The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sports

  • SA refs pull double in Nigeria

    SA refs pull double in Nigeria

    South African referees Daniel Bennett, Victor Gomes and Zakhele Siwela returned from Nigeria on Monday only to have to turn around and head back in the same direction today to handle yet another game in the giant West African country.

    The trio, along with linesman Enock Molefe, were on duty last Saturday in Ijebu-Ode when home club Sunshine Stars played out a thrilling 3-3 draw with Egyptian giants Al Ahli in the first leg of the African Champions League semifinal. Molefe is replaced by the Kenyan linesman Marwa Range for the African Nations Cup qualifier between Nigeria and Liberia which is to be played in Calabar on Saturday. It is a final round, second leg qualifier evenly poised after a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Monrovia last month.

    Bennett and his team were due to depart today for the game. Siwela and Range are the linesmen fort the game and Gomes serves as fourth official. The match trio are also on the shortlist of officials for the next World Cup finals in Brazil.

    Bennett has recently returned from a FIFA workshop in Zurich in for prospective World Cup officials and Siwela heads to Switzerland next month for a similar exercise.

    Bennett, Siwela and Range handled last month’s Nations Cup qualifier between Guinea and Niger in Conakry, which Guinea narrowly won.

  • 2014 WORLD CUP: Ronaldo won’t tip Brazil for 6th title

    2014 WORLD CUP: Ronaldo won’t tip Brazil for 6th title

    Brazil legend Ronaldo is convinced his country will put on a great show at the World Cup in 2014, but doubts they can lift the title a record sixth time.

    Fears were mounting over the countries’ readiness to host the competition with the building of stadia and facilities seemingly behind schedule.

    Ronaldo moved to quell those fears, but has revealed he believes the chances of the hosts nation lifting the cup on July 13 are slim.

    He said: “I’m sure we will be able to look back with pride and know that we organised the best World Cup of all time. The organisation, of course, has to be perfect. It will be perfect. We will guarantee it will be perfect.”

    He added: “We have the worst FIFA ranking ever in history,” he said. “It is a difficult moment for the national team. However, we will be playing at home. This will be added incentive, it will be motivation. I think it will have a positive impact. Otherwise, I will be playing again!”

    Ronaldo was at the Leaders in Football Summit at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium where he met former Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba.

    FIFA have taken the opportunity at the event to pledge to keep empty seats to a ‘strict minimum’ at the the next World Cup.

  • Mikel sure of fitness

    Mikel sure of fitness

    Chelsea midfield ace, John Mikel Obi, finally arrived the Metropolitan camp of the Super Eagles on Wednesday afternoon, after his protracted battle to get a Ukrainian visa for his side’s UEFA Champions League game next week. The player has already said he was super fit for the encounter against Liberia.

    The development had kept Mikel away from the Super Eagles camp since Monday, leading to speculations that the player might be in Nigeria and was avoiding the national team’s camp. That was finally put to rest when Mikel breezed into camp on Wednesday at lunch time. Head Coach Stephen Keshi said he was not sure that the Chelsea midfielder even got the Ukrainian visa and may have forced the protocol team at Chelsea to release his passport for the Nigeria versus Liberia game on Saturday.

    “We must reduce the level of speculation on our top players as that could dampen their spirit and affect performance on the pitch. Mikel is here now and ready to play on Saturday and if we found him suitable, he would be played because he has shown enough national commitment,” Keshi said.

    The coach called on Nigerians to keep praying for the team, as the team is thinking of the Nigerian people and President Goodluck Jonathan, who personally visited the team during its training session for the first leg encounter in Monrovia. “I will not be here talking to you if I think the job of qualifying Nigeria for the Nations Cup is too big for me but I need the support of all Nigerians including critics of the team and together we can take the national team to greater heights,” Keshi said during a media interaction in Calabar on Wednesday.

  • Obudu LOC retains $50,000 top prize for winners

    Obudu LOC retains $50,000 top prize for winners

    The Local Organising Committee for the 8th Obudu international mountain race and the 4th African Nations Mountain Running Championships has revealed an unchanged prize money outlay for this year’s edition.

    Two years ago, the total prize money for the 6th edition of the race was increased by over $35,000 by the organisers following the introduction of the women’s version of the African Nations Mountain Running Championship.

    The total prize money which has gone up from $245,500 to $278,000 has been retained for this year’s edition.The prize money for the first to the 10th position for this year’s race remains the same with the winners in each gender category going home with $50,000 each while $20,000 and $9,000 respectively will go to the second and third placed finishers.The prizes for 4th -10th placed finishers in each category also remain at $4,500, $4,000, $3,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500 and $1,000 respectively.

