The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sports

  • 2013 AFCON HOSTING: S/Africa splashes N8.3bn on Eagles, others

    2013 AFCON HOSTING: S/Africa splashes N8.3bn on Eagles, others

    South Africa on Thursday disclosed it will splash 461 million rand (about N8.3bn, $53 million, 41 million euros) on Nigeria’s Super Eagles and 15 other teams that will be contesting the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) next year but denied it was a “vanity project” in tough economic times.

    South Africa stepped in after the football showcase was shifted from war torn Libya and had to find the funds to pick up the hosting tab amid a slowing economy and rising debt levels.

    “We are ensuring that we cut out any form of extravagance,” deputy finance minister Nhlanhla Nene told reporters, saying the tournament had not been budgeted for in the current financial year.

    “What we have approved for funding for AFCON, we have cut it absolutely to the bone…I don’t think we can regard it as a vanity project.”

    South Africa was only due to stage the continent’s championship in 2017 but the country’s lauded 2010 World Cup, which saw a building boom on stadiums, roads and airports, would help with hosting duties, he said.

    The costs for the tournament, which runs from January 19 to February 10, were outlined in the medium term budget policy statement which was tabled on Thursday.

    Funds were diverted from prioritised spending and will go to areas such as to host cities, security and health.

    The tournament will be played in five host cities and towns – Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit and the mining town Rustenburg.

    South Africa is also expected to take over the hosting of 2014 African Nations Championship for local-based footballers.

  • Ideye dreams Porto revenge

    Ideye dreams Porto revenge

    Super Eagles and Dynamo Kiev forward, Brown Aide Ideye is looking forward to paying back Porto with a defeat when they visit Kiev for the reverse fixture of Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League 3-2 defeat on November 6.

    The Nigeria international, who momentarily levelled scores for Dynamo at 2-2 in the second half, told SportingLife that he was looking forward to improving on his performance after the loss at Dragao stadium.

    “Yes, it was a painful loss after coming back at 2-2 but that’s football for you. Hopefully, we are going to pay them back when they come for the return leg. On my part, I will keep working hard and ensure I score more goals for both club and country,” added Ideye who has now scored 13 goals in all competitions.

    Speaking on the outcome of the match, Porto coach Vitor Pereira said: “Our first half was quality but, although in the second we were not as strong, we achieved our goal. We grabbed nine points from the first three matches in the Champions League, it’s not any team that does that”.

    Ideye and pals will however take little heart from becoming the first team to score against Porto at the Dragao stadium this season in all competitions.

    Dynamo Kiev are third on three points while Paris St Germain are second in the group with six points after a 2-0 win at Dinamo Zagreb. Zagreb are on zero.

  • Siasia celebrates

    Siasia celebrates

    Former Super Eagles Coach, Samson Siasia, has described the draw which places Nigeria in Group C as a good one by any standard for Super Eagles.

    “It’s a good draw instead of being pitched against Cote d’ Voire or Ghana. I think we should be able to top this group and qualify to the next stage of the tournament.

    “I know Nigeria could have a good tournament in South Africa with good preparations. The Coach (Stephen Keshi) has the material I mean good players that can deliver the goods with good preparation and support from everybody”, Siasia told SportingLife.

    Other top Nigerian football stakeholders have also tipped Nigeria to qualify easily from the group.

    Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Director of Technical Emmanuel Ikpeme reacted to the draw, “The draw is okay. Just okay.”

    Former Super Eagles defender Ajibade Babalade popularly known as Kunde warned about the danger of underrating the teams in Nigeria’s group.

    “There are no minnows again in football. So it is going to be a tough group so we have to really prepare well. The preparations must start now, funds should not be a hindrance to Nigeria’s preparations,” the Shooting Stars Football Club Team Manager told SportingLife.

  • Nwosu happy with Eagles’ foes

    Nwosu happy with Eagles’ foes

    Former Golden Eaglets’ coach, Henry Nwosu said the Super Eagles have nothing to fear over their 2013 AFCON group opponents.

    The Africa Cup of Nations draws held in Durban, South Africa on Wednesday by CAF pitched Nigeria in Group C alongside Cup holders, Zambia, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia.

    Nwosu dismissed the trio as no threat insisting that Nigeria would have themselves to blame if they failed to qualify from the relatively fair group.

    “It’s a good one for us but we must not see the opponents as walk-overs or teams we can leisurely beat.

    “I quite agree they’re beatable if we work extremely hard. Zambia are title holders but down their spines they believe Nigeria are a strong football nation.

    “Nothing to fear against the other two foes, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia.

