The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sports

  • Glo Soccer Academy Eviction: Makurdi Northbank agog for Obonogwu

    Glo Soccer Academy Eviction: Makurdi Northbank agog for Obonogwu

    The Northbank area of Makurdi, Benue State came alive last week as the latest evictee from the Glo Soccer Academy, Anthony Obonogwu was treated to a vivacious reception by his community who celebrated his exposure to international training at the Academy in grand style.

    The visibly elated leader of the Idoma clan in the area, Chief Joseph Odaudu, who also chaired the reception, set the ball rolling with his speech which centred on the importance of having a boy from the area in the Glo Soccer Academy.

    “It s a thing of joy for this community to be represented at the Glo Soccer Academy. Although Anthony did not win, we are quite happy and delighted that one of ours was among the thirty three boys that were selected among thousands of youths in West Africa.’’

    He expressed the gratitude of his people to Globacom for not only setting up the academy, but also training Anthony and bringing him back home safely.

    Chief Odaudu commended Globacom for its activities and efforts over the years geared towards developing sports and particularly football in Nigeria. He described Globacom as the pillar of Sports in Nigeria.

    On his part, Anthony Obonogwu thanked the management of Globacom for the trainings he received from the combination of local and international coaches at the academy. He is optimistic that his participation at the academy will assist him greatly in his football career.

    In his brief Speech at the occasion, Glo Business Director for Benue State, Mr AbdulWahid Popoola said that Glo Soccer Academy was established to discover young talents, teach and groom them to become world-class footballers who can compete with their contemporaries anywhere in the world.

    He commended Anthony for being a good ambassador of his community during his stay at the Academy.

  • ABS’ Rahman Bashir loses wife

    ABS’ Rahman Bashir loses wife

    Abubakar Bukola Saraki FC attacking midfielder, Rahman Bashir lost his wife, Mariam on Sunday morning.

    The second best Highest Goal Scorer of the NPL last season lost Mariam just a few months after their marriage.

    The technical Manager of ABS FC Coach Kabir Sulaiman Dogo led team officials, players and supporters to the burial according to Islamic rites.

    Also, the General Manager of the Club Alloy Chukwuemeka who is presently on an official assignment in Abuja has described her death as shocking considering her role in the success of her husband’s career.

    He said the young woman always accompanied her husband to both training and home matches.

    “We pray for the repose of her soul and may Allah grant the husband and the entire family the fortitude to bear the loss. May her soul rest in peace. Amin,” Chukwuemeka said.

    Meanwhile, ABS FC will open their second phase of camping ahead of the 2012/2013 season today.

    The team concluded the first phase of their preparation for the 2012/2013 Nigeria Premier League season, playing 14 matches in the period under review, and losing none.

    The second phase begins today, and is expected to include a closed camping in Lokoja, Kogi state, before the kick-off of the season.

  • Ethiopia secure Tunisia friendly for Eagles today

    Ethiopia secure Tunisia friendly for Eagles today

    Super Eagles opponents, Ethiopia will face Tunisia in a build up match today after Egypt turned down the latter’s offer due to undisclosed reasons.

    The Walya Antelopes silenced Niger 1-0 in their previous friendly and a win against Tunisia, AFCON finalists will be a major boost to the side ahead of this year’s Africa Cup of nations in South Africa.

    The team which was earlier this week trimmed to 23 players will face the North Africa side in Doha before they fly out to Qatar.

    Dereje Alemu (Sebeta city), Aklilu Ayenew (Dedebit) and striker Abdul Wali Aman (Washington University) were dropped from the final squad.

    The sole representatives from East Africa overpowered rivals Sudan last year to book a ticket to the prestigious tournament.

  • Kanu to star in Essien’s charity match

    Kanu to star in Essien’s charity match

    Michael Essien is continuing his efforts to give back to his native Ghana. The Real Madrid midfielder has decided to organise a friendly match between African and European players on 8th June in the Ghanaian capital of Accra. It will be christened the ‘Essien Game of Home’, and will be the second charity fixture he has arranged, following his debut effort in 2011, in which the likes of Drogba, Adebayor, Kanu, Joe Cole and Malouda featured.

    “Our aim is to bring world stars, both past and present, to Accra, just like we did in 2011, to raise as much funds as possible for those in need”, Essien told his personal website.

    The Ghanaian powerhouse, whose Michael Essien Foundation has been running diverse projects in his home country since it was set up three years ago, is extremely excited about the match and will likely invite some of his Real Madrid teammates to take part.

    “I hope to see a great turnout from local Ghanaians, just like in 2011. We are in contact with some big names and I’m sure we’ll be able to take them to Ghana again”, Essien stated.

