Enyimba’s Ezekiel Bassey joins Barcelona on loan…See full details

Enyimba striker, Ezekiel

Enrique wary of Atletico Madrid in Copa del Rey
Enyimba forward, Ezekiel Bassey, has joined Barcelona’s B team on loan until the end of the season with a two-year extension option at the end of his current deal, reports goal.com.

The Spanish giants announced the deal on their official website yesterday, adding that the 20-year-old forward will undergo medicals at the club in the next few hours.

Bassey could also bag additional two years contract at the expiration of this current contract owing to his performance for the Catalans’ B team at the end of the season

“FC Barcelona and Enyimba Football Club have reached an agreement for the transfer until the end of season of the player Ezekiel Joseph Bassey for Barça B,” The club said on their official website.

“The agreement includes a purchase option for two more seasons. The 20-year-old Nigerian striker will undergo medical examination in the next few hours.’’

He was in the Nigeria Professional Football League All-Star team that went to Spain tour to seal the partnership between the League Management Company (LMC) and the Spanish La Liga.

Meanwhile, Barcelona Coach, Luis Enrique, has promised that Barcelona will not hold back when they visit Atletico Madrid for the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final today.

Barca are looking to get back on track after a disappointing and controversial draw against Real Betis at the weekend.

Luis Suarez earned Barcelona a point with a 90th-minute equaliser in the 1-1 draw but his strike came 15 minutes after they were wrongly denied a goal by the referee despite replays showing it had clearly crossed the line.

“I expect a very complicated tie,” he told a news conference yesterday. “They have always caused us problems. We are very clear with what our aim is. We want to win our first game.”

‘Crazy Crown’ renews deal as NairaBET ambassador…See full details

Comedian, Emmanuel Iwueke, also known as ‘Crazy Clown,’ yesterday renewed his contract as NairaBET ambassador.

The event was held at the firm’s headquarters in Lagos.

The new multi-million-naira contract endorsed by the comedian and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NairaBET, Otunba Akin Alabi, ensures that Iwueke remains as the sports betting outfit’s ambassador for the second year running.

The Ukraine-based comedian, who said it was good to know how much people have come to appreciate him, added that the partnership with NairaBET would add a new vista to his career.

“Each time I think about how much they have come to appreciate me, I realise it is something that has gone beyond business partnership, but a family relationship sort of.

“The moment I stepped in here, I knew it was going to be a long journey. It is a privilege to be picked among friends and others who are in this business. The period I met Mr. Alabi was just about the time I lost my daddy and he has been playing that fatherly role… that I have come to appreciate in him,” he said.

In his reaction, Alabi said the firm resolved to continue with Iwueke as a result of the relationship between them.