The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sports

  • Glo presents N350m sponsorship cheque to NFF

    Glo presents N350m sponsorship cheque to NFF

    Globacom on Tuesday in Abuja presented a cheque of three hundred and fifty million naira (N350m) to the Nigerian Football Federation as the five-year sponsorship deal it signed with the Federation last year entered its second season.

    Presenting the cheque to the President of NFF, Aminu Maigari at the GlassHouse, Abuja, Director of Mike Adenuga Group, Niyi Adewunmi said: “Globacom believes that its sposorship of the NFF and the national teams will make Nigerian football to soar, hence we have come to fulfill the promise we made last year by paying for the second season of the sponsorship.”

    He reassured the Federation and all Nigerians that “Globacom believes that this is a partnership that works and must continue to deliver value to the delight of all Nigerians.”

    He announced to the NFF board that Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr. (GCON) has encouraged the Federation to ensure that “Nigeria qualifies for the next Africa Cup of Nations, the World Cup and indeed all the other major football events,” adding that “Globacom is ready to support you all through as we are very happy to support the development of Nigerian football.”

    Last year, Globacom and NFF signed a five-year sponsorship agreement package to sponsor the national football teams and the Federation Cup from 2011-2016. The company paid the first installment last year.

    Receiving the cheque, a highly-elated Chairman of the Federation, Maigari thanked Globacom for its consistency in supporting Nigerian football, and assured Nigerians that “we will not let you down by ensuring that Nigeria qualifies for the African Nations Cup and other major football competitions.”

    He noted that the payment has come at the right time when the Federation was facing financial challenges in meeting its obligations to its coaches and other stakeholders.

    The Federation Chairman further commended Globacom for launching a football academy, the Glo Soccer Academy, touted as the biggest sccer reality TV show in Africa. He noted that the “Glo Soccer Academy is the only recognised football academy in the country as you applied all the due processes, got your license and complied to the rules of the process.”

    In his remarks, the Federation’s Marketing Consultant, Mike Itamuegbor said that by this payment, Globacom has demonstrated commitment to ensuring that this relationship produces maximum result to the benefit all stakeholders. He recognised that Globacom has been contributing massively to the development of Nigerian football since inception and assured Globacom that “NFF understands the value of the relationship.”

  • Eaglets tackle Junior Menas on Sunday

    Eaglets tackle Junior Menas on Sunday

    • CAF appoints Algerian referees • Match ticket fixed for N200

    The eagerly awaited first round, second leg 2013 African qualifier between Nigeria and Niger has been postponed till Sunday, September 23, 2012.

    The match earlier fixed for Saturday was shifted at the instance of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for logistical purposes especially to allow large turnout of spectators at the U.J. Esuene Sports Stadium. Sunday evenings are regarded as traditional football day in the Canaan City with throngs of people usually expected to fill the stands at Calabar’s foremost stadium.

    “We are happy that the NFF has shifted this game to Sunday in order to allow a huge number of spectators to come and cheer us to victory,” said Suleiman Abubakar, the Golden Eaglets’ coordinator. “Moving the game to Sunday is a good decision since there are less business activities and those who might have gone to church would have the opportunity of watching the game live at the stadium.”

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has picked Algerian match officials for Sunday’s second leg game.

    The centre referee is Sofiane Bousetter while Bouabdallah Omari and Mohammed Bechirene would serve as Assistant Referees 1 and 2 respectively. The fourth official is Mehdi Charef while Ivorian Sinko Zeli who was the centre referee when Nigeria beat Namibia 4-0 in a Nations Cup qualifier in 2000 at home would serve as Match Commissioner.

    Match tickets for the Golden Eaglets-Junior Menas match has been fixed for N200 for popular side. The covered seat would go for N500 while the State Box is as low as N1000.

    The cheap price tickets, according to officials, are to encourage a huge turnout of spectators to watch the Nigerian youngsters in their first qualifier on home soil in Calabar.

  • We lost our chances, says Victor Moses

    We lost our chances, says Victor Moses

    • Delighted at making his Chelsea debut

    Super Eagles midfielder, Victor Moses’ delight at making his Chelsea debut was tempered by the lack of three points taken against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.

    The 21-year-old made his Blues bow as a replacement for Ryan Bertrand in the 58th minute, and while Chelsea’s performance as an attacking unit improved following his introduction, they were unable to make the breakthrough which would have maintained a perfect start to the league season.

