Former Super Eagles captain Jay-Jay Okocha has said the main difference between Nigerian and South African footballers playing in Europe is ambition and the willingness to leave one’s comfort zone.

Nigeria has produced many players who have made a name for themselves in Europe’s top leagues, including England, Spain, Germany and Italy. Nigerian footballers continue to perform for several clubs across the continent.

One of the most prominent examples is Victor Osimhen, who has played for Lille OSC, SSC Napoli and Galatasaray, establishing himself as one of the most dangerous strikers in modern football.

Another Nigerian star attracting attention in Europe is Ademola Lookman, who is currently performing well at Atletico Madrid after previously shining for Atalanta, where he helped the team win the UEFA Europa League in 2024.

Despite the strong presence of Nigerian players in Europe, footballers from South Africa are less visible in the continent’s top five leagues.

Speaking during a radio programme in South Africa, Okocha explained that ambition and determination are important for players who want to succeed at the highest level.

“First of all, you must have the desire to become the best version of yourself,” Okocha said.

“For you to make a name for yourself globally, you must get out of your comfort zone, and this is the problem.”

The Nigerian legend, who played club football in Germany, Turkey, France and England during his career, also spoke about the challenges players face when moving abroad.

“It is my opinion that South African players are too comfortable at home. That drive is not really there,” he said.

“But we Nigerians, we’re very ambitious people. We like to challenge ourselves. Of course, when you come to a country like Germany, you have to try to socialise and understand the culture of the people.”

He added that adapting to a new environment is important for footballers who want to succeed in Europe.

“You have to be willing to learn the language and just learn in general. It’s a lot easier if you have people who mentor you, but it’s also about how you present yourself.”

“If you show that you’re willing to learn, then your stay will be a lot easier. My advice is just to be open and make sure you have that hunger and desire to become the best version of yourself.”

Okocha also praised the development of South African football, especially the strength of the country’s domestic league.

He said strong investment in the Premier Soccer League has helped the country produce competitive players for the South Africa national football team.

“It’s happy days for South African football, and it’s well deserved because they worked for it,” Okocha said.

“They invested in the local league, and they are reaping the rewards of it because most of these players are playing in the local league.”

He added that the strength of the South African league deserves recognition, even though he believes more players should consider moving abroad.

“That’s the impressive part of it because it shows how strong the South African league is, even though I think that you need to have more players playing in Europe. But of course, you have to appreciate the work and the way things have worked out for South African football.”

Manchester City had big ambitions in Europe after winning the Champions League but look set to fall well short again.

Manchester City bosses were determined to make their Champions League victory in 2023 a beginning rather than an ending. Talks with Pep Guardiola in Abu Dhabi concluded that while their Istanbul triumph had completed their collection of trophies, the ambition was to use it as a springboard for more European success: having bent English football to their will, why not the whole continent?

It was a team on the wane though, and while they were still good enough the following year to make history with a record fourth English league title, they lost at home to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final to miss out on the opportunity to move towards a third final in four years. It wasn’t disastrous, but what has followed since has been.

The expansion of the tournament to include more teams and more games is supposed to make more money for teams, and part of the money being weighted towards the UEFA coefficient (aka performances over recent years in Europe) and TV money depending on national splits put City in an even stronger position. Their performance on the pitch, however, saw them waste that advantage last year and the same appears true for this season.

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Having claimed around £116m in prize money for winning the Champions League in 2023, City took home just £65m last year. Their payment for ‘value’ to the competition was second only to eventual winners PSG, but an awful performance in the group stage was followed up by an exit at the hands of Real in the play-off to mean they only mustered £10.7m for performance – a third of what Liverpool got for lasting just one more round and even less than Celtic.

An improvement this season meant they claimed around £71.6m from the group stage alone and will be rewarded for a top-eight finish as well as participation in the last-16. But as they stare at another last-16 exit with a 3-0 deficit heading into their second leg with Real, City face losing out on considerable sums again.

UEFA hand out €12.5m to any team reaching the quarter-finals, €15m more for semi-finalists, €18m more for making the final and an extra €6.5m for winning the competition. That is an extra £44.9m (€52m) alone that will add to the reputational pain of another early exit from a club that expects so much more.

City announced a loss of £9.9m in their annual report that was published recently and there are a lot of transfer arrivals that will be added to that over the next financial year. Some of that can be offset by player sales but the lack of extra Champions League revenue will hit City’s books; it is no coincidence that their greatest years for revenue came when they won the most.

There is nothing that can be done now, just as there is little that can change about drawing Real every year. However, barring a miracle next week at the Etihad, the consequences for City’s poor performance in Europe will go well beyond not meeting their personal ambitions.

A fiery competitor, Jake Browning has had a nice NFL career. The former Vikings QB (the position is the subject of some focus lately) got added as an undrafted talent. Pretty quickly, he showed promise. Settling into Minnesota didn’t materialize but he has nevertheless done well for himself as a depth option.

Browning’s next opportunity has arrived. Consider what ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler had to say: “The Bucs found their backup to Baker Mayfield on Wednesday, agreeing to terms with Jake Browning on a one-year deal. Browning has 10 career starts in relief of Joe Burrow in Cincinnati.”

As Kyler Murray Decides, A Vikings QB Update Arrives

A touch lost in the shuffle, perhaps, but still worth remembering: the Vikings need a pair of things to occur at quarterback.

Most obvious is the need to raise the ceiling. Put a passer onto the field and then see that passer carve up a defense like granddad carves up the Thanksgiving turkey. Fair, reasonable, and needed.

However, what’s also needed is a sturdier low-end of quarterback play. When a quarterback is having a bad game, how bad does it get? Sometimes, the Vikings could accomplish next to nothing on offense due to having such abysmal quarterback play. That needs to change. Give the team a chance, however remote, even on the days when things go poorly.

