The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sports

  • ZAMBIA, ETHIOPIA 1-1 FALLOUT Chipopolo wary of Eagles

    ZAMBIA, ETHIOPIA 1-1 FALLOUT Chipopolo wary of Eagles

    The Chipolopolo of Zambia may now be losing sleep as the temperature of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations gets tensed.

    The defending champions face the Super Eagles of Nigeria in their next game on Friday after a 1-1 draw with Ethiopia in their opening game.

    Nigeria appears to be Zambia’s biggest challenge. .”We know Nigeria, we know their past, they are a very strong team who didn’t lose in 2012, we saw their friendly game, ” he said.

    Nigeria are seeking for a third title after 19 years, and qualification to the next stage could be a morale booster for the coach Stephen Keshi led side.

  • 1.4b BUDGET: Nigeria face cash crunch

    1.4b BUDGET: Nigeria face cash crunch

    Nigeria face a cash squeeze at the AFCON after only about half of a proposed 1.4 billion Naira (less than $9 million) budget was approved.

    MTNFootball.com specifically gathered from officials here at the Nations Cup in South Africa that the government only approved 790 million Naira (about $5 million) from their proposed expenditure.

    And of this approved budget, the Nigeria sports ministry has released only 490 million Naira to the NFF with a promise to release the balance this week. The ministry also received another 220 million Naira ($1.3 million) for the Nations Cup.

    “The NFF are groaning under serious financial problems in South Africa as they only received about half of the budget approved for the tournament. There is a promise for them to get the balance of this budget but even then that may not be adequate as what was finally approved was just about half of their request,” a top source informed MTNFootball.com.

    The situation is so serious that Nigeria have had to step down on a bonus scheme that would have fetched each player about $100,000 were they to win the on-going AFCON in South Africa.

    Officials said the money problems will continue for the remaining part of a year in which the NFF have to prosecute six 2014 World Cup qualifiers beginning with a home game against Kenya in March.

    Nigeria will also feature at the African Youth Championship, the African Junior Championship as well as the African Beach Soccer Championship all in 2013.

     

  • Enyimba back to Otta camp

    Enyimba back to Otta camp

    The People’s Elephant, Enyimba of Aba have staged a return to their Temperance Guest House camp in Otta, Ogun State to continue their closed pre-season build-up with the commencement of the Nigerian Premier League (NPL) in view.

    The Aba Millionaires will stay in Otta for three weeks before returning to their base where they hope to put finishing touches to their preparation for the 2012/2013 season which kicks off on February 16.

    The team had earlier visited Temperance Guest House before the turn of the new year but had to put a halt to their pre-season training after the league season, hitherto expected to start in January before the 2013 African Cup of Nations, was shifted till February 16.

    The technical adviser of the former Champions League champions, Salisu Yusuf told SportingLife that he hopes to prune the 40 players he came to Otta with to a manageable size before the beginning of the league season.

    He emphasised that the club would use the first week of the pre-season to engage in massive training with a view to gaining back the fitness level of the players before they would make arrangement for some friendly matches.

    The former Super Eagles assistant coach affirmed that Enyimba would be better prepared and ready for the new league season after the expiration of the three weeks stay in Otta, Ogun State.

    “We have been in Otta since Friday 18 January and we hope to be here till about a week or two to the start of the NPL if we do not have any shift in date again.

    “We want to have closed camping exercise in order to better assess and look at the players available for us ahead of the new season. We have 40 players in camp and it is out of this number we shall select those who will steer the affairs of the club this season.

    “We are happy and everybody is doing his best for the progress of Enyimba. We shall not relent until we return the People’s Elephant to the winning ways they are notable for,” coach Yusuf told SportingLife.

  • Sewnet: Ethiopia not under pressure

    Sewnet: Ethiopia not under pressure

    Bishaw Sewnet says Ethiopia are feeling no pressure ahead of today’s Group C opener against Zambia at Mbombela Stadium.

    Ethiopia on January 21 ends their 31-year absence from the African Cup when they face defending champions Zambia at Nelspruit.

    “No pressure at all. I am here to get experience I am very happy to be part of this group as a winner to be part of the African Cup,” Sewnet said at the team’s pre-match press briefing held at their secluded base at The Winkler in Mpumalanga on Sunday.

