Tag: Giwa FC

Akwa United Chief Coach, Patrick Udoh has blamed the absence of his six regulars for his team’s lone goal loss to giant-killers, Giwa FC in Wednesday’s Match Day 8 game at the Rwang Pam Stadium,Jos.

The former Flying Eagles goalkeeper trainer via Uwem Ekoh, the club’s spokesperson said after the game: “We could have got a point against Giwa FC, but I want to admit that we missed six of our regular players.

“They didn’t make the trip to Jos owing to injuries and card suspensions. However, the players gave their best.”

“The officiating too was fair, so we take the loss in good fate, as we now look forward to the Match Day 9 game against Sunshine Stars of Akure.”

“It’s going to be a tough one but I want to assure our fans that we can match the Akure side as we want to reclaim the Globacom Premier League top spot by taking the maximum three points.”

Recall Sharks FC of Port-Harcourt are the new leaders of the table on superior goals difference after a Christian Pyagbara brace against the Crocodiles ended their seven years no win jinx at the Kaduna Township Stadium on Match Day 8.

FC Taraba head coach, Nduka Ndubuisi has said his side will recover the points lost to domestic champions, Kano Pillars against newcomers, Giwa FC.

The Jalingo-based side will confront fellow Nigerian top flight debutants, Giwa FC in the Glo Premier League match day 7 duel on Sunday at the Jolly Nyame Stadium, Jalingo.

Both sides experienced mixed fortune in match day 6 clashes going into the match day 7 tie while FC Taraba had their wings clipped at Kano Pillars in Kano; the Tin City side shared honours with debutants, Abia Warriors in Jos.

Ndubuisi said his charges must bounce back with a convincing win against Giwa FC for the side to maintain their relevance in the ongoing league season.

“We won’t negotiate the three points with Giwa FC, we’ve to win in order to keep our progression in the league.

“We just lost three points at Kano Pillars on Sunday we can’t afford to drop further points not even on the home soil. We’re new on the terrain with a lot of youngsters, we’ve to maintain the momentum by regularly picking good results so as to guarantee players’ confidence,” said the former Plateau United coach to supersport.com.

Ndubuisi insisted that the side’s code of conduct will take care of the misdemeanour of the side’s first-choice goalkeeper, Richard Ocheayi in the game at Kano Pillars.

“FC Taraba have a good articulate code of conduct, we’ll look into it to come up with appropriate punishment for goalkeeper, Richard Ocheayi. FC Taraba as a policy does not subscribe to the act of players challenging referees’ decisions.

“The ripple effect of his marching order saw his teammates momentarily losing concentration which caused us the game. We’ll play Giwa FC without him, we’ll work hard to ensure his absence doesn’t hurt us,” said the former Heartland coach.

FC Taraba have raked in nine points from a possible 18 in the six-week old Nigeria elite league.

The League Management Company (LMC) said on Friday that its decision to disqualify Nembe City of Brass and Giwa FC of Jos from the 2013/2014 Globacom Premier League was final.

Salihu Abubakar, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the LMC, disclosed the decision to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

The two teams were disqualified for failing to meet the registration requirements for the 2013/2014 season which kicked off on Friday.

Consequently, the league opener involving Nembe City and Rangers International on Friday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu did not hold.

Abubakar said the Appeals Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was the only body that could have any influence on the decision.

According to Abubakar, the LMC will now adopt an 18-club format for the Nigeria professional league following the disqualification of both clubs.

“Nembe City and Giwa FC were not suspended by the LMC as clubs. They have only been ruled out from participating in the 2013/2014 league season because of incomplete registration.

“They have not been cleared by the LMC to play any match this new season. Automatically, all the matches involving them in the new season will no longer hold.

“The only thing they can do right now to is to appeal against the decision,’’ Abubakar said.

He said the LMC would soon determine the mode of compensation for SuperSport, the league’s TV broadcast rights holders who were already in Enugu for the live transmission of the match.

Paul Ozor, the General Manager of Rangers, told NAN on telephone on Friday that a letter stopping the match had been communicated to them by the LMC.

Ozor expressed regret over the development, saying that the home game, which Rangers looked forward to winning would have put the team on sound footing for the season.

The Chairman of Giwa FC, Chris Giwa, told NAN that the club had yet to receive the LMC’s letter which ruled them out of the league.

“I will respond appropriately when I receive the letter but right now, I am busy somewhere; I will talk to you later,’’ Giwa said.

