The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Emeteole

  • Imo Foundation ready to finance Emeteole’s treatment- Ajaelu

    Imo Foundation ready to finance Emeteole’s treatment- Ajaelu

    The Imo Foundation has volunteered to foot the bills of the Coach of former Rangers International of Enugu and Heartland Football Club of Owerri, Kelechi Emetole who urgently needed to go to India for a medical treatment of throat cancer.

    It was made public recently that the highly disciplined coach needed the sum of $11,000 (eleven thousand dollars) to pay for the treatment in India but succor has now come his way as Imo State his former employer has now volunteered to foot the bills.

    SportingLife gathered this yesterday from the Imo State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Public Safety, Rodney Tony Ajaelu that Heartland club is owing the Coach about N3.5million adding that: “Some other clubs he has worked with need to pay up. So footing Emeteole’s bills would cost Imo Foundation about N4, 950,000.00 which is more than what they are allegedly owing the Coach.”

    Ajaelu confirmed that: “We should not abandon him now that he is indisposed and in dire need of help. The governor should be the last call because we must awaken the consciousness of the people given his contributions to football in the state and at national level.

    “As far as Emeteole is concerned, we are working at moving him into Imo Foundation and his bills covered by the government,” Ajaelu who is also an influential member of National Cricket Association disclosed.

  • Emeteole plays hard ball with El Kanemi

    Emeteole plays hard ball with El Kanemi

    Kelechi Emeteole says he’s not considering a return to El Kanemi Warriors unless the NPFL club pay up his entitlements for services rendered during the team’s relegation battle in the 2015 league season.

    The former Enugu Rangers Boss, who took up the task of steering the Maiduguri founded side out of a keenly contested top flight survival battle, told footballlive.ng that the club chairman had declared his willingness to re-hire his services for the new season.

    However, Emeteole is digging his feet in and demanding the total remittance of his bonuses and other benefits before the two parties can return to the negotiation table over a renewed contract.

  • Emeteole maps out El-Kanemi’s relegation escape route

    Emeteole maps out El-Kanemi’s relegation escape route

    It is Coach Kelechi Emeteole’s second coming to El Kanemi Warriors FC, the side he guided back to the elite league in the 2006/07 season and producing the highest goal scorer of the 2007/08 season in Ikechukwu Ibenegbu, now with Warri Wolves.                   Emeteole joined the Borno side mid-season after some results that saw them struggling in the lower part of the log and several matches after, amidst players’ unrest over unpaid wages, he has declared that with just three games to end the season he is keen on seeing them out of their relegation worries.

    Popularly called Caterpillar, Emeteole would have wished that the club played its home games in front of their very passionate Maiduguri fans rather than in another state, Katsina where they play following the persistent insecurity in their city. Amongst the challenges of travelling to Katsina for fixtures, he lamented is the fatigue the players are subjected to and the extra cost to the finances of the club.

    He told npfl.ng after his team defeated Kano Pillars FC by a lone goal at the Karkanda Sports Complex in Katsina, that the victory was a mission accomplished and declared that their next mission was to win their last home match against Wikki Tourists in Katsina on Match day 37.

    “Victory over Kano Pillars is what we needed. Our mission here is to escape relegation. We would have sealed this match up with more goals but for my players lethargy in front of goal. I may not say what was wrong with them as they were just throwing away chances. Altogether we are happy, we thank God that we managed to get the three points, and that would keep us moving ahead. so that at the end we would escape relegation”, said Emeteole.

    He is also hopeful of picking at least a point from their visit to Nnewi against FC IfeanyiUbah in a rescheduled match day 34 fixture. Then there is the home coming fixture in Owerri against his former club, Heartland FC which is the last match of the season.

    “Our next match is the abandoned match against FC IfeanyiUbah, we would work hard to see that we get a good result there. We are not aspiring to win the league but we are trying to get out of being relegated which is our chief mission. By the grace of God we will achieve that”, he said.

    On the sapping trips to Katsina, the coach lamented, “I pity my boys because we don’t have any chance of playing our home matches at our home ground. It is about nine hours drive from this place to Maiduguri and we go to play away matches in the south, the north and across the country. Every three days we are on the road and it is affecting our finances, and causing lots of fatigue for our players and officials.”