    William Archibong, the Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee explains the reason for the retention of the prize money structure for the 8th edition which holds at the Obudu Ranch Resort in Obudu,Cross River state on Saturday November 17,2012.

    “His Excellency, the executive governor of Cross River State wants the race to maintain its status as the highest paying mountain race in the world. He is happy with the way the competition has been organised since its maiden edition in 2005 and wants us to make this year’s event even bigger and better in terms of the technical organisation of the race as well as the quality of athletes who will participate,” he said.

    The African Championship draws a prize money of $15,000 for first team position, $10,000 for second and $7,500 for third team position for both men and women.

    The prize monies for best Nigerian finishers (men/women) and Media Race (men/women) are also unchanged with the top three finishers going home with $2,000, $1,500 and $1,000 respectively.

    Also unchanged are the prize monies for the Children’s race where a total of N590,000 will be shared among the top 10 finishers with the top three in the boys and girls categories carting home N100,000, N80,000 and N50,000 respectively. Fourth to 10th placed finishers will get N20,000, N10,000, N9,000 ,N8,000, N7,000, N6,000 and N5,000 respectively.

    The Obudu international mountain race is organized by the Cross River State Government, in conjunction with the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN). It enjoys tremendous support from the African Athletics Confederation(CAA), the World Mountain Running Association, (WMRA) and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

  • Ideye wants committed Super Eagles

    Ideye wants committed Super Eagles

    Dinamo Kiev of Ukraine forward and Nigeria international, Brown Aide Ideye, has charged his teammates to be battle ready and not be tensed up as they set to play the Lone Star of Liberia on Saturday in an African Cup of Nations qualifier at the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar.

    Ideye in an exclusive chat with SportingLife noted that a relaxed team would win better than being panic in front of the opponents.

    The former Ocean Boys of Yenagoa striker opined that a united team on Saturday would definitely work together to defeat the Lone Star and avoid another sad end to the 2013 campaign just like it was in the 2012 edition.

    “They are a good team for sure but the most important thing for us is not to come out tense because we are playing at home and we have to take it one step at a time and believe that giving our best will be the best thing that can happen to Nigeria.

    “We also have to play as a team because this match means a lot to us,” Ideye, who has been scoring goals with fun in Ukraine told SportingLife.

  • EMENIKE,ENYEAMA TO TEAMMATES: Liberia can shock us!

    EMENIKE,ENYEAMA TO TEAMMATES: Liberia can shock us!

    The duo of Spartak Moscow of Russia’s Emmanuel Emenike and Maccabi Tel Aviv shot-stopper, Vincent Enyeama have warned their teammates not to expect a stroll in the pack win over Liberia’s Lone Star on saturday in an African Cup of Nations qualifier slated for Calabar’s UJ Esuene Stadium.

    In separate chats with the two players, each stated that the Eagles would have to be at their best against Liberia if they want to book a passage to the next year’s AFCON in South Africa.

    Enyeama noted that the Eagles would no doubt be the team to beat but warned that treating the Lone Star with kids glove may prove fatal.

    Enyeama stated: “Liberians have a good squad and they will fight with the last drop of their blood on Saturday. We will also fight until we get our objective that is the game of football.

    “We will qualify by the help of God we will make it.

    “There is no second thought of not qualifying at all. We are not working for a draw or other result it is victory that is on our minds.

    “Nigerians should support us through their prayers. It is not going to be easy. It is not going to be a bread and butter thing it will be tough. Let’s see how it goes.”

    On his part Emenike enthused that: “We need to be very careful. We need to go out and work. If we start undermining the Liberians they may shock us. They may come out and surprise us. We have to be serious and come out with the resolve to win.”

  • Keshi: No panic over Yobo’s injury

    Keshi: No panic over Yobo’s injury

    Nigeria’s senior team’s chief coach Stephen Keshi praised the patriotic zeal of the players in camp, who have assured him that they will pick the ticket not only for Nigeria but for their injured skipper stressing that: “There is no panic over Yobo’s injury, we are just motivated to secure the ticket and reassure him that we will all be together at SA 2013.”

    Super Eagles skipper, Joseph Ikpo Tambarin Yobo, spent over one hour on phone with Head Coach of the team, Stephen Keshi to confirm his unavailability for this weekend’s crucial tie against the Lone Star of Liberia, the coach confirmed on Wednesday. Yobo’s knee is said to have swollen up after he played 70 minutes for his Turkish side at the weekend

    Keshi revealed that it was a tearful Yobo, who revealed to him that the medical team at Turkish side, Fernabahce, have ruled him out of the Nigerian tie with a torn cruciate ligament, and have put him on medical examination to determine whether he can travel to Nigeria to morally boost his mates for the tie against Liberia.

