Coach Sunday Oliseh has confirmed Ahmed Musa as the Eagles’ new captain, taking over from Vincent Enyeama  who retired from international football on Thursday. The 22-year-old who made his international debut against Madagascar on August 5, 2010 will be assisted by Ogenyi Onazi who played his first game for the senior national in 2012 against Liberia. Defender Kenneth Omeruo will serve as 2nd assistant captain and will wear the captain’s armband in the absence of Musa and Onazi. Celtic’s Efe Ambrose is the team’s spokesman. I have a feeling Mikel excused himself from all these captaincy brouhaha as he declined from taking the arm band as Musa was substituted and was leaving the pitch against Congo. Mikel, a Champions League and Europa Cup winner with Chelsea joined the Super Eagles in 2006 (four years before Musa who is said to have made his debut in 2010) and has the pedigree to lead the Super Eagles now but well the coach knows better. All Nigerians want is unity of purpose in that Super Eagles camp.

Golden Eaglets coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, has named his 21-man squad for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile. The squad consists of three goalkeepers, four defenders, eight midfielders and six forwards. Amuneke, a former Super Eagles of Nigeria and Barcelona star, was the African Footballer of the year in 1994. Nigeria would be hoping to defend the world title it won two years ago at the United Arab Emirates and will meet Chile, USA and Croatia in Group A.

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Sunderland have appointed Sam Allardyce as manager on a two-year contract. Dick Advocaat quit Sunderland on Sunday with the Black Cats second-bottom of the Premier League and winless in their opening eight games. Allardyce, 60, has been out of management since he left West Ham at the end of last season. “Of course it’s a challenging job. But I hope to be able to help to bring the stability and success that everyone wants,” Allardyce said. “I’m looking forward to working with the players and of course I will be relying on the help of the Sunderland supporters.” Allardyce had a spell at Sunderland as a player between 1980 and 1981 and becomes the first person to manage both the Black Cats and rivals Newcastle. His first home game at the Stadium of Light will be against Newcastle on 25 October, with an away trip to West Brom before that on 17 October. Sunderland owner Ellis Short believes Allardyce, who managed Newcastle from May 2007 until January 2008, was the standout candidate for the job. “Sunderland is a club he knows well and he was the obvious best choice for the job,” Short said. “He has vast experience of managing in the Premier League and an understanding first-hand of the north-east and the passion of our fans, which will stand him in great stead.”