The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sports

  • Adepoju tips Eagles for semis

    Adepoju tips Eagles for semis

    Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been backed to reach the last four of the 2013 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa.

    Former Nigerian midfielder, Mutiu Adepoju told supersport.com that he is confident that the Super Eagles will qualify from Group C, where they are drawn with defending champions, Zambia, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia.

    He added that the Nigerians will also “go beyond the quarterfinals” of next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

    The former 3SC general manager explained that the Super Eagles have “quality players to achieve” a last four place in Africa’s biggest football championship.

    “I believe the team will not only qualify from their group but go beyond the quarterfinals of the Nations Cup. The team have enough quality players to achieve that. But they will have to prepare very well because the other teams will be aiming to do very well too.

    “In the past months, the coaches have done well by working hard and trying out several players. I believe by the time they start the camping for the Nations Cup the players will have ample time to understand each other on the pitch and the coaches will know the strengths and weaknesses of each player and fashion out suitable tactics for their Nations Cup games,” said Adepoju.

    The former Racing Santander man also wants the Nigerian team to be engaged in more friendly games to help the coaches analyse the team at competitive level.

    “Friendly matches might not totally give a true picture of what to expect but it is always an avenue to help the coaches see the players, analyse them and make proper selection. So the team will need more of such as they prepare for the Nations Cup,” he said.

  • Minister wants NPL crisis resolved

    Minister wants NPL crisis resolved

    The Minister of Sports and Chairman, National Sports commission, Bolaji Abdullahi yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State at the NFF Annual General Assembly described the imbroglio that has engulfed the Nigeria Premier League board as saddening.

    The minister who said the Baribote-led board has driven away sanity in the administration of the domestic league urged the Nigeria football Federation to take drastic actions that will restore the dignity of the league.

    Abdullahi, who was represented by former NFF Secretary-General, Bolaji Ojo-Oba, said that the National Sports Commission, NSC, decided to abstain from playing any direct role in the Nigeria Premier League saga in order that people may not misconstrue their objectives.

    “It is sad that the Premier League, which provides the bulk of players for the national teams, is in such distress.

    “The kick-off of the 2012/2013 has again been postponed for the next two months and issues around sponsorship and broadcast rights remain unresolved.

    “It is a sad situation because if we are not careful, the impasse in the NPL may lead to poor results in our national teams internationally.

    “The Super Eagles will be taking part in the African Cup of Nations in South Africa as from next month, the Flying Eagles will participate in the African Youth Championship in Algeria and the Golden Eaglets will play in the 2013 African Junior Championship in Morocco, all within the first half of next year. Yet, elite domestic competition is in abeyance and will remain so until the middle of February; it is disheartening”.

    The minister said the whole episode of the Baribote-led NPL board is totally disturbing to the National Sports Commission and as a baby of the NFF, he therefore trusted that the Glasshouse would deal squarely with the matter.

    “I am mandating the NFF to act decisively in order that the lingering issues in the NPL are conclusively and satisfactorily resolved before the commencement of the new season”.

    Meanwhile, there was mild drama at the Atlantic hall of Presidential Hotel, venue of the 68th Annual General Assembly of the NFF when the seat and tag of the second vice chairman of the NFF was ordered to be removed from the high table. The situation was also not different when Tunji Babalola was also a lone ranger on his table with the Secretary of the NPL tag placed in his front.

    The situation made many invited guests and journalists alike to believe that the Baribote era as the NPL chairman is indeed gone for good.

  • Brazilian to replace Mikel

    Brazilian to replace Mikel

    Chelsea are set to sign Corinthians star Paulinho to replace Mikel Obi who will be away with Nigeria at the AFCON in January.

    Paulinho helped Corinthians win their first-ever South American Copa Liberatadores earlier this year, and starred as the Brazilians booked their place in the FIFA Club World Cup final in Japan.

    Should Chelsea reach the final, they will be able to get a good look at Paulinho’s ability.

    Paulinho is valued at around £12million.

    Following Chelsea’s confirmation that Oriol Romeu will miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury, and with Mikel set to take part in January’s African Cup of Nations tournament, ‘The Blues’ suddenly find themselves short on ball winners in the midfield.

