The Nation Newspaper

Tag: eagles

  • Treat us like Eagles -Falcons beg Jonathan

    Treat us like Eagles -Falcons beg Jonathan

    Super Falcons players have sent a passionate pleas to President Goodluck Jonathan to honour them like he did to the Super Eagles when the Eagles emerged winner of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

    Eagles enjoyed great financial and moral support from the Federal Government and the private sector while giant companies like Globacom, Dangote firms splashed millions of dollars on the team and their officials.

    The Falcons are yet to be hosted officially by President Jonathan while the reception was postponed but the players and their officials had received the golden handshake from the President at the Federal Executive Council Meeting shortly after they came back from Namibia where they won the 2014 AWC.

    “It seems that government has no further plans for us after the handshake with President Jonathan,” a key player of the squad said. “We have been dumped because we are women and as if the title we won is not as important as the AFCON won by the Super Eagles.”

    “It is not good that after over one month of our winning the AWC title in Namibia, and after the handshake with President Goodluck Jonathan, nothing is being done about rewarding our feat like they did when the Super Eagles won the AFCON trophy in South Africa,” the players said.

    The players who are senior members of the Falcons said that they have been abandoned simply because they are women adding that they deserve to be hosted and showered with gifts like government did to Super Eagles.

    “It is demoralizing that almost two months after we won the cup, government has yet to appreciate and encourage us after the sports minister had assured us that President Jonathan will reward us handsomely if we win the AWC trophy.

    “When Super Eagles won the AFCON, they were showered with cash, land gifts as well as national honour by federal, states government and corporate firms but in our own case, we were only appreciated by TAN. It is not fair that we are being treated and we are appealing to governments to do to us what they did to the men,” they stressed.

  • No bonuses for Eagles

    No bonuses for Eagles

    Following  Nigeria’s 2-2 draw with South Africa in Uyo on Wednesday which subsequently ruled them out of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, sl10.ng can exclusively reveal that the players and officials were not given their match bonuses.

    The Super Eagles usually earn $10,000 for a win and $5,000 for a draw, with Coach Stephen Keshi earning 100% of that but reliable sources inside the Eagles camp have informed sl10.ng that none of the players nor officials received a dime for the match.

    The draw against the Bafana Bafana meant Congo finished second in group A with ten points after beating Sudan 1-0 in Khartoum, while DR Congo claimed the third best placed spot with nine points in a group that also had Cameroon and Ivory Coast.

    And sl10.ng understands that it is because of Nigeria’s failure to qualify, that the NFF hierarchy decided against paying the match bonuses to the team.

    It now means the Super Eagles will not defend their title for the second time, after they were stopped from participating at the 1996 AFCON by then head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha after Nigeria had won it in Tunisia in 1994.

  • Eagles fail to break Equatorial Guinea jinx

    Eagles fail to break Equatorial Guinea jinx

    Wednesday19th November 2014 could have passed as another day, but alas, that was not to be as it marked another day that Super Eagles failed to qualify for African Cup of Nations which is to be hosted in Equatorial Guinea. Incidentally, it would be the second time the Eagles will be failing  to qualify for the Nations Cup hosted by Equatorial Guinea.  This has since been dubbed a jinx and the flop yesterday confirmed that indeed it has become a jinx which the Stephen Keshi tutored side against all expectations failed to break.

    In 2012 when Equatorial Guinea co hosted the championship with Gabon, Nigeria was missing. Countries that qualified and competed in that edition were Equatorial Guinea, Gabon (co-hosts), Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Sudan,

    Tunisia, Zambia, and Burkina Faso.

    Interestingly, when Equatorial Guinea hosted the Africa Women Championship (AWC) in 2008 and 2012 respectively, Super Falcons failed to make it to the finals, crashing out in the semi finals and fourth place respectively.  It was  the second  time the Super Falcons failed to lift the trophy which some say had become their birth right after winning a record nine times including the recently ended Namibia 2014.

    When Equatorial Guinea took over as hosts after Morocco pulled out citing fear of Ebola, the fear of possible failure and continuation of the jinx gripped Nigerians, especially those who are aware of the jinx and the need to put a stop to it.  But with yesterday’s crash, the jinx no doubt will continue at least until 2017 when another edition will be held by a yet to confirmed host. Already, 2019 has been awarded to Cameroon, 2021 to Ivory Coast and 2023 to Guinea.

