The Nation Newspaper

Tag: League Management Company

  • Thirty NPFL coaches for Abuja clinic

    Thirty NPFL coaches for Abuja clinic

     

    Over 30 participants drawn from the local league in Nigeria are currently attending coaching clinic at the Abuja National Stadium.

    The coaching clinic which commenced on Tuesday 25th July and end on Thursday 27th July 2017 was facilitated by premium beer brand, Star Lager as part of its continued efforts to support local football in Nigeria, since signing a landmark partnership in 2016 with the League Management Company (LMC).

    The coaching clinic is yet another major gain for Nigerian football occasioned by Star lager beer’s partnership with Arsenal FC as the club’s official beer partner in Nigeria.

    The clinic will equip local football technical supervisors and coaches with the tactical knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the game and improve the overall quality of Nigeria’s local football league.

    The coaching clinic will also feature both theoretical and practical sessions facilitated by members of Arsenal’s technical coaching crew, Simon McManus and James Colinese.

    Simon McManus, UEFA Licensed Coach, is in charge of the technical delivery and implementation of ‘Play the Arsenal Way’ across Arsenal FC’s Soccer School locations (22 countries across 5 continents). He delivers bespoke Arsenal-themed coaching programmes strongly hinged on his philosophy of producing an autonomous supportive environment that helps players adopt a growth mind-set approach, high energy-intense sessions, and ecological approach to skill acquisition and individualization of sessions to maximize the benefits to all participants.

    James Colinese is a FA Level 1 and Level 3 Talent Identification coach. He has worked in the UK and U.S in many coaching capacities. He was also a head coach of the University of Portsmouth FC and ran their entire footballing programme, consisting of 6 travel teams and 4 development squads. He is currently the head coach at Portsmouth College Football Academy, which competes in the ECFA1 league, the highest ranked college league in the country, while also doubling as an academy scout.

    Commenting on the coaching clinic, Portfolio Manager National Premium Lager Brands, Nigerian Breweries, Tokunbo Adodo, said: “We are very proud to have partnered with Arsenal FC and the NPFL on this coaching clinic. The coaching clinic is purely a technical football session to facilitate knowledge transfer between our foreign football club partners and our own football league to develop the quality of the local league. We are confident that this will significantly improve the technical expertise of our local coaches.”

    President of the League Management Company, Mallam Shehu Dikko, said: “The coaching clinic in partnership with Star Lager beer and Arsenal FC is a very good thing for Nigeria’s football. The LMC as a body is very committed to improving the Nigerian football league and as such will go the extra mile to ensure capacity-building events like this hold regularly.”

  • LMC hammer for ‘chairman’ Christian Chukwu

    LMC hammer for ‘chairman’ Christian Chukwu

    Former Super Eagles coach and current General Manager of Rangers international has been suspended from all league activities pending his appearance before the Ethics and Disciplinary committee.

    The League management Company (LMC) that is yet to find a perfect solution to crowd trouble at match venues despite the use of banishing to neutral ground and playing behind closed doors, revealed the decision on the social media Friday, just as Rangers prepare to face ABS away on Sunday.

    “Rangers General Manager, Christian Chukwu has been suspended from all NPFL activities with immediate effect pending his appearance before the Ethics Committee of the NFF,” LMC announced via twitter on Friday.

    The suspension which takes immediate effect is not unconnected with his alleged role in the sacking of Rangers former coach and Super Eagles assistant coach Imama Amapakabo.

    Amakapabo who led the Flying Antelopes to win the NPFL title last season after 35 years in limbo, was shown the exit door following strings of poor run afterwards. Christian Chukwu who was appointed subsequently as  General manager of the club did not hesitate to throw out the coach even as the club’s poor run failed to halt.

    The LMC had referred the case to its Ethics and Disciplinary Committee adding that the referral is in pursuant to the provisions of Rule C17.5 of the #NPFL Framework & Rules”

    Rangers who were sent packing in the early stages of the CAF Champions league have continued to struggle in the local scene, occupying the 14th position on the log with 39 points in 30 matches. Rangers will be going into Sunday match fresh from a 2-0 home victory against second placed MFM.

  • Bosso hails LMC over Emeteole’s intervention

    Bosso hails LMC over Emeteole’s intervention

    The President of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association, Isa Ladan Bosso has applauded the League Management Company (LMC) for its timely intervention on coach Kelechi Emeteole’s illness.

    Emeteole is in need of help to raise 11, 000 dollars to carry out an operation in India for Cancer of the throat.

    It is understood that Emeteole is being owed by El Kanemi Warriors and Heartland FC when he was in charge of the clubs as head coach.

    But LMC in its kind gesture paid up the money to Emeteole with intention to remove the money from the funds the league body is expected to give to the indebted clubs.

    In a telephone conversation with SportingLife, Bosso, said the LMC intervention will encourage Nigeria coaches to do more for the country while he urged his colleagues to plan for their future.

    The former Flying Eagles handler, therefore, pleaded with LMC to also do something for the former Super Eagles’ coach, Paul  Hamilton who is down with sickness too.

    “I am in contact with coach Emeteole’s wife for update on his health. On behalf of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association I want to thank LMC leadership for their kind gesture. Their quick intervention is a welcome development and I believe it will serve as a morale booster to other coaches to do more. Like Oliver Twist, we want to plead on behalf of coach Hamilton so that he can be assisted too. He is in need of help from everybody for his sickness.

    “I think it is very important for us (coaches) to save for the raining days. We have to plan for our future. By the grace of God I will visit coach Emeteole on Friday while I will go to Lagos next week to visit coach Hamilton,” Bosso said to SportingLife.

