The Nation Newspaper

Tag: OLYMPICS

  • Buhari to Athletes: Go for Gold in Rio

    Buhari to Athletes: Go for Gold in Rio

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday urged Nigerian athletes to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to put in their best and win gold medals in their various events at the Games.

    The President, however, warned them to desist from performance enhancing drugs and other activities that could dent Nigeria image.

    He spoke while officially handing over Team Nigeria to the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) and his during his investiture as the Grand Patron of the NOC in Abuja.

    The event at the old Banquet Hall of the State House came just 17 days to the commencement of the Games. The quadrennial event starts on August 4 in Rio.

    President Buhari said: “Go for Gold in Rio! Go Team Nigeria! Go! Please bring as many medals back home as a result of your efforts and endeavour. But remember it is more important to compete and acquit your country as a fair sporting nation than to bring a pack of medals by bending the rules and denying the Games of fair competition.

    “As the Federal Government formally hands over our athletes and officials for the Rio Olympics to the Nigeria Olympic Committee today, I want to charge all athletes and team officials going to the Olympic Games to be worthy ambassadors of our great country, both on the field of play and outside the sporting arena.

    “The eyes of the global community are on you and as such, you should desist from acts that could dent the image of our great country, Nigeria.”

    Reