The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sports

  • Confusion trails Liberia’s arrival

    As at 9:05 pm on Friday night, chieftains of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) were still waiting frantically for the Lone Star of Liberia’s chartered aircraft from Accra, Ghana.

    SportingLife can reveal that the Liberians departed Accra, Ghana at 9:05pm Friday and were expected in Calabar at 10:30pm.

    Indeed, SportingLife gathered from NFF’s spokesman, Ademola Olajire that the body’s General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu, who had been speaking on telephone with his Liberian counterpart, confirmed that the Liberian delegation left Accra at 9:05pm on Friday.

    While speaking with SportingLife from Calabar first at 6pm Friday evening, NFF’s image maker Olajire had stated that the Liberians would be in the Canaan City at 8pm after initially informing the federation that they would be in the country at 9am Friday morning.

    At 8pm, SportingLife sought to know from NFF’s Olajire if the Liberians were already in and he said: “As for the earlier scheduled time of 8pm, we have been told that they would arrive in Calabar at 10.30pm. Hopefully, if they come, they will train at 10am on the pitch and we are positive that the game will hold as scheduled today.”

    It turned out to be a trade of words between Liberia’s FA chiefs and NFF’s head of international competitions on and Thursday and Friday.

    The NFF, through its head of international competition, Bola Oyeyode, issued the following statement at lunch-time on Friday:

    “As at Friday morning, the NFF was still expecting the 125-member Liberian delegation, as against information from the Liberia Football Association that the team would land in Calabar by 7.30pm on Thursday.

    “We’re still expecting them to advise us on their new arrival time. They got in touch with us on Thursday night to say that they had a problem with the aircraft they wanted to charter and that they would find their way into Nigeria on Friday. We are still expecting them for the game on Saturday.”

    A spokesman for the Liberia Football Association (LFA), Henry Flomo, said: “We hope to leave our base at 1530 GMT to join up with the technical delegation, who are flying in from Monrovia. We will then travel together on a charter flight to Calabar. We expect to arrive in Calabar very late tonight and hope to have a chance to train on the pitch very early tomorrow morning.”

    This is hardly ideal preparation for Liberia, with the tie level at 2-2.

    Flomo’s comments will only further cloud this confusing tale after the president of the LFA, Musa Bility, told the BBC on Thursday: “Unfortunately, as of four o’clock, the aircraft still had not received landing confirmation from the Nigeria airport authority. We do not know why there has been a delay. Our aircraft people said they could not fly after four o’clock because the airport at Calabar closes early.”

    Had the flight been granted clearance on Thursday, it is unlikely that the Liberia delegation would have arrived together, as Nigeria were expecting.

  • Kwara for the top, boasts new coach

    Kwara for the top, boasts new coach

    Newly appointed Kwara United coach Samson Unuanel has said the Ilorin team will play good football and get results in the new season.

    The former assistant coach at Enyimba told MTNFootball.com that he will put together a team who will play attractive football which will us give results.

    “I want to first thank the Kwara State Governor, the sports commissioner and the management of the club for giving me this opportunity to handle Kwara United,” he said.

    “I also thank the fans for the warm reception accorded me. I am promising to put together a team who will play good and attractive football that is result oriented.

    “This is a big challenge for me because I was picked out of 43 coaches, most of whom are my seniors. I will make the most of this chance and make everyone who has something to do with Kwara United laugh and appreciate the team.”

    Last season, Kwara placed sixth on 52 points in the Nigeria Premier League.

    Unuanel won the Federation Cup bronze medal with Ocean boys in 2011 and steer the team away from relegation. He also won league as an assistant coach at Enyimba in 2009.

     

  • BAKASSI CONTROVERSY: Jonathan doubtful for Eagles tie

    BAKASSI CONTROVERSY: Jonathan doubtful for Eagles tie

    Doubts have surrounded President Goodluck Jonathan’s trip to Calabar for tomorrow’s all important Nations Cup return leg qualifier between Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Lone Stars of Liberia.

    This is because of fears that the President may be booed by angry fans for his refusal not to review the judgement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that ceded Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon 10 years ago.

    Before it was ceded, Oil rich Bakassi used to be a local government in Cross Rivers State, Nigeria that shared boundary with Cameroon.

    “That is the feelers we are getting from the Presidency even though it has not been officially confirmed,” a top NFF source said.

    Our source informed that the only top dignitary they were expecting was the Cross Rivers State governor, Senator Liyel Imoke.

    “For now he is the only high profile guest that has confirmed his presence,” added the source.

