Modzero Sports

Seeing genuinely young boys play football in an age grade competition in Nigeria gave me more joy than I can correctly express. Kudos to the NFF and Zenith bank. If these players are monitored and entered into a data base, age cheating will be a thing of the past in Nigerian football  

MFM football club of Lagos today played out a one all draw with Kano Pillars in the ongoing Nigerian Professional Football League invitational tournament to go through as to the final of the tournament. Ahead of the encounter, both teams were level on one point each, with MFM boasting of a better goal scored ratio(1).   MFM FC went ahead in the 3rd minute of the encounter through Adegboyega, with Pillars equalizing on the 15th minute mark through Alassan Ibrahim. With the game tied at one a piece, Pillars who needed a win to go through turned on the pressure in front of their home fans but MFM held on for all 3 points and a place in the final. Earlier in the day, the CHAN Eagles team defeated Enyimba FC of Aba by a lone goal courtesy a Faleye 55th minute strike that left Dauda helpless.   Both teams will face off in the final on sunday, with MFM looking to add to the South West preseason trophy they won last week, and the CHAN team looking to get en...

Nearing the twilight of the Jay Jay Okocha era, Nigerians began a frantic search for the perfect Jay Jay replacement. From Nosa Igiebor, to Rabiu Ibrahim, Nigerians have seen false messiahs who have failed to impress or hold down slots in the National teams and have struggled for game time at their various clubs.     Mikel Obi eventually stepped into the Nigerian creative hole, though a variation of the 2005 Mikel Nigerians hoped for(thanks to Mourinho). A slower and less flamboyant player than Jay Jay, Mikel exerts the same influence over the middle of the park and has a hand in every good thing the Super Eagles do up front. At 30, Mikel has refined his game to depend more on intelligence than pace, a move that reminds us that the mercurial midfielder will soon be nearing the end of his National team playing career and the search for Mikel's successor would soon commence.     Blessed with an abundance of talents in Kelechi, Iwobi, ...

Twenty years of professional football that started at age 15, 21 National team goals, stints with Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton, Leicester, Blackburn, Reading   to mention a few, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, the third highest goal scorer for the Super Eagles has called time on his 'footballing' career. Embed from Getty Images An Illustrious by career by many standards, the 'YAK' terrorized defenders across the premier league for years, employing a sheer use brute force, perfect hold up play and positional discipline to gain the upper hand for his side. At 35 however, this writer believes there is one more season left in the YAK, and it should be played in the NPFL. Imagine the YAK playing home games(yes, even only home games) for MFM FC or Enyimba, with his face plastered across match day billboards and his name the key marketing element to sell the games. Without trying, the YAK should bring in an extra 2000 fans every match day, and if he adds goals to his game...

Written by Modo Victor. Endless national team call-ups, constantly overlooked on game days   yet consistently cheering selected players to victory, John Ogu has come full circle. This sums up the life and times of the midfielder in the Super Eagles under the tutelage of Head Coach, Gernot Rohr. Believed by many keen observers to be one of the most gifted   midfielders of this present crop of Super Eagles players, John Ogu possesses a left foot that rubs gloss over every touch, a positional awareness that makes up for his seeming lack of speed, and a mean shot off the boot of his preferred foot; a cultured one I must add. A regular for his Isreali outfit, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, and voted best foreign player in the Isreali league in the just concluded season, the central midfielder's stunning displays on club duty earned him no favours with the national team, falling behind John Mikel Obi, Ogenyi Onazi,   Wilfred Ndidi, and surprisingly Mikel Agu on the peck...

Ahead of the crucial Would Cup qualifier between Nigeria and Cameroun, we went to the streets to get the view of fans in Uyo about the match, their expectations and predictions. Enjoy.

Modo Victor(text and pictures) Head Coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Gernot Rohr, on Wednesday predicted that the Super Eagles will most likely win the game against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun by a lone goal. Speaking to news men ahead of the encounter, Rohr acknowledged the peculiar challenge presented by Cameroun as African Champions, but noted that the Super Eagles are ready for the game and will do everything in their power to secure victory over the two legs, and consequently qualification.