Category: Sports

The Chairperson of the Nigeria Women League Chief (Mrs.) Dilichukwu Onyedinma has commended the Senior National Women team, Super Falcons for their resilience in ensuring that they outwit all opposition so far, to qualify for the semi-finals of the Africa Women Championship holding in Equatorial Guinea.

Speaking in Abuja, the NFF Executive Committee member said “the Super Falcons deserves all the commendations. Their performance so far has shown that they are in the championship to retain the trophy they won two years ago in South Africa. We all saw how they subdued the Lioness of Cameroun despite the poor playing pitch, and also overwhelmed the Ethiopians in their last match. I have all the confidence that the girls would over run the Ivoirians when they meet later next week. I implore them to remain focused and determined as ever to retain the trophy”.

Onyedinma said that the Board of the NFF is committed to ensuring that they not only retain the trophy, but perform creditably well in the Women World Cup in Canada next year. She appealed for the total support all Nigerians towards achieving this feat.

It would be recalled that the Super Falcons has won all the various editions of the championship, with exception of that held in Equatorial Guinea in 2009.

Nigeria are guaranteed four-star treatment during the AFCON as they are booked at the Ingwenyama Conference and Sport Resort in Nelspruit.

According to an official release by the AFCON local organisers, Nigeria are booked into this spectacular, 65-hectare facility, which has already played the perfect host to several top football teams including Chile, Bafana Bafana, Niger and Thailand.

Besides the world-class facilities on offer at the sport resort, it also has FIFA-approved football pitches where the Eagles will also train for the Nations Cup.

There is also a high-performance gym at this four-star hotel.

Hospitality experts rate this facility as excellent for a large of people, which would be the case as the Eagles would be accompanied by a large band of travelling fans.

The resort is also just a few kilometres from the 45,000-capacity 2010 World Cup Stadium, the Mbombela Stadium, which will stage Group C matches involving Nigeria, Zambia, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia.

It is only three hours by road from the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

Ethiopia are booked at the Protea Hotel The Winkler, which only recently welcomed Nigeria U20 team, the Flying Eagles, for a 2013 Africa Youth Championship qualifier.

Burkina Faso will put up at the Mercure Hotel and train at the Nelspruit Rugby Stadium, while defending champions Zambia will stay at Protea Hotel and train at Ka Nyamazane.

Ex-Eagles star Jonathan Akpoborie has said Bayer Leverkusen star Sidney Sam would be a most welcome addition for Nigeria to the 2013 AFCON.

Sam, whose father is Nigerian, has featured for Germany at age-grade level, but both Samson Siasia and now Stephen Keshi have made efforts to convince him to opt for Nigeria.

This season, the 23-year-old star has scored three goals in four appearances for Leverkusen including one of the goals that beat Bayern Munich to halt their amazing winning run in the Bundesliga.

Akpoborie told MTNFootball.com that Sidney Sam is the missing link in the Eagles midfield and his German Bundesliga experience would be of great value to the team in South Africa.

“Keshi has been doing well no doubt, I salute his courage for encouraging the home-based players. But for the team to go all the way in South Africa, there are still some work to do on the team,” said Akpoborie, who featured for several German clubs including Wolfsburg.

“Keshi is in charge but my advise to him is to stick to the bulk of players who faced Liberia and bring in Sidney Sam.

“Sam is needed in the midfield of the Eagles, he has the quality to make the team better. He deserves a chance and he has shown interest in playing for Nigeria, so let’s get him on board.”

Akpoborie would also want England-based central defender Nedum Onuoha to be reconsidered by the Eagles.

“I would also suggest Nedum Onuoha be called to strengthen the defence,” he offered.

At a time when allegations of racism in football has become a source of worry, former Super Eagles defender and Bury ace Efe Sodje has declared he will not hesistate to walk off the pitch if racially abused.

The 40-year-old who played for the Super Eagles between 2000 and 2004 making nine appearances and scoring a goal, revealed in a chat with BBC World Service that he had been a victim of racial abuse earlier in his career.

“Let’s say it happens on Saturday – I’m going to say the game should be stopped,” said the former Nigeria international centre-back.

“Whoever shouts it out will be picked out. I will make sure that person would be pointed out and shamed.”

And veteran Sodje is confident he would not suffer any punishment from the authorities or from his club if he took that course of action.

He continued: “The club will back it, especially our manager [Kevin Blackwell]. He’s 100% behind that.

“He’s been really annoyed with it – the way things are going – and he said he would back whatever we are doing.

“We are not going to accept it as this club here.”

Sodje, who is with his 10th club and has played more than 500 games in English football, thinks recent controversies involving racism could have been easily avoided if stronger punishments had been in place.

“It flared up massively with the John Terry case,” added Sodje. “That’s what kicked it off again big time and the way they never reacted to that case.

“I don’t feel let down [by the authorities] but they should have stepped it up and set an example from the top of the FA. If you take drugs and they catch you, you’re banned. It’s as simple as that.”