    ‘I played around 25 minutes, we did very well when I came on and I just tried to help the team as best as I could,’ Moses told Chelsea TV. ‘Unfortunately we only ended up with a point, but it’s still a good result away from home, it was a battled point.

    ‘Everyone expected us to win, but that’s football. It’s a derby game as well, they were playing at home, they gave it 100 per cent and wanted to win the game, but we came out with our own tactics and tried to win the game, now we’ll just look forward to the next match.

    ‘We had a lot of chances, we didn’t take them but hopefully in the next game we’ll be able to capitalise on that.’

    With the team set up in Roberto Di Matteo’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, Moses started out playing wide on the left-hand side, but with a tactical switch soon after seeing the Blues revert back to a shape which has served the London club well in past years, the former Wigan Athletic man moved out to the right.

    It was a change which almost brought instant reward, as Moses forced a smart stop from the impressive Julio Cesar, while shortly after it was his cross which created a wonderful opportunity for Eden Hazard, who was unable to convert.

    ‘When I came on we were playing 4-2-3-1, but the manager pulled me back and said we were switching to 4-3-3,’ Moses explained. ‘I moved out to the right and Ramires went back into the middle with Hazard on the left.

    ‘The first chance I had, I just wanted to take the defender on. There was a bit of a deflection but the goalkeeper made a great save. After that, I set up another chance for Hazard, but he wasn’t able to connect with it properly. We should be happy with the point we took.’

  • ‘We need God to beat Barca’

    ‘We need God to beat Barca’

    Spartak Moscow coach Unai Emery insists his side do not need “divine intervention” to beat Barcelona in the Champions League.

    Even though the trainer understands the difficulty of the task at hand, he believes there are ways to defeat the Catalans, and is determined to leave the Camp Nou victorious this week.

    “When you take on Barcelona, you have to call on divine intervention or luck to beat them. But there are teams that have managed to defeat them,” Emery told Marca.

    “So there are certainly ways to win against Barca. We all try to achieve it, but only the few chosen ones indeed beat them. We are working to become one of them.”

    Emery then went on to praise Lionel Messi, and stressed that the Argentine always seems to be in fine form.

    “Whenever Messi is on top of his game, which always appears to be the case, he makes the difference and can decide a game all by himself.”

    Messi has already netted 61 goals in 2012, and will be looking to add to his tally against Spartak.

  • Emenike: We will shock Barcelona•

    Emenike: We will shock Barcelona•

    • Predictions favour Barca 87%

    uper Eagles ace and Spartak Moscow forward Emmanuel Emenike for the side ahead of today’s Champions league cracker against Spanish giants Barcelona

    Emenike, who was active upfront in the Super Eagles’ battle of Monrovia against the Lone Stars recently in an AFCON 2013 tie, has been tipped among players that will shine in today’s showdown at the Camp Nou.

    The curent form of the former Fenerbahce ace who moved to Spartak Moscow for 10million Euros in July 2011 has been a source of delight to the team’s coaching crew led by Unai Emery.

    Emenike, who replaced Artem Dzyuba against Kuban, scoring to help the team run away with a 2-2 draw away, looks good to get starting a shirt as Emery has declared his desire to achieve a good result playing away not withstanding, revealing that he will stick to his usual 4-2-3-1 formation.

    Although Moscow are considered formidable, fans and readers who predicted possible scores ahead of the match gave Barca an 87% chance of wining by goal margins ranging from 4-0 to 8-0. Spartak Moscow, according to the prediction, have an 11.8% chance of winning while only 1.2% voted for a draw.

  • ‘Lucky’ Chelsea ready to make history —Mikel

    ‘Lucky’ Chelsea ready to make history —Mikel

    John Obi Mikel admitted Chelsea were ‘kind of lucky’ to win the Champions League but insisted they now had a team capable of historic back-to-back triumphs.

    The Blues kick off the defence of their European crown tonight, with many still pinching themselves at the manner in which they finally ended their agonising wait for club football’s biggest prize.

    Chelsea’s astonishing run has led some to dismiss their triumph as being down to nothing more than blind luck, with Liverpool legend Graeme Souness declaring: ‘Nobody in the history of football has ever had that much luck.’

    Mikel, who was crucial to their success after playing every minute from the quarter-finals onwards, said: ‘When people say that, sometimes it’s actually not true.

    ‘I think we worked very hard for what we achieved last season. But, at the same time, you need luck in everything you do. So, yeah, we were kind of lucky but, this season, it’s a different story altogether.

