The Nation Newspaper

Tag: LBA

  • LBA announces nominees for February NPFL awards

    The League Bloggers Awards (LBA) has shortlisted four players and four coaches to vie for the February player and manager’s awards in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

    Abdulrahman Bashir of Enyimba, Tasiu Lawal of Katsina United, Fuad Ekelojuoti of Sunshine Stars and Mfon Udoh of Akwa United are the nominees for the player’s award for the month under review.

    The nominees for the player’s award represent the massive attacking contribution for the month of February which produced 111 goals of the 194 total so far in the NPFL this season.

    Bashir, Ekelojuoti and Lawal scored three goals each in the month under review with the pair of Ekelojuoti and Lawal weighing in with an assist each. Akwa United’s Udoh netted four times and got two assists.

    In the manager’s list for honour are Fidelis Ilechukwu of MFM FC, Rafael Everton of Akwa United, Usman Abd’Allah of Enyimba and Ibrahim Musa of Kano Pillars.

    Everton and Ilechukwu led Akwa United and MFM FC respectively to unbeaten outings in February to finish among the pacesetters in both groups of the top division.

    Abd’Allah helped Enyimba reach double figures of points in February after three wins and a draw with a defeat at Wikki Tourists while Musa, who made a return to the dugout for Kano Pillars, ensured the four-time champions claimed nine out of 12 points available to them last month.

    The winners for February will be announced next week.

     

    LBA FEBRUARY NOMINEES

    PLAYERS

    Abdulrahman Bashir (Enyimba)

    Tasiu Lawal (Katsina United)

    Fuad Ekelojuoti (Sunshine Stars)

    Mfon Udoh (Akwa United)

    MANAGERS

    Fidelis Ilechukwu (MFM FC)

    Rafael Everton (Akwa United)

    Usman Abd’Allah (Enyimba)

    Ibrahim Musa (Kano Pillars)

  • LBA shortlists nine for March award

    LBA shortlists nine for March award

    The League Bloggers Awards (LBA), on Wednesday, announced its shoirtlists for the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Player and Manager awards for the month of March.

    After painstakingly going through the performances of the clubs and individuals for the month under review, the LBA has listed four managers and five players to contest for both categories of awards for March.

    The players’ shortlist has a field of attacking and midfield talent that include NPFL leading scorer, Anthony Okpotu as well as Kano Pillars playmaker and deputy captain, Rabiu Ali.

    Rangers star, Chisom Egbuchulam, who has had an impressive outing this term, joins the list alongside El-Kanemi’s Ibrahim Mustapha and Niger Tornadoes leading scorer, Ismaila Gata.

    Four head coaches in the Nigerian top-flight are in the running to win the LBA Manager for March. They are Bulgarian Mitko Dobrev, Imama Amapakabo, Mohammed Baba Ganaru and Abdu Maikaba.

    The winners will be announced by midday on Monday, April 11, 2016.

  • LBA nominees for March Player & Manager award revealed

    LBA nominees for March Player & Manager award revealed

    Five players and five head coaches are now in the running to win the League Bloggers Awards (LBA) Player and Manager respectively for the month of March 2014.

    The players were picked by the LBA based on their performance in March during the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) while the coaches made the shortlist following the form guide of their clubs for the month in review.

    Nnamso Edo, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Cletus Itodo, Ifeanyi Egwim and Ifeanyi Inyam are the players shortlisted for the month of March.

    The five shortlisted managers are Patrick Udoh, Richard Bubagha, Gbenga Ogunbote, Ladan Bosso and Ndubuisi Nduka. The LBA will announce the Player and Manager for the month of March next Monday.

    Shortlisted Players

    Nnamso Edo (Akwa United)

    Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Sunshine Stars)

    Cletus Itodo (Abia Warriors)

    Ifeanyi Egwim (Dolphins)

    Ifeanyi Inyam (Sharks)

    Shortlisted Managers

    Patrick Udoh (Akwa United)

    Richard Bubagha (Bayelsa United)

    Gbenga Ogunbote (Sharks)

    Ladan Bosso (Abia Warriors)

    Ndubuisi Nduka (FC Taraba)

  • LBA to honour Premier League stars

    LBA to honour Premier League stars

    In a bid to celebrate 10 years of Premier League football in Nigeria, the League Bloggers Awards (LBA) has decided to honour some of the outstanding players in the last decade.

    The Premier League era in Nigeria began in January 2003 under the tenure of former Nigeria Football Association (now Nigeria Football Federation) boss, Ibrahim Galadima.

    In the last 10 years there have been outstanding actors in the premier league and the LBA has decided to award the best in six categories.

    “The aim of the LBA Decade Awards is to celebrate Nigerians and foreigners who were outstanding in the last 10 years. The contributions of these stars cannot be over-emphasized,” CEO of the LBA, Ojeikere Aikhoje said.

    Among the categories for honours include coach of the decade, player of the decade, team of the decade, club of the decade, foreign player of the decade and club administrator.

    Undoubtedly, Victor Ezeji picks the Player of the Decade award for his amazing achievement in the premier league while Maurice Cooreman bags Coach of the Decade after managing nine clubs during this time.

    But Aikhoje said the Team of the Decade proved to be “a tough assignment” considering the plethora of talents in the premier league in the past 10 years.

    “It was a tough assignment picking the Premier League XI of the Decade, because several players were truly outstanding.”

    Felix Anyansi-Agwu was named Administrator of the Decade for his achievement with Enyimba who have won the Premier League four times in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2010.

    Since the premier league era, Anyansi-Agwu has ensured that Enyimba never finished outside of the top eight with the 2010/11 season being the only time in the last decade that they finished in seventh position.

    The stars of the decade will be honoured in Lagos later this month.

  • Afelokhai, Ganaru clinch LBA for March

    Afelokhai, Ganaru clinch LBA for March

    Kano Pillars duo of Theophilus Afelokhai and Mohammed Baba Ganaru have been announced as Player and Manager of March respectively by the League Bloggers Awards (LBA).

    According to LBA’s announcement on Wednesday, Afelokhai and Ganaru “stood tall in their respective positions in the past month for the Kano club in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).”

    Kano Pillars’ goalkeeper and captain, Afelokhai, edged teammate, Gambo Mohammed, whose influence in three out of the club’s five games helped the champions claim top spot in the PFL standings at the end of March.

    The ex-Buffalo custodian put in a massive shift in his team’s games against Wikki Tourists, Bayelsa United, Akwa United and 3SC in March to also stave off Isah Akor (Heartland), Ichull Lordson (ABS) and Bishop Onyeudo (Gombe United), who were also in the running for the Player of March award.

    Afelokhai becomes the first goalkeeper to win the LBA monthly award after he equally emerged as last season’s Best Goalkeeper during the 2012 LBA in Lagos.

    Ganaru, on the other hand, claimed the manager’s gong for March on the back of his team’s success in the first month of the 2012/13 NPFL season.

    Enugu Rangers head coach, Okey Emordi proved the strongest of other contenders for the manager’s award in March.

    But Ganaru, who guided his men to a strong finish in March including two wins on the road at Wikki Tourists and ABS, emerge tops ahead of Emordi and Sunshine Stars head coach, Abimbola Samuel.

    The LBA will present plaques to Afelokhai and Ganaru later in April.

    MARCH 2013

    Player: Theophilus Afelokhai (Kano Pillars)

    Manager: Mohammed Baba Ganaru (Kano Pillars)