New FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, has told the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, Amaju Pinnick, about his intention to visit the country very soon.

Infantino held talks with Pinnick at the ongoing FIFA congress in Mexico on Friday.

The Chairman of the League Management Company (LMC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, disclosed this during a television programme on Friday.

Dikko said the FIFA supremo is happy with the development of soccer in Nigeria and most especially the partnership with La Liga.

“I want to let Nigerians know that the NFF president had a chat with Infantino during the ongoing FIFA Congress in Mexico and he praised the development of football in Nigeria and also commended the federation for attracting the La Liga to partner with our league,” Goal quoted the LMC chairman as saying during the TV programme.

“The FIFA president immediately told the NFF boss that he would like to come to Nigeria so that he can also see areas in which he could be of assistance to Nigerian football. He said he would come very soon.”

Since this statement was credited to Pinnick barely a week ago, very many football followers have expressed great concern about the ‘colonial mentality’ in the Glasshouse and how such retrogressive disposition would further impede the growth of our football.

One of them, Aloy Amamchukwu, had a particularly illuminating take on the subject: “At times like these when Nigeria is looking inwards the NFF is looking outwards. They always claim to be broke and can’t adequately finance the national team even with a low wage local coach, now they are talking about employing a foreign coach to…waste hard earned dollars that we all know is scarce these days. Maybe Nigerian government should get foreigners also to run the NFF since we don’t believe in ourselves.”

Some others even expressed disappointment with me for not weighing in on the matter with what they felt were my “usually compelling views.                                                                                     But, what really can I say that I have not said a thousand, no, ten thousand times before. No doubt, nothing about our football will be new for a long time to come. And that is so regrettable.

Nigeria international Odion Ighalo is confident that his club, Watford, can pull off a result against Arsenal when they play hosts to the London club this Saturday.

The 26-year-old, despite admitting that the Gunners are one of the big guns in the English top division, is also hopeful that they can ruffle the feathers of Arsene Wenger's men.

Ighalo, who has scored The Hornets' last five goals this term, is optimistic of adding to his number of goals for the club when Arsenal visit Vicarage Road this weekend.

The Nigerian international also knows that they would have to work their socks off if they want to stand any chance of claiming a result against the North London club.

"Arsenal are a big team and it is not going to be easy. They are not a team we are going to take lightly because they are doing very well at the moment. They are not just doing well but also scoring goals.

"So we just have to work hard against them - play to the coach's instructions, and hopefully we can get all three points or may be one. It is not going to be an easy game because Arsenal are a good team. But in football anything can happen and I am hoping by God's grace I can add to my goal tally," he said.

Ighalo is currently the third highest goalscorer in the English top-flight this season with five goals, behind Leicester City's Jamie Vardy and Sergio Aguero of Manchester City on seven and six goals respectively.

The former Udinese man has scored a goal each against Everton, Swansea City, AFC Bournemouth and two against Newcastle United.

The striker has made eight league appearances for the club this season, including two as a substitute.