Brentford defender Michael Kayode has revealed that Nigeria approached him before he accepted his first senior call-up to the Italy national team.

The 22-year-old, whose parents are Nigerian, said he never seriously considered switching from Italy despite the approach from the three-time African champions.

Kayode was named in Italy’s senior squad on September 18 after progressing through the country’s youth teams.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Kayode said he only learned about his call-up after Brentford’s Premier League win over Chelsea.

“I didn’t know about the Italy call-up before the game against Chelsea. I found out at the final whistle, on my phone,” he said. “It was an incredible emotion, especially after such a big win.”

‘Nigeria Approached Me’

Kayode said his decision to continue with Italy was straightforward because of his long association with the country.

“It was a very easy decision. I went through all the youth teams here. Nigeria approached me, but I never thought about changing national teams,” he said.

“I think Italy have always been a great national team, and playing here is an honour.”

Kayode has represented Italy at several youth levels. He helped the country win the European Under-19 Championship, scoring the winning goal against Portugal in the final, before later playing for the Under-21 team.

His senior call-up therefore continues his long association with Italy.

From Gozzano To Brentford

Kayode’s career has also included a difficult period. He left Juventus at the age of 16 and joined fourth-tier side Gozzano before Fiorentina provided him with another route towards top-level football.

Brentford initially signed him on loan from Fiorentina for €500,000 in January 2025 before making the transfer permanent for €17.5 million.

The defender has since made 63 appearances for Brentford, scoring two goals and providing three assists.

His latest achievement came after Brentford’s 3-0 Premier League victory over Chelsea on September 18, when he learned of his Italy call-up at full time.

Nigeria Have Options At Right-Back

Kayode’s decision is not expected to leave Nigeria short of options at right-back.

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has several players available in the position, including experienced defenders Ola Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel.

Young players such as Ryan Alebiosu and Abdullahi Bewene also remain among the options for the future.

File Pic: Balraj Panwar (AP/PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Uneasiness is brewing in India’s rowing camp ahead of the start of the Asian Games competition on Wednesday, with several rowers expressing unhappiness over last-minute changes to crew combinations and event entries.Some athletes have alleged that they were shifted from their original events while reserve rowers were brought into first-team combinations following a meeting of team managers on Monday. The developments have left some members of the squad “very disturbed”, according to a rower who spoke to PTI on condition of anonymity.“Some rowers have not taken food yet as they are in a disturbed state of mind. They are not knowing what to do,” the rower told PTI on Monday.An official tracking the developments within the rowing team also confirmed that some athletes were struggling to deal with the changes.“It is very sad, but things are not rosy in the rowing team,” the official said.Asian Games Full Coverage | Schedule | Medal Tally

Rowers upset over last-minute changes

As per reports, the 2022 Asian Games silver medallist Arvind Singh, who was originally scheduled to compete in the single sculls, has been moved to the quadruple sculls. Balraj Panwar, who was part of the quadruple sculls combination, is set to compete in the single sculls instead.Saurav Kumar and Vipul Satish, who were to form the first-choice men’s pair, are set to be replaced by Nitin Kumar and Jaswinder Singh. Reserve rower Jasmail Singh is also set to be included in the coxless four.Navdeep Singh and Kulwinder Singh are expected to move from the double sculls to the quadruple sculls.A senior rowing official said 50 per cent of a crew can be changed in case of a medical emergency, while athletes have questioned the scale of the changes made this time.The rowers’ frustration was still evident on Tuesday, although they eventually returned to practice ahead of the competition.“We are going by what our manager has told us. We will be giving our best when we enter the water, but they shouldn’t have done this,” one of the rowers told TOI on condition of anonymity.“It has brought a lot of pressure and anxiety. I couldn’t sleep last night, I was very disturbed. A crew combination is set for six months or one year. We have been practising for long, and when it is changed one day before such a big competition, the athlete gets disturbed mentally. Crew combination is important in rowing. Someone who is not in quad (quadruple) for six months, what is he going to achieve in one day?”

