The Nation Newspaper

Tag: CHAN

  • Nigeria battles Burkina Faso for 2016 CHAN spot

    Nigeria battles Burkina Faso for 2016 CHAN spot

    Nigeria’s home-based Eagles will battle Burkina Faso for a place in next year’s CHAN in Rwanda.

    Nigeria, Ghana and Niger were seeded in Zone West B, while Burkina Faso, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire were not.

    Nigeria ‘B’ team will therefore take on Burkina Faso with the first match in Nigeria by the weekend of October 16-18, while the return match is fixed for a week later in Burkina Faso.

    Nigeria made its debut at the 2014 CHAN in South Africa, where it placed third after they were beaten by arch-rivals Ghana in the semifinals.

    The 2016 CHAN will be played from January 16 to February 7 in Rwanda.

    Libya are the defending champions of a tournament reserved for players who feature in their respective domestic leagues.

  • Alampasu hits Flying Eagles camp

    Alampasu hits Flying Eagles camp

    Goalkeeper Sunday Alampasu will lead 19 other players from the Golden Eaglets to the Flying Eagles’ training camp in Abuja.

    Alampasu was named best goalkeeper at last year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup and was also picked for the country’s squad to the recent Championship of African Nations (CHAN) in South Africa.

    Some of the other players invited are Wilfred Ndidi, Abdullahi Alfa, Akinjide Idowu, Saviour Godwin, Aliyu Abubakar, Chigozie Obasi, Dennis Okon Nya and Zaraddeen Bello. They are latest today to join 35 other players who were picked from a two-week open trial in Abuja.

    The Flying Eagles under coach Manu Garba have been training for a third week in Abuja ahead of a 2015 African Youth Championship qualifier against either Kenya or Tanzania in May.

    Kenya and Tanzania will do battle next month for the right to face six-time African Youth Champions Nigeria in May with the overall winners advancing to the final qualifying round in August.

  • Gombe explain Agbim’s signing

    Gombe explain Agbim’s signing

    Gombe United have stated that their signing of Chigozie Agbim underlines their ambitions for the new season.

    Agbim, who was Nigeria’s first choice goalkeeper at the African Nations Championship (CHAN), recently signed a one-year-deal with Gombe. And the club’s chairman, Farouk Yarma, believes the player can help propel the team towards their objectives for the coming campaign.

    Yarma revealed that Gombe’s main goal is to secure a continental ticket, adding that their decision to sign Agbim was at the request of coach Maurice Cooreman.

    “We retained the service of our chief coach because he did us proud last season after we finished on the seventh position in the Nigeria Professional Football League table,” Yarma said.

    “So we have no reason to sack him, instead, we told him that he must give us a technical report for him to continue. He sent the report to the management of the club and they forwarded it to my office. I saw the recommendation where he stated that he needs certain players to play in some crucial positions.

    “These positions include the cental defence and the goalkeeping, that is why we signed Chigozie Agbim.”

     

  • Uzoenyi signs one-year Rangers deal

    Uzoenyi signs one-year Rangers deal

    Ejike Uzoenyi, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the just-concluded African Nations Championship (CHAN), has signed a fresh contract with Rangers International FC of Enugu.

    The General Manager of the club, Paul Ozor, made the disclosure in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.

    NAN reports that Uzoenyi’s new deal comes after his professional deal with South African clubs Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, flopped.

    Ozor, who failed to disclose the details of the contract, said the deal would run through the 2013/2014 league season.

    “We cannot disclose the details of the contract but he has signed for Enugu Rangers for the new league season in line with the rules and regulations of the League Management Company (LMC). He (Uzoenyi) is thanking the club for giving him all the support that helped him to succeed at the 2014 CHAN in South Africa. The other players are also happy with him because of the way he relates with them,’’ Ozor said.

    He also told NAN that the 2014 CHAN MVP had already joined the rest of his team mates in the team’s training camp in Oba near Onitsha in Anambra.

    He commended the LMC for its approval of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, as venue for Rangers FC home matches for the season.

    “This is one of the best stadia in Nigeria and we have two others as alternatives. We have the UNEC Stadium and the Rangers camp football pitch,’’ he said.

    The Rangers GM noted that the postponement of the kick-off date for the new Globacom Premier League season from Feb. 23 to the weekend of March 7 would give the clubs more time to prepare.

    Ozor further pointed out that the postponement would also give the LMC time to carry out a thorough inspection of the stadia selected for the Globacom Premier League matches. He urged the LMC to be firm in taking decisions in the forthcoming Globacom Premier League season to instil sanity in the league.

  • Benjamin Francis, Isah Akor near Europe deals

    Benjamin Francis, Isah Akor near Europe deals

    Heartland FC have revealed that two of their players, Benjamin Francis and Isah Akor are nearing switch to Europe after they received encouraging words from clubs that want their services.

    Though not much details have been released to the media by the Owerri club but Heartland’s Chairman, Fan Ndubuoke disclosed that Akor was very close to a deal with an undisclosed club in Portugal while the destination of Benjamin who was with the Super Eagles at the just concluded African Nations Championship (CHAN) in South Africa is still not yet known.

    Akor scored nine goals in the premier league last season before overseas distraction affected his form but Benjamin has been in and out of the national team for the World Cup and CHAN qualifiers.