    Only last week, Jonathan had promised to be in Calabar to cheer Eagles to victory which was coming weeks after paying the team a surprise visit at the FIFA Goal Project while they preparing for the first leg encounter in Monrovia last month.

  • 5,000 security agents on patrol

    5,000 security agents on patrol

    No fewer than 5,000 stern looking security men from various security agencies in the country will be deployed to the Calabar for the Nigeria, Liberia clash for 2013 Africa Cup of Nations’ ticket on Saturday.

    Reports coming out of the Canaan-City suggest that major road junctions, hotels and eateries will witness top notch security while traffic movement in and around the U.J.Esuene Stadium will be restricted except those on essential duties before and during the match.

    The encounter which is the final AFCON qualifier has already witnessed large influx of visitors from different part of the country. Most of the hotels and relaxation spots around the Eagles Metropolitan Hotel base have also witnessed a sudden rise in guests and sales.

  • No need to panic —Ambrose

    No need to panic —Ambrose

    Super Eagles and Celtic defence ace, Efe Ambrose, has assured Nigerians that there’s no need for panic ahead of Saturday’s AFCON qualifiers against Liberia’s Lone Star at U.J.Esuene Stadium, Calabar.

    The former Kaduna United defender told SportingLife’s source in Calabar on Thursday that the team’s quest for a 2013 AFCON ticket is still on course.

    “Our objective is to help each other in the team. Nigerians should not forget that we are here to make them proud. All that we are thinking of right now is to ensure that we qualify for the 2013 AFCON and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil so there’s no need for panic at all,” he said.

    Speaking on his preferred playing position on the pitch, the new club Celtic-boy said: “I’ve played in different positions in all the clubs I’ve played for. I am a defender and I’m supposed to also be versatile in defending. Wherever the coach wants me to play, I will definitely put in my best.”

    The defender further stressed the relationship between the foreign-based players and the home-based players remains cordial, even as he noted there will be no room for errors against the Lone Star on match day. “It does not matter where you’re based, whether you’re in Europe or here in Nigeria most of us all played in Nigeria here before traveling to Europe, so there’s no discrimination at all and we look forward to a decent outing come Saturday. Hopefully, we are not going to concede any goal during the match and this will automatically give us the ticket to the 2013 AFCON in South Africa,” he added.

  • Kanu storms Eagles closed session training

    Kanu storms Eagles closed session training

    Nigerian legend, Nwankwo Kanu, was the surprise presence at the Super Eagles closed door training session on Thursday evening at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar.

    Spotting his trade mark African plaited hairdo, Kanu was in company of his younger brother Ogbonna, and took time off to shake all the players before and after the training session, with Head Coach, Stephen Keshi beaming with smiles at the support he’s getting from the Atlanta ’96 Olympics gold medal hero and two times African Footballer of The Year.

    Kanu said at the session that he was there to offer his teammates support, as he was still an active footballer. He admonished the players to be relaxed but be serious as that is the only way victory will come easy on Saturday. “It’s like when you want to write an essay if you take it too serious when you get to the examination hall you become blank, that is why I’m saying they should just relax their nerves and get the job done on Saturday, the quality here is too high for Liberia to survive us,” he said.

    During the session proper that lasted for two hours, John Mikel Obi, who came in on Wednesday and trained in the evening of the same day, was again the cynosure of all eyes as some fear for his fitness, but the Chelsea of England midfield general came out smoking during the training. Mention must also be made of Lazio kid sensation, Ogenyi Onazi, whose midfield touches were near excellent, as Coach Keshi gradually zeroes in on his first eleven for the encounter on Saturday.

    So far, it’s difficult to pick Keshi’s brains regarding the starting eleven, but from the closed session, Nigerians should expect some surprises when the list of probables is finally made public by noon on Saturday.

  • ABS confirm Dogo as TA

    ABS confirm Dogo as TA

    Abubakar Bukola Saraki Football Club will resume preparation for the 2012/2013 Nigeria Premier League season on Monday, as all the players and the technical crew have been told to converge in Ilorin on Sunday, to discuss action plan ahead of the season.

    The club has also re-confirmed Coach Kabir Sulaiman Dogo as the Technical Adviser of the only privately owned club in the elite league, meaning that there is no vacancy in the coaching line of the club.

    Dogo will be entitled to a new official car and accommodation, with improved welfare package.

    The developments were confirmed by the Team Manager of the club, Alloy Chukwuemeka, after the management meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, chaired by the Proprietor of the club, Senator (Dr) Abubakar Bukola Saraki.