Similarly, Victor Baribote, the Chairman of Nembe City FC, said the LMC had not communicated them on the development and would not want to respond to issues based on rumours.

“As far as I am concerned, the cancellation of our matches is a rumour; let’s wait and see what happens,’’ he said.

Players and technical crew of Giwa FC will be hosted to a dinner by the club’s management on Sunday as a way to appreciate the team for last season promotion ticket to the Glo League.

The club’s Marketing Director, Sammy Adesoji told SportingLife on Thursday.

He said the club’s chairman Ambassador Chris Giwa is full of praise for the players and technical crew for the feat achieve last season.

“There will be reception for both players and technical crew on Sunday in Jos. The club’s management want to tell the team that we appreciate their efforts and will continue to support them in all ramifications,” Adesoji told SportingLife.

Answering to a question, he said: “The club has not promised anything for now but definitely they will be appreciated on Sunday and I believe everybody will be happy at the end of the reception.”

The club’s technical Adviser, Abdullahi Biffo said the management’s gesture is a welcome development.

He said the reception will serve as a boost to the players ahead of the league season

“I think the management’s gesture is coming at a good time. Appreciating people sometimes is not about money. For the fact that the management ready to host us means they really understand what it takes to achieve what we achieved last season,” Biffo told SportingLife.

“The reception will serve as a morale booster to the players ahead of the league kick off. They will have it at the back of their mind that if they do well they will be appreciated. So they will give their best in everything they are doing.”

Giwa FC returned home on Tuesday after two weeks training camping in Ilorin.

The Jos-based side played three friendly games against Kwara United, ABS and Sunshine Stars and Biffo admitted that the training exercise is worthwhile.

“I think we have wonderful stay in Ilorin. We played grade A friendly matches which I can say keep our boys in shape for the coming season. Kwara United and ABS played in the GLo League last season and they still have their players intact so they gave us good fight during the matches. The way they played you can see in them that they are planning to come back into the league. Sunshine Stars’ match too was not a push over. So I can say without fear that we are ready for the league kick off.”

Giwa FC start their Glo League campaign against league champions Kano Pillars.

Giwa FC head coach, Abdullahi Abidemi Biffo has written for an extension to the coaching course he was supposed to go for later this month in Brazil because of the demands of his club ahead of the Globacom Premier League.

Biffo was to travel to South America towards the end of this month. In an interview with SportingLife, he said he had to write to the organisers of the coaching course that he should be put among those for the next phase of the programme in June so that he could concentrate on grooming a new look Giwa FC.

The Jos based club got their lifeline to the premier league last season for the first time in their illustrious career when they topped Group A of the National League and booked tickets alongside Taraba United.

“I won’t be going for the coaching course again this month. I have written to the organisers in Brazil to push mine forward till when it would next be held in June very close to the World Cup. There is no doubt about it that I will gain a lot by attending the course but it doesn’t make sense leaving my club at this critical stage when we are in the thick of serious preparation for the league season. I am awaiting their response soonest,” Biffo told SportingLife.

The club has been training under close supervision of coach Biffo and any distraction may affect the smooth take off of the club in their debut season in the premier league hence the resolve of the helmsman to write to Brazil for the postponement of his own coaching course.

The coach also told SportingLife that they are looking at either Kaduna United or Ilorin for their final pre season exercise which they hope to proceed about three weeks to the commencement of the 2013/2014 premier league season.

Biffo said he is still waiting for the approval of the club boss, Ambassador Chris Giwa on his preferred choice out of the two cities. He hinted that if it is Ilorin that is picked, it would afford his team to play against tested clubs such as ABS, Kwara United, Sunshine Stars and even Crown of Ogbomosho who are very close to that area. He also added that the choice of Kaduna United would bring them closer to home and the opportunity to play against Kaduna United and some other top flight teams in that area.

Giwa FC head coach, Abdullahi Abidemi Biffo has written for an extension to the coaching course he was supposed to go for later this month in Brazil because of the demands of his club ahead of the Globacom Premier League.

Biffo was to travel to South America towards the end of this month. In an interview with SportingLife, he said he had to write to the organisers of the coaching course that he should be put among those for the next phase of the programme in June so that he could concentrate on grooming a new look Giwa FC.

The Jos based club got their lifeline to the premier league last season for the first time in their illustrious career when they topped Group A of the National League and booked tickets alongside Taraba United.