  • PRESIDENTIAL RECEPTION CHAN Eagles hit Abuja Wednesday

    PRESIDENTIAL RECEPTION CHAN Eagles hit Abuja Wednesday

    Ahead of Thursday’s President reception of the bronze winning Super Eagles to the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in South Africa, squad members are expected to regroup in Abuja from Wednesday.

    SportingLife scoopped that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in conjuction with the sports ministry have already secured accomodation for squad members alonsgide their coaches and other technical staff.

    “The players and officials who took part in the 2014 CHAN are expected to arrive Abuja from Wednesday, February 12. They will be staying at the Bolton White Appartment, Abuja where the NFF and the sports ministry have reserved accomomdation for them,” our source added.

    Last week, a top official of the Ministry of Sports, Julius Ogunro, who is the Special Assistant to the Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi, confirmed in a television interview that President Goodluck Jonathan, will host the players and officials following their bronze medal at the just concluded CHAN.

  • CHAN 2014 FALLOUT: Ikpeme differs on role for Keshi

    CHAN 2014 FALLOUT: Ikpeme differs on role for Keshi

    Deputy General Secretary (Technical Matters) of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Emmanuel Ikpeme, has defended the Federation’s decision to allow the Coach of the senior national team, Stephen Keshi, to combine his role with that of the home based team as well.

    Ikpeme is of the view that the NFF is on the right path by allowing Keshi take charge of the home-based Eagles so that he can impact his own philosophy to the local players to make way for smooth transition to the main squad.

    “There was this thinking on the part of the federation, if at the end of the day, the intention is to use the home based as the link to the Super Eagles, then it will be good for the chief coach of the national team with his philosophy to be the one overseeing the team B such that there will be a smooth transition.”

    Ikpeme further highlighted the rationale behind the resolution from the federation as a way of ensuring continuity in national philosophy.

    “If the man who is going to handle team A is also the one overseeing team B, then it goes without saying that those things that he has for the team A will be the same things that he will impact on team B and that was the rationale behind it, so I don’t see that as a problem,” the football administrator told Brila FM.

  • Jonathan to host CHAN Eagles next Thursday

    Jonathan to host CHAN Eagles next Thursday

    Finally, President Goodluck Jonathan will next week Thursday receive the home based Eagles for winning the bronze at the Africa Nations Championship which ended last Saturday.

    This was exclusively revealed by the Special assistant to the Sports Minister, Julius Ogunro, on Channels Television programme, Sports Tonight on Wednesday evening.

    Ogunro’s disclosure brings an end to the fears that the team may have been abandoned by the Nation’s number one Citizen, despite its outing at the biennial competition which was its first appearance.

    The uncertainty was further heightened with the team’s disbandment by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on arrival from South Africa on Sunday evening.

    But in the midst of all, the squad members remained hopeful of the President’s largesse.

    “I have good news for Nigerians and the team that they would be received by President Goodluck Jonathan (GCFR) next week Thursday at an elaborate reception in Abuja,” said Ogunro.

    It is however too early to pre-empt what the team will be rewarded with since they failed to lift the trophy.

    Last year, Jonathan showered cash and land gifts to the Super Eagles for winning the Africa Nations Cup in South Africa.

  • Kojo Williams writes off CHAN Eagles

    Kojo Williams writes off CHAN Eagles

    Ex-Nigeria Football Federation chairman, Kojo Williams, has said no player from the 2014 CHAN is good enough to feature at the World Cup.

    Nigeria placed third at the recent CHAN in South Africa, but Kojo is of the opinion that Stephen Keshi will be making a huge mistake if he takes any of the players from that tournament to Brazil 2014.

    “They are not the best in the Nigeria Premier League for last season, there are plenty of quality players in the league compared to those that Keshi took to the CHAN in South Africa. He will be making a big mistake if he takes any of those players to World Cup,” MTNFootball.com quoted Williams as saying on Inspiration FM Lagos.

    MTNFootball.com recalls that Williams was appointed chairman of NFF in 1999 and lasted for about three months before he was impeached.

    Keshi has hinted that Ejike Uzoenyi and three other players from CHAN Eagles will be given a chance to fight for places at Brazil 2014.

     

  • Gateway plan super new season

    Gateway of Abeokuta are determined to post an impressive outing in the 2014 national league season.

    Assistant coach of the side and former Eagles defender Yisa Sofoluwe, who gave the hint in a chat with SportingLife, predicted that the Rock City-based side will perform better than they did last season missing the promotion party to the elite division by a whisker.

    “We have been training and shaping up for the new season. We played a couple of pre-season matches, one against Super Four Champions Enyimba which ended 1-1 and another against Sunshine Stars of Akure which also ended 1-1, so we are on course and just waiting for the kick off,” he enthused

    The ‘Dean of Defense’ who hailed the performance of league players at the just ended African Nations Championship (CHAN) in South Africa, backed the inclusion of players who proved themselves in the World Cup party, adding that further exposure will upgrade their performance.

    “We have good players in the country and you can see their performance in South Africa. I believe the more exposed they are the better they will perform, so there is nothing wrong with taking some of them to the World Cup, it will benefit them and the country,” he submitted

    Gateway, who campaigned in the National league Division B last season, finished behind promoted Abia Warriors and Crown FC, earning 43 points in 26 matches. This season’s national league kicks off February 15.