The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Enyimba

  • Pillars ready for Enyimba-Afelokhai

    Pillars ready for Enyimba-Afelokhai

    Kano Pillars goalkeeper and captain, Theophilus Afelokhai, wants his teammates to put their Champions League ouster behind them and get back on track as they host Enyimba this weekend in the Glo Premier League.

    The Nigeria Professional Football League [NPFL] will resume this weekend with a bevy of matches and the Kano Pillars – Enyimba clash in Kano is the pick of the crop.

    Both teams were knocked out of the first round of the CAF Champions League and will want to kick their Glo Premier League campaign on a high to appease their fans.

    Afelokhai, who was in the Super Eagles squad for the recent friendlies with Uganda and South Africa, told supersport.com that the team want to get back on track towards defending their crown starting with the game against Enyimba.

    “With due respect to other teams in the Glo Premier League, Pillars and Enyimba are the two big clubs in Nigeria and any game between the two sides will always be a cracker.

    “My teammates are looking forward to the game because we want to show our fans that they can still believe in us despite the problems of the last two weeks.

    “This will be our second game in the league due to the unfortunate robbery incident. We beat Bayelsa United and I believe the same fate awaits Enyimba.

    “We are battle ready for them, we won’t give up our title yet, the aim is to win it and get back into the continent so that we can apply the lessons we gained from our failure this year in the Champions League,” he said.

    “It’s been tough, the incident was very unfortunate but we have to carry on. We have to play for the fans,” he said.

    “It was painful to lose out in the Champions League. In fact, it pains us (the players) more than the fans because this is our career, our livelihood, but we have a learnt a lot from the experience. We started training on Monday after the break necessitated by the elections. We will be ready for Enyimba,” Afelokhai declared.

    Kano Pillars are the reigning champions of the Nigerian top flight league, the Glo Premier League.

  • Enyimba game not do or die-Chikatara

    Enyimba game not do or die-Chikatara

    Abia Warriors striker Chisom Chikatara has described as not do-or-die affair the Abia FA Cup final clash against sister side, Enyimba.

    Warriors edged Enyimba Feeders 3-1 in the semifinals while Enyimba humbled Abia Warriors Feeders 5-0 on Friday to pave the way for the final clash on Sunday at the Umuahia Township Stadium.

    Chikatara said the key for his side as far as the FA Cup competition is concerned is the qualification ticket to the national finals.

    “The FA Cup final against Enyimba will be a normal game nothing special not a do-or-die affair encounter.

    “First and foremost we’ve achieved our target qualifying for the national stage finals the encounter against Enyimba is to determine the state champions.

    “Though we’ll like to head to the centre stage as state champions but we won’t go extra-mile to achieve the goal.

    “Had it been a league game where three points is at stake we would’ve taken it a little more serious,” said Chikatara to supersport.com.

    Enyimba are both the state and national champions and will represent the state together with Abia Warriors.

    An official of Abia Warriors, Igwe Onuoha has however doubted the possibility of the Abia FA Cup final holding on Sunday as a result of the gubernatorial and state houses of assembly elections nationwide on Saturday.

    “It’ll be insensitive to hold the FA Cup final on Sunday when there is a directive from the electoral body that inconclusive election will continue on Sunday.

    “I don’t see the match taking place on Sunday, the important matches are the semifinals and it has been decided.

    “Right now the state representatives are known, Abia Warriors and Enyimba the other aspect of winners and runners-up can be decided at a later time,” said Onuoha to supersport.com.

  • Enyimba sent packing from Champions League

    Enyimba sent packing from Champions League

    Nigeria will again not be represented in the group phase of the CAF champions League for a second year running after Enyimba were eliminated by little known Egyptian club Smouha on Sunday.

    Smouha may have left it very late to advance to the second round of the Champions League, but it was better late than never. The Egyptians will now face AC Leopards of Congo in the next round.

    The Congolese team sent Kenya’s Gor Mahia packing on a 2-0 aggregate after winning both legs 1-0 each.

    The Egyptians finally cancelled the second-half winner they conceded in Aba two weeks ago from the penalty spot in the 81st minute courtesy of Al Egeizi. It was also about the time that star midfielder Kingsley Sokari was sent off after he received his second booking of the game.

    Femi Thomas was Enyimba’s star as he pulled off several saves to prevent Smouha from getting goals before they finally did.

    The home team, who played this match behind closed doors in Alexandria, will then double their tally on the stroke of full time through Kwau to ensure that no Nigerian club reached the second round of the competition.

    On Saturday, Nigerian champions Kano Pillars also crashed out of the annual tournament after they could only manage a 2-1 home win.

    They had lost the first game at Moroccan champions Moghreb Tetouan 4-0 and so were dumped out on a 5-2 aggregate.

