Theophilus Afelokhai has said he does not hope to sit on the bench for Ghana goalkeeper and Enyimba star signing, Fatau Dauda.
It will be a battle of goalkeepers at Enyimba in the new NPFL season as experienced shot stoppers Afelokhai and Dauda as well as new signing Friday Achimugu will slug it out for first-team action.
Afelokhai said he is up to the challenge.
“The arrival of two goalkeepers in our camp will make it more competitive, most especially the arrival of Black Stars goalkeeper Dauda,” said former Kano Pillars star Afelokhai, who is one of the highest paid players in the NPFL.
“Dauda has been around for some time with his country’s national team, he has also played in South Africa with Orlando Pirates and Chippa United. No doubt he has the quality and this can only be good for Enyimba because they have another experienced hand joining me.
“I love challenges for first-team shirt and I have never been a second-choice goalkeeper right from my first professional club Buffalo FC, an NNL side in Kano, to Kano Pillars, where I kept for 10 years.
“I was the best ‘keeper in the league again last season, this is four years running. This is very remarkable for my career.
“I hope to work hard knowing fully well the other goalkeepers are capable of being in goal for Enyimba.
Tag: Afelokhai
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Afelokhai: I won’t sit on bench for Dauda
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La Liga tests: Afelokhai, Ifeanyi Matthew lead league All-Stars
Enyimba goalkeeper Theophilus Afelokhai, Pillars star midfielder Ifeanyi Matthew and Rangers forward Chisom Egbuchulam have been named on a 35-man squad to open training camp in Abuja on Monday ahead of a series of matches in Spain next month.
A letter signed by Salihu Abubakar, the Chief Operating Officer of the LMC directed the invited players to report for the first phase of camping that will open on July 11 and end on the 18th.
The letter said the players during the period will be released to play for their clubs in League and Federation Cup fixtures. The second and final phase of the camping will open on August 1 leading to the team’s departure on August 8.
The squad was selected by a poll of coaches of the NPFL carried out to pick players for the different positions.
The NPFL All-Stars will while in Spain play a pre-season friendly with Valencia CF and also participate in the annual Carranza LaLiga World Club Tournament in which they will play against Malaga CF on August 12 and 13.
The list is made up of four goalkeepers, eight defenders, three defensive midfielders, seven central midfielders, seven wingers and six centre forwards.
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Afelokhai targets Champions League winning start for Enyimba
Enyimba goalkeeper, Theophilus Afelokhai has said he hopes his team start their Champions League Group B campaign with a win this weekend.
The Nigerian champions host five-time African champions, Zamalek on Saturday at the Adokiye Amasiemaka Stadium in Port Harcourt and Afelokhai has been bullish ahead of the game.
“We hope to start the competition well by winning, but we also understand we have a good team as opponents,” he told AfricanFootball.com.
“They have won the competition several times and they will be coming with a lot of confidence and experience and we must be ready for that.”
Enyimba are two-time champions of the competition and Afelokhai posited that it will be a tight encounter.
“I think it will be tight, because we are also former champions of the competition and they will have that at the back of their minds too,” he said.
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Enyimba seal Afelokhai move from Pillars
Nigeria champions Enyimba have completed the signing of Kano Pillars goalkeeper Theophilus Afelokhai ahead of the 2015/2016 season.
The media officer of the seven-time Nigeria league winners Alaputa Farriel announced this.
“Enyimba FC have reached an agreement with Kano Pillars over the transfer of goalkeeper Theophilus Afelokhai,” he tweeted.
Afelokhai has been at Pillars since 2006 and has emerged as one of the most consistent goalkeepers on the local scene even though he has often been overlooked by the national team selectors.
Enyimba already have top-rated goalkeepers in Femi Thomas, who is with the CHAN Eagles, U20 star Joshua Enaholo and veteran Chijoke Ejiogu.
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Afelokhai targets CL success
Kano Pillars captain Theophillus Afelokhai expects his team to make tremendous inroads when they compete in the CAF Champions League next season.