    Despite boasting a plethora of attacking talent, Chelsea are severely lacking in defensive options. The Blues’ reliance on a deeper-lying player has become an integral part of their game, and even led interim boss Rafa Benitez to suggest that the club will need to dip into the transfer market in January.

    “If you have too many players with quality, all dynamic but cannot regain the ball – you do not have the balance. If you give the ball away, you have to regain [it],” Benitez said.

    With Michael Essien on loan at Real Madrid, Chelsea will need to bring in reinforcements if they are to mount a serious title challenge this season.

  • AHEAD of 2013 AFCON: Chipolopolo test Namibia, Swazi for Eagles

    AHEAD of 2013 AFCON: Chipolopolo test Namibia, Swazi for Eagles

    Zambia’s Chipolopolo have secured two more January friendly dates against Namibia and Swaziland ahead of the 2013 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

    According to a relaese from the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), Thursday, both games will be played in Johannesburg.

    Chipolopolo will play Swaziland on January 5 in what will be in their first game of 2013 and will face Namibia on January 15 three days after hosting Norway at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on January 12.

    The Namibia and Swaziland friendly games bring to four warm-up games the reigning African champions will play in January.

    Morocco is the other side whom Zambia will face in Johannesburg on January 8.

    The Chipolopolo will wrap-up their 2012 match dates with a visit to Dar-es-Salaam on December 22 to face Tanzania. Zambia’s Chipolopolo are grouped alongside Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia in Group C of the 2013 AFCON.

  • Heartland beat Pillars 2-0 to keep Super Cup

    Heartland beat Pillars 2-0 to keep Super Cup

    Heartland will remain Nigeria’s champion of champions for a second straight year after they defeated Kano Pillars 2-0 on Thursday.

    ‘The Naze Millionaires’ beat Dolphin in last year’s Super Cup and they repeated the feat in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

    “We let in two soft goals and did not play to our high standards,” said Pillars spokesman Idris Malikawa told MTNFootball.com

    “This loss simply shows we have a lot of work ahead of us.”

    Happy Akuoka gave Heartland the lead after 35 minutes before experienced campaigner John Owoeri doubled the Owerri’s club advantage on the hour.

    Pillars international defender Umar Zango was sent off in the dying moments of the game for dangerous play.

    Pillars lined up several of their top stars including Gambo Mohammed, Rabiu Ali, Bello Musa Kofarmata and Shehu Abdullahi.

  • AHEAD of 2013 AYC: Obuh fears F/Eagles’ match rustiness

    AHEAD of 2013 AYC: Obuh fears F/Eagles’ match rustiness

    The proposed February 16, 2013 kick-off date for the Nigeria Premier League is not going down well with Flying Eagles Coach John Obuh.

    According to Obuh, 99% of his team for next year’s Africa Youth Championships in Algeria where Nigeria hopes to defend the title won in South Africa last term out are from the League and will be match rusty if the League fails to start earlier than February 16.

    “Ninety-nine percent of my players are from the League and if the season is not starting before February that means we have to do a lot of work to put the players in shape,” Obuh complained.

    Already the Flying Eagles have been drawn in group B for the 2013 CAF U-20 African Youth Championship billed for Algeria in March.

    The John Obuh-led side will face tough teams like Mali, Benin and Gabon in the group stage.

    Obuh who led the side to win the trophy in South Africa in 2011 is still waiting on the Nigeria Football Federation for approval of his programme.

  • Lawmakers’ visit fallout: Work commences at Aper Aku Stadium

    Lawmakers’ visit fallout: Work commences at Aper Aku Stadium

    Barely 48 hours after the Benue State House of Assembly Committee on Youths and Sports led by Benjamin Nungwa expressed displeasure with the contractor handling the contract for the upgrading of the Aper Aku Stadium to FIFA standard, serious work has commenced inside the playing pitch.

    On Tuesday, Nungwa led his committee on a visit to the Aper Aku Stadium, as part of their oversight function and lambasted the contractor handling the project, Monichelle Sports Development Company for the slow pace of work.

    The committee summoned the contractor to report before it today unfailingly or risk arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    When SportingLife visited the Aper Aku Stadium yesterday, the tempo of work had increased just as more men were seen inside the playing pitch arranging chipping, preparotary to the final laying of the grass.

