The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sports

  • Gambo Mohammed to join Sand Eagles

    Kano Pillars’ marksman, Gambo Mohammed, is expected to be named in the Nigerian beach soccer team, the Super Sand Eagles.

    Head coach of the Sand Eagles, Audu Adamu Ejor, disclosed to supersport.com that Mohammed is the latest player he has considered to add to his team.

    “We will soon start camping and I have drawn up some names that will be joining the team’s camp. Certainly there will be new players among those I am going to call up. One of them is Gambo Mohammed.

    “I’ve watched him and I believe that he will be a very good addition to the team as we prepare for coming tournaments,” said Ejor.

    “He has the qualities to fit into the sport of beach soccer and that’s why I have decided to call up into the team.”

    Mohammed finished last season as the second leading scorer in the 2011/2012 Nigeria Premier League (NPL) with 15 goals.

    The Sand Eagles are expected to start camping in Lagos in October as they prepare to defend their Copa Lagos title this December.

    Ejor said he is looking forward to leading out his team in the Copa Lagos title defence.

    “Winning the tournament last year was a big boost for my team and the sport. All we can do now is look forward to the tournament and hopefully we can win it again,” said the Nigerian coach.

  • Mikel to Chelsea fans

    Mikel to Chelsea fans

    John Obi Mikel apologised for the mistake that cost Chelsea the chance to open their Champions League defence with a win after their 2-2 draw with Juventus.

    The holders blew a two-goal lead at Stamford Bridge Wednesday night, with a pair of defensive blunders costing them dearly against the Italian champions.

    Having allowed Juve to get back into the Group E clash before half-time, Chelsea looked set to eke out a 2-1 win before Mikel needlessly gave the ball away 10 minutes from time.

    He then failed to prevent Claudio Marchisio playing Fabio Quagliarella into space for the equaliser, with David Luiz also all at sea.

    “If I want to make up an excuse, I can,” Mikel said. But, for me, I gave the ball away. I put my hands up, we move on.

    “I’m sorry about the mistake, but there are no excuses.”

    Meanwhile, Chelsea have condemned racist abuse on Mikel on Twitter, after the midfielder deleted his account on Thursday.

    Mikel, 25, removed his profile from the social networking site less than 24 hours after his misplaced pass allowed Juventus to level in their 2-2 Champions League draw at Stamford Bridge.

    Chelsea originally insisted it was entirely coincidental that Mikel, who said he was entirely unaware of any abuse, had decided to delete the ‘Mikel12Official’ account he set up this summer.

    However, the club have since informed the police after being made aware of the developments. A statement read: “We’ve been made aware of racist tweets targeted at Mikel which are totally unacceptable, disgusting and abhorrent. We’ve informed the police and support taking the strongest possible action.”

  • Ahead of Man City clash: ‘Arsenal are in better shape’

    Per Mertesacker insists the Arsenal team are showing plenty of confidence going into this weekend’s meeting with Manchester City.

    The Gunners take on the reigning Premier League champions at Etihad Stadium on Sunday on the back of two wins and two draws in the league and a 2-1 away win over Montpellier in the Champions League.

    It could be seen by many as a daunting task to try and beat City at their home but German defender Mertesacker feels that the Arsenal players are in the type of mood to do so.

    “We are convinced that we can stay in the league, at the top, and that’s our target for Sunday,” he told the London Evening Standard.

    “Last year we lost at Man City. It was a very tight game so we will try to do better this time.

    “We are in a better shape than last year because we are now in a good shape from the beginning. Maybe we can get more there – we are well prepared now.”

  • Rosenfeld: We won’t underestimate Nigeria

    As they prepare to kick off their FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup against Nigeria, Canada coach Bryan Rosenfeld believes the African side are not to be underestimated as the Canucks take start against a nation with a burgeoning reputation in women’s football.

    Despite an encouraging runners-up finish at the CONCACAF U-17 Championships, Rosenfeld is approaching the game with understandable caution as Nigeria similarly qualified comfortably. However, the Flamingoes’ improving performances across the board in women’s youth tournaments has meant he expects to face a well drilled outfit at Baku’s Tofig Bahramov Stadium.

