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Tag: Haruna

  • Haruna mulls over  lessons gained  from Iber Cup Portugal

    Haruna mulls over  lessons gained  from Iber Cup Portugal

    Former Nigeria U17 team assistant coach Bunmi Haruna has shared the invaluable lessons learned while leading Blue Ocean FC during the recent 2025 Iber Cup in Lisbon, Portugal.

    Haruna, who has had the privilege of working alongside esteemed coaches like Manu Garba and Nduka Ugbade with the Nigeria National U17 team, guided Blue Ocean FC to the semi-finals of the Iber Cup held in Cascais, Lisbon from July 1st  to July 8th.

    The journey, however, was not without its challenges. Initially, the team faced the difficult situation of fielding only 10 players for their first two matches due to unforeseen travel issues faced by some team members. Despite this hurdle, they displayed resilience and determination, securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Academia Chimoio and managing to hold Portugal-based Académico Alves to a goalless draw.

    As the tournament progressed, the U19 side found their footing, exhibiting their true potential by decisively hammering Arsenal 72 FC 8-1, now with a complete squad. This victory must have felt like a breath of fresh air, inspiring confidence and unity among the players.

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    Their journey continued with an intense quarter-final showdown against TPE Academy from Madrid, a match filled with passion and excitement that Blue Ocean FC came from behind to snatch victory with a 4-2 win—a moment surely etched in their memories.

    However, the heartache of the semi-final loss to Nzalang Madrid, ending the tournament with a narrow 1-0 defeat, was palpable for the team.

     Yet Haruna took this setback in stride, expressing a deep sense of gratitude for the experiences gained throughout the tournament.

     “The Iber Cup has been a wonderful opportunity for me and the boys,” he shared with genuine emotion. “We faced strong opponents and learned so much from every match.

    “ Our focus remains on nurturing the next generation of Nigerian talent, inspired by the greatness of players like Samuel Chukwueze, Victor Osimhen, Taiwo Awoniyi and more, who once walked a similar path.”

    As one of the promising young coaches in Nigerian football, Haruna aspires to build on the legacy of revered Nigerian coaches.

     “I hope to follow in the footsteps of Emmanuel Amuneke, Manu Garba, and other top coaches who have successfully led Nigerian teams in international competitions of this calibre,” he remarked, filled with hope and determination.

    Blue Ocean FC, a team backed by the visionary Lagos-based businessman Otunba Olumide Adekunbi, continues to strive for excellence, forging ahead with a spirit of resilience and commitment to growth.

  • Wrong, Haruna, wrong

    Columnist Muhammed Haruna took on Bishop Matthew Kukah last week and took exceptions to his views on Islamic practice in the North. I am not interested in wading into the issues he raised. But I just want to make a correction. Haruna admitted that Muslim women are forbidden to marry unbelievers, including Christians. He wrote this in response to Kukah’s praise of the Yoruba pious liberalism. But Haruna remarked wrongly that Christians, like Muslims, are not allowed to marry outside their faith, because Paul said Christians should not be equally yoked with unbelievers. A mischievous allusion!

    Paul said that with regard to sin and works of darkness. Neither Paul nor any true Christian would call a Muslim work of darkness, even if they share a different faith. Christ said let the wheat and tears dwell together. On marriage, Paul made it clear in 1st Cor. 7: 13 and 14 that a Christian man or woman can marry an unbeliever if they are pleased to do so, and they can even be sanctified by it. So there! Haruna should read his Bible before erring on sacred matters.

  • Emenike, Haruna battling to be fit

    Emenike, Haruna battling to be fit

    Two out of the 18 foreign based players that were invited by coach Sunday Oliseh ahead of next month to the AFCON 2017 qualifiers, Emmanuel Emenike and Lukman Haruna are in a race to be fit for the game against Tanzania.

    Although Anzhi Makhachkala Lukman Haruna claimed the thigh injury that lead to his substitution in his team 3- 2 loss to Dinamo Moscow, in the Premier League on August 8 isn’t as bad as initially feared and he is already back in training, but reports coming out of Russia suggest he might spend a week or two on the sidelines, if the fitness test before this weekend game proved otherwise.