  • Enyimba to report Tunisian match officials to CAF

    Enyimba to report Tunisian match officials to CAF

    •Alleges poor officiating 

    Enyimba FC has said it would officially complain to CAF about the level of officiating in their CAF Champions League First Round, second leg tie against Smouha SC of Egypt.

    The Egyptian side scored two late goals to eliminate the People’s Elephant 2-1 on aggregate but Enyimba are still pained at the handling

    of the match by the Tunisian match officials who gave the visitors a late penalty kick and sent Sokari Kingsley off through a straight red card and also allowed the second goal scored through ball handing.

    The Chairman of Enyimba FC, Felix Anyansi Agwu who spoke to Nationsport from Egypt said the club would officially report the

    match officials’ handling of the second leg match to stop its further recurrence.

    Enyimba’s players will return to Nigeria today to prepare for the remainder of the league season.

  • Joy in Enyimba City

    The joy of victory was not confined to the North or West; it coursed through the length and breadth of the country including Aba, the commercial hub of the Southeast.

    Enyimba City, especially the camp of the All Progressives Congress (APC) went wild with joy as the party’s presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari was declared winner of the election.  Chants of Sai Buhari and APC erupted. Hands went up in the air.  It was the best piece of news they had heard since the run-up to the polls.

    They had been waiting for news, and finally, it came, with relief.

    The chairman of the party in Abia State, Mr. Donatus Nwankpa described Gen. Buhari’s victory as a new dawn in the country.

    “It is a time of rebuilding the 16 years ruin of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a time that all hands must be on deck to give the country its deserved right of place among the comity of nations,” Dr. Nwankpa told our reporter.

    Continuing, he said, “The task ahead of Buhari’s administration is enormous. The economy of this country is in comatose. This is the time to change the situation that the PDP-led administration has plunged the county into. The first thing that we expect from him is to give this country a sense of direction. He should avoid wastages because one of the problems of this country is wastage arising from corruption, embezzlement, fraud and mismanagement.

    “It is not a time for tea-party. They have a lot of jobs to do because this country, as far we know right now, is losing in infrastructure among others. It is a time to sit up and give Nigerians the real dividends of democracy because there are a lot of expectations on him. To defeat a sitting president among the black African countries and third world countries is a difficult thing. So, for anybody history has beckoned on with such a huge responsibility will know that he has enormous responsibility and the major thing that we Nigerians owe him is our prayers.”

    He further expressed his hope that the emergence of Buhari would end insurgency and curb to the minimum, the impact of militant and militia groups that have been unleashing mayhem on innocent Nigerians which the PDP administration failed to tackle in the past four years.

    Also speaking, Prince Chigbundu Igwe, Abia State APC House of Assembly candidate for Aba South State Constituency said Buhari’s victory would help the party in boosting its support base in the state. He expressed optimism that the APC was going to come out strong in the April 11 polls.

    Explaining why he is vying for the position, he said Aba South State Constituency has been so unlucky, especially in the last eight years to have people who only think of how to enrich themselves instead of working for the interest of the people that elected them into the office, a situation he said he was going to correct.

    Prince Igwe, who lamented absence of tangible infrastructure in one of the densely populated local government areas, said he was going to use his influence to attract government presence to the area, promising to give the people quality representation.

    He urged the electorate to use their PVCs wisely by ensuring that they voted massively for him and other members of the party during the April 11 polls to enthrone good and quality leadership.

  • Abia to face Enyimba FA Cup semi-final

    Abia to face Enyimba FA Cup semi-final

    Abia Warriors Youth Team will have to wait a little longer to face Enyimba in the Semi final of the 2015 Abia State FA Cup due to the 2014 Federation Cup champions assignment on the continent this weekend.

    The Youth Team of Nigerian Premier League campaigner, Abia Warriors FC made it to the last four edging city rivals, Diamond International Football Academy 7-6 on penalties after scores stood 1-1 at the end of regulation time.

    However the senior team, Abia Warriors FC have already reached the final this year’s Abia State FA Cup competition following a 3-1 victory over Enyimba Feeders of as they wait for the winner between Enyimba and Abia Warriors Youth Team in the second semi-final.

    The encounter between Abia Warriors FC and Enyimba Feeders, which took place at the Umuahia Township Stadium, saw homeboy, Chisom Chikatara score two goals in the first half including a penalty while Ndifreke Effiong netted the third after Louis Okoro had pulled one back for the Enyimba boys.

    With the victory, Abia Warriors also qualified for the National Federation cup contest as the two finalists in the state FA Cup will represent each state at the National Federation Cup competition.

  • Enyimba: We count on our experience

    Enyimba: We count on our experience

    Enyimba have vowed to scale  through the hurdle called Smouha SC of Egypt despite heading to the CAF Champions League First Round, Second Leg tie with 1-0 slim advantage.