  • 20 000 Tickets sold for the Super Eagles clash with South

    20 000 Tickets sold for the Super Eagles clash with South

    Officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have confirmed that a total of 20,000 tickets were sold for  yesterday’s last 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between Super Eagles and Bafana Bafana of South Africa.

    It was gathered that the tickets were purchased in the morning of the match. The Uyo Internationalm Stadium can accomodate 30,000 spectators.

    Regular tickets were pegged at N500, while the VIP tickets went for N1,000 and the VVIP tickets cost N3,000 and despite the relatively high ticket prices, SL10.ng understands that ‘all tickets were almost sold out’. However, despite the success in selling match tickets, SL10.ng understands that organizers may not sell tickets to cover the entire stadium, due to the stampede that happened when the stadium was opened with a novelty match between the home based Super Eagles and Ghana’s Black Meteors a couple of weeks ago.

    The development means the Eagles have ‘abandoned’ the UJ Esuene Stadium in neighboring Calabar, Cross River State.

  • Nigeria out of AFCON 2015

    Nigeria out of AFCON 2015

    …Drew 2-2 with South Africa in Uyo

    … Congo defeats Sudan in Khartoum

    African champions, Nigeria will not defend its  title at next-year’s tournament in Equatorial Guinea after playing a disappointing 2-2 draw with South Africa in Wednesday’s African Nations Cup qualifier in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.

    South Africa got its two goals through Tokelo Rantie, while Sone Aluko who plies his trade with Hull City in the English Premiership League, salvaged some pride for Nigeria by scoring two goals for the Eagles, the last coming in the 93rd minute.

    With this result, Nigeria will not be in the East African country for the continent’s premier soccer tournament next January.

    Nigeria finished third in group A with eight points, two behind second placed Congo who defeated Sudan 1-0 in Khartoum.

    South Africa has already qualified for the tournament before Wednesday’s show down in Uyo.

     

  • Eagles land in Point Noire, 100 per cent fit

    Eagles land in Point Noire, 100 per cent fit

    The Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles arrived the Congolese city of Point Noire 2:30am on Friday morning and after passing through immigration proceedings were checked into Atlantic Palace Hotel in the heart of the city.

    The team made up of 25 players, the technical crew led by Big Boss Stephen Keshi, NFF President Amaju Pinnick who led the delegation, Senate Committee Chairman on Sports, Alhaji Adamu Gumba among others have since settled down for the business of getting three points off the host on Saturday afternoon.

    It was drama at the airport as over 100 Nigerians resident in Congo, kept vigil to welcome the team with familiar songs, drumming and dancing. They were joined by the Nigerian Football and Other Sports Supporters Club, led by Dr Rauf Ladipo. The atmosphere was very lively as they mobbed the coaching crew and players while seizing the rare opportunity of taking photos with the Nigerian team.

    Head Coach, Stephen Keshi was however not happy with reports that the team was riddled with injuries, inferring that the team was actually 100 percent fit at the moment. “Mikel is super fit, Enyeama (Vincent), had a slight shoulder strain and he’s also  in perfect shape now, Raheem Lawal had knock during our last training session and he has since bounced back. So we should stop scaring Nigerians with reports that the team is injury hit”, he declared after conferring with team doctor, Ibrahim Gyaran.

    The team had a feel of the Stade Omnisport where it will tango the host at 3:30pm local time, which is the same time with Nigeria and the same time the game will be played on Saturday.

  • Only hardwork will save Eagles — Enyeama

    Only hardwork will save Eagles — Enyeama

    Super Eagles captain Vincent Enyeama has insisted that mere wishes can never see the African champions through in their make or mar encounter in Port Noire, Congo Republic today.

    Enyeama who spoke before the African Champions left Abuja for the East African country, said that the present situation the team found itself can only be remedied if all the players decides to give in their very best in the encounter. Quoting his words, the former Enyimba of Aba safe hand said “we have found ourselves in a very difficult situation, which unfortunately may not be our desire. As African Champions, much was expected from us before the qualifiers, but football being what it is, has put us in a very tight situation, that we need to work extra hard to remedy it. This would have start from this match in Congo. The Congolese came here and ran away with the maximum points at stake, so we are going down there to pay them them back in their own coins.

    But, this is our wishes, and desire, but for it to be actualize, we must work extra hard all through the ninety minutes of the game. We must avoid any slight loss of concentration and we must be very focused”.

    Continuing, the Akwa Ibom born goalkeeper who may not feature in today’s encounter due to the shoulder injury he sustained in his club’s league match, said “I don’t pray to be part of the Super Eagles team that would not defend the trophy they won last year, and all the players have that at the back of their minds. They know that every of such tournament is always a boost to their careers, so they are very determined more that ever before to battle the Red Devils of Congo to a stand still today at home” he concluded.