    On his part Emmanuel Emenike who scored twice for Al-Ain in last week’s UAE Super Cup 4-2 victory over Al-Nasr, pulled a muscle in training that has now made him a doubt for his loan side opening game of the league.

    Emenike has had a long battle with his muscle in his past seasons in Turkey with Fenerbache, although this time around initial reports indicate he might be out for five or six days although no test have been done yet.

    Both players are expected to be in the Nigeria camp four days before the September 8 game against Tanzania in Dar Es Salam.

  • Haruna’s errors on Aregbesola

    SIR: Muhammed Haruna’s piece titled ‘Aregbesola’s predicament’ published on July 29 in your well respected newspaper refers. Haruna is a fine writer, who does his research very well, even if some people find his articles provocative and his argument sometimes non sequitur.

    His article on Governor Rauf Aregbesola was meant to be favourable, but in trying to be objective, he did more harm than good to him.

    His first barb was in siding with Punch on criticising the governor for building a religious worship centre for Christians. When Governor Aregbesola decided to build the centre, it was on the heel of the wild allegation that he was planning to Islamise Osun. What better show of goodwill than to build the worship centre for Christians?

    However, the governor explained that he was not even thinking of appeasing Christians. His motivation was the economic import of a religious centre for the state. He said he saw the crowds pulled at the various camp grounds of religious organisations and the economy built around them in accommodation, food, utilities and so on. He was just thinking of growing the state’s GDP.

    When Punch and the others so virulently criticised the governor for the venture, they were thinking less of separating state from religion, after all, the whole country was replete with other states that built churches and mosques for their people and we did not hear a whimper. What really pained and angered them about Aregbesola was that he had confronted them with an anomaly on their paradigm that portrayed the governor as a Christian-hating, sabre-rattling bearded mullah. They expected him to conform to this image and characterisation, not a church building, and evangelism crusade promoting governor.

    Secondly, Haruna did not get the facts right on the purchase of helicopter for security surveillance; and that is very uncharacteristic of him. He no doubt bought the falsehood being peddled by Osun PDP that the governor bought the helicopter for the use of himself and his family. This is far from the truth.

    The helicopter was acquired for security surveillance to complement armoured personnel carriers (APC) bought to fight crime. Before the chopper was purchased, the state government had built a state of the art call centre where it will be coordinated with ground forces but the centre needed a special security code which can only be supplied by NCC. Regrettably, NCC for political reason, refused to give this code and the chopper was grounded. For it not to be redundant, it was leased out for commercial purpose where it is making money for the state and is only recalled for use as the need arises. The government is still in hot pursuit of the security code and will still bring back the helicopter for surveillance. It therefore does not make to ask that it be sold.

    Thirdly, Muhammed Haruna’s unsolicited counsel that the governor travels out too frequently is uninformed. Aregbesola is the least travelled public official at his level. His unfailing attendance of the weekly state executive council meetings attends to this.

     

    • Michael Ogundele,

    Osogbo, Osun State

  • Haruna dropped from Dynamo Kiev Squad

    Haruna dropped from Dynamo Kiev Squad

    Lukman Haruna will not  be on parade at the Stade du Roudourou when Dynamo Kiev face Guingamp in the Europa League round of 32 on tonight.

    The Kievites left their training camp in Marbella, Spain early this afternoon, and the Nigeria international was not among the 23 players that were selected for the trip to France.

    Coach Rebrov has named 10 midfielders in the travelling party, but Haruna has been left out of the squad.

    The former Monaco midfielder has not made a single appearance in the Europe League since the start of this season.

    The 24-year-old last featured in this competition about a year ago when Dynamo Kiev drew goalless with Valencia.

  • Haruna to miss Dynamo Kiev’s training

    Dynamo Kiev squad flew  to Spain on Wednesday morning to continue preparations for the resumption of the Ukrainian Premier League.

    However, Nigeria international Lukman Haruna was conspicuously missing from the 20 – man squad that traveled to Marbella for its training camp, the official website of the Kievites has hinted.

    3 goalkeepers, 4 defenders, 10 midfielders and 3 strikers boarded the plane to Malaga, where they will disembark before departing for Marbella.