  • LMC shifts continental games

    The League Management Company(LMC)  has rescheduled matches involving four Nigerian clubs

    involved in the CAF Championship.

    The Clubs are Rangers Rivers United , FC Ifeanyi Ubah  and Wikki Tourusts. Meanhwile, Matchday 7

    Games involving the four clubs which was originally scheduled for February 8 has been moved to February 22

    while the games of Matchday 8, originally fixed for February 12 has been moved to March 12.

    NEW FIXTURES

    Rivers United vs Kano Pillars(Moved from February 8 to February  22)

    Wikki Tourists vs 3sc(Moved from February 8 to February  22)

    Katsina United FC, vs IfeanyiUbah(Moved from February 8 to February  22)

     

    Kano Pillars Vs Wikki Tourists (Moved from February  12 to March 1)

    3sc vs Enugu Rangers (Moved from February  12 to March 1)

    FC Ifeanyi Ubah vs Remo Stars(Moved from February  12 to March 1)

    Rivers United vs ABS FC(Moved from February  19 to a new date yet to be announced )

    Wikki Tourists vs MFM(Moved from February  19 to a new date yet to be announced)

    Enugu Rangers vs Kano Pillars(Moved from February  19 to a new date yet to be announced}

    Enyimba vs Fc I feanyiUbah(Moved from February  19 to a new date yet to be announced}

     

  • Abubakar Bukola Saraki FC declares striker awol

    Abubakar Bukola Saraki FC declares striker awol

    The management of Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) Ilorin FC, has declared its striker Ajibola Otegbeye awol.

    The club in a statement on Tuesday, signed by its Media Manager, Olayinka Owolewa, said the striker was supposed to resume for training after the Christmas and new year break but has not been seen since then.
    The management warned anyone against doing any business with the player because it has not gotten any permission to speak or do business with any club or person.
    The statement expressed concern with the character and behaviour of the youngster.
    The club said it has since reported his absence from the team to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the League Management Company (LMC) for necessary actions.
    The statement reminded that the young striker completed all preseason formalities until the Christmas and new year break failing to turn up for the closed camp in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

  • LMC approve Sani Abacha Stadium for league matches

    The League Management Company (LMC) has approved Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofar Mata in Kano State as home ground of Kano Pillars FC for the 2016/2017 Nigeria Professional Football league (NPFL) season.
    The LMC representative Patrick Pascal MON stated this after inspecting the stadium today.
    Pascal said he was in Kano to assess situation of the stadium in preparation for the coming season.
    The ex-international expressed delight with condition of the stadium, urging the management to sustain the tempo in maintaining the standard of the stadium.
    The chairman of the club Tukur Babangida said his board is ready to control the team’s crowd and provide adequate security during home games.
    Babangida has also pledged to do his best to ensure that Sai Masu Gida return to its envious heights of the past.
  • NFF crisis: Players, managers boycott league

    NFF crisis: Players, managers boycott league

    Players and top club managers have joined a boycott of the Nigeria league just as the Nigeria Football Federation has insisted matches will be played this weekend.

    The League Management Company (LMC) announced the league has been postponed till further notice after the country’s referees said they will no longer handle matches until the crisis rocking Nigerian football is resolved.

    The country’s players’ union, APFON, has also directed its members to stay away from league matches till further notice, africanFootball.com reports.

    “The players union, after a thorough evaluation of the current situation in Nigeria football as a result of the kangaroo and purported election into the executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation held on  August 26, 2014, that brought Chris Giwa as NFF president, the players’ union hereby directs all Nigeria footballers in the various leagues to boycott all league matches with immediate effect to protest the illegality of the purported elections,” africanFootball.com quoted APFON as saying in a statement signed by its president ,Dahiru Sadi.

    However, Chris Giwa, who claims to have been elected new NFF president on Tuesday, said matches slated for this weekend will go ahead.

    “It has come to our notice that the League Management Company has been issuing notices to clubs in the Premier League that matches are being suspended from this weekend,” said Giwa.

    “This is totally untrue. If the LMC received a notice from the Nigeria Referees Association about purported withdrawal of referees, the LMC should have brought this to the notice of the NFF and not to take a decision to suspend the league on its own.”

    He expressed his unhappiness with the NRA for the threat to withdraw referees from the Premier League and said the NFF would not take the matter lightly.

  • Eguma wants kick-off date extended

    Eguma wants kick-off date extended

    Dolphins manager, Stanley Eguma is adamant that one month will be inadequate for clubs to prepare for the new season.

    Eguma, who was reacting to the decision of the League Management Company (LMC) to start the 2013/14 Globacom Premier League (Glo league) season on November 22, believes a lot more time will be required to prepare the teams physically and mentally for the upcoming season.

    He told supersport.com: “A one-month break will not be enough because it is very important that the players get some time to rest after a long season. Then the coaches and the management need to strategise since the preparations have to do with finance.

    “It is also very important that we regroup at the right time to ensure each member of the team is heading in the same direction and I doubt if all these can be achieved within a month.”

    Eguma also urged the LMC to revisit the live broadcast of Globacom Premier League matches before the commencement of the new season.

    Even though the LMC has hinted there could be as many as five matches broadcast each weekend; Eguma insists the most contentious aspect of the live transmission has yet to be addressed.

    “I hope they have a another look at the live telecast of matches. As it stands, only matches in the southern part of the country are being televised while those in the north are never covered,” he told supersport.com.

    “Why cover some and leave out some others? Where is the fair play in the league? Some stadia are television friendly, while others are not. The standards have to cut across to ensure fairness. I think issues like this ought to be resolved before the start of the new season.”