    ‘We brought in new players that are going to help us in this campaign.

    ‘So, hopefully this season, we can play good football and win games. And hopefully, we can go very, very far in this tournament – hopefully get to the final again.’ Manager Roberto Di Matteo, whose appointment as caretaker was the catalyst for a sensational turnaround in Chelsea’s fortunes back in March, shrugged off being branded ‘lucky’.

    ‘They said the same about many other managers when they won,’ he said.

    ‘You need to deserve everything you get, and I think we worked very hard for it. We prepared ourselves very well against our opposition. It can’t just be that [luck]. You might need, and you will need, a portion of luck during a competition like this. But every team has it to be able to achieve the final target to win it. That’s a minor part of it.’

    However, Roman Abramovich’s £80million summer spending spree, and the delay in confirming Di Matteo as permanent boss, suggests it played a bigger part than that in Chelsea securing the owner’s ‘Holy Grail’.

    The Russian will expect to see signs of the ‘good football’ promised by Mikel in today’s opening group game against Juventus.

    He will also expect to see the team show the same hunger and desire that was as important as any amount of luck in last season’s success.

    The UEFA Super Cup two and a half weeks ago provided a wake-up call about what awaits them if they rest on their laurels, with defender Ashley Cole tweeting: ‘No fight, desire, passion.’

    Mikel said: ‘We’re still hungry, there are still players in that dressing room that still want to retain this trophy. We want to build on it, we don’t want to stop, and hopefully we can build on it this season, and tomorrow is the start of it. ‘So we have to make sure that we go out there tomorrow and prove ourselves and make sure we want to go far in this tournament.’

    He added: ‘You’re going to look at people and hear that Real Madrid and Barcelona are going to be favourites.

    ‘But I think that’s what happened last season when we played Barcelona.

    ‘I think everyone wrote us off even before the game, but we showed how much the Champions League meant to us and how much we wanted to win it. I think, still, nothing changes.’

    Chelsea now get to call themselves European champions and also make themselves a bigger scalp for their opponents, not least one unbeaten in 42 Serie A matches.

    Mikel said: ‘It does add to pressure on us but, at the same time, we’re kind of more relaxed, because we’ve done it, this club has won it now.

    ‘We’re all big players and this is what we live with. So we have to go out there tomorrow and make sure that we play well.

    ‘Obviously, it’s not going to be easy because Juve haven’t lost since last season.’ That is largely thanks to Andrea Pirlo, who was also one of stars of this summer’s European Championship.

    The Italy star plays in the same position as Mikel, who said: ‘Playing against a legend like Pirlo is going to be great.

    ‘But I also want to go in there and win tomorrow. So it’s going to be a battle.

    ‘He’s a great player but, once we step on to the pitch, it’s a different story. He wants to win, I want to win. I respect him as a player and hopefully I can learn something from him tomorrow.’

  • Clarke dismisses Osaze fears

    Clarke dismisses Osaze fears

    OSAZE

    West Brom boss Steve Clarke says he has no concerns about Peter Odemwingie’s focus following his red card at Fulham on Saturday.

    The Nigerian was given a straight red card for kicking out at Sascha Riether during the 3-0 defeat at Craven Cottage as the red mist seemingly descended on the striker.

    Having worked his way back into the starting XI after a fantastic display from the bench against Everton, Odemwingie will now sit out the next three matches for the Baggies.

    Having been linked with moves away from the Hawthorns during the summer, some have questioned whether the 31-year-old is totally focused on playing for Albion.

    However, Clarke has defended his star forward, insisting: “I think Peter is right and he is focused.

    “His reaction [for the sending off] was out-of-character. But we’re all humans and we all have these emotions.

    “He felt aggrieved he didn’t get a decision against him, the red mist came down and he lashed out.

    “He got the red card, but he’s not the first footballer to do that and he won’t be the last.”

  • Anichebe’s goal was in

    Anichebe’s goal was in

    • Moyes rages at linesman

    Everton manager David Moyes was left to bemoan some disputed decisions by officials which cost his side the chance of victory at home to Newcastle on Monday.

    Nigeria international Victor Anichebe’s header was not spotted by linesman Ceri Richards despite appearing to cross the line. Anichebe almost spared the officials with a goal with two minutes remaining only for Ba’s second of the night to snatch a point for the Magpies.

