Rivers United will unveil their new head coach, Finidi George, on Thursday.

DAILY POST reports that the 54-year-old will take over the reign at the former Nigeria Premier Football League champions following Stanley Eguma’s sacking towards the end of last season.

The unveiling ceremony will hold at Rivers United’s secretariat in Port Harcourt.

Finidi is returning to the dugout few weeks after quitting his position as Super Eagles head coach.

The former Ajax winger managed nine-time NPFL champions, Enyimba for three years before moving up to coach the Super Eagles.

Finidi masterminded Enyimba’s title success in the 2022/23 season.

Rivers United finished in a disappointing eighth position in the NPFL last term.

 

 

The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh has given a hint that some drastic actions may soon be taken to restore the country’s football which is on a nose dive.

Speaking at the weekend on Chief Segun Odegbami’s Eagle7 radio programme monitored in Lagos, Senator Enoh said that he cannot continue to watch while things go bad with the country’s football because of the fear of FIFA ban those running football have been drumming into his ears.

“I cannot continue to keep quiet any longer over the affairs of the NFF because of fear of FIFA ban. I will continue to walk the fine line that protects the interest and emotions of Nigerians who expect nothing but good results and that our football be run properly, so that results posted by our teams add to their happiness and liveliness”, he stressed.

The minister said that he has his reservations about the threat of FIFA ban because “we are a sovereign country, the government spent about N17bn to clear outstanding debts owed by the NFF recently, it wasn’t spent by FIFA”.

Continuing, the minister said, “whether we qualify for the World Cup or not may not seem a problem to FIFA but it is a problem to Nigerians.

 

“Football is too much for Nigerians for the minister or ministry of sports development to leave in the hands of some people. It cannot continue to proceed as the exclusive preserve of some people because they are NFF”.

 

He added that he had to summon the NFF big wigs recently because “the outcomes of the World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic were not acceptable.

 

While also blaming the players for not showing enough hunger and commitment in the national team, he expressed optimism that “we can still qualify if everything is done right in the remaining six matches in the qualifiers”.

 

 

Anthony Joshua has urged Tyson Fury to fight him while both boxers are still “fresh”, but says he will not “sit around and wait” for his fellow British heavyweight.

Joshua, 34, will challenge Daniel Dubois for the IBF world title on 21 September at Wembley Stadium.

Fury, 35, will face Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch in December – a win for the Morecambe fighter and Joshua could set up a blockbuster undisputed fight between the pair.

 

The super-fight, potentially the biggest and most lucrative bout in the division, has been mooted for several years but has stalled during negotiations.

With the recent investment into boxing by Saudi Arabia, however, there is new hope the long-awaited bout will finally materialise.

 

It’s a fight that’s been brewing for a long time,” Joshua told BBC Sport on Wednesday.

 

I can’t wait until I’m 50 to fight Fury because I’d have had so many wars, I can’t sit around and wait, I’ve got to continue to fight.”

Joshua is on a four-fight winning streak and will become a three-time champion if he defeats Londoner Dubois.

Watford-born Joshua has faced an intense level of scrutiny for the majority of his career but says he never doubted himself after losing a second consecutive fight to Usyk in 2022.

“The only time it’s over for me, at any level, is when I say it is,” Joshua said.

“I don’t believe anyone can tell me enough is enough – I believe I belong at the top.”

After two fights in Saudi, Joshua returns to home soil and will compete in front of at least 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, the same venue where he defeated Wladimir Klitschko in an epic bout in 2017.

He is favourite to overcome Dubois but having sparred several rounds together in the past, Joshua says he will not underestimate the champion.

Dubois, 26, beat Filip Hrgovic for the IBF ‘interim’ title on 1 June and was elevated to world champion when Ukrainian Usyk vacated his title.

“He’s got a good mindset, aggressive, good lead hand, good backhand, dips and throws the right and over the top very well and does the basics pretty well as well, he’s a very well-rounded fighter,” Joshua said.