  • Emeteole: Rangers will feature crack side against Heartland

    Emeteole: Rangers will feature crack side against Heartland

    Enugu Rangers’ head coach, Kelechi Emeteole has told SportingLife that the Flying Antelopes would feature all their star players including the three that switched allegiance from Heartland FC recently when they face the Naze Millionaires in a Glo Premier League Week 8 tie billed for Enugu on Sunday.

    There have been  war of words between both clubs since Rangers signified intention to sign the trio of Osas Okoro, Kalu Orji Okagbue and Bobby Clement but ahead of the Oriental Derby fixed for Sunday in Enugu, Emeteole in a chat with SportingLife said all his fit players are available for selection.

    He said they are prepared for Heartland FC and that it won’t be a war on Sunday but a tie between two brothers who are only after gaining supremacy adding that he would feature a strong side against the Owerri side.

    “Nobody has any power to stop anybody from not playing. I am going to feature a very strong side including three new players that joined us from Heartland,” Emeteole told SportingLife.

    Rangers are 17th on the log with six points from seven matches and they are up against Heartland who have 12 points from as many matches to place fifth on the log.

  • Enugu Rangers’ fans want Emeteole sacked

    Enugu Rangers’ fans want Emeteole sacked

    Fans of troubled Nigeria Professional Football League club Enugu Rangers have called for the club’s coach, Kelechi Emeteole, to be sacked after a poor run of results.

    The Flying Antelopes find themselves rock bottom in the top flight division with just three points from five games, and with the club rumoured to be suffering from a host of problems, relegation could be the least of their worries.

    On Thursday morning some group of fans held a secret meeting in Enugu and discussed on the way forward for the team.

    “After the meeting it was unanimously agreed that we won’t see no way forward for the club until the current coach is axed,” SL10 was informed by one of the fans.

    “We feel that Emeteole has taken the club as far as he can with the team currently in a run of results that is unacceptable. We feel this situation can no longer be allowed to continue and this is one of the few ways to voice our opinion and express the feelings of the vast majority of the supporters. We have lost too many die hard fans through this situation and the only way to attract them back to the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium and for the club to move forward would be with a change of coach.

    “It is now time for the club to move on with a new coach and a new future.”

  • Emeteole urges Rangers to set realistic targets

    Emeteole urges Rangers to set realistic targets

    Coach of Enugu Rangers Kelechi  Emeteole has urged fans of the Flying Antelopes not to target qualification for continental competitions without commensurate level of funding and preparation from the club.

    Emeteole told footballlive.ng that any team that will qualify to represent Nigeria on the continent will be one with the right level of funding and support from the club management and thereafter provide adequate preparations for such championships.

    “Any club that has prepared its team well, gotten quality players, given them all the requirements to work on should qualify for continental competitions.”

    “You must show players a sense of belonging; step up discipline because to whom much is given much is also expected. You don’t expect too much from those you have not given anything,”he said.

     

  • HEARTLAND ARE REBUILDING , SAYS EMETEOLE

    HEARTLAND ARE REBUILDING , SAYS EMETEOLE

    •Prays for Imo people’s patience

    Heartland’s head coach Kelechi Emeteole has stated that the Naze Millionaires are  an experimental team this season but that the players would explode if he is still in charge next season.

    The Owerri side have failed to pick maximum points at home on six different occasions against Nasarawa United, Abia Warriors, Dolphins, Sharks, El Kanemi Warriors and FC Taraba but Emeteole in an interview with SportingLife has charged Imo people not to fret about the performance of the club at home this season.

    Emeteole said he has had to cope with a makeshift team and that his failure to start on time with the team reduced every possibility of contesting for any meaningful title adding that with the amount of work put in place thus far, Heartland will be a team to beat next season.

    The former international agreed that his best assembled Heartland side were the players he worked with in 2009 but told Imo people to relax because he is working towards raising  players who he said would be up to the quality of those he worked with in the past.

    Speaking on the draw FC Taraba got at Owerri last weekend, he pointed out that the Jalingo Boys were very lucky that none of the numerous chances  they had was converted into goals.