During the 2014 campaign Pillars were knocked out of the tournament by AS Vita in the preliminary round, despite winning the second leg of that fixture 2-1. It is perhaps worth noting that Vita went on to compete in the tournament final, where they lost to ES Setif.
Kano Pillars will have a slightly easier journey this term and that is something that Afelokhai thinks his teammates will be able to exploit.
“We didn’t do well last season, but we have learnt a lot of lessons from it. It wasn’t the best of times for us in the Champions League but we hope to correct most of those mistakes we made this time,” Afelokhai told sl10.ng.
“We were a little bit inexperienced last season and we didn’t win the games we should have won, but I hope things are different this time.”
Kano Pillars have recruited extensively since the previous season and indications are that the squad will have greater capacity to advance deep into this year’s competition.
“We have been signing some new players and hopefully they will make us better next season. If we get them playing at their best, then it will be to our advantage,” added Afelokhai.
“The training tour of South Africa will also be good for us and I hope we get better results when the tournament begins.”
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Afelokhai happy to get Eagles call-up
Kano Pillars goalkeeper Theophilus Afelokhai has told sl10.ng that he feels relieved to have finally gotten a long awaited recognition after he was called up alongside 24 other home-based players for today’s international friendly against the Black Meteors of Ghana.
Afelokhai has been one of the best goalkeepers in the Nigerian league and has helped Kano Pillars win the league title for three seasons consecutively, but has hardly been invited to the Super Eagles by the team’s coaches, his only national team stint being in 2011 with the Nigerian U-23 team coached by Austin Eguavoen.
But the talented ‘keeper has seen his stock continuously rise, posting impressive displays for Pillars, which has ultimately handed him a call-up to the Super Eagles – albeit the home based squad – and he says he’s happy to have finally been recognized for his hard work.
“I feel happy being with the team and I’m excited that I’ve finally gotten some recognition after years of hard work. I have been working hard at my club and hoping one day I would get this opportunity and I’m glad I have now, and I’m grateful to the coaches,” he told sl10.ng.
“I still have to work hard here and give my best because this is not the end of the road, but rather the beginning and I must keep working hard and keep proving myself.
“We have great goalkeepers in the league and I’m glad that I am one of the very few that have been chosen for this assignment.”
Despite his enthusiasm, however, Afelokhai is not expected to be in goal for Nigeria today as Chigozie Agbim is first choice and captain, while Daniel Akpeyi has also received regular call-ups and was a reserve ‘keeper at the CHAN in South Africa.
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Expect no mercy — Afelokhai
Kano Pillars goalkeeper, Theophilus Afelokhai has said his side will not show mercy on their 2013 Federation Cup round of 64 matches opponents, Global Academy. The match-up comes up on Wednesday at the Confluence Stadium, Lokoja, Kogi State.
Afelokhai said the Globacom Premier League leaders will approach the encounter against the relatively unknown side as if it was the Cup final.
“Of course, we understand very well that there are no minnows in football any more and we know quite well that it’s tougher against the supposedly smaller teams. Our opponents are carrying the ticket of their state as champions, first and foremost, we’ll accord them their due respect and approach them just as we would face any side in the premier league.
“They’re the best coming from their state to the national final. They’ll want to enlarge their profile by going all out to achieve victory against us. So we’re not going to underrate nor show them mercies, we’re going all out for victory.
“We’re not bordered about the goal margin but to see them off on our way. We need the win and the Federation Cup title badly, we’re not happy they way we ended the campaign as fourth placed side in the last edition.
“We want to add the Federation Cup silverware to our collection of trophies and that dream will be determined by the outcome of the encounter against Global Academy,” said the former Dream Team V goaltender to supersport.com.
Afelokhai said his side deservedly finished top on the log in the first stanza of the 2012/2013 Glo League season.
“Honestly, Pillars deserved the top spot they finished the first stanza of the league. It’s a plus give what the players passed through, we’ll toughen ourselves to comeback for the second stanza to finish the work we’ve started,” said the Pillars’ magnet.
Pillars finished the first stanza of the primary league as leaders on 36 points from possible 57.