The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Dolphins Football Club

  • Club Africain walk over Dolphins in Tunis

    Club Africain walk over Dolphins in Tunis

    The CAF Confederation Cup campaign of Dolphins Football Club came to a scandalous end yesterday after the Port Harcourt based side were walked over by their opponent, Club Africain in the first round of the competition.

    The Dolphins contingent made up of 15 players and eleven officials left Lagos on Friday aboard an Emirates airline with the slim hope of getting to Tunis before the 3pm local time kick off.

    The flight was supposed to take the Nigerian team to Dubai before they will catch another flight to Tunis in time for the game scheduled for the massive Olympic Stadium in Rades, Tunis.

    Intrestingly, Dolphins got to Tunis yesterday quite alright but before they could conclude immigration procedures at the airport in Tunis and rush to the stadium, the Ethiopian referee, Haileyesus Bazezew Belete had concluded walk over formalities when they waited for the manadatory thirty minutes for the Nigerian team to appear in accordance with CAF rules.

    The Nigerian flagbearers initially planned to travel on Thursday but bonus row altered that travel plan from Port Harcourt to Lagos with club eventually departing Lagos on Friday.

    The chief coach of Dolphins, Stanley Eguma also revealed that the club wrote to the NFF to appeal to CAF to have the game shifted by one day all to no avail.

    “We approached the NFF to help us write to CAF so that our game can be shifted by one day. We have only resorted to that as an alternative because before the bonus row, we had problem with bad weather and it made the airlines to cancel and reschedule our flight severally. When we eventually did, we couldn’t meet up with our flight to Dubai,” Eguma told Goal.

    It would be recalled that Dolphins players refused to leave Port Harcourt Airport on Thursday after they got to know that they would  be paid $500 against the $1000 they got for their away tie against Leones Vegetarianos of Equatorial Guinea in the preliminary round.

    The players insisted on being paid the same amount released for their away tie in Malabo and they all agreed not to embark on the journey if management did not yield to their request.

    Dolphins eliminated Leones Vegetarianos of Equatorial Guinea on penalties after both legs had ended 1-1 apiece and Club Africain received a bye to this round because of the exploits of Tunisian clubs on the continent.

  • Another strike action looms at Dolphins

    Another strike action looms at Dolphins

    Players of Dolphins Football Club are planning on holding another meeting with the governor of Rivers State to discuss their signing-on fees from the last football season.

    The governor of the state, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi had in a meeting with the players three weeks ago promised to pay the money at the end of May, 2013.

    However, players of the club believe that may not happen based on what is going on in the state.

    “We trust the governor and believe so much that he will keep his promise but we also know he is very busy and has a lot of pressure on him now, a player with the team said under the condition of anonymity.

    “He made that promise but we know he has probably forgotten about it and it is left for the commissioners of sports and finance to push it but we do not trust them enough to believe they will,” the player said.

    The players of the team, according to a source, actually contemplated another strike action but decided against that because of their respect for the governor.

    “The way the governor received us that day showed his feelings were genuine. What we are saying is that we have waited so long for this money. We are the bread winners of our families and it is not good to owe us for two years.”

    Dolphins’ players have for two seasons running been agitating for their signing-on fees for the 2011/12 football season.

    They have gone on strike countless times including one they embarked on four days to a crucial CAF Champions League 2nd round match against

    Followers of the team believe that was responsible for their ouster from the Champions League last season.

  • Dolphins go to Warri with renewed energy

    Dolphins go to Warri with renewed energy

    Dolphins football club of Port Harcourt have promised their fans that their resolve to get at least a point from the game against Warri Wolves today, will not be dampened by the failure to get their sign on fees as promised.

    Team captain, Sunday Rotimi, while responding to questions after a meeting with the commissioner for Sports in Rivers State, Fred Igwe, insisted that the Dolphins are not going to lose.

    “You know that money issues usually weigh players down, and it affects performances, but after the meeting with the commissioner and all he has said, the weight on our shoulders have been lifted,” he said.

    “It is crucial that we are meeting the commissioner, we believe a good response will come from him, and that will be a massive lift for the players.

    “We plan to win at Warri. Our away form has been bad, but the clear-the-air meeting has boosted us.

    “Warri is not too far, we got a draw there last season, we can push more and get a win there now.”

    The last time Dolphins won an away game was in March 2012, when Rising Stars fell 1-0 at home.

  • ‘Signing-on fees, bonus issues affecting Dolphins’

    ‘Signing-on fees, bonus issues affecting Dolphins’

    Stanley Eguma of Dolphins Football Club of Port Harcourt believes that the lacklustre performance of his team in the ongoing season is caused by the lingering signing-on fee and bonus problems.

    Dolphins, unlike their fellow Rivers State-owned club, Sharks FC, can only boast of just eight points after seven matches. They are however hoping for a win against Nasarawa United in week eight to help boost their stand on the table.

    In a chat with SportingLife, Eguma admitted that the club’s performance has been quite poor but attributes it to a problem that has lingered for over a year now.

    “I quite agree with you that it has not been so bad for Dolphins especially at the beginning of a season like this. But one thing is that the problem with the team has lingered. It’s a kind of prolonged, protracted problem which has not been settled”, Eguma said.

    He continued: “I must tell you that the spirit in the camp of the team is very low. I thank the commissioner for coming around to pally with the team and trying to delve into the issue, discussing with them so they could summon the courage to play.

    “This problem has been there since last season. It was there when we played in the continent and it was one of the problems that made us fall out of the competition early.”

    Eguma also related that his crew has done its best to ensure the good results come.

    “It’s quite unfortunate; we on our side have been doing very well. We’ve been working above our capacity to see that we harness and put these players in the best shape.

    “I know we’ve not gotten the best results so far but with time and productivity, we will. They are good players, it’s just that their state of mind is not good enough to give us what we desire and that is why I’m still optimistic that the team can still spring up to be among the title contenders”, he said.