The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sports

  • Rangers call for dialogue over Agbim, Mba

    Rangers call for dialogue over Agbim, Mba

    Enugu Rangers FC have opened doors for dialogue with Warri Wolves FC over the clearance of goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim and forward Sunday Mba.

    There have been dispute between the two clubs over the switch of Agbim and Mba from Wolves to Rangers, as the Warri side have claimed the players have not been officially cleared to the Enugu club, and threatened to take the matter to the authorities.

    Reports had it on Wednesday that Wolves officially reported the case to the Nigerian Football Federation and the Nigerian Premier League, and were waiting for a response from the authorities.

    But media officer of Rangers FC Foster Chime informed that the Enugu side has written to Wolves for dialogue.

    “We have written to Warri Wolves to commence dialogue,” Chime told futaa.com.

    Chime said the fee being demanded by Warri Wolves is outrageous, and the club will not pay such huge amount.

    “They are demanding N13 million for Agbim, and N14 million for Mba. That’s outrageous.

    “Not that the club cannot afford it, but we can’t pay such huge amout for the players.

    “We know we’re going to pay for the players but definitely not that amount of money,” he told futaa.com

    Rangers will be campaigning in the CAF Champions League this year, while Wolves will play in the NPL.

  • AYC 2013: why I invited 19 new players — Obuh explains

    AYC 2013: why I invited 19 new players — Obuh explains

    Coach of Nigeria’s national U20 side John Obuh has explained why he invited an additional 19 players to join the 35 players initially in the team’s camp in Abuja.

    Obuh led the side to the African Youth Championship in South Africa two years ago, where the Flying Eagles won the trophy.

    The coach said he does not want any player to think he has arrived, and wants every player in camp to fight for shirts.

    “I invited 19 new players because I want them to know it’s not yet Uhuru for anybody,” he told futaa.com after Thursday’s training in Abuja.

    “Anybody who makes the final selection will know he deserves it, and can make Nigeria proud in the championship by giving his best.”

    The team train twice daily in Abuja and will travel to Tunisia for a training tour next month.

    Already, the Flying Eagles have been handed a tricky draw as they are billed to face Mali, Gabon and DR Congo in Group B in the biennial African Championship billed to take place in Algeria from March 16-30.

  • Yobo: This is my last AFCON

    Yobo: This is my last AFCON

    Super Eagles captain, Joseph Yobo who was limping on arrival in South Africa has again declared that all things being equal the 2013 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tourney should be his last, even as he prayed for the team’s success during the tourney.

    Addressing the media on arrival at Oliver Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, on Thursday, Yobo who was flanked by the duo of NFF board member, Anyansi Agwu and Eagles Head coach, Stephen Keshi welcomed the reception accorded the team on arrival in South Africa.

    “And I want to leave the stage by winning something for the team so that those coming behind will have something to look up to. We want Nigerians to support us and know that this young team has the ability to deliver but they must be patient with us and remain behind the team at all times.”

    Meanwhile, after about three hours in Johannesburg for immigration formalities and other tournament schedule the team took a flight of 35minutes to Nelspruit and has since settled down at the Ingwenyama Sports and Resort Centre, where it will camp for the competition that starts this Saturday in Johannesburg. Nigeria’s first game will be against Burkina Faso on Monday evening.

  • Besiktas move for Utaka

    Besiktas move for Utaka

    Nigeria’s John Utaka has surfaced on the wish list of Turkish side Besiktas after a move to Qatar for the Montpellier forward fell through.

    Beskitas also have interest in the services of Lyon attacker Jimmy Briand before also turning their searchlights on the 31-year old fast moving winger cum Nigeria forward.

    Utaka is under contract with Montpellier until June 2013. If the club want to recoup some of the investment on the player, they have no choice but to sell him this winter.

    He has scored 3 goals in 14 matches this season, and played 2 Champions League games against Schalke and Olympiakos Piraeus.

    Apart from Utaka, The Black and Whites are also interested in other names with French League teams. Valenciennes’ Vincent Abubakar and Olympiakos shirt-wearing 20-year-old Kamerunlusu, 28-year-old Algerian Rafik Djebbour amongst others.

  • Ambrose begs Celtic to sign Oshaniwa

    Ambrose begs Celtic to sign Oshaniwa

    Nigeria international center back Efe Ambrose has urged the Celtic hierarchy to sign international teammate Juwon Oshaniwa, who is being linked with a winter move to the Glasgow giants.