  • 2013 AfricaN Cup of nations: Zambia mock Eagles’ N1.6m-a-player largesse

    2013 AfricaN Cup of nations: Zambia mock Eagles’ N1.6m-a-player largesse

    THe Zambian government has put an “attractive package” on the table for the national soccer team to take if it retains the African Cup of Nations.

    Zambia is in Group C with Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Nigeria and the country’s Minister of Sports and Youth Chishimba Kambwili said Nigeria’s offer of US$100,000 each to the Super Eagles players is a sign of panic.

    Nigerian players have been promised US$100,000 (about N1.6m)) each if they win the championship slated for January 19 to February 10 in South Africa. This is the same amount the Zambian government gave the Chipolopolo players for winning the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

    “The stage has been set for our team and I can assure the nation that the players have been given good bonuses. For Nigeria, they are just playing mind games with the money strategy because they are scared,” he said.

    Kambwili said the government is confident the championship will return to Zambia and the players will get the “cash bonanza”, whose value he declined to state.

    He also disclosed that through the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), the players have already been told the monetary gain if they win.

    He however stated that Zambia would not make public what each player would get because the government and FAZ do not want to put undue pressure on the team.

    Kambwili is confident that Zambia will retain the Africa Cup.

    He said he sees no reason why the Chipolopolo cannot follow in the footsteps of Egypt who won the Africa Cup in 2006, 2008 and 2010, Cameroon who won it back-to-back in 2000 and 2002 and Ghana who were champions in 1963 and 1965.

    “Our expectations are high and we do not expect anything short of retaining the title. What can stop us if Egypt managed?” Kambwili asked.

    The Chipolopolo boys who will be based in Nelspruit will play their opening game on January 21 against Ethiopia.

  • Ikpeba, Supporters Club rush for visa

    Ikpeba, Supporters Club rush for visa

    With 12 days to the African Cup of Nations kick-off, it was a beehive of activity at the VFS Global Agency, Lagos as former Super Eagles ace, Victor Ikpeba and members of the Nigeria Supporters Club were among many fresh applicants seeking entry visas to South Africa.

    SportingLife gathered that the ex-African Player of the Year who was greeted by admirers last Friday submitted his international passport for visa renewal, likewise members of the Supporters Club who stormed the Billing Way office in Oregun, Ikeja of the visa processing agency to submit the applications for close to 50 of its members.

    However, members of the Supporters Club will have to wait till the end of this week to see if they will be cheering on the Super Eagles against the Stallions of Burkina Faso as the visa agency informed that it would take the South African embassy six working days for it to process visas for fresh or old applicants.

    SportingLife checks revealed that for the past two weeks, the agency staff have been forced to work extra hours as the number of applicants seeking visas to watch the African Nations Cup in the Rainbow Nation has risen dramatically as the Agency now handle close to 500 visa applicants daily.

  • SUPER EAGLES CAMP BOILS IN FARO: NFF owes Eagles’ coaches N48m

    SUPER EAGLES CAMP BOILS IN FARO: NFF owes Eagles’ coaches N48m

    Uneasy calm has enveloped the Super Eagles’ camp in Faro, Portugal on Saturday as the morale of the team’s officials seem to be dampened following the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)’s inability to offset four months of their salaries totaling almost N48 million.

    According to SportingLife’s source in the team’s camp, the Head Coach Stephen Keshi is however being calm on the issue, so that it would not affect the morale of the officials to avoid it dovetailing to the players.

    “I don’t think it is fair that the coaches that are preparing for a major tournament like the African Nations Cup are being owned four months salaries. The Chief Coach alone is been owned N20 million, we are not talking of his car and accommodation which have been hanging for the past one year and three months; the first assistant coach is being owned N12 million, while the two other assistants are owed N16m in total. These are huge sums which they would have used to settle their families before embarking on this month-long tournament,” one of the coaches said.

    Asked if the NFF has not made any effort towards settling the salary arrears, the source said that they have continued to complain of lack of funds, as even the main staff of the Federation have not been paid their December salaries up to the time of this report.

  • INJURY HOAX: Mikel, fit and ready

    INJURY HOAX: Mikel, fit and ready

    On Sunday morning in the chilly weather of Faro, Portugal, which was running at 10 degrees celcius, John Mikel Obi, was one of the first players to step out for the morning training and the moment he entered the football pitch of the Browns Sports and Leisure Club, he went around exchanging pleasantries.

    When it was the turn of the Media Officer, Ben Alaiya, to shake his hand, the first thing he asked after the happy New Year greeting, was, “what is this talk about your fitness level and readiness for the Nations Cup?” Mikel threw a bewitching smile and said “Bros, I’m okay. Team Secretary Dayo Enebi Achor and Chief Security Officer, ACP Gideon Akinsola, were watching the unfolding drama.

    “So, what do you want us to tell Nigerians, since many believed you were not listed for the FA Cup game on Saturday because you were still nursing an injury?” Noooo, I had a knock two weeks ago and was told to rest for sometime, but now I’m fit and I actually started training two days ago with the Chelsea first team. So there is no fear about any injury. I’m ready for the Nations Cup”. With that he dashed to join his mates in knocking the ball around before Big Boss Stephen Keshi gave his familiar howl of “Hey guys, bring it in”. ‘Training wan start be dat ‘as we say in pidgin parlance.

  • Green forced Shittu on Keshi

    Green forced Shittu on Keshi

    SportingLife can exclusively reveal that it was Chris Green, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Committee Chairman that imposed the invitation of Danny Shittu on the Stephen Keshi-led Technical Crew of the Super Eagles.

    SportingLife recalls that there was public hue and cry when Nigerians learnt that Shittu, a lower division (nPower) player in England, had been included among the players called up by Coach Keshi in his 32-man provisional Eagles squad.

    It was learnt that Green has not been happy with the criticisms that followed the invitation of Shittu both by the Press and Technical crew and that it was the outcry that made the Millwall FC defender to decline the invitation citing club engagements as his official reason.

    SportingLife’s source said: “It was Chris Green that insisted on the invitation of Daniel Shittu to the team. He even added him to the list, because he was not in the initial list submitted by the Coaches.

    “This was against the wishes of the Coaches. But when the invitation was greeted with criticisms that led to Shittu declining the invitation, Green was not happy, as he believed that it was members of the technical crew that incited the press and Nigerians on the player.

    “Since then, he has been looking for a way to rubbish the plans of the coaches to give some home-based players the opportunity in the team. From his behaviour after that match, we were of the opinion that he wanted the boys to lose that match, so that his views would be justified”.

    However, football pundits have started having taking decisions from the NFF with an inch of salt, as the Federation is being accused of speaking from both sides of the mouth. According to some of those who spoke to SportingLife, they queried the role of Chris Green in the team, since the NFF Executive Committee announced the dissolution of all its committees, and no other pronouncement has been made on their reconstitution. “So what is the role of Chris Green in the team’s camp,” they chorused.

    SportingLife recalls that a few days after the NFF Executive Board announced the dissolution of all the committees, the technical committee chaired by Chris Green met variously to take vital decisions affecting the country’s football. This leaves one to to ponder on the pronuncements of the Federation.

    Meanwhile, what would have been a show down between the team and Technical Committee Chairman of the NFF Christopher Green, was averted on Thursday last week when the team returned from Spain, where they held a star-studded Catalonian team to a score draw in a friendly match.

    SportingLife gathered that the Technical Committee Chairman stormed the team’s camp in Faro, Portugal expressing his displeasure at the performance of the home based players in the match.

    He said that the performance of the players had really shown that they deserve no space in the team. “We are going to South Africa for real business, we are not going for jamboree. So, I want to tell you guys that many of you may not make the team, because I will personally supervise the list that would be submitted,” Green was quoted as saying.

    This statement, SportingLife gathered, did not go down well with the Chief Coach who immediately expressed his reservations over the statement, pointing out that all the players performed above average. Keshi also informed him that he introduced a higher percentage of the home based players into the game to measure their level of confidence while playing the best players in world, and they did not disappoint.

    “ I want to tell you that Keshi is very matured. He is a good manager, who wants to succeed. He does not want any distraction, the way he handled the situation really showed that he knows what he is doing. I am urging Nigerians to pray for him to succeed. He has the interest of the country at heart,” the source concluded.

  • LATE ARRIVAL SIDELINES MARTINS

    LATE ARRIVAL SIDELINES MARTINS

    OBAFEMI Martins watched from the sidelines when Levante welcome Bilbao to Valencia for this first game of the New Year.

    The Nigerian striker arrived Spain only hours before the encounter, having spent the first six days of the pre-resumption training sorting out tax matters in Nigeria.

    “It is the first home game of the year, much was at stake,” stated Levante stalwart Sergio Ballesteros. “We want to reach 30 points. We want to start the year with a victory at home, improving on the points tally we managed in the first round of fixtures from last season.”

    Martins was left out of the squad for this game, despite the fact that Levante gave him a list of to-do things in private training, while waiting to rejoin the squad.