Niger Tornadoes Technical Adviser, Abubakar Bala has been presented with a brand new Peugeot 406 Prestige Car ahead of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season.
Bala, who was confirmed technical adviser after guiding the Ikoh Allah to the 11th position on the log last season, has also received keys to his three bedroom apartment to assist him in his new designation as the team’s coach.
He was the team’s chief coach last season as he took over from the former technical adviser Abdullahi Biffo.
An elated Bala while receiving the car from the Niger State Commissioner of Sport was full of praises and appreciated the State Government for the kind gesture, while promising to give his best to the team in ensuring that the Tornadoes perform better than the last season.
Niger Tornadoes will kick start their 2016/2017 league campaign against Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries Football Club of Lagos on January 15 at the Agege Township Stadium.
Tag: Niger Tornadoes
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Niger Tornadoes coach, Bala gets official car, house
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Bala: Niger Tornadoes are ready
Technical Adviser of Niger Tornadoes, Abubakar Bala has revealed the pre-season progress report for his team.
“We have completed our recruitment process and we have gotten to the third phase of our preparation. We are currently participating at the Gold Cup preseason tournament in Ijebu ode. The quality of opposition will help us see more of the team’s weakness and strong points,” Bala told Goal.
“The target was to carry out a total overhaul of the team and inculcate a positive philosophy in the team. The friendlies we played against Rangers and Lobi Stars has helped us a great deal but we want to finish off well at the Gold Cup preseason tournament but so far, we are 70% ready.
“The venue of the final phase of our preparation will be dependent on our league opener in the 2016/17 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL),” he added.
“If our first league match will be at home then we shall head back to Lokoja but if we shall be playing our first match on the road next season then we shall complete our preparation at a nearby state.”
The Ikon Allah are participating in a pre-season tournament at Ijebu Ode but Abubakar has noted that the newly built team has reached 70% level in their preparation ahead of the 2016/17 Nigerian League season.
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Tornadoes begin preseason camping * set to drop 10 more players
Determined to make a huge impact in the 2016/17 Nigeria Professional Football League, Niger Tornadoes flagged off intensive closed door camping Sunday in Ado Ekiti. Coach Abubakar Bala described the camping as timely adding that it would provide the technical crew ample opportunity to screen more players with a view to settling for the best legs.
The choice of Ado Ekiti according to him is to help the team acclimatize on one hand and prepare for the forth coming Gold Cup billed for Ijebu Ode later in the month.
‘We are here to make our last practice and allow our new boys to get to understand themselves with the players retained.
‘We are in Ado Ekiti with 40 players as the exercise continue we will prone the team to 30 players and we are going to be fast about it, as we anticipate that the NPFL will commence next month’, he said.
Bala who was recently confirmed as Tornadoes head coach expressed satisfaction with the level of discipline among players adding that everything will be done to maintain the level of discipline while combining it with hard work in the new season.
He applauded the club’s management committee for not only approving the preseason exercise but for also providing the funds for it, promising that the best crop of players would be picked at the end devoid of sentiments.
‘The present technical crew is prepared to select the best legs, we have learnt enough from our mistakes in last year’s recruitment and we will not repeat same this year, Bala promised. -
Niger Tornadoes is a club with lots of ambition, says Bala
Niger Tornadoes’ technical adviser, Abubakar Bala is certain of achieving great things with the Ikon Allah Boys.
The former FC Lokoja gaffer was saddled with the responsibility of stabilising the team on an interim basis after the management parted ways with Abdullahi Biffo and he proved his mettle.
Tornadoes placed 11th at the end of the 2016 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season.
“It is a good platform to reach my tall dreams. I’m just an ordinary beginner. My gratitude to the management of Niger Tornadoes for the confidence they reposed in me.
“Together we can take the club to greater heights in the next season. This is a club with ambition and am someone who has great vision for the project,” Bala told Goal.
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Niger Tornadoes to sign five new players
• Screening begins Friday
Nigeria Tornadoes technical adviser, Abdullahi Biffo has revealed to SportingLife that he will beef-up the squad with additional five players during the mid-season transfer window.
The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) clubs have a two weeks window to register new players starting from 8am on Monday, May 23 to 5pm on June 3.
The former Giwa FC manager revealed that Ikoh Allah needs central defender, attacker and defensive midfielder.
Biffo said the club has invited 10 players for screening which will start on Friday. He said five players would be picked at the end of the screening on Sunday.
“I want to say that we are on course and we are happy with what we were able to do in the first stanza. There is no break for us because we want to prepare well for the second stanza.
“We are expecting 10 new players. They will start training on Friday and by Monday morning we would decide on five players to pick among them. We want to solidify our entire department because we want to compete well in the second round of the league.”
Tornadoes will face Fasbir FC in the Federation Cup round of 64 in Zaria today.
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Niger Tornadoes begin negotiation with 10 players
The management of Niger Tornadoes has started contract negotiation with ten new players ahead of new season.
The club, which gained promotion to the elite division at the end of the Nigeria National League, resumed camp on Wednesday.
The club’s Technical Adviser, Abdullahi Biffo, who signed a new deal with the club on Tuesday, confirmed that five out of ten invited players have started training with the team.
Biffo added that the remaining five players will arrive in camp this weekend.
He said seven players were invited from premier league while the remaining three players were from the Nigeria National league (NNL).
The invited players were from Sharks FC, FC Taraba, Bayelsa United, Rangers, Kano Pillars, Wikki Tourists as well as Kwara United while the NNL players were from Mighty Jet of Jos, Gombe United and Crown FC.
“We are not conduction open trails because we have identified players we wanted. We have 21 players already and we will sign seven out of ten players invited,” Biffo told SportingLife.