Chris Ogbonnaya's rise to prominence at UT

Chris Ogbonnaya has been patiently waiting for his chance to be the #1 running back for the University of Texas Longhorns and it seems this is his year. The senior from Strake Jesuit High School in Houston played behind the usual NFL caliber runners that UT has been producing routinely and spent his time perfecting the other mundane duties that some running backs take for granted such as pass blocking. This season has seen UT coach Mack Brown show his faith in Ogbonnaya and it is paying dividends. With his dominating performances in wins over the Oklahoma Sooners and Missouri Tigers, Chris is taking pressure off Quarterback Colt McCoy as the Longhorns march to the national title game while also making NFL scouts take notice.

African POY list is out

The list of players in contention for the African Player of the Year award has come out and includes Emmanuel Adebayor, Amr Zaki and Didier Drogba.
Zaki is probably the front runner for the award due to his exploits in leading the Pharoahs of Egypt to the 2008 African Cup of Nations title and he has stayed in form so far during the 2008-2009 EPL season with Wigan.
Here's the rest of the list.

Mohamed Aboutrika (Ahli, Egypt),
Amr Zaki (Wigan Athletic, Egypt),
Didier Drogba (Chelsea, Ivory Coast),
Michael Essien (Chelsea, Ghana),
Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal, Togo).

Final draw for 2010 WC qualifying

The final draw for the 2010 world cup qualifiers took place in Zurich with 20 teams divided into five groups of four teams each.
The groups are as follows:

Group A
Cameroon
Morocco
Gabon
Togo

Group B
Nigeria
Tunisia
Kenya
Mozambique

Group C
Egypt
Algeria
Zambia
Rwanda

Group D
Ghana
Mali
Benin
Sudan


Group E
Ivory Coast
Guinea
Burkina-Faso
Malawi

The final round begins March 2009

South African WC preparation improves

After months of speculation and turmoil,Fifa president Joseph "Sepp" Blatter expressed his encouragement at the improvement in the building of World Cup stadia in South Africa. Blatter spent four days touring the country and has seen a great amount of progress by South Africa in preparing for the 2010 tournament. The Soccer city stadium in Johannesburg has show massive improvement as 20,000 seats have been installed so far and the new stadiums in Cape Town and Durban- The Green point stadium and Durban stadium will be testament to the work and vision of the South African organizing committee. We look forward to our South African brothers putting on a great show for the world in 2010.

Essien out with Injury

Ghanaian international and Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien tore his ACL and is out for the majority of the English Premier League season. The 'Bison' suffered the injury in World Cup qualifying loss to Libya. Essien has shown his value to the Blues ever since his arrival from Lyon and Chelsea will miss him even more now that Claude Makalele has moved on to PSG. The absence of Essien will effectively give the holding role to Mikel Obi and give the young Nigerian an opportunity to keep impressing Chelsea boss "Big" Phil Scolari. We wish Michael Essien the best in his recovery and hope to see him on the green grass for Chelsea and Ghana in no time.

Nigerian Consortium wants to purchase Newcastle

The buzz on Tyneside and parts of London is that a Nigerian consortium fronted by Chris Nathaniel of NVA football and entertainment consultants have put forth a bid to purchase Newcastle United. The Magpies are currently mired in turmoil as they've endured a terrible start to their EPL season, problems between manager Kevin Keegan and Dennis Wise, the resignation of Keegan and now the for sale siign being placed at St.James Park by owner Mike Ashley. The bid will more than likely be scrutinized very carefully to make sure it is legit and while some folk will be thrilled to hear of Nigerians in the mix to own an EPL team, others will be dissapointed that the so-called consortium of Nigerian tycoons aren't investing their money in the local Nigerian League among other worthwhile causes in the country. We'll see how it plays out and keep you updated.

Chicago Blackhawks sign Aliu

The Chicago Blackhawks signed their 2007 draft pick, Akim Aliu out of Canada by way of Nigeria. Aliu is a very promising right wing looking to follow in the footsteps of Jarome Iginla and blaze a trail for players of color in the NHL. Look for the Blackhawks to bring Aliu up slowly as they let him mature in the feeder leagues before he tries to become a regular on the Blackhawks team.

Nigerians in NBA training camps

Just a quick note as the NBA training camps kick off. Nigerian Internationals Gabe Muoneke and Olumide Oyedeji will be trying to get back in the League as they suit up for the Utah Jazz and the Atlanta Hawks respectively over the pre-season. Best of luck to both guys.

DJ Mbenga resigns with Lakers

Belgian Center Didier Ilunga-Mbenga aka DJ Mbenga has resigned with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2008-2009 NBA season. The 7 foot native of the Democratic Republic of Congo spent his first few years in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks before joining the Golden State Warriors then the L.A. Lakers last season. Mbenga was a solid option off the bench for the Lakers while Andrew Bynum and Chris Mihm were out injured, but with both players healthy this season DJ will have his work cut out to get solid minutes for the Championship contenders.

Luol Deng helps GB qualify for Eurobasket 2009.

In his first tournament for Team Great Britain, Luol Deng helped Great Britain qualify for Eurobasket 2009 in Poland. The Chicago Bulls forward Deng, led team GB in scoring but had assistance from former George Washington University and current DKV Joventut player Pops Mensah-Bonsu. Congratulations to the lads and we wish Luol and Pops good luck as they lead team GB next September in Poland.

Mikel comes of Age

The 2008-2009 English Premier League season has just begun but already young Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel has solidified a starting position in Chelsea's first eleven and has become a consistent player in the Blues midfield. The 21 year old has shown greater discipline this season and has taken the holding midfield position as his own, despite the fact he is used in a more creative role with the Super Eagles when on international duty. We will continue to update on Mikels play throughout the season but so far the young Nigerian has excelled, kudos to him.

Manucho gets work permit

Angolan Striker Mateus Alberto Contreiras Gonçalves aka Manucho has finally received his work permit and is now available to play for Manchester United. The Red Devils and Chief Executive David Gill have been trying to sort out the red tape blocking Manucho from lining up at Old Trafford but that looks to be settled now. United are trying to solidify their attacking options which was quite thin last season, Manucho will have his work cut out to break into the United squad but it won't be a surprise to see him contributing sometime this season. Watch out for the young Angolan as the season goes on.