World Football

July 15 (Reuters) - Nigeria have left midfielder John Obi Mikel and forward Nwankwo Kanu out of a 26-man provisional squad for next month's Beijing Olympics, the Football Association said.

The omission of Chelsea's Obi Mikel comes after he skipped key under-23 qualifiers, drawing criticism from coach Samson Siasia. Kanu, who was a member of the team that won gold in Atlanta in 1996, could have been used as an over-age player.