Management cites shortened programme

The rowing management, however, has defended the changes, saying they were necessitated by the shortened competition schedule after heavy rains.Antony Patterson, India’s Australian head coach, said the priority was to maximise India’s medal opportunities rather than preserve individual event combinations.“Due to the shortened regatta programme, I as the chief coach has made the decision to focus on possible medals, not individual comfort of athletes,” Patterson said on Monday.Rowing Federation of India president Balaji Maradapa also said the revised schedule made it difficult for athletes to compete in multiple events as originally planned.“Originally it was four plus one day of races. Now it is just two days and four sessions of races each day. How can you be doubling,” Balaji said.The competition, originally scheduled to begin on Monday, will now be held on Wednesday and Thursday. Balaji said all participating teams had been allowed to change their entries following the revision in schedule.

‘We will do it for the country’

Despite their frustration, the rowers have vowed to put the controversy aside once competition begins at the Nagaragawa regatta course.“But it’s okay, whatever that has happened is God’s will. Whatever event we enter, we won’t give up until we die. Which ever athlete it is, he will give his life because this chance, this platform, is not something one gets everyday, but once in four years.“But what happened was wrong,” the rower said.He also said the athletes were informed about the changes rather than consulted, adding that their position within the Army made it difficult to openly challenge the decision.“We are under the Army. We compete as a team. If there is any indiscipline, we will never be able to row again,” he said.The rower, however, insisted that the squad would give everything once on the water.“Ye Hindustan ki baat hai, Tirange ki baat hai. We have come here to achieve something big, and we will,” he said. “We will do it for the country. We won’t return home without a medal.”India’s rowing campaign begins on Wednesday, with the team hoping to put the last-minute turmoil behind it and translate its preparations into medals.

Angel Reese has completely dominated the Defensive Player of the Year conversation this season, anchoring Atlanta’s frontcourt while dropping an impressive 16.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals a night.

Because of those solid numbers, fans took it for granted that her name would headline ESPN’s “Chiney Today” panel. Instead, analyst Sabreena Merchant snubbed Reese, and the subtle smirk on her face while picking Sonia Citron set social media on fire.

“So this is fun because my winner is not on your list. My winner is Sonia Citron from the Washington Mystics. And I’m gonna tell you, okay. Of the players who have defended at least 100 shots against fellow All-Stars this season, Sonia Citron holds them to a lower effective field goal percentage than anybody else. She also holds them to a lower expected shot quality than anybody else. And that basically means that you’ve got a player whose job it is to guard the best player on the opposing team, and she just shuts their water off. When Citron is guarding Kelsey Mitchell, Mitchell shot one of seven. When Citron is guarding Caitlin Clark, one of three.”

Chiney Ogwumike was also shocked on-camera. Her reaction mirrored viewers’ surprise when Merchant picked Citron over the three-time WNBA All-Star. Angel Reese fans on X vented their fury over Merchant’s controversial selection without wasting any time.

‘Same idiot who voted Mack for all-star just to stop Angel from getting it. That new commissioner gonna have y’all jobless,” one user wrote.

More reactions followed.

Read more: “This is Elite Grifting”: WNBA Fans Slam Linda Cohn For Calling Out Fever Coaches Despite Caitlin Clark’s 6-For-20 Shooting Game

How Angel Reese’s production dominates conversation

Angel Reese built a massive case by setting three historic benchmarks. She became the first WNBA player to record 500 rebounds in a single season, while breaking the all-time records for most rebounds in a single game (26) and most double-doubles in a season (31). The Atlanta Dream forward also led the entire league with 3.27 defensive win shares this season, ending A’ja Wilson’s multi-year run at the top of that leaderboard.

Merchant’s argument for Sonia Citron highlights a different type of impact. The Washington Mystics guard operates as a lockdown perimeter defender who also carries offensive load, averaging 16.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals.

But the majority of the basketball community remains unconvinced that perimeter analytics outweigh Angel Reese’s historic interior production.

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