    “We are still coming up and we are not yet there. FC Taraba came to Owerri with the intention of not allowing us to play but we dominated the game from the start to the end. I will praise the urgency of my boys in the second half of the game had it been we started the game with the same zeal we showed in the  second half, we would have won.

    “I’m not promising anything but what I’m sure of is that this team will be better than this next season if I am still here. My best team I will continue to say are the players I worked with in 2009; they were good in all ramifications. We are working towards raising players with the same mentality. Imo people should be patient with us and they should allow us to work,” Emeteole told SportingLife.

  • Emeteole, Aigbogun close to fight at Owerri

    Emeteole, Aigbogun close to fight at Owerri

    • Embrace each other at the end of match

    Heartland FC’s head coach, Kelechi Emeteole and his counterpart from Warri Wolves, Paul Aigbogun almost fought at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri before they were separated by the Match Commissioner during their Premier League Week 34 tie played yesterday.

    The game was devoid of drama in the first half as both teams approached the game cautiously but it took a dramatic twist in the second half after the Naze Millionaires drew the first blood in the 68th minute through Emeka Ogbugh’s well connected free-kick about 20 yards away.

    Warri Wolves players poured out in large numbers to seek an equaliser but they were repelled by the Owerri side whose defence was marshalled by Kalu Orji and captain Chinedu Efugh.

    Tempers boiled further at some stages in the game when coach Aigbogun protested what he termed a legitimate penalty call but was turned down by the centre referee who said the game should continue.

    Aigbogun sauntered forward and his shout for justice did not go down well with Heartland’s coach, Emeteole who later told SportingLife that he went to tell him that they also had a penalty that was not given to them earlier in the second half.

    Both coaches were close to having fisticuffs before they were appeased by the match commissioner who was there right on time to serve as arbiter. However, at the end of the game both coaches showed the spirit of sportsmanship as they hugged each other and chatted freely to show that there was no war between them.

    It was a hard fought home win for Heartland and the victory improved their points haul to 50 from 34 matches ahead of their mid week tie with Abia Warriors in Umuahia.

  • Emeteole unhappy despite win

    Emeteole unhappy despite win

    Heartland technical adviser Kelechi Emeteole has expressed his total dissatisfaction with his wards’ performance against Akwa United.

    The Owerri-based side pipped Akwa United 1-0 in Wednesday’s Glo Premier League match day 16 encounter at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri.

    Former junior international and Sharks striker Bright Ejike scored from the penalty spot to hand his side the crucial three points.

    Emeteole said that his side lacked a virile bench which makes it too difficult for them to achieve their full potential.

    “I’m not happy with the performance of the players despite picking up all three points against Akwa United. Most of our problems are our own fault as the players couldn’t pass the ball accurately. They gave away the ball unnecessarily. Our biggest headache is that we don’t have a strong bench, which makes it compulsory for the injured to continue playing.

    “We’re likely to suffer from same problem until the mid-season when we’re expected to bring in some quality players to strengthen the side. At least the points picked up against Akwa United will improve our position on the log,” said the former El-Kanemi Warriors handler to supersport.com.

    The two-time Federation Cup winners will be the guests of Bayelsa United in a match day 17 duel at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City this weekend and Emeteole said the encounter could be the game to end the search for three points on the road.

    “Yes, we could pick up our first three points on the road at Bayelsa United. We’ll fight hard not to come back empty-handed from the match,” said Emeteole.

    Heartland now have 20 points from a possible 48 points in the 16-week old Nigeria first-tier league.

  • Emeteole: Heartland to keep working

    Emeteole: Heartland to keep working

    Heartland Head Coach, Kelechi Emeteole has declared that the Naze Millionaires’ will keep working despite their recent run of good form in the Glo Premier League.

    Speaking after the Naze War Lords overcame hard fighting Giwa FC, Emeteole disclosed that the delay in the appointment of a coach was largely responsible for the slow start to the season experienced by the club.

    “I came into Heartland two weeks before the commencement of the league season and I did not have time to prepare the team, what I’m supposed to do with the team in pre-season is what we’re doing now and it’s working.”

    “From now henceforth, we look forward to better outings, on our side, we will be working hard to make sure that we progress,” the former El-Kanemi handler told Lagos-based Brila FM.