do
obviously after the US Open, which I’m cool about.” Federer has
experimented with several different coaches over the years whenever he
felt his game needed improvement.

Although he won the
French Open for the first time last year to complete his own career
Grand Slam, then broke Sampras’s record of Grand-Slam titles, Federer
has had a lean time this year by his own standards.

He won the
Australian Open in January but was knocked out in the quarter-finals at
the French Open and Wimbledon and slipped to third place in the world
rankings.

He moved back to
second place after winning in Cincinnati last week and the 29-year-old
believes the inclusion of Annacone could be the key to getting back on
top.

“It’s just nice to hear a fresh, different voice for a change,” Federer said.

“I just think the dynamics work really well with Severin, and Paul
and me coming into the conversation just makes it really interesting. I
can go with a very clear mindset into the matches.” Federer has won the
US Open five times, from 2004 to 2008, the same number as Sampras and
Jimmy Connors. He lost last year’s final to towering Argentine Juan
Martin Del Potro.

New season, same
old story. In my mind, there is no way Barcelona’s dominance of Spanish
football will end this year, even if you consider Real Madrid will no
doubt improve under the guidance of Portuguese coaching maestro Jose
Mourinho.

The two-time
defending champions are just too strong and too solid to finish below
their old rivals in the league table. And while I’m in the predicting
mood, here’s my forecast for the other movers and shakers for the
forthcoming season in the Primera Division Champions – Barcelona Last
season, Barca and Real staged a duel of epic proportions. It was a case
of “whatever you can do, I can do better.” When the dust settled, Pep
Guardiola’s side had set a new record for points, while Real came close
to beating the mark for most goals scored.

This year, both
sides will push each other all the way once more, and in my mind, the
same team will come out on top. Considering Barcelona picked up one of
the best strikers in the world in David Villa to play alongside Leo
Messi and Pedro up front, it means they will be virtually unstoppable.
Even if the fragile Andres Iniesta succumbs once again to injury, this
team is just too good to fail. With Xavi running the show in midfield,
they will dazzle their opposition in Spain and finish first.

So what about Real
Madrid, you ask? Well, they will improve. Especially at the back. Jose
Mourinho is known for his safety first approach and Los Blancos will
concede less goals than they did last year. However, like the
Portuguese coach admitted himself, it will take a while to get the best
out of his players. The Special One revealed his team will only be
truly special after the second season he is in charge, so they will
come up short this year.

An X-Factor that
will affect the title race in Spain is how far both teams make it in
the European Champions League. Real president Florentino Perez is
obsessed with winning the competition again, and Mourinho himself will
prioritize Europe’s top prize ahead of La Liga considering they haven’t
won it since 2002. Barcelona could also put Europe first since they
have won the last two domestic titles and what they really want is to
rack up their Champions League trophies while in possession of the best
team in their history.

Over-achievers: Valencia

This is a really tough one to call because there are so many teams that could surprise this year, but I am going with Valencia.

Considering they
lost David Villa, David Silva and Nicola Zigic, many could believe Los
Che would tumble down the league table in the coming campaign, but I
believe they will still manage to qualify for the Champions League.

Why? Well for
starters, although they needed to sell some of their top players in an
effort to balance the books, Valencia have a great head coach in place.
Unai Emery is a diligent student of the game and proved last year that
he has a knack for making his team better than the sum of its parts.

Secondly, there is
still plenty of talent in this squad. World Cup winner Juan Mata,
Argentine midfielder Ever Banega and winger Pablo Hernandez are all
exciting young players. Add to the mix veterans like David Albelda and
Joaquin, and you have a promising season ahead.

Their close-season
signings were also very impressive. Strikers Roberto Soldado and Aritz
Aduriz, who between them scored 28 goals for Getafe and Mallorca last
season, should get plenty of goals at the Mestalla, and Portugal
central defender Ricardo Costa is also a good acquisition.

My verdict is that Valencia will finish fourth, behind Barcelona, Real Madrid and Sevilla.

Under-achievers: Atletico Madrid

Expectations are
always so high at the Vicente Calderon, and more often than not, Los
Colchoneros don’t live up to them. With stars such as Diego Forlan,
Sergio Aguero and Simao Sabrosa, this team should finish in the top
four. However, from what I hear, the atmosphere in the dressing isn’t
great and I don’t think the players will put their bodies on the line
for coach Quique Sanchez Flores.

Last season,
Atletico finished in a disappointing ninth place and I don’t see them
climbing a lot higher in the new campaign. Their recent signings don’t
impress me too much and consequently they will once again flatter to
deceive, with Forlan and El Kun scoring their share of goals.

Top scorer: Leo Messi

This is a tough one
to call because both Barcelona and Real will score a LOT of goals this
season, and both teams feature several players who could finish on
double figures. At the Camp Nou, David Villa’s tally could eat into
Messi’s haul, but the Argentine superstar will once again win El
Pichichi title.

Cristiano Ronaldo,
who had 26 goals in 29 league games last season, will see his total go
down. I believe Mourinho won’t want the team to be CR9-dependent and
therefore expect Higuain, Kaka, Di Maria and others to pitch in with
their fair share of strikes.

An outside
contender is Roberto Soldado. He has a great goalscoring record since
leaving his hometown club Real Madrid, netting for fun at Osasuna and
Getafe. He should get plenty of chances at his new team, Valencia, and
could finish the season near the top of the charts.

