Tag: NPFL

Lobi Stars have resumed training for the second half of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season.

The team’s manager,  Barnabas Imenger informed Goal that the Makurdi -based team will resume back to training  in preparation for the second half of the NPFL 2015/16 season.

“We gave them a few days to rest and they will resume [today]. The first 19 games in the league was intense so they needed to rest even if it was for a few days,” Imenger told Goal.

“We would have done better than what we did in the first half of the league this season if we had done a good job in team selection, but I’ve noted it to the technical crew and I hope we shall get a positive result. Every team’s target is to achieve success but we all know that hard work and a little bit of luck are vital ingredients.

“Our major challenge in the first round was not playing these players in the right positions. Though that has been sorted out, but I think if it’s well implemented it will give us more opportunity for real expression. But basically I think we have a strong team that can make us achieve our set target which is to secure a continental ticket. “

Imenger then predicted a hard second half after resumption.

“I’ve been involved in football for over two decades and I can state here that the second half of the league is always tough due to some reasons outside of football and I’ll blame the system for this, even though the LMC and the referees have done a good job.”

Plateau United’s Bitrus Wash has now been ruled out for a longer spell on the sideline after he suffered a relapse in his recovery from the groin injury he copped in their NPFL Match Day 9 home tie against MFM.

SportingLife has been told that the player is expected to be out of football till July as a result of the relapse and thus won’t have any part to play in the remainder of the club’s league matches during the first stanza and some matches too during the second stanza of the league.

Besides Wash, John Kim, who also sustained an ankle injury against Enugu Rangers shortly after scoring during the said NPFL Match Day 2 tie, has started light training and is definitely unavailable for picks against Nasarawa United in Makurdi today.

But the captain of the team, Elisha Golbe who received some knocks in their NPFL Match Day 3 tie against Warri Wolves has resumed training but yet to gain full match fitness. He did not travel to Makurdi to face Nasarawa United.

El-Kanemi Warriors have
been given the greenlight
to return to their home ground in Maiduguri for their Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) matches.

According to the club chairman, Mohammed Zanna, the League Management Company (LMC), which oversees the running of the top-flight in Nigeria, granted them the permission to return to their Maiduguri Stadium this week.

He explained that El-Kanemi and their owners, the Borno State government, however, had to concede to certain conditions which enabled their return to Maiduguri possible as they will now play hosts to 3SC this Sunday at their home ground.

“We want to thank the LMC for showing understanding in granting us this request to return home. We will play Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) on Sunday in Maiduguri and the state government has given the LMC asssurances on this game.

“At the same time, the (Borno) state government will take up the bill for flying in the away team as a way to convince everyone that our home ground is safe for playing football again. This will continue for a few games. The away team (3SC), as I speak to you, will be flying in from Abuja to Maiduguri and we have our people as well as security on ground at the airport to receive them,” he explained.

Ibadan club, 3SC, will fly into Maiduguri on Friday, with a 25-man team that include 18 players, three coaches and four backroom staff including medical persons.

Zanna also disclosed to supersport.com that they had to make the request as the financial burden of playing at the Karkanda Stadium in Katsina, which is about 700 kilometres away from Maiduguri, was eating deep into their pockets.

He claimed that El-Kanemi pay N200,000 per match day to use the Karkanda Stadium apart from other overhead expenses to keep the team “happy.”

“We are glad to be back in Maiduguri,” he told supersport.com. “It was really taking up huge amount from us especially paying N200,000 for the stadium (in Katsina) and yet having no fans to watch to earn something in return plus spending other amount to ensure that the team is well-looked after and the team is happy. At least with this development we will have fans at our stadium, make and save some money.”

It is, however, the first time that El-Kanemi will play a league game at the Maiduguri stadium since 2013 in the wake of security concerns in Borno following pockets of attacks on the city by fighters.

The first ever Lagos derby since the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) started in 2003 will take place between newly promoted sides, Ikorodu United and MFM FC today at the Onikan Stadium.

No doubt there will be a sort of pressure on Premier League new entrants as victory will give the winner the bragging right in the state.

MFM had enjoyed a remarkable start in their debut season winning three and lost one match to place second on the log though tied with leaders Lobi Stars on nine points.

Assistant Coach of the side, Suleiman Obinna Alli has assured that his team will not be under pressure when they take on Ikorodu United in the derby match.

“Ikorodu United is a good side, we promoted together from the NNL. We did not play them before we were promoted because the league was divided in four places. But I believed that with what we have and with the result we got against Sunshine Stars at home, by the special grace of God we will come out victorious.

“This is not the first time we are playing at Onikan Stadium and we are not under any pressure. We are going all out to give everything,” Suleiman told SportingLife.

MFM have received criticism from fans over their second half performance since the beginning of the season, but Suleiman said the team were able to respond to critics with their display during the 2-1 victory over Sunshine Stars at the Agege Stadium.

“People have been complaining quite all right in our previous matches concerning our second half performance. We played Sunshine during the pre season and we know the caliber of players they have. That was why we played the match in the second half the way we did in the first half. We have proven to people that we can do it at the first half and do it in the second half also”.