    “I don’t care what are the results that will come out tomorrow, that will be another part of history.”

    Ethiopia secured their qualification after a 5-5 aggregate win over Sudan whom they beat 2-0 in the final round, return leg qualifier in Addis Ababa last October to qualify on away goals rule.

    “We will be working for another experience and happiness. We will just work hard as a group that’s all. If we work as a team the results will be good,” Sewnet said.

    He also insisted that the team had already adjusted to the current rainy local conditions despite arriving in South Africa 72 hours before facing the African champions.

    “We have done our training on a muddy ground yesterday and that didn’t affect us. So there is no problem about the weather,” Sewnet said.

  • Eagles handed Sidney Sam boost

    Eagles handed Sidney Sam boost

    Nigeria have received a big boost after Sidney Sam returned to action for Bayer Levekusen following a month out with a back injury.

    Former Germany youth international Sam, who has said he is willing to feature for Nigeria at full international level, was a late substitute for Levekusen. Levekusen beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 in this Bundesliga game on Saturday.

    Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has said he hopes to cap winger Sam during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers which resume in March with a home game against bottom team Kenya.

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have already announced they have begun processing the player’s change of national allegiance from Germany to Nigeria.

     

  • Eagles defy rains for Stallions

    After a hectic trip from Faro, Portugal, through Lisbon and from there to Johannesburg, South Africa, before arriving at their Nations Cup 2013 first round base in Nelspruit, last Thursday evening, the Super Eagles have quickly settled down with four training sessions so far at the lush green pitch of Ingwenyama Sports and Resort Centre.

    The workout session supervised by Head Coach, Stephen Keshi first started at 8am local time and 7am in Nigeria on Friday. Keshi took the players on regaining the physicality after a long trip and told them that there would be another training session later in the evening at 7:30pm, which will be 6:30 in Nigeria. The training sessions have since been done once daily in the evenings at about 7:30pm, which is one hour less in Nigerian time.

    Not even the heavy downpour of Saturday and Sunday could prevent the Nigerian side from having their training sessions as they prepare for their opening game today against Burkina Faso. “We can’t take chances whether it rains or not”, Chelsea’s John Mikel Obi said when asked about the readiness of the team.

    All the players responded very well and the team is injury-free, with skipper Joseph Yobo saying it was good to be back in the bright sunny weather of Africa. “It’s been good since we got here and I think the players are gradually getting used to being together and I know we will have a beautiful tournament”, the Nigeria captain declared.

    The national team held a media parley with the international press at 3:30pm local time on Sunday evening and trained later in the evening at 7:30pm for their game against their West African neigbhours. The training held in Ngwenyama because of the rains in South Africa to avoid the pitch of the Mbombela Stadium from being in poor state before the game.

    The cheery news was the return to full training by goalkeeper, Austin Ejide. Ejide had copped an injury in one of the team’s international friendlies against Cape Verde in Portugal. “I feel real good and ready; I am taking it easy as the medics have advised but am feeling real good”, he declared. On Saturday evening, goalkeeper trainer, Ike Shorunmu, took Ejide on a special training session with Ejide turning out impressive dives, punches and general conditioning of a good goalkeeper. He should at least be good for the bench in today’s game.

  • Why Chelsea signed Omeruo — Emenalo

    HOURS to Nigeria’s first AFCON 2013 game against Burkina Faso, Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo has given reasons why the UEFA Champions League defending champions grabbed Super Eagles right-back, Kenneth Omeruo

    ‘Kenneth was spotted in the World Under-20 tournament in Colombia in 2011, and he was named in the best 11 by a lot of scouts, he was a star performer,’ he explained. ‘Oriol Romeu, Oscar and Ulises Davila all played too.

    ‘Kenneth was an outstanding centre-back, and we liked the look of him. He is strong, athletic, composed and very comfortable on the ball. He fits our profile of the modern centre-back and has great potential, but we don’t expect him to really mature until he is a little older.

    ‘The problem we had is the work permit issue, and we wanted to figure out what we needed to do. Part of the idea for us was to not lose out on him. I watched a lot of games again and we were able to send him out on loan to Holland, a competition that is renowned for the development of younger players.