    “We’ll blame ourselves if for any reason we don’t qualify ahead of other opponents,” said the former Nigerian player to supersport.com.

    However, Nwosu will want massive repair work done on the Eagles’ backline even as he declined to set a mark for the nation’s campaigners at the biennial football showpiece.

    “Let’s start the competition first before setting the mark. Of course, the 16 teams are in South Africa for the title.

    “I believe Keshi knows what to do to raise a squad that will gun for laurels but suffice to chip in that some areas need to be fortified, especially the defence.

    “We have abundant quality players in the midfield and attack. What needs to be done is test their skills and form a solid side that will achieve positive results,” said the former ACB player.

    The 2013 AFCON starts in January and Nigeria will be gunning for her third title.

  • ‘Eagles cannot afford to underrate AFCON opponents’

    ‘Eagles cannot afford to underrate AFCON opponents’

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has warned the Super Eagles against looking down on their Group C opponents Zambia, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, if they want to advance beyond the first round.

    The NFF’s Chief Media Officer, Demola Olajire in a brief chat with SportingLife shortly after the draws noted that though the senior national team got a balance draw adding that the Football House was already prepared for any eventuality in agreement with the comments from the Eagles’ boss, Stephen Keshi prior to the draws.

    Olajire disclosed that the build up for the next Nations Cup would start immediately Keshi returns from his trip to South Africa. ment and to ratify the sure bet for an impressive competition in South Africa.

    He said that the NFF will do everything within reach to ensure that the Eagles get to the target set by the nation’s president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan who charged the team to go all out and win the Nations Cup to halt the cup drought experienced by the senior national team lately.

    “Coach Keshi said before the draw that he is prepared for any team,” he said.

    “The important thing is to prepare very well and have the mind to go in there and do a job.

    “It is not the teams that you meet at the preliminary stage that matter but how prepared you are to take on those opponents that you meet later on in the competition. You really have to beat the best from other groups too to stand any chance to win the competition.

    “Yes our group rivals look good but still the Super Eagles cannot afford to underrate any team if we are serious with our aspirations.”

  • Yobo denies surgery rumours

    Yobo denies surgery rumours

    Nigeria captain, Joseph Yobo has told Goal.com that he is not nursing a serious knee injury that requires surgery which would keep him out of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

    The Fenerbahce defender, angry at a recent news report on a football website, said it is mischievous for anybody to have concocted a story that he would be going under the surgeon’s knives because of a knee injury he copped while playing for his club. He disclosed that it was a minor swelling in the leg which has started going down.

    “I can tell anybody that cares to listen that I don’t have a cruciate ligament injury that requires surgery of any kind. What happened is that I had a little problem on my knee which I am taking precautions on. But it doesn’t require surgery like it was reported in a local website. I only need to calm down for the swelling to come down,” said Yobo.

    “I have a game on Monday which the orthomedic surgeon even said I can play if I want to. But I don’t want to rush back to play. I want to take my time before starting to play.

    “Right now I am doing a lot of strength work and to hear that there is a report saying that I am not going to be fit for the Nations Cup is very sad. It is important to cross check facts and do a lot of investigations on very delicate issues like this than to come out with false reports. This is very sad.”

    Yobo missed the crucial Afcon qualifier against Liberia a fortnight ago due to the strain and this has resulted in speculations about his future in the side preparing for the continental showpiece in January.

    “I spoke with Coach Stephen Keshi last week after we qualified for the Nations Cup in Calabar and I told him point black I don’t need surgery and that surgery is definitely out of it. That was what we discussed and he was so happy about it. So I don’t really know where the news of surgery is coming from. I don’t want everybody concerned to be panicking for a minor case. This is just to correct the erroneous impression.

    “I am using this medium that I am going to be back pretty soon and it is definitely not going to be long I can assure them,” said Yobo.

  • Keshi to meet NFF’s Technical Committee

    Keshi to meet NFF’s Technical Committee

    The parley between the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF)’s Technical Sub Committee and the Head Coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi is expected to kick start the nation’s preparation for the next January Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), a top official has revealed.

    The Super Eagles were drawn in a Group C comprising the reigning Champions, Chipolopolo of Zambia, the Stallions of Burkina Faso and the Walyas Antelopes of Ethiopia in the draw held in Durban, South Africa on Wednesday.

    In a telephone chat with the NFF’s Chief Media Officer, Demola Olajire shortly after the draws he disclosed that all reports on the campsite and preparations of the Eagles for the AFCON were mere rumours as nothing yet has been concluded.