    24 – year – old Ambrose is one of the success stories of Celtic this season and has flourished especially in the UEFA Champions League. He wasted no time adapting to the club despite arriving on transfer deadline day. Now, Ambrose has tipped Oshaniwa to replicate his performances if he is acquired by the traditional Scottish club.

    Speaking exclusively to allnigeriasoccer.com from Nigeria’s training camp at Faro, Portugal, Abrose said: ”I read about reports linking Juwon Oshaniwa with Celtic this January just like everyone else. Delighted for him. I think he is a quality player, very good defensively. He’s a technical player, does not commit too many fouls on the opposition. Being chosen in Nigeria’s squad to the African Cup of Nations has shown he is a very good player, because there are so many talented players the country can boast of.”

    Adds Ambrose: ”He is a player that can quickly adjust to any league he finds himself. He has already shown that in Israel. There is room for him to develop further at Celtic if eventually they get to sign him as he is a very young player.”

    Allnigeriasoccer.com understands that Celtic gaffer Neil Lennon has confirmed the club’s interest for Juwon Oshaniwa but is keen to see the MS Ashdod full back in action again before making a final decision.

     

  • Laloko to NFF: Setting target is primitive

    Laloko to NFF: Setting target is primitive

    dr Kashimowo Laloko, a former Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), on Wednesday said that the target set for the Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi was primitive.

    Laloko, who made the assertion at the maiden Ogun Chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Forum in Abeokuta, said that such would prevent the coach from performing optimally. He spoke against the backdrop of the NFA asking Keshi to deliver the South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations trophy or nothing.

    The first Vice-President of the NFA, Mike Umeh, had told Keshi that based on the support he (Keshi) enjoyed from the association, “it is either the trophy or nothing’’. He, however, added that Keshi would be allowed to perform his job without any interference.

    Laloko, the Director of Pepsi Football Academy, Lagos, said there was always room for measuring the performance of any coach, with or without silverwares. He said that when targets were set for a coach, he might not perform.

    “To me, it is primitive to set targets; let the coach do his job because there is always a way of measuring his performance. I disagree with setting targets; I do not subscribe to it and I do not think it is the right thing to do,’’ he said.

    On the non-inclusion of West Bromwich Albion Rovers of England forward, Osaze Odemwingie, in the Super Eagles for the Africa Cup of Nations, Laloko described it as a mismanagement of players.

    He also said that African football required formal education and formal training for an understanding of players, saying that what happened between Osaze and Coach Stephen Keshi was a personality clash.

    Laloko advised Keshi to learn how to understand his players, noting that it was always instrumental to the coach’s job security. “If your player is arrogant and you are also arrogant, you may lose your job at the end of the day,’’ he said.

    Laloko lauded Keshi for the inclusion of six home-based players in the Super Eagles, saying that “it is a good omen of what is to come at the tournament if there is no hidden agenda’’.

    “I want to agree with that. It is good and I subscribe to that if the selected ones are the ones who merit it,’’ he added.

    The Super Eagles are returning to the Africa Cup of Nation in South Africa after missing the last edition in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in 2011.

  • Glo Soccer Academy ends this weekend as MVP emerges

    Glo Soccer Academy ends this weekend as MVP emerges

    The curtains on Glo Soccer Academy Season 1 will be drawn this weekend as the TV reality show and soccer talent hunt programme, regarded as the biggest in Africa, finally comes to an end.

    This is coming after an emotion-laden final eviction exercise that resulted in the exit of the last three players to pave way for the emergence of the 16 finalists. The final ceremony will feature highlights of all the activities that happened throughout the academy.

    In the 13th episode of Glo Soccer Academy that will be shown this weekend, the master of ceremony, Gbenga Adeyinka takes the viewers on a memory lane, introducing the highlights of the screening exercise in Nigeria, Ghana and Benin Republic. This led to the emergence of the final 33 boys that entered the academy. His experience as a comedian douses the tension in situations where emotions rise to near breaking point during the closing ceremony.

    The Most Valuable Player (MVP) will emerge from three top participants short-listed based on their performances and contributions to the team. The major topic of discussion among the followers of the football TV show has been who will emerge as the MVP with everyone tipping his or her favourite candidate for the position. The rap group, Terry D will perform its hit song at the event to add colour to the night.

    A statement from Globacom on Wednesday advised television viewers across Nigeria, Ghana and Benin Republic to stay glued to their television sets this weekend to watch the final show.

    The company further stated that fans in Nigeria should tune to NTA Network on Saturday at 1.30pm-2.30pm, with a 30-minute highlight on Wednesday, between 5.30pm and 6.00pm to view the show. It will also be on AIT network on Saturday from 5.00pm-6.00pm, with the highlights on Sunday from 3.30pm-4pm.

