Izuchukwu Okosi
Cyreil Dessers Likely To Replace Nigerian Striker
The Nigeria Football Federation has officially announced that Super Eagles returning striker Odion Ighalo will no longer be part of the team to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations which starts this weekend in Cameroon.
Ighalo’s Saudi Arabian club Al Shabaab claimed that the email sent by the NFF for the release of the player came late thereby making it not mandatory to allow him represent Nigeria.
“(Ighalo) is no longer expected as a result of issues with his Saudi Arabian club,” the Nigeria Football Federation is quoted by The BBC in Thursday.
The 32-year-old strikers’ absence is a further blow for Nigeria who will be without three other high-profile European-based options who withdrew due to health or administrative reasons.
Napoli’s Victor Osimhen whose team played out a 1-1 draws against Juventus on Thursday night suffered a double-blow with Covid-19 and facial injury both ruling him out.
Watford refused to release Emmanuel Denis while Paul Onuachu of Belgium club Genk is out due to injury.
There are already unconfirmed reports that Dutch-based striker Cyriel Kolawole Dessers who has scored 10 goals in 27 games for Feneyoord this season is likely to be handed a late call-up.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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