Samuel Peter is
confident of scoring a knockout victory over reigning IBF and WBO
heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko, when both get to slug it out
on September 11 in Frankfurt, Germany.

Five years ago,
Peter had Klitschko in big trouble, having knocked him down three
times, including twice in the fifth round, during their heavyweight
fight in Atlantic City, United States. But in the end, Klitschko
rallied to win the bout, with winning scores of 114-111 on all three
judges’ cards. It has been a long wait for the Nigerian, but he now has
a chance to redeem himself and become a world champion when he takes on
the big Ukrainian five days after his 30th birthday.

Proving a point

“I have a lot to
prove. I have a chance to redeem myself from the 2005 fight. It is
going to be a great fight. I am getting another chance to prove that I
am the best heavyweight champion in all,” said Peter, who will turn 30
on September 6. “The loss was a bad mistake. This time I am going to
prove that I can become a champion again,” said Peter. “For sure, on
September 11 in Germany it is going to be a great fight. I don’t have
much to say because I know that my gloves will speak for me in the
ring.”

With a record of
34-3 that includes 27 knockouts, the Nigerian Nightmare’s resume
includes victories by split decision and unanimous decision over former
world titlist, James Toney, as well as a March 2008 sixth-round
knockout of Russian Oleg Maskaev that earned him the WBC belt. In his
next bout after beating Maskaev, Peter was dethroned as WBC champion
via a knockout loss to Wladimir’s brother, Vitali Klitschko, in October
2008. That bout saw Peter churning out a lacklustre display against the
older of the Klitschko brothers which he followed up with yet another
uninspiring performance in March 2009 against Eddie Chambers, which the
Nigerian Nightmare described as the low point of his career.

Thinking ahead

“I will be looking
for that boy again after this fight,” said Peter. “I don’t know how
that boy did what he did but after this fight I will take care of him.
Everything was frustrating at that time. I had lost the championship,
and the promotion was so bad. But I am okay now, and everything is
straight up. I have the best promoter in the world, and the best coach
in the world. I have the best manager in the world, and I am going to
be the best.” Peter, who has been training with his trainer Abel
Sanchez in Big Bear, California, said he is enjoying his training.
“Everything in Big Bear is great,” he said. “It is a great place to
train. It is very peaceful. I didn’t know about Big Bear for all these
years, but it is a great place to train. Abel brought me up here, and
he doesn’t take my nonsense. He doesn’t take ‘No’ for an answer. He
wants to see working. I am happy about being here.”

German factor

Klitschko has never
lost a fight in his adopted nation, Germany. It was also in the
European nation that Peter lost by TKO to Wladimir, but he is confident
the upcoming title fight will not last the distance thanks to his
punching power. “The victory and my judges I have in my right hand and
the judge is my left hook,” he declared.

“There will not be a decision
this time around. This time he will not get up from my left hook. I am
ready and I am prepared and I will not need a referee or a judge. This
time around anyone I touch will not be standing up. I don’t think
Wladimir will be able to stand me after four rounds.”

Nigeria’s only
surviving club in the CAF Champions League, Heartland on Sunday
recorded their first win of the group stage of the continent’s top club
competition when they beat visiting Egyptian club side, Ismaily.

The encounter
played at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri ended 2-1 in favour of
Heartland but the team’s coach Samson Siasia will still have cause to
complain about his misfiring forward line as all of his side’s goals
against Ismaily came from defenders.

Heartland needed to
win in order to keep alive their fading hopes for a semi final berth
after failing to win any of their opening three games of the group
stage. And to make matters worse for Siasia’s side, it was the visitors
who shot into the lead after 29 minutes through Mohamed Soliman Ali.

That lead, however,
lasted for only nine minutes before the team’s skipper Ike Thankgod
pulled them back on level terms with the Egyptians who two weeks
earlier defeated Heartland in Egypt 1-0.

Heartland’s last
home encounter against another Egyptian side Al-Ahly, back in July, had
ended in a one-all draw and Owerri fans will be forgiven for thinking
that it was going to be the same case scenario against Ismaily until
former Enugu Rangers captain Chinedu Efugh popped up to score the match
winning goal with five minutes left on the clock.

The win saw
Heartland swapping places with Ismaily in the Group B standings but
anything less than a win in their upcoming game against Al-Ahly in two
weeks time will mark the end of the Owerri side’s Champions League
aspirations.

Eaglets grounded in Congo

It was, however, a
different story in Pointe Noire, Congo where the Nigerian Under 17
national team, the Golden Eaglets, fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of
their hosts in an African Junior Championship first round, first leg
qualifier.

The Golden Eaglets,
silver medal winners at the last FIFA World Cup held in Nigeria last
year, fell behind after just eight minutes through a penalty kick goal,
but they afterwards kept the Congolese at bay to go into the dressing
room at the half-time break just a goal down.

Worse was to come
their way in the second half as they conceded a second goal two minutes
before the hour mark before the match’s centre referee from the Central
African Republic Bertrand Bekai issued a red card to the Nigerian coach
Monday Odigie for challenging some of his calls.

Odigie’s expulsion
means he will not be on the bench when both sides meet in the return
leg encounter in Nigeria on September 11.