    Super Eagles will need an outright win against the Congolese to draw level with them in points, before facing the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Wednesday.

  • Full house as Eagles tune up for Congo clash

    Full house as Eagles tune up for Congo clash

    • Big Boss happy with players’ fitness

    Skipper Vincent Enyeama of Lille Metropole of France and Villareal of Spain Ikechukwu Uche were the last players to hit the Super Eagles’ Bolton White Apartment abode ahead of the crucial Nations Cup qualifier against Congo next Saturday in Point Noire.

    The two players effectively missed out in the day’s evening and only training session but should be available for Wednesday’s session that will again be conducted by Head Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi. Before then all invited players like Elderson Echejile, Efe Ambrose, Ahmed Musa, Emmanuel Emenike, Juwon Oshaniwa, Kenneth Omeruo, John Mikel Obi, Austin Ejide, Raheem Lawal, Godfrey Oboabona, Hope Akpan, Omatsone Aluko, Sunday Emmanuel and Aaron Samuel and Ogenyi Onazi all had lunch with the technical crew before the team set out for the Goal Project site of the National Stadium for the day’s business.

    The training proper lasted from 4-6pm with Keshi taking charge of affairs. Home based stars, Chigozie Agbim,Azubuike Egwuekwe, Christian Osuaguna Ighodalo, Friday Edjidegborie, Solomon Kwambe, Kingsley Sokari, Emem Eduok and Gbolahan Salami were all in full flight during the session.

    After some tactical sessions, Keshi chose to play the probables against the possibles to the delight of a sizeable number of fans at the arena. Aaron Samuel was the star of the possibles as he scored a classic goal against Agbim in goal for the probables but goals from Emmanuel ‘Ogbunigwe’ Emenike and Mikel Obi eclipsed his efforts before Keshi called a close to the session. Preparations for the game against Congo continues Wednesday in Abuja with Keshi saying he was totally satisfied with the fitness level of his players and hope it continues like that till match day.

  • Eagles converge for all-important clash against Congo

    Eagles converge for all-important clash against Congo

    Preparations for the make or break Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Congo Brazzaville in Point Noir is expected to get started on Monday following the arrival of invited Nigerian league stars to Abuja on Saturday, after a highly impressive 1-0 win over Ghana in the maiden Restoration Cup at the ultra-modern Akwa Ibom International Stadium last Friday.

    The players who came into camp with Head Coach Stephen Keshi, his assistants and other members of staff of the national team are goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim, Warri Wolves skipper, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Solomon Kwambe, scorer of the epoch making goal in Uyo, Emem Eduok, Nasara United’s Tony Edjomari, Christian Osaghuna Ighodalo, Gbolahahan Salami and new comer Kingsley Sokari.

    The players are nested at their usual abode in Bolton White Apartment, Zone 7, Abuja and Keshi said all invited players should be in camp by latest Monday.

    “We have no time for this game and the players know, so all of them must be here early enough for the trip to Congo”, he declared.

  • Eagles can beat Congo

    Eagles can beat Congo

    Former Super Eagles’ Chief Coach Christian Chukwu has charged the Super Eagles to put up a strong showing away to Congo Brazzaville on Saturday and beat the host team to win the three points at stake which will brighten Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations slated for Congo.

    Chuwhu told NationSport he was convinced that the Eagles would spring a surprise and beat Congo in their back yard and make qualification brighter for Nigeria.

    “Firstly our players must realize the fact that the game away to Congo is a must win match which has no other alternative than that Nigeria must beat them on their home ground like they did to our team in Clabar too. The players must put their hearts into ensuring that everything is done on the pitch to win the match.

    “The players must approach the Congo match  even more that they did in the second half of our match against Sudan in Abuja. That urgency must be there and the determination and the will power to beat Congo without any doubt and fears must be there right from the start of the match to the end and I am very sure we will get the needed three points we are looking for in the match.

    “Nigerians have lost hope in qualification but the players must put up a good fight to surprise everybody like they did in South Africa during the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. That fighting spirit, patriotism and hard work must be repeated in Congo for Nigeria to get the all important three points in the match.

    “We all know that we desperately need to win our remaining two matches away to Congo on Saturday and later at home to South Africa in Uyo next Wednesday. But I am confident that we will be in Congo for the 2015 AFCON”, the former Eagles handler told Nationsport.