NATIONAL TEAM - SWITZERLAND - 2014 WORLD CUP - Goodbye, Ottmar Hitzfeld. All the best and take care.

Hitzfeld has made a positive impression wherever he has been stationed and his name is still regularly chanted in the stands at Bayern Munich.

“He put together a really good team that will last for many years to come,” Granit Xhaka told FIFA.com, before Josip Drmic added: “He’s done a great job.” 

2 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 19 - LAST SIXTEEN - ARGENTINA VS SWITZERLAND 1:0

LAST SIXTEEN
1st July 2014

Argentina vs Switzerland 1:0

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 19 - LAST SIXTEEN - BELGIUM VS USA 2:1

LAST SIXTEEN
1st July 2014

Belgium vs USA 2:1

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - ARGENTINA - KEY PLAYER - ‪LIONEL MESSI - PROFILE

Lionel Andrés Messi; born 24 June 1987, is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He serves as the captain of his country's national football team.

By the age of 21, Messi had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year, in 2009, he won his first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. 

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - USA - KEY PLAYER - ‪JERMAINE JONES - PROFILE

Jermaine Junior Jones, born 3 November 1981, is a German-American footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Turkish club Beşiktaş. He has previously played for Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen, Blackburn Rovers and Schalke 04. He was born in Germany and represented them at U21 and senior level.

1 Jul 2014
NATIONAL TEAM - NIGERIA - COACH - STEPHEN KESHI RESIGNS AFTER EXIT

He becomes the sixth manager to leave his job during the World Cup, following the departures of Honduras's Luis Suarez, Iran's Carlos Queiroz, Japan's Alberto Zaccheroni, Italy's Cesare Prandelli and Ivory Coast's Sabri Lamouchi.

Keshi, who captained Nigeria at the 1994 World Cup finals, was previously in charge of Mali and Togo.

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 18 - LAST SIXTEEN - FRANCE vs NIGERIA 2:0

LAST SIXTEEN
30th June 2014

France vs Nigeria 2:0

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 18 - LAST SIXTEEN - GERMANY vs ALGERIA 2:1

LAST SIXTEEN
30th June 2014

Germany vs Algeria 2:1

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - GERMANY - KEY PLAYER - THOMAS MUELLER‬ - PROFILE

Müller's role can be described as an attacking all-rounder, a player able to play in a variety of forward positions. He can play in any of the attacking midfield roles but usually plays in the center for Bayern Munich, and on the right for Germany.

He has been used as an out-and-out striker on occasion. Müller has been praised for his maturity, pace, technique, awareness and positioning.

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - FRANCE - KEY PLAYER - ‪KARIM BENZEMA - PROFILE

He has been named French Player of the Year twice for his performances in 2011 and 2012. Benzema is a former French youth international and has represented his nation from under-17 level onwards. 

Benzema has earned over 65 caps and represented France at three major international tournaments; the 2008 and 2012 editions of the UEFA European Football Championship and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

30 Jun 2014

NATIONAL TEAM - NIGERIA - COACH - Gernot Rohr set to become new manager

AFRICA CUP 2017 QUALIFIERS 

 

German coach, Gernot Rohr, is close to being appointed the new technical adviser of Nigeria, BBC Sport understands.

The 63-year-old ex-Gabon, Niger and Burkina Faso coach has yet to sign a contract but is expected to be unveiled at a media conference next week.

Rohr, who has been working on development programmes for the German football association (DFB) since December, has landed in Nigeria and will watch a local league fixture between Ikorodu United and Sunshine Stars in Lagos.

Sunday Oliseh was the Super Eagles' last permanent coach before he quit in February in a row over his contract.

Rohr, who played at Bayern Munich and Girondins Bordeaux, and then coached Bordeaux when they lost to Bayern in the 1996 UEFA Cup final, last worked in Africa as Burkina Faso coach before joining the DFB.

His other past managerial jobs include French club Nantes and Nice, Young Boys Berne in Switzerland, the Tunisian club Etoile Sahel and the national teams of Gabon and Niger.

He steered Tunisians Etoile du Sahel to third place in the league in 2009.

Rohr took Gabon to the quarter-finals of the 2012 Nations Cup on home soil and also managed Niger at the 2013 edition but failed to get them out of the group stage.

Before leaving Burkina Faso, he led the Stallions into the final round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had confirmed Salisu Yusuf as the national team's chief coach in July as it continues the search for a technical adviser.

It comes after Paul Le Guen and the NFF failed to agree terms for the Frenchman to take the role, despite an announcement from the country's football authority.

The Frenchman had been named by the NFF, which said he would work alongside Yusuf, but the two parties could not come to a deal over a contract.

Nigeria have failed to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Gabon, but are in the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

They have been drawn in Group B where they will face Algeria, the top-ranked side in Africa, Cameroon, as well as Zambia.

 

 

 

6 Aug 2016
(BBC Sport, Lagos by Oluwashina Okeleji)

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