    “If the medical team in Turkey clears him, we should be expecting Yobo on Friday, for the Saturday game. Our hearts go out to him and his family and at this point we want to say his health is most important to us because we will still need him soon for the Nations Cup proper and the World Cup qualifiers. We know he loves to play games like this, that was why he was shedding tears but we have assured him that capable replacement will help secure the ticket to South Africa 2013 Nations Cup,” Keshi said.

    Expectedly, Yobo’s deputy and first choice keeper, Vincent Enyeama, has stepped up as the team skipper in the absence of the influential centre back and has been playing the role quite well.

    He is now expected to lead Nigeria out against Liberia on Saturday in the final round of the Nations Cup qualifier.

  • Injured Yobo to hit Calabar Friday

    Injured Yobo to hit Calabar Friday

    Injured Super Eagles’ skipper, Joseph Yobo will arrive Calabar on Friday to cheer up his teammates against Lone Stars of Liberia after a knee wound forced him out of the tie.

    The chief coach of the Eagles Stephen Okechukwu Keshi who confirmed the development in a chat with the media on Wednesday stated that Yobo called him over weekend and told him he got a knee injury in Fenerbahce of Turkey’s league match and was substituted in the 70th minute of the encounter.

    Keshi noted that further checks carried out on the knee showed Yobo would not be available for the second leg of the crucial AFCON qualifier but would come to Calabar on Friday to show solidarity to the team’s quest to book a ticket to the 2013 Nations Cup slated for South Africa.

    The Big Boss, however, wished Yobo well.

    “My captain, our captain is injured. Yeah! He played the last game with his club and was in the pitch for about 70 minutes and he was substituted,” he said.

    “He called me right away that he had a little problem with his knee and I told him no problem. I also told him he should let me know what is going on.

    “The next day he called back. He (said) he has a swollen knee and he can’t move. He can only be here on Friday but even with that he cannot play.

    “We wish him quick recovery because we need him and hopefully he can make it here to ginger the boys because he still my captain.”

  • CAF Champions League: Ahly, Sunshine tie for closed doors

    CAF Champions League: Ahly, Sunshine tie for closed doors

    The second leg, semifinal game between Al Ahly and Sunshine Stars in the 2012 CAF Champions League in Alexandria or Cairo is expected to hold behind closed doors.

    According to reports in Egypt, the interior ministry of the North African nation wrote the country’s football association to state that it cannot guarantee the safety of fans for the game billed to hold at either the Military Stadium in Cairo or the Borg El Arab in Alexandria on October 21.

    The Egyptian interior ministry cited security concerns for its decision to order Al Ahly to play their game against Sunshine Stars without fans.

    The Egyptian government has placed a crowd ban at stadia across the nation since the Port Said disaster that left more than 70 fans dead in February during a Premier League game between Al Ahly and Al Masry.

    But Sunshine Stars’ midfielder, Dayo Ojo is unmoved by the news that they will play the Cairo Red Devils behind closed doors.

    “I don’t think it will affect anything or the quality of the game. They are a very good side whether their fans are in the stadium or not. All we will want to do is to shock them though it is a tall order for us. “In football anything is possible and we won’t go there to sit back because we have to play to score as we have no choice after the first leg ended in a draw,” Ojo told supersport.com.

    Al Ahly and Sunshine Stars played out a 3-3 draw last weekend at the Dipo Dina Stadium in Ijebu-Ode leaving the Egyptians as favourites to progress into the final.

  • Liberia dribble NFF men

    Liberia dribble NFF men

    • No word yet on arrival date

    The Liberia Football Association has continued to maintain secrecy over it’s team, the Lone Star’s arrival date for Saturday’s 2013 African Cup of Nations final qualifying match against the Super Eagles.

    Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu said on Tuesday evening: “I really don’t know what they (Liberia) are up to. They have not communicated their arrival date to us. However, we are not bothered about that. Rather, we’re concerned with preparing our team optimally to achieve victory. Whenever the Liberia delegation arrives, we will be ready for them,” said Amadu.

    Already, the Super Eagles are in Calabar putting finishing touches to preparations for Saturday’s cracker, which is delicately poised after both teams ended the first leg 2-2 in Monrovia on 8th September.

    Last month’s game at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium was the first time Nigeria and Liberia would square up in a Cup of Nations qualifying match. Both countries had only previously been involved in FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games qualifiers as well as friendly games.

    They met once in the African Cup of Nations finals, in 2002, when Julius Aghahowa’s goal separated both teams in a group phase match in Mali.

    Liberia needs a high-score draw or a win (neither of which they have ever recorded in Nigeria) in Calabar on Saturday to turn the table and bar the Super Eagles from next year’s African football houseparty in South Africa.