    The Benue State Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Aondowase Chia, who was seen on an inspection visit, told SportingLife that from the increased pace of work, he was very sure the stadium would be completed before the commencement of the CAF Confederation Cup campaign by Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi.

    Chia said everything is being done by the Governor Suswam-led administration to give the people of Benue a befitting stadium of intentional standards, where top football games would be played.

    The workers on site however refused to comment saying their boss had not authorised them to speak to the press.

  • NFF endorses Baribote’s sack

    NFF endorses Baribote’s sack

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has upheld the sack of the Victor Baribote-led NPL board by the congress and set up a caretaker body to run the league for a year.

    MTNFootball.com can reveal that Thursday’s Annual General Assembly of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in Port Harcourt approved the dissolution of the NPL board led by Baribote.

    It went ahead and named a five-man committee that includes NPL executive secretary Tunji Babalola as well as representatives of the NFF.

    They will run the league for a year.

    On Tuesday, the NPL congress unanimously voted out the Baribote executive committee for failing to take the league forward.

    The congress also announced that the new league season will kick off on February 16.

    The troubled league was concluded in September and a new season has yet to get underway following a crisis of confidence, leadership tussle and a lack of sponsorship.

  • ONIGBINDE TO NFF: Don’t lead Keshi astray

    ONIGBINDE TO NFF: Don’t lead Keshi astray

    Former Super Eagles Head Coach, Adegboye Onigbinde, has cautioned football administrators against interfering with the team’s programme for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) outlined by coach Stephen Keshi.

    Onigbinde gave the warning while reacting to the 23-man Super Eagles team list for camping ahead of the competition, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos. NAN reports that the team for now has 23 home-based players who would resume camping on Sunday in Abuja, before the list of the foreign-based ones would be released.

    However, one foreign-based player, Fegor Ogude of Valerenga FC, Norway, who is currently on holidays in the country, is on the list. Onigbinde told NAN that as a former coach, he understood the importance of coaches having control of their teams.

    “I am hoping for the best in terms of preparation. I cannot say for sure what their plans are, so it will be wrong for anybody to start criticising in a way that is not constructive. Only Keshi understands what is in the programme of his team and it is only Keshi that can tell us or assure us of the preparation,’’ Onigbinde said.

    He said there was need for the Super Eagles to get support from everywhere, to regain its lost glory in African football. “If nobody has seen the team in any training session, then it will be unfair to criticise them,’’ he said

    NAN reports that the Super Eagles had failed to qualify for the 28th edition of AFCON in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon in 2010. On friendly matches for the players, he said Keshi would decide what happens at this point when the competition is about to start.

    “Nigerians know that when I was handling the Super Eagles, you couldn’t dictate to me but you could give me suggestions. And it had to be in line with my personal experience and I want to believe that Keshi is like that too. If I didn’t accept such, why should other people accept them?’’ Onigbinde queried.

    The team list released on Wednesday has Chigozie Agbim of Rangers International FC of Enugu leading Akpeyi Daniel of Heartland of Owerri and Femi Thomas of Enyimba International of Aba. It also has seven defenders and midfielders and forwards.

    NAN reports that the Super Eagles are in Group C, alongside the defending champions, Chipolopolo of Zambia, Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia and the Stallions of Burkina Faso. The teams will play their matches at the Mbombela Stadium, in Mpumalanga Province of South Africa.

  • Chelsea hits World Club Cup final

    Chelsea hits World Club Cup final

    Champions League holders Chelsea on Thursday advanced to the final of the World Club Cup after beating Mexican club Monterrey 3-1 in the semi final, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

    The Premier League club will face South American champions Corinthians after the Brazilian club beat Al Ahly 1-0 in the other semi-final on Wednesday.

    Juan Mata opened the scoring in the 17th minute for the Blues, while Fernando Torres and an own goal by Darvin Chavez gave Chelsea a comfortable 3-0 lead shortly after the break.

    Aldo de Nigris pulled one back in injury time for the Mexican club, which will now face Al Ahly in the play-off for third place.

    The last five editions of the tournament have been won by European teams, with Barcelona hammering Santos 4-0 in 2011 after Brazilian clubs won the first three editions in 2000, 2005 and 2006.

    The Club World Cup brings together the champions from the six confederations of the ruling body FIFA, and a team from the host nation.

    This year’s edition sees the introduction of goal-line technology for the first time at a big tournament.