The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sports

  • Mikel to wear branded boots

    Super Eagles midfielder, John Obi Mikel has joined a list of soccer stars who wear branded boots to show their slick lifestyle.

    SportingLife gathered that the Chelsea ace, who earns close to 80, 000 pounds-per-week (about N20.8m) owing to the new five-year deal he signed with the UEFA Champions League defending champions two months ago, is expected to wear a Nike boot crested with his name Mikel as Nigeria begins its quest for a third AFCON title today with a game against Burkina Faso at the 40, 000 capacity Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit.

  • Ameobi: Newcastle won’t go down

    Nigeria striker Shola Ameobi has insisted Newcastle United are too good to go down for the second time in four years.

    The Magpies crashed out of the top-flight back in 2009 during a time that saw four managers take charge at St James’ Park.

    The defeat in the hand of fellow strugglers Reading on Saturday will pile further pressure on the shoulders of boss Alan Pardew as they are now 16th on the table. However, Ameobi firmly believes that the current crop of players have the drive to steer United away from danger – a feat not managed back in 2009.

    “Back then there was a lot of discord. I remember thinking there were players who didn’t really want to be here and that doesn’t bode well for any team. Certainly those that are here now have better characters and better temperaments and hopefully that can help us,” said the 31-year-old.

    Ameobi said the current squad care for the club far more than some he can recall.

    “It is important that the people who are here now want to play for the club,” the striker said.

    “And I know that when they pull on that black and white shirt they have that feeling that we’re all in this together – and that wasn’t the case before. When we lose games I can see that everyone in this squad is hurting. It’s in their faces. Sometimes we’re in the changing room for half an hour after the game discussing it because we care. It means so much to the players – and four years ago it wasn’t like that.

    “Many of them knew they’d be leaving at the end of the season and I think that is the difference. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t as if they did not want to win and it’s important to state that, but afterwards they’d be smiling again within a few minutes. This season you can see that every single player is prepared to knuckle down.”

  • Okocha, Taribo differ on Eagles

    Former Nigeria internationals, Augustine Okocha and Taribo West have voiced their sentiments about the chances of the Super Eagles at the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa.

    The Super Eagles must navigate the treacherous waters in Group C which will see them come up against Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and the reigning champions, Zambia in the preliminary round.

    West believes it would be easier to make snowballs in hell than for the Eagles to emerge champions in South Africa, but Okocha who scored 14 goals in more than 70 international appearances for Nigeria feels it is time to “regain some lost pride” at the AFCON.

    “I am not seeing them winning (the AFCON title). They will have a good tournament. From there, we can build a good and solid team for the future but Nigerians should not put pressure on the team because we won’t win (the title) and the team must not be disbanded (afterwards),” West told supersport.com.

    Okocha was not as damning in his assessment of the team’s chances as he paid tribute to the “improved quality of African football.”

    “We (African football) have improved over the years and there are no many underdogs any more. That makes this year’s (AFCON) very competitive and the standard will very high,” he said.

    The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder also took the time to give his thoughts on the Super Eagles’ chances in South Africa.

    “Hopefully the Super Eagles will regain their pride having missed out on the previous edition (in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in 2012),” he said.

    Nigeria won the AFCON title in 1980 and 1994.

  • NIGERIA VS BURKINA FASO: Eagles get jinx ref

    Nigeria will have to fight tooth and nail today after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) named a ‘jinx’ referee Mohamed Benouza of Algeria for the Super Eagles’ opening Group C game against Burkina Faso at the Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit.

    SportingLife findings revealed that Nigeria have not won any match that Benouza has handled.

    Also, it has not been a fair result for the country’s domestic clubsides that have participated in the CAF Champions League and Confederations Cup with the Algerian in charge.

    At the 26th AFCON tagged ‘Ghana 2008’, Benouza was in the centre when the Berti Vogts-led Eagles lost 0-1 to the Ivory Coast in their opening game at the Sekondi-Takoradi Stadium and in the quarter-final where a 10-man Ghana Black Stars came from behind to beat Nigeria 2-1 at the Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra.

    A different grade Nigeria team also lost a game at the Mbombela Stadium as John Obuh’s Flying Eagles lost 0-1 to Cameroon in the African Youth Championship hosted by South Africa, a competition which Nigeria later won.

    Similarly, Nigerian clubs have not really faired better with Benouza as ref, and he will be a known figure to Super Eagles center-half Godfrey Oboabona after Sunshine Stars drew 1-1 with Djoliba AC in a 2012 CAF Champions League 2nd round first leg tie decided at the Modibo Keita Stadium, Bamako.

    The Algerian business man was also in charge in Enyimba’s home draw against Wydad Casablanca in the semi-finals of the 2011 edition of the Champions League and in Kaduna United’s 4-1 loss away to Inter Luanda of Angola in the group stage of the 2011 edition of the Confederations Cup.

    Benouza officiated in Heartland’s 1st leg loss to TP Mazembe in the Champions League final game at Municipal Lumbumbashi, Congo DR and Heartland 3-1 Champions League group stage victory over Monomotapa United in Owerri.

    However, Burkina Faso have had mixed fortunes with Benouza in charge with the Stallions winning a FIFA 2010 World Cup Qualifier over Guinea at Stade du 4 aout, Ouagadougou but losing to Angola in the group stage of AFCON 2012.

  • We’ll rule Africa again — Moses

    Super Eagles ace Victor Moses has stated that Nigeria is ready to rule Africa again as the country kicks-off its AFCON campaign against Burkina Faso today at the Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit.

    Moses said: “I’ve not played in an international tournament before so I’m looking forward to it and I’m going to try and help my country,’ he said.

    The last time Nigeria won the African Nations Cup was in 1994, so it’s time we did well again.

    “I’ve never been to South Africa either and I’m looking forward to the AFCON experience. Of course, I’ll be keeping in touch with what Chelsea are doing, and tweeting while I am there to keep people informed of what’s going on.’

    The winger admitted he was as yet unsure of what to expect from the opposition, but was hopeful that after a training camp in Portugal, Nigeria would be ready to rule.

    “I don’t know a lot about the teams in our group but I know that we will have hard games in every match. I’m looking forward to it. Nigeria has done well and have had a couple of friendly games lately, and there is still time to improve,’ he said.

  • Balogun urges Keshi to remain focused

    A veteran sports analyst, Tayo Balogun, on Saturday urged Super Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi to remain focused at the 2013 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) which kicked off on Saturday.

    Balogun, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on telephone, advised Keshi to pick a squad that would be able to execute his match plans in the competition. “If I were Keshi, I would be cautious and firm with my formidable squad.’’

    He urged the team to play cautiously in the defence and not leave any vacuum. “Keshi should stand firm with his squad at the championship and also ensure they play cautiously in the defence.’’

  • Utaka nets 4th of the season

    Nigerian winger, John Utaka scored his fourth goal of the season for French club, Montpellier HSC on Matchday 21 of Ligue 1.

    Utaka netted in the 56th minute but Montpellier went down 2-3 to Olympique Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome with Andre Pierre-Gignac netting the winner at the death. The defeat saw Montpellier slip to 9th on the Ligue 1 log with 29 points from 21 games.

    The 30-year-old opened his season’s account in Montpellier’s 3-1 win over OGC Nice in October and netted his second with an excellent solo effort in the 28th minute as his side beat Ajaccio AC on December 8, 2012.

    Utaka, left out of the Nigeria team for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, has scored six goals in 43 appearances for the Super Eagles.

  • Nigeria-Burkina Faso Preview : Can the Eagles fly over the Stallions?

    Finally, after months, if not years of anticipation, Nigeria re-emerge at the continental high table. All that stands in the way of a triumphant return to Africa’s centrepiece occasion are the Stallions of Burkina Faso, west African neighbours unlikely to roll over for Stephen Keshi’s Super Eagles.