    “You look at a little bit of their history right now with how they’ve done in U-17 and U-20 there seems to be consistency of their play,” Rosenfeld told FIFA.com. “[They] are becoming more and more organised in their women’s football, the talent keeps growing.

    “They are definitely a squad to be reckoned with, not to underestimate, and their strengths are definitely something that we are going to have to deal with.”

    Having reached the final four in the last two FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups, including a final in Germany 2010, and the quarter-finals at the last U-17 global finals, Rosenfeld’s reserve is justified. However the Ontario-born coach was sure not to undersell his confidence in his own side.

    Coming off the back of a fine display at the regional championships in Guatemala, conceding only once – to USA in the final – and beating fellow Azerbaijan 2012 qualifiers Mexico in the semis, Rosenfeld believes the wind is in their sails.

    “I think it was a really positive experience for us in Guatemala, considering in the second half of the final game we had the better of the play, really putting the Americans on their heels. We didn’t get the win but towards Azerbaijan it’s something we can build on and take that momentum into our game on 22 September.”

    Also drawn alongside the hosts and Colombia in Group A, Rosenfeld was positive they would be able to play their own game. “We have a team that is very much a hard-working unit,” he said. “But at the same time I believe we do have some special players who can make a difference in a game and with the right supporting cast around those players I think we can do quite well.”

  • NBA threatens to take over Yekini’s case

    NBA threatens to take over Yekini’s case

    After a long wait without pleasing results, the Nigeria Bar Association, Oyo State branch, has signified interest to wade into the investigations surrounding the death of late Super Eagles’ striker, Rashidi Yekini.

    The was revealed to newsmen in Ibadan yesterday by the Yekini’s Lawyer, Barrister Mohammed Olanrewaju Jibril who claimed he had been blocking his professional body (NBA) that had shown interest in taking over that case right from the onset.

    He explained that NBA has begun to inquire why nothing tangible has been done in exposing the true circumstances that surrounded the untimely death of the football hero.

    Jibril said the reason he had been preventing his body from dabbling into the case was that of the family of his client who are likely going to be the prime suspect in the case going by all the available facts generated so far.

    The Lawyer, however, explained that although the family had brought the death certificate of the deceased but he still alleged that, “the death certificate has not really clarified other important things like where was Rashidi Yekini between the Monday he was reportedly whisked away from his abode till the Friday he was rushed to the hospital where they claimed he died?

    “From my personal investigations after receiving the death certificate, the doctor who signed it insisted that he had not done anything serious as regards the medical check-up on Yekini before he died when he was rushed into his clinic.

    “I have been keeping quiet and hesitating on pressing charges on the family because I don’t want to be seen inflicting more pains on them after losing their son. But I won’t be able to stop any pressure group that may want to investigate the matter to a logical conclusion.

    “I have told them before now and I am using this medium again to appeal to Yekini’s family to come out openly and apologise to the whole Nigeria and the world at large over their attitude and on the mistake they made as regards the treatment meted on my client.

    “It is my belief that the family was misled by some misleading report they might have read in the newspapers concerning the sanity of my client. Rashidi was their son but he was my client too. He was a hero recognized worldwide, so he should not be treated like just a commoner,” Jibril explained.

  • UEFA Champions League: Ideye makes Top 10 Players to Watch

    UEFA Champions League: Ideye makes Top 10 Players to Watch

    Nigeria’s Brown Ideye has been listed among top ten players to watch in the UEFA Champions League despite failing to add to his 11 goals haul for Dynamo Kiev in their 4-1 defeat by PSG in Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League tie at Parc des Princes.

    According to renowned online sports website, bleacherreport.com, the Nigeria international has now gone three successive games at PSG’s Paris home ground without a goal despite his high scoring credentials since the start of current campaign.

    “Ideye Brown’s vertical jump would be well above average because he has a habit of outleaping defenders, who are several inches taller than him.

    “He’s a shorter version of Mario Mandžukic in that Brown is more efficient at heading the ball than shooting it.

    “This season, 45 percent of his goals have come from headers. Last season, Mandžukic netted 66.7 percent of his club goals from headers.

    “Brown was impressive in UEFA Champions League qualification games against solid competition like Feyenoord and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

    “However, he didn’t translate his good form against Paris Saint-Germain, where he ran aimlessly for most of the game,” the report read in part.