The point, folks, is that Browning made at least some sense to add even if he’s not akin to Kyler Murray by being a clear upgrade at QB1.

Instead, he’s going down to Tampa Bay. Head coach Todd Bowles — he’s very good — will move ahead with scrappy, competitive passers. Not a perfect pair, Baker Mayfield alongside Browning does have some appeal.

Mr. Browning, 29, comes in at 6’2″ and 209 pounds. Not formidable size, but not tiny. His career has involved going 4-6 within his starts. More broadly, the completion rate comes in at 68.5% across his career for 2,707 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. As a QB2, Jake Browning isn’t too bad of an option.

The quarterback got into the NFL back in 2019, which feels like a lifetime ago. At the time, Kirk Cousins was still settling in as Minnesota’s (highly-paid) passer. Developing a young fella to function as cheap depth made a lot of sense.

Browning was eventually shown the door, leading to chance with Cincinnati. From 2021 through to 2025, Browning was a Bengal. Not a bad gig.

The emphasis now shifts to the Bucs. The NFC South team isn’t a favorite to win it all, but they’re a dark horse contender.

The backup’s job will be to support the starter, working as a coach in shoulder pads while decoding what the defense is doing. If there’s an injury, step onto the field and give the fellas a chance. Nobody expects the QB2 to move mountains; instead, give the roster a chance to climb up the steep incline.

In 2026, the Vikings and Buccaneers are scheduled to play each other. Maybe a former Vikings QB is the one who lines up under center.

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Since Tuesday afternoon, representatives from the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association have spent more than 24 hours inside The Langham, a luxury hotel in New York City, negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. They have yet to come to terms, and more meetings are expected on Thursday.

Late last month, the league notified the union and teams that if a deal was not in place by March 10, the 2026 season would be impacted. Now that the self-imposed deadline has come and gone, here’s what we know about the marathon bargaining sessions, the state of negotiations and what happens next. 

Will the 2026 season start on time?

The league previously indicated that the two sides needed to agree to a term sheet for a new CBA by March 10 in order to ensure the 2026 season would start on time. It’s unclear if there’s any wiggle room there. Engelbert was non-committal when pressed about the timeline after Tuesday’s meeting. 

“We’ve got to get it done soon,” she said. 

Once a new CBA is in place, it will take about three weeks for it to be ratified. Only then can the league commence with critical offseason agenda items, including the double expansion draft for the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, and free agency, which features more than 100 players this year. 

The 2026 WNBA Draft is set for April 13, training camps are scheduled to open on April 19 and opening night is supposed to be May 8. 

At this point, it’s going to be early April before a new CBA is ratified. Can the league squeeze the expansion draft and free agency into a ~10-day timeline before the college draft? That seems nearly impossible, which means the college draft may take place during or before free agency, which would be an interesting wrinkle. If free agency is pushed until mid-April, and even into the beginning of training camps, it’s still possible the season could start on time, but it’s going to be extremely tight. 

The two sides might have a small grace period, but not much more than that. 

What happened in this week’s meetings?

Details are sparse. 

The WNBPA contingent consists of Jackson, other union staff and multiple players, including executive committee members Breanna Stewart, Nneka Ogwumike, Brianna Turner, and Alysha Clark, per ESPN and Front Office Sports. On the league side, Engelbert was in attendance along with head of league operations Bethany Donaphin and New York Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai, among others. 

Tuesday’s meeting began at 5 p.m. and did not conclude until after 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning. The two sides reconvened around noon on Wednesday and negotiated until after midnight. 

Comments made after Tuesday’s meeting

Jackson and Engelbert offered brief comments to reporters on the scene on Tuesday. 

“Every meeting is a positive meeting,” Jackson said. “Seriously, every meeting is a positive meeting. The fact that we scheduled meetings, that we offer dates to schedule meetings that we actually get together, get in the room. I think that’s positive. It’s taking as long as it’s taking. But you know, that’s what it needs to be.”

“I would describe the last 10 or 11 hours as a lot of conversation going in the right direction,” Jackson continued. “The only thing I’m going to say on that is the conversations are continuing.” 

“It’s complex,” Engelbert said. “We’re working towards a win-win deal like we’ve been saying, a transformational deal for these players that balances all the things we’ve been trying to balance with continued investment by our owners, et cetera. So we’re working hard towards that, and we still have work to do.” 

Comments made after Wednesday’s meeting

WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike told reporters that the players are “feeling movement” in the negotiations. 

“At the end of the day, we want a season,” Ogwumike said. “We want to play. We’ve heard that from the other side as well. We need to see a more robust demonstration of that as we continue on in these negotiations.”

Engelbert continued to stress the “transformational” nature of the league’s offer to the players. 

“Our proposal on the table is a really historic and transformational deal for these players,” Engelbert said. “We’re proud of the deal we have on the table. I think it’s huge gains for the players, while balancing that with the health of the league. So we’ll just continue to work really hard, and we’ve got to get a deal done.”

What is the holdup?

The league and players are still at odds over some key items, including housing, core player designations and retirement benefits. However, the main holdup, as is always the case in labor negotiations, is money. 

Crucially, the players have been fighting for a share of gross revenue, while the league has been offering a share of net revenue — that is, the revenue remaining when league-specified operating expenses are removed from the pot. 

The two sides have exchanged new offers in recent days, though few details are available. 

The league’s latest proposal, which was made on Wednesday, would see the players receive 70% of net revenue over the course of the deal, with a 2026 salary cap of $6.2 million, per FOS. The union’s most recent known offer called for players to make an average of 26% of gross revenue over the course of the deal, with a 2026 salary cap of $9.5 million.