    In recent friendly matches, against Catalunya and Cape Verde, the ‘Big Boss’ shuffled his pack, attempting to find the right blend of superstars and workhorses, trying to forge a complete outfit out of the players at his disposal. John Obi Mikel will surely feature in the heart of the midfield, but will the Chelsea man be employed with a defensive or an attacking remit?

    The answer to this question may determine who plays alongside him in Keshi’s 4-3-3 formation. Perhaps it will be Norway-based midfielder Fegor Ogude, or maybe Nosa Igiebor will be allowed to fulfil creative duties in the centre of the field.

    Despite losing all three of their games at the last AFCON, Burkina Faso arrived in South Africa keen to demonstrate improvement from 2012 – and are more than capable of pulling off a shock. Midfielder Jonathan Pitroipa is a player with the potential to cause Nigeria trouble, and although vocal before the tournament about the difficulties within the group, the Super Eagles will need to keep close tabs on Rennes’ creative hub.

    Pitroipa will likely be supporting Moumouni Dagano and Alain Traore, and the pair have more than enough natural ability to test Vincent Enyeama and the defenders charged with protecting Nigeria’s goal. Charles Kabore of Marseille, is a key player at the back for Burkina Faso, and he will need to be on top form for the Stallions to get anything from the match.

     DID YOU KNOW?

    • Nigeria’s opposition used to play as ‘The Upper Volta’ before the country changed their name in 1984 to Burkina Faso.

    • The Super Eagles have finished in third-place a record six times, beating Tunisia, Cameroon, Senegal, Algeria, and Mali (twice) in the play-off matches.

    • Whilst Nigeria have become the Kings of third-place finishes at the AFCON, Burkina Faso’s best effort was in 1998, on home soil, when the Stallions finished in fourth place.

    • Along with Niger, the Burkinabe struggled at AFCON 2012 – departing the tournament after the group stage, having accumulated no wins and zero points.

  • ANCWL kick against restricting women to certain stadium areas

    The African National Congress Women League (ANCWL) has criticised the reported ban on women from certain areas in stadiums during the 2013 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa.

    ANCWL spokesperson Troy Martens described the decision by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) as shocking. “The ANCWL is shocked and appalled at reports that some of the AFCON teams feel women in stadiums are bad luck.”

    She was commenting on a report that women would not be allowed in the lower level of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, near where the players’ changing rooms are. “It is a travesty that in a country such as South Africa, the whims of these teams will be considered by our local organisers.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ghana, the DR Congo,

    Mali and Niger had raised concerns about access to the dressing room area by women.

    “South African women are ardent soccer supporters and it is insulting to have them discriminated against in this manner based on the nonsensical belief that women bring bad luck,” Martens said.

    The league spokesperson said that he was confident that such discrimination would not happen.

    “Never in the history of sports events hosted in South Africa has the ANCWL ever heard of such absurdity. “

  • NIGERIA V CHELSEA LOYALTY: Emenalo divided over Mikel, Moses’ return

    As a proud Nigerian who played at the World Cup in America in 1994, Michael Emenalo admits split loyalties ahead of the Cup of Nations. While he wants success for Nigeria, he would also be pleased with the return of Mikel and Moses to Stamford Bridge during a busy period.

    ‘It’s a difficult one for me. We have two players out there pivotal to what we’re trying to achieve here,’ he reasoned. ‘I get paid by Chelsea but have a patriotic passion for my country. I’d be very happy if they’re able to do it and win, for my country but also because as a Chelsea fan and employee we have given two of the best players they have, who are playing some of the best football of their careers.

    ‘Victor has come in and has a manager that trusts him, so it’s not great timing, but it’s what you have to do, and I wish them well in South Africa.’

    Emenalo is also pleased the Cup of Nations has been rescheduled to take place in odd years, ensuring it never again clashes with a World Cup, as in 2006 and 2010.

    ‘This is the right way to go, and we’re all grateful that finally steps are being take into bring African competition in line with the rest. European football in particular is a great avenue for African players and it’s important it’s taken into consideration,’ he said.