    The Chairman of the club, Felix Anyansi Agwu told SportingLife that the Egyptian side came to Aba with a strategy to defend and hit them on the counter attack but that with the fact that they must score a goal to at least even the tie in Alexandria, they will be forced to come out.

    He said: “The major thing now is that we will qualify because that is what Nigerians expect of us. It is also what we are going to do. Qualification is more important to us than anything. By the time we get to Alexandria, they need to cancel the goal and they must come out to play. It is when they come out, with what we have seen them play that we will nail them. We are going there not to defend. We are going to Alexandria as if we have not scored any goal.”

    He praised the performance of his boys: “They played very well and all they need to do now is to calm down in front of goal. We know the anxiety will be there because it is a big match. We will do all what we can to qualify.”

  • Enyimba pip Buffles 1-0, qualify on 4-0 agg

    Enyimba pip Buffles 1-0, qualify on 4-0 agg

    Face Smouha of Egypt in first round

    Enyimba International have qualified for the next round of the CAF Champions League after earning a 1-0 victory over Buffles du Borgu in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

    The visitors headed into half time level with Buffles despite creating the majority of the chances in the opening 45 minutes at the Stade de L’amitie yesterday.

    In the first leg encounter played at the Enyimba International Stadium, the People’s Elephants hammered Buffles 3-0.

    Enyimba made an attacking start to the match, but both Kingsley Sokari and Ezekiel Bassey fired early chances straight at Soffo Souradjou, leaving the keeper with a couple of saves.

    A Buffles attacker tried to weave his way into the box, but the Enyimba back line led by captain Chinedu Udoji marked him closely to stop him getting the cross in before making the clearance.

    In the 42nd minute, coach Kadiri Ikhana made a tactical change with Bassey making way for Andrew Abalogu.

    Mama Seibou forced a stop from Chijioke Ejiogu who parried the ball to the woodwork.

    Six minutes from the break, the two-time CAF Champions League winners grabbed the opener.

    Substitute Abalogu stole in behind the defence to punish the ball-watching hosts.

    His amazing skills, deft touches and individual brilliance were crucial against the physical Buffles side.

    Buffles didn’t look like forcing a draw, as Enyimba held on to secure a narrow win away from home and a 4-0 aggregate victory.

    Enyimba will face Smouha of Egypt in the first round of the competition later this month.

  • Ikhana assures of Enyimba

    Ikhana assures of Enyimba

    Enyimba’s head coach Kadiri Ikhana has maintained that the People’s Elephant are almost set for the return leg of their preliminary round CAF Champions League tie away to Buffles du Borgou of Benin Republic.

    The twice African Champions defeated the Beninoise 3-0 in the first leg played at the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba last Sunday and they must protect their advantage if they want to advance to the next round.

    Ikhana told SportingLife that they have made necessary corrections to the errors noticed in the first leg and that they will be going to Cotonou with the aspirations of getting an away win.

    He rued his team’s inability to have star striker, Mfon Udoh in the earlier rounds of the competition as he was assumed to have sealed an overseas move and thus was omitted from the players registered.

    Ikhana also said  they won’t have a problem blending with the turf their host will be presenting for the second leg clash as it is the same grass surface as the pitch at Aba adding that everything is being done to ensure that Enyimba gives a good account of themselves in Cotonou.

  • Enyimba is focused-Ezekiel

    Enyimba is focused-Ezekiel

    Former Akwa United star, Ezekiel Bassey who recently joined Enyimba FC has expressed confidence that the Peoples’ Elephants are focused on the CAF Champions League match at the Enyimba Int’l stadium on Sunday against Buffles du Borgou of Benin Republic.

    Ezekiel Bassey in a chat with SL10.ng opined that Enyimba will enjoy a fantastic Champions League season though he said they had little time to prepare, but he believes the pre-season tournament in Abuja helped the team.

    “The Super Six pre-season tournament was an awesome experience, the team did well despite the fact that we had less training time. I am hoping to see a fantastic performance during the CAF Champions League season that starts from Sunday. We are focused on the match.

    “We are ready for the task ahead and I promise to keep the flag of the People’s Elephant flying high,” Ezekiel stated confidently.

    The skilful player, who was part of Akwa United last season, joyfully shared his early experience with Enyimba and hinted that he might start for Enyimba on Sunday when they take on Baffles du Burgoo of Benin Republic in Aba.

    “It’s been so great joining a team like Enyimba.I think I am adapting to the environment fast.

    “For now I don’t know who the starters will be on Sunday but I think I might start but the most important thing is for me to get ready any time I’m called upon to do the team proud,” Ezekiel Basses said.