    He stressed that there would be a meeting between the NFF’s Technical Sub Committee and the Eagles’ boss in the coming days to chart the way forward for the senior national team ahead of the 2013 Nations Cup.

    Olajire said: “Everything is on hold until the Head Coach (Keshi) comes back and until there is a meeting between him and the Technical Sub Committee. The NFF has not decided on anything now. No arrangement has been made on the programme of the Eagles but in days to come they will be made public after their meeting.”

    Nigeria is seeking third crown in AFCON tourney after the triumphs at home in 1980 and 1994 in Tunisia where the current Eagles boss was then captain that lifted the cup after a 2-1 win over stubborn Zambia in Tunis.

  • Chamanga: Group C not about Eagles

    Chamanga: Group C not about Eagles

    Striker James Chamanga says Group C is not about the Super Eagles but about Zambia defending their Africa Cup title.

    Chamanga told MTNFootball.com from his base in China that Zambia did not have revenge on their minds after being drawn against Nigeria on Wednesday night in Durban.

    “Nigeria is not the only team in our group and every team is as strong as Nigeria,” Chamanga of Chinese club Dalian Shide said.

    “But we are going there as defending champions so we do not go to play Nigeria, we are going to defend the Cup.”

    Zambia and the Super Eagles will clash in their penultimate Group C match on January 29 at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. The two sides’ last meeting was a friendly on November 15, 2011 that the Super Eagles won 2-0 in Kaduna.

    Zambia has also lost both their last two tournament meetings against the Super Eagles losing 5-4 on post-match penalties in the quarterfinals of the 2010 event in Angola after finishing scoreless.

    Zambia also lost 2-1 to the Super Eagles in the 1994 finals in Tunisia.

  • Sunshine’s loss to help Lobi

    Sunshine’s loss to help Lobi

    Lobi Stars’ defender, Anthony Agbaji said Sunshine Stars failed title chase at the CAF Champions League is a blessing in disguise for his side.

    Sunshine Stars were bundled out of Africa’s elite clubs competition by the Egyptian giants, Al Ahly which confirmed the Makurdi-based side ticket for the CAF Confederation Cup campaign next year.

    Lobi finished third on the domestic league log behind champions, Kano Pilllars and Enugu Rangers and had lived anxiously waiting to know the fate of the Akure Gunners on the continent.

    This is due to the continental body’s provision that allows Cup holders to defend their title and had Sunshine Stars won that would have knocked out Lobi Stars from Africa’s duty next year.

    Agbaji said they had wished the nation’s campaigners well in their attempt to win laurel for the country but with the elimination their ticket at the continent has been sealed and delivered.

    “We’ve always been praying for their victory at the CAF Champions League but their loss has become our gain.

    “We’re excited with the new opportunity to campaign at the continent, so their exit is more or less a blessing in disguise for us.

    “Now we’ve to up our trainings and preparations as well as act henceforth as a continental team,” said Agbaji to supersport.com.

    The Lobi strongman said his side will meet the expectations of Nigerians at the continent.

    “We’ll surely meet the expectation of every Nigerian. Definitely, the trophy won’t elude us. The players are eager and roaring to play at the continent, I’m sure with the renewed spirit in us the title will be ours,” he said.

    Agbaji is positive Lobi will reclaim the league title that eluded them in the out gone 2011/2012 NPL season.

    “Our target is to win the league title in the upcoming season, at least, to make up for the narrow miss in the last season. I’m positive next season will be my side harvest of trophies,” he enthused.

  • No hiding place for Guinea — Iheanacho

    No hiding place for Guinea — Iheanacho

    Golden Eaglets’ striker, Kelechi Iheanacho, has stated that their Guinean U17 counterparts will have no hiding place on Sunday when the second leg of their second round of the Africa U17 Championship qualifier is decided in Conakry.

    Nigeria won the first leg 3-0 but Iheanacho told SportingLife that the Eaglets would embark on mass attack in the away game so as to atone for their frittered chances in the first leg two weeks ago.

    The Imo born sad: ” We are not going to Conakry to admire the trees or the people there. We are there for pure business and Nigerians we get full dose of what we are there for by the time the match is concluded on Sunday.

    “We are going to Guinea to make amend for the chances we couldn’t score in the first leg. We are going there to defend at all. We will try to get some of the goals that eluded us at home. It is our wish to make our nation proud.”

    The Eaglets defeated Niger Republic 10-1 on aggregate in the last round with Iheanacho among the goals scorers.

    He also got a goal in the 3-0 whip lash of Guinea in Calabar two weeks ago.