    Lukman Haruna has made it crystal clear that he would love to depart the capital team before the end of this season.

    He did not feature for Dynamo Kiev in the Premier League in the 2014  – 2015 campaign.

  • Haruna dropped from Dynamo Kiev’s squad

    Haruna dropped from Dynamo Kiev’s squad

    DynamoKiev coach,  Sergiy Rebrov, has summoned 20 players for the trip to Romania, where the Ukrainian Premier League side will face Steaua Bucharest in Group J of the Europa League on Thursday evening.

    In principle, half of the squad is composed of midfielders, but there is no place in it for Nigeria international Lukman Haruna.

    Ever since the start of this season, Haruna is yet to play an official league match for the Kievites due to injury. And even though he recently started full training with the club, he was not considered for the trip to Romania.

    No matter the outcome of the game at the Stadionul Steaua , Dynamo Kiv will qualify for the knock out rounds of the competition.

  • Haruna makes first appearance of the season

    Haruna makes first appearance of the season

    Lukman Haruna has put his physical problems behind him, and he could play  his first Premier League game of this season today when Dynamo Kiev trade tackles with Metalurh Donetsk.

    The Nigeria international underwent meniscus surgery at a hospital in Monaco in August, which kept him on the sidelines.

    But the good news for Dynamo Kiev coach, Rebrov, is that Haruna has resumed full training with the capital side.

    He was one of the 24 players that participated in training on Wednesday in preparation for the match against Metalurh Donetsk.

    The central midfielder last donned the jersey of Dynamo Kiev in the 2 – 0 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Super Cup back in July.

  • World Cup: Mark leads FG delegation to Brazil

    .. Imoke, Shema, Haruna, Bala, Duke on the trip

    Senate President, David Mark, on Tuesday led a high powered Federal Government’s delegation to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

    President Goodluck Jonathan had in a letter mandated Mark to lead the delegation which includes Chairman Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Adamu Gumba and his House of Representatives’ counterpart Geofrey Gaiya.

    Also on the entourage, according to a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President, Paul Mumeh, in Abuja, are governors of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, his Katsina State counterpart, Shehu Shema, Federal Capital Territory Minister Bala Mohammed, Culture and Tourism’s Edem Duke as well as Youth Development Minister, Boni Haruna.

    Others are –Minister of Sports, Tamuno Danagogo, Minister of State Foreign Affairs 1, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, and Commissioner of Police Kola Sodipo.

    According to the statement, Mark will deliver President Jonathan’s goodwill message to the players and officials and also hold pep talks with them ahead of their opening game against Iran on June 16.

  • Haruna wants Eagles recall

    Haruna wants Eagles recall

    Dynamo Kyiv midfielder, Lukman Haruna is keen to make a return to the Nigeria squad ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil.

    Haruna has never played under current Nigeria head coach, Stephen Keshi who was appointed in 2011.

    The 23-year-old, who was part of the Nigeria World Cup squad in 2010, is now looking to force his way back into the squad.

    “If I had the chance to play in the national team under Keshi, I would be very happy. He’s like a father, and a mentor. He’s a man who has shown he can motivate (the players). He’s also brought discipline (to the squad),” Haruna told Tvc news.

    The midfielder has been in great form for Dynamo Kyiv this season scoring three league goals in 15 appearances for the Ukrainian club.

    He acknowledges that consistent displays at club level could hold the key for a potential return to the Nigeria squad.

    “I have to be focused in what I do at my club. The most important thing is to play for my team and see if that will (earn me a recall) to the national team,” he said.

    Haruna won the 2007 Under-17 African and World titles with Nigeria and he captained the team throughout the tournament.

    He was called into the provisional Nigeria national football team squad for the 2008 African Nations Cup but was cut from the final 23-man squad. He is also known for his astonishing dribbles, vast movements and pass accuracy.

    In 2008, he made his debut for the Super Eagles in a warm-up game with Sudan which Nigeria won 2–0.

    He was called into camp ahead of the 2010 World Cup and scored his first goal in a friendly on May 30, against Colombia. He later played for Nigeria in the World Cup in South Africa.