Iheanacho topples Mikel as Eagles highest earner

 

Mikel and Iheanacho

MANCHESTER City starlet Kelechi Iheanacho is now the top Nigeria earner in the Premier League on £85,000-a-week to knock off Chelsea star Mikel Obi. 

This month, Iheanacho signed a new two-year contract extension at City till 2021, saying his new contract will “change the lives of his family”. Mikel, who moved to England 10 years ago, has been the biggest earner from Nigeria for many years and he is now on 70,000 pounds a week at Stamford Bridge. The midfielder’s compatriot at ‘The Blues’, Victor Moses bagged a 50,000 pounds-a-week when he joined Chelsea from Wigan Athletic in 2012. Watford striker Odion Ighalo is believed to have improved on his 25,000 pounds-a-week after he recently signed a contract extension. Defender Kenneth Omeruo is on 15,000 pounds every week even though he has yet to play an official match for Chelsea. It was further gathered that Iheanacho’s new handlers negotiated this bumper deal even though they are still locked in an ownership tussle with the player’s previous representatives, who are based in the United States of America. Iheanacho’s former agents had proposed a new contract of 50,000 pounds-a-week for the 19-year-old forward. He earned less than 18,000 pounds-a-week when he first joined Manchester City.

Japanese billionaire set to fly to Rio to donate millions of naira to Siasia and Mikel Obi (Photos)

Celebrated Japanese plastic surgeon and billionaire Katsuya Takasu is a big fan of Nigerian football, and he had earlier announced his desire to give a bonus of $30,000 to each Nigerian player should they win gold at the Rio 2016 men’s Olympic football tournament in Brazil.
The billionaire also promised the team $20,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze after hearing about their financial woes.
Making good on his promise, Mr Takasu is set to fly to Rio come Saturday, August 20 to watch Nigeria battle Honduras for the bronze medal, and the billionaire is coming full loaded with thousands of dollars for coach Siasia and Mikel Obi. A letter written from the Nigerian Embassy in Japan details all the millions the billionaire is doling out.

See the full amount after the cut

Takasu is making the following donations in cheque:
Samson Siasia- $200,000
Mikel Obi- $190,000

Rio Olympics: Nigeria to play Germany in semi-finals

Mikel Obi

Team Nigeria captain Mikel Obi scored a goal and set up Aminu Umar as Nigeria’s U-23 national team on Saturday night defeated Denmark 2-0 in Salvador to reach the semi-finals of the men’s football event of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Nigeria will now play Germany, who defeated Portugal 4-0, in the semi-final on Wednesday in Sao Paulo.

The U-23 team, the 1996 football champions of the Games, set up a clash with the Europeans, who were beaten 4-0 by Brazil in their final Group A game. Group B leaders Nigeria had defeated Japan and Sweden 5-4 and 1-0 respectively, before losing their final Group B game to Colombia 2-0.

It was a revenge of sorts for the African champions, who were thrashed 6-2 by the Danes at the Suwon Invitational tournament in South Korea in June.

Coach Samson Siasia brought on Aminu Umar for the injured Oghenekaro Etebo, while South Africa-based goalkeeper, who kept in the defeat to Colombia, also returned to the bench as Emmanuel Daniel retained his place back in the starting line-up.

Denmark had rattled the Nigerians as early as the 11th minute when Kasper Nielsson’s ferocious volley crashed against the woodwork with goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel beaten.

But the 1996 Olympic champions stunned their European counterparts just four minutes later with Mikel grabbing the opener after good work by the dangerous Imoh Ezekiel.

Nigeria’s preparations in Atlanta as well as their participation at the Games have been trailed by controversies, with the squad arriving in Manaus from just six hours before their opener against Japan, after being stranded for days in the US.

The team skipped training on Thursday and threatened to boycott the game against Denmark on unless they were paid their outstanding allowances at the Games, as well as the unpaid five months salaries and allowances of the coaches.

They were paid their allowances before the game on Saturday.