    ‘He has been used as a right-back a lot by Den Haag, which is good for him because it allows him to improve on the ball and play in smaller spaces. At centre-back it then becomes easier and you can see more around you.’

  • Ejide fit for action

    Goalkeeper Austin Ejide is fit again just as Eagles defied the rains to train at the weekend ahead of today’s clash against Burkina Faso.

    The Israel-based goalkeeper returned to full training Saturday in Nelspruit after he suffered a muscle tear in a warm-up game against Cape Verde in Portugal.

    “I feel real good and ready, but I am taking it easy as the medics have advised. But I’m feeling real good,” Ejide declared.

    On Saturday evening, goalkeeper trainer Ike Shorunmu took the former Gabros shot stopper on a special training with Ejide turning out impressive dives, punches and general conditioning of a good goalkeeper.

    He is fit for the clash on Monday and should at least be good for the bench against Burkina Faso. Eagles defied heavy downpour on Saturday and Sunday to train ahead of the game.

    “We can’t take chances whether it rains or not,” Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi said when asked about the readiness of the team.

    “It’s been good since we got here and I think the players are gradually getting used to being together and I know we will have a beautiful tournament,” the Eagles skipper stated.

  • Mikel makes AFCON top earners

    Nigeria star Mikel Obi has been ranked as the seventh biggest earner at the AFCON in South Africa with an estimated income of $6.5 million.

    African Footballer of the year Yaya Toure is the biggest earner at the Nations Cup with an annual salary reported to be about $22 million.

    Compatriot Didier Drogba, who has moved to China to cash on on his twilight years in the game, is second on the money list as he rakes in more than $18 million.

    The other ‘Big Boys’ are Mali skipper Seydou Keita ($17 million), Togo super star Emmanuel Adebayor ($15 million), Ghana skipper Asamoah Gyan ($12 million) and Cote d’Ivoire defender Kolo Toure ($8.5 million).

    Mikel, according to a survey by South Africa’s City Press, also earns extra cash from his sponsors Nike, Pepsi and Samsung. The Chelsea midfielder was also ranked among the top 10 sexiest players at the AFCON.

    The Sowetan also picked several of these big earners like Keita, Yaya Toure and Adebayor to turn the heads of the ladies in South Africa.

  • Esperance sign Azuka

    Sunshine Stars striker, Izu Azuka, has finally been snapped up by Tunisian giants, Esperance for a fee of $200,000 (around N31.4 million).

    Azuka signed a three-and-a-half year contract with the Blood and Gold this week but the financial details remain undisclosed.

    Esperance and Nigerian club, Sunshine Stars had reached an agreement on Azuka, 23, in September last year with a sell-on clause of 10 percent due to the Akure Gunners in the deal should the player be sold by the Tunisian outfit in future.

    However, Azuka has been shipped out on a six-month loan to Club Sportif Hammam-Lif by the former African champions owing to their quota for foreigners being filled up. The loan deal will run out on June 30, supersport.com has been informed.

    Esperance last year sold off their Cameroonian forward, Yannick N’Djeng to FC Sion and now view Azuka as his replacement though their foreign quota has forced out the Nigerian on loan.

    “I can confirm that Izu Azuka has signed for Esperance. And contrary to reports that he’s a free agent, he was still contracted to us till 2014 and that’s the reason a fee of $200,000 was agreed upon for his transfer.

    “Also, the international transfer certificate was held up as it didn’t meet the January 15 deadline for the Tunisian league. But the club has written to FIFA to clear the air, which was due to the systems being down at that time.

    “But Azuka will play on loan at another Tunisian club, Club Sportif Hammam-Lif for six months which will expire on June 30 this year. We’ve kept our part of the agreement with Azuka and Esperance, who have requested for an invoice over the transfer fee,” Executive Director of the Ondo State Football Agency, Mike Idoko, who also runs Sunshine Stars’ administratively, disclosed to supersport.com from Tunisia on Saturday.

    Azuka was thankful to Sunshine Stars and Idoko in their roles in ensuring that his transfer to the Blood and Gold did not suffer any hitch.

    “I can’t thank Sunshine Stars and especially Mr. Mike Idoko enough. They’ve kept to an agreement we had that I can leave whenever I get a lucrative deal abroad and they also supported me during the period of negotiation with Esperance.”