    Viewers in Ghana will enjoy the special package on GTV on Sunday from 12.30pm to 1.30pm with the highlight on Wednesday at 4.00pm-4.30pm. The programme is also available on TV3 on Saturday between 10.30am and 11.30am while the highlight comes up on Friday between 5.30pm and 6.00pm.

    For the lovers of youth football in Benin Republic they have the opportunity to watch the Glo Soccer Academy on ORTB on Sunday from 5pm through 6pm with the highlights on Wednesdays at 11am to 11.30am.

    “Viewers are assured of a most entertaining and fun-filled time,” the statement concluded.

  • FC Cape Town celebrate Emenike

    FC Cape Town celebrate Emenike

    Four seasons ago Emmanuel Emenike was playing for FC Cape Town. Now he is said to have a $42 million (about N6.6b) buyout clause at Russian side Spartak Moscow and is set to star for Nigeria at the 2013 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

    Born in Otuocha, Nigeria, Emenike begun his career in 2007 with Delta Force, a lower division side who offered no pay and where there was a walk of one and a half hours to training every day.

    It was when the player decided to move south however that his career took off, thanks to the opportunity he got to turn out for Mpumalanga Black Aces in the National First Division, playing in their 2008 Nedbank Cup final defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns.

    FC Cape Town then came calling and Emenike joined the African Beasts in 2008.

    It was through the Cape side’s links with European teams that the 25-year-old was given the opportunity to play his football in Europe, with Turkish team Karabükspor, who he joined in 2009.

    He went on to score 16 goals for the second division outfit that season, helping them to automatic promotion and also being named as Best Foreign Player in the division.

    Emenike continued to impress in the top flight in Turkey, scoring 14 times in his debut Süper Lig season.

    He was then snapped up by Turkish giants Fenerbahçe, but never played for the team, instead finding himself transferred to top Russian club Spartak Moscow, for €10 million.

    Emenike started life in Russia with a bang, thanks to some important goals in the Moscow derbies – he netted his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw against CSKA Moscow and got his first hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Lokomotiv Moscow.

    He went on to score 13 times that season, resulting in a new four year deal and an increased buy-out clause – reportedly at $42 million

    His electrifying form has continued into the current campaign, the player having scored the fastest goals in the history of the Russian League, 10 seconds into a 2-1 win over Alania Vladikavkaz during the opening game of the season.

    He also scored in a Champions League qualifying win over former club Fenerbahçe, and then scored a brace in a 3-2 loss against Scottish club Celtic in the Champions League proper.

    Emenike was again on target last week when Nigeria beat Rotterdam Spartak 1-0 in a pre-AFCON 2013 warm-up game.

  • Obodo: Keshi should build Eagles around Mikel

    Obodo: Keshi should build Eagles around Mikel

    It is a shame that the career of Italy based player Christian Obodo has nosedived. Touted as Nigeria’s first true box-to-box midfielder, Obodo is now a free agent after he was released by Udinese this past summer.

    While the Super Eagles starting eleven against Burkina Faso in a few days time is shrouded in mystery, Obodo has advised Eagles gaffer Stephen Keshi to build his team around Chelsea ace John Obi Mikel.

    ”I think Keshi should build his team around Mikel. He is a top quality player in the team. He is the biggest player in the team. His skills and qualities will make the team do well in the Nations Cup. He should be made to play the pivotal role in the team,” Obodo told Brila FM.

    Christian Obodo, who is credited with 21 caps for the National Team, played at the 2006 African Cup of Nations, scoring in a group match against Zimbabwe.

  • Uzoenyi signs 6 months Rennes deal

    Uzoenyi signs 6 months Rennes deal

    Enugu Rangers striker Ejike Uzoenyi will join Rennes of France on an initial 6 months loan deal from Enugu Rangers immediately after the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations a top official has exclusively hinted Goal.com.

    Uzoenyi recently underwent a successful trial with the French club side but left before negotiations were completed in his bid to team up with his country’s senior national team preparing for the 2013 Afcon.

    Goal.com gathered Rangers are almost through with the paperwork for the left footer to realise his dream of playing abroad. He will be with the French club till the end of the current season before further negotiations would be made over a permanent switch.

    Uzoenyi is in the party to South Africa for his debut campaign in the Afcon as one of the six players plying their trade in the domestic league selected by coach Stephen Keshi among the 23 listed recently.

    He has over seven caps for the Super Eagles and featured consistently in the qualifiers for the Afcon and 2014 World Cup.