    Meanwhile, Ideye has admitted that Dynamo Kiev played below par in the 4-1 loss in Paris.

    Speaking with UEFA official website, the former Ocean Boys and Sochaux ace maintained that the French side were not superior during the encounter.

    “I don’t think PSG were too strong for us. They’re a good team, but we played very badly and when you play badly you lose. The penalty we conceded for the first goal was a problem. After that we lost concentration. I’m used to playing on my own in attack, so I’m not going to complain about that. Sometimes I have a lot of the ball and sometimes I don’t. The most important thing is to make the most of the opportunities I get.”

    The top 10 unheralded players in this season’s UEFA Champions League.

    10. Ideye Brown, Dynamo Kyiv, Centre Forward, Age: 23

    9. Rémy Cabella, Montpellier, Attacking Midfielder, Age: 22

    8. Aurélien Chedjou, Lille, Centre-Back, Age: 27

    7. Alexander Büttner, Manchester United, Left-Back, Age: 23

    6. Sofiane Feghouli, Valencia, Right Attacking Midfielder, Age: 22

    5. Nacho Monreal, Málaga, Left-Back, Age: 26

    4. Roman Neustädter, Schalke, Defensive Midfielder, Age: 24

    3. Mattia De Sciglio, AC Milan, Right-Back, Age: 19

    2. Kwadwo Asamoah, Juventus, Left Wing-Back, Age: 23

    1. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Shakhtar Donetsk, Attacking Midfielder, Age: 23

     

  • October 13 AFCON 2013 qualifier: Mikel boost for Eagles

    October 13 AFCON 2013 qualifier: Mikel boost for Eagles

    • No return ticket for Osaze yet

     •Team list out next week

    Coach Stephen Keshi has included Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi for next month’s AFCON clash, a Glasshouse official has revealed

    Mikel opted out of the first leg in Monrovia, which finished 2-2, when it was first learnt that the game will be played on an astro turf pitch.

    Keshi’s programme was on Tuesday handed to the NFF technical department, according to top officials of the Federation.

    “The coach has plans to name a killer squad that would include Chelsea stars John Mikel Obi and Victor Moses,” the official said.

    Several top officials who accompanied the Eagles to Monrovia earlier this month clamoured for the recall of Mikel after the team’s midfield collapsed against a rampant home team.

    Mikel has yet to play under Keshi, who took charge of the Eagles in November.

    However, West Bromwich Albion striker Osaze Odemwingie will have to wait a little longer before he returns to the Eagles fold, another top official told MTNFootball.com.

    “For Osaze, he would just be returning from his three-match ban and the coach feels he has not seen enough of him so I don’t think he would be making the Liberia game,” the official revealed.

    Keshi is expected to name his squad for the AFCON return leg next week with the camp opening for home-based players in the first week of next month ahead of the rematch billed for October 13 at the U.J Esuene Stadium Calabar.

  • Beckenbauer tips Bayern

    Beckenbauer tips Bayern

    Bayern Munich honorary president Franz Beckenbauer expressed his confidence on Tuesday that a German team can win this season’s Champions League title.

    Beckenbauer believes Bayern can erase the painful memories of May’s Champions League final defeat on penalties at their own Allianz Arena against Chelsea when they take on Spanish outfit Valencia in Munich today.

    But he also thinks that German champions Borussia Dortmund are in with a shot at the top European prize.

    “I consider them (Bayern) as strong enough to win the title,” Beckenbauer told the regional daily Stuttgarter Zeitung.

    “They (Dortmund) have learned from experience. Now they are different. Of course they lost Shinji Kagawa (to Manchester United) but acquired Marco Reus (from Moenchengladbach) and with it, they are even stronger,” said Beckenbauer.

    Bayern Munich were the last German team to win the European title in 2001. They finished runners-up in 2010 and 2012.

    Having won the German league and cup double last season, Dortmund are back in the Champions League for the second year running, but looking to improve on last season’s poor performance which saw them finish last in the group stages. Borussia Dortmund, the 1997 European champions, host Dutch club Ajax on Tuesday.

  • Reuben thrilled over LBA nomination

    Reuben thrilled over LBA nomination

    Kano Pillars’ midfielder, Gabriel Reuben is over the moon with his nomination in the end-of-the-season League Bloggers Award (LBA).

    Reuben has been nominated to stand in the Best National Team Player and Player of the Year categories in the maiden edition of the LBA.

    He told supersport.com: “I’m so happy to be mentioned among some of the best players in the Nigerian Premier League after a very fruitful season with my club, Kano Pillars. It shows that I’m reckoned with and I thank God for that.

    “But I’ll say my teammates and the coaches did make this possible because football is a team sport and I wouldn’t have achieved this all by myself.”

    On fellow nominees for the two categories in which he will stand for, Reuben believes it is an open floor for any of them to win. He stated that the other nominees did well to be mentioned in the running for the awards in the categories.

    “For them to be part of the nominees it means they are good as well and anyone can win in the two categories. But being nominated is a plus for my career,” he said.

    Reuben faces a challenge for the Best National Team Player from Ejike Uzoenyi (Enugu Rangers), Chigozie Agbim (Warri Wolves) and Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves).

    In the Player of The Year category, he will come up against David Tyavkase (Lobi Stars), Godfrey Oboabona (Sunshine Stars) and the season’s leading scorer, Sibi Gwar (Niger Tornadoes).

    The 2012 LBA will hold in Lagos in October.

    LBA Nominees & Categories

    1. Rookie of the Year

    •Solomon Jabason (Akwa United)

    •Austin Amutu (Warri Wolves)

    •Andrew Abalogu (ABS)

    •Bright Esieme (ABS)

    2. Best Goalkeeper

    •Femi Thomas (Akwa United)

    •Moses Ocheje (Sunshine Stars)

    •Theophilus Afelokhai (Kano Pillars)

    •Chigozie Agbim (Warri Wolves)

    3. Best Foreigner

    •Ousmane Pape Sane (Sharks/Senegal)

    •Tamen Medrano (Sunshine Stars/Cameroon)

    •Pierre Coly (Sharks/Senegal)

    •Adama Coulibaly (Warri Wolves/Mali)

    •Owusu Addae (Dolphins/Ghana)

    4. Club of the Year

    •Kano Pillars

    •ABS

    •Lobi Stars

    •Enugu Rangers

    5. Best Designed Club Jersey

    •3SC (OWU)

    •Warri Wolves (NOMIS)

    •Kano Pillars (Cone)

    6. Highest Goal Scorer Award

    •Sibi Gwar – 16 goals

    7. Manager of the Year (NPL)

    •Okey Emordi (Enugu Rangers)

    •Dominic Iorfa (Lobi Stars)

    •Baba Ganaru (Kano Pillars)

    8. Manager of the Year (Africa)

    •Maurice Cooreman (Warri Wolves)

    •Gbenga Ogunbote (Sunshine Stars)

    •Lodewijk de Kruif (Heartland)

    •Stanley Eguma (Dolphins)

    9. Best National Team Player

    •Ejike Uzoenyi (Enugu Rangers)

    •Chigozie Agbim (Warri Wolves)

    •Reuben Gabriel (Kano Pillars)

    •Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves)

    10. Player of The Year

    •Reuben Gabriel (Kano Pillars)

    •David Tyavkase (Lobi Stars)

    •Godfrey Oboabona (Sunshine Stars)

    •Sibi Gwar (Niger Tornadoes)

    SPECIAL RECOGNITION

    •Dubic Beer

    •ULO

    •SuperSport

    •Lucozade Sport

  • Evra returns for Galatasaray

    Evra returns for Galatasaray

    Manchester United defender Patrice Evra returned to training Tuesday ahead of Champions League tie against Galatasaray on today.

    The French left-back reported for training on Tuesday morning and is now in line to start against the Turkish giants at Old Trafford in their Group H opener.

    Evra missed United’s 4-0 home victory over Wigan Athletic in the Premier League on Saturday with a minor knock he picked up on international duty with France.

    Forward Robin van Persie and playmaker Shinji Kagawa were both in training, along with midfielder Darren Fletcher, who is closing in on a long-awaited comeback from a chronic bowel condition.

    Defenders Chris Smalling and Phil Jones as well as forward Wayne Rooney are out with injuries.