    Also, Marouane Fellaini had one effort ruled out for offside. Fellaini scored but the Belgian was wrongly flagged offside

    ‘There are two goals missed so I can’t get them back but you hope that the linesman has a look and sees how he missed them,’ said Moyes, who spoke to the officials after the game.

    ‘I had a word and said ‘You’ve missed two goals’ and it does affect the outcome of the game but what can I do about it?

    ‘I am sure the referee will have a look at them himself and see if he got it right or wrong – which we all know because we have seen it. Fellaini’s goal was onside and if your job is to look along the line you hope the linesman sees if the ball crosses the line but we’ve seen many occasions where they don’t get it right.

    ‘I thought the offside goal was a goal from the touchline so I was surprised when it was ruled out.

    ‘The other one you can’t really tell but the reaction of the players was that they felt it was over and they are not usually far off the mark.’

    However, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew, who had to watch from the stands as he served the first game of a two-match touchline ban, admitted Everton had been hard done by.

    ‘The one over the line was definitely in,’ he said. ‘I have been saying all along that technology must come in and it has cost Everton a crucial goal tonight.’

  • Flamingoes fear grip Azerbaijan

    Flamingoes fear grip Azerbaijan

    • Coach banks on luck, miracle 

    With just three days to the start of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, hosts Azerbajan are apprehensive ahead of their clash against Nigeria.

    In what could be described as pre-tournament goose pimples, Azerbaijan coach and former Germany international, Silvia Raith confessed that playing Nigeria will be hard, adding that the home girls will need luck and an outright miracle to get a breathing space against a more experienced Flamingoes.

    “We’ll need a big slice of luck in order to get a positive result. It’ll be really tough against Nigeria and Canada. Physically they’ll have the advantage over us and we’ll need a small miracle to compete with them. But then again, miracles are always happening in football. We’ll have to wait and see,” she said.

    The 52-year-old tactician fondly called ‘Sissy’, who made over 58 international appearances for the German ladies Machines, revealed how she started from scratch after taking over in May 2010, describing the project as an adventure especially since the country boasts more of chess players, wrestlers and martial arts experts.

    “We started out travelling around the country looking for talented and interested girls. We went to schools and asked teachers ‘where do they play football in physical education lessons? Where might there be a girl who occasionally goes to training?’ The word started to spread and we discovered girls here and there who were interested and whose parents allowed them to play,” she recalled

    The no-nonsense defender in her playing days however expressed hope that fans’ support which has been increasing by the day will serve as added advantage when the dance begins.

    Sissy cut her teeth as a coach from 2002 to 2008 with Women’s Bundesliga side Bayern Munich. In 2009 she moved on to her hometown club TSV Eching and earned promotion into the regional leagues with the men’s team before she was grabbed by the Azerbaijan Football Association.

    Hosts Azerbajan will take on Colombia in the opener September 22 at the newly commisioned 8KM stadium in Baku with Nigeria facing Canada in the second match of the day, same venue. Sissy’s girls will then clash with Flamingoes September 25 in Lakaran with Colombia squaring up against Canada at the same venue.

    Nigeria crashed out in the quarterfinal of the last edition in Trinidad and Tobago, losing 5-6 on penalties to Korea Republic in Marabella.

  • Blatter hails Nigerian women football

    Blatter hails Nigerian women football

    FIFA president, Sepp Blatter has tipped Nigerian women football for more glory after the sterling performance of the Falconets in the just-concluded FIFA U-20 Women World Cup in Japan.

    This much was revealed by the Chairperson of the Nigeria Women Football League, Dilichukwu Onyedinma, who met with Blatter at the FIFA Dinner during the tournament.

    She said; “It was a very heart-warming meeting. He (Blatter) pointed out that the performance of the Falconets was an indicator to the growth of women football in Africa. He also hailed Nigeria for leading the way in Africa. He was so particular about the Nigerian Women League. In his opinion, since most of the players are playing at home, it was a reflection of how strong the league is.”

    In Blatter’s estimation, it wouldn’t be long before Nigeria rules the world in women football.

    “He said that he wouldn’t be surprised if Nigeria wins one of these women football tournaments before long”, Onyedinma added.

    The meeting with Blatter has fired Onyedinma to put in more efforts in boosting the quality of the Women Football League.

    “Candidly, his words were very encouraging. It has thrown a bigger challenge at us to ensure our league is better and stronger. The world expects so much from us and we cannot afford to fail”, she enthused.