    The club finished 15th on the 2011/2012 Nigeria Premier League final table, and the Team Manager of the club said that the target this season will be pursued with utmost seriousness.

    The club, according to Chukwuemeka, will sign only 25 players for next season, even as the technical crew has been charged to work towards that decision.

  • Usman Amodu agrees join Kano Pillars

    Nigeria Olympic international Usman Amodu has agreed to join Nigeria Premier League champions Kano Pillars.

    The former Golden Eaglets left back told MTNFootball.com that he opted to pitch his tent with Pillars because they will play international football next year and he also likes the set-up at the champions.

    “I will play for Kano Pillars next season. We have agreed terms and I will rejoin the team for training next week,” revealed Amodu, who has featured for Al Hilal in Sudan and last starred for Kwara United.

    “It is true that I have other offers but I chose Pillars because I want to play in the CAF Champions League. The set up at the club is also wonderful, they are well organised.”

    Meanwhile, Amodu quit bachelorhood Saturday when he took his heart throb Ladi to the altar at the Methodist Church in Kaduna.

     

  • 3SC fans happy to see Adepoju go

    3SC fans happy to see Adepoju go

    Most fans of NPL side 3SC have expressed confidence the team will be better off following the departure of club manager Mutiu Adepoju.

    This week, former Nigeria International Adepoju quit the Ibadan club at the expiration of his contract. He spent three seasons as a top official of the club he once played for.

    Fans have now accused the former Eagles skipper as being behind the woes of Shooting Stars. One of the supporters said Mutiu did not work in concert with any of the coaches under him.

    “There was no coach who worked with him who excelled. Franklin Howard brought us to elite league later that coach failed. Philip Boamah also failed, likewise the only Ibadan coach Fatai Amao also worked with him and failed,” narrated a fan.

    “We then hired Festus Allen at the beginning of last season, but the coach worked with Mutiu. Where is the coach today? No coach could have succeeded in the presence of Mutiu and so I’m very happy for his exit in the club. With the departure of Mutiu we can now contend for the league title in the coming season.”

    Another fan accused Adepoju of being biased in his signing of players pointing out that: “Last season he recruited players at the beginning and second half of the season, but they all failed us but thanks to the commissioner for sports, Dapo Lam Adesina who quickly intervened and we finished well on the table.

    “But for the commissioner, we would have gone on relegation.”

    A section of the fans also said the former Racing Santander star was on a huge salary, which the club could hardly afford. Another fan Bayo Adeyemi expressed mixed feelings with the exit of Adepoju.

    “He was our hero when he played for the club and so we will miss him,” he said. Adepoju informed MTNFootball.com he would fly out to Spain on Thursday to further his coaching career.

    “I will leave the country on Thursday to Spain to go and further my coaching career because there is need for it,” he said.

  • Keshi: I’m under pressure to win

    Keshi: I’m under pressure to win

    Super Eagles Head Coach Stephen Keshi says he’s under pressure to win on Saturday even as he remains optimistic that his boys would overrun the Lone Star of Liberia to pick the available ticket to next year’s edition of the Africa Nations Cup holding in South Africa.

    Keshi who had a full training with all his boys in camp on Thursday, told SportingLife that he is under pressure to win.

    “Life is all about pressure. There is pressure everywhere in the country. There is pressure in government, and there is pressure in all our human activities. There is pressure on us in Super Eagles to win. The players are under pressure because they want to qualify for the Africa Nations Cup. There is pressure on the technical crew to ensure that they put the players in top shape to play well and win. We cannot afford to disappoint our numerous fans in country. We cannot afford not to get to the Nations Cup this time around. We are all under pressure to perform,” he said.

    Speaking further, the big boss warned: “Go and tell the Lone Star of Liberia that they cannot stop me from going to South Africa next year, because I am under pressure to qualify my country for the championship. I cannot disappoint my countrymen, who are solidly behind us. We cannot afford to do that. we are condemned to win and make them happy. Nigerians are passionate about the Super Eagles, and we cannot afford to fail them.”

    The former Head Coach of the Hawks of Togo insists he is not disturbed with happenings in the Lone Star camp.

    “I’m not bothered about the preparation of the Liberians. I don’t care about monitoring what they are doing, I am only concerned now about my own team, I want them to be in good shape. I want them to be on top of their games, I want them to remain focused, and I want them to be in good health. If we have all these, there is nothing stopping us from winning. We would continue to work hard, and keep pushing until we achieve the ultimate, which is qualifying for the Africa Nations Cup holding in South Africa next January,” he noted.