“I won’t be going for the coaching course again this month. I have written to the organisers in Brazil to push mine forward till when it would next be held in June very close to the World Cup. There is no doubt about it that I will gain a lot by attending the course but it doesn’t make sense leaving my club at this critical stage when we are in the thick of serious preparation for the league season. I am awaiting their response soonest,” Biffo told SportingLife.

The club has been training under close supervision of coach Biffo and any distraction may affect the smooth take off of the club in their debut season in the premier league hence the resolve of the helmsman to write to Brazil for the postponement of his own coaching course.

The coach also told SportingLife that they are looking at either Kaduna United or Ilorin for their final pre season exercise which they hope to proceed about three weeks to the commencement of the 2013/2014 premier league season.

Biffo said he is still waiting for the approval of the club boss, Ambassador Chris Giwa on his preferred choice out of the two cities. He hinted that if it is Ilorin that is picked, it would afford his team to play against tested clubs such as ABS, Kwara United, Sunshine Stars and even Crown of Ogbomosho who are very close to that area. He also added that the choice of Kaduna United would bring them closer to home and the opportunity to play against Kaduna United and some other top flight teams in that area.

The Honourable Sunday Longbap led Plateau Football Association Executive and the aggrieved Local Government Association FA chairmen have been admonished to bury their hatchet and settle their differences in the interest of the round leather game in the state.

The Public Relations Officer of Giwa FC, Yemi Matthew gave this admonition in a text message to SportingLife where he called on the feuding parties to put an end to the lingering crises between them for the sake of football which has been serving as the unifying factor in the state and Nigeria as a whole.

Matthew said the continuous war of words through the media will not in help but rather cause division and hinder the positive growth of football in Plateau State.

He said the warring parties should strive to understand themselves and continue to work together as one indivisible family in the administration of football in tandem with the support from the state government in the development of sports in the state.

SportingLife recalls that the Plateau State Football Association recently recommended the suspension of former Super Eagles’ coach and current General Manager of Plateau United FC, Bitrus Bewarang and others from football related activities for three years.

The association in a communique released at the end of the 2014 General Assembly of the Association held at the Rwang Pam Stadium, Jos said Bewarang and other prominent football stakeholders in the state wrongfully paraded themselves as the representatives of the state in activities of the Nigeria premier league, National League and the Nationwide League.

The General Assembly of the Football Association also took other far reaching decisions like the approval of the suspension of five Local Government Football Association Chairmen for holding an illegal meeting contrary to Article 22 (14) and (15) of the Plateau State FA statute. The affected LGA FA Chairmen are: Lot Andrew(Mikang), Emmanuel D. Musa(Kanke), Ibrahim Ajiji(Jos East), Dennis Isa(Shendam) and Steven Gacha( Jos South).

Meanwhile, the owner of newly promoted premier league club, Ambassador Chris Giwa paid a surprise visit to the Kuru training ground of the club for the first time this year and he subsequently called on the players to imbibe godly virtues of sincerity, righteousness and hard work as the start of the premier league season gathers momentum.

Ambassador Giwa said the salaries and match bonuses of the players and technical crew would be increased in tandem with the demands expected of the team.

In their response, head coach, Abdullahi Biffo and captain, Sunday Omolade on behalf of the team thanked God and appreciated the club’s proprietor for his continuous support to the team.

The visit also featured special prayers for the team ahead of the 2013/2014 premier league campaign.

• Give team Yuletide break

One of the premier league’s newest entrants, Giwa FC of Jos have assured players and officials of the club that their welfare would be the team’s priority ahead of their debut season in the elite division next season.

Giwa FC topped Group A of the National League and secured top flight ticket alongside Taraba United. The club also added the NNL Super Four title to their historic 2013 campaign.

In a press release made available to SportingLife, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Giwa, Yemi Matthew made this known before the players and officials of the Jos based side received their December salaries and Chrismas bonus and were subsequently told to proceed on a short break in the spirit of the season.

Matthew said the owner of the club, Ambassador Chris Giwa would continue to give the players and other officials of the club the right motivation to ensure that the newly promoted side leaves an imprint in their maiden season in the premier league.

The club’s image maker also told SportingLife that the players and the technical crew have been given a break to enable them to travel home and celebrate the Christmas and the New Year with their families.

Matthew said the break began on Monday,December 23 and that it would end on or before January 9 ,2014 when the players and the officials are expected to resume back to Jos.

He urged the players to use the Christmas and New Year break wisely by improving on their spiritual lives and also trusting in God for a better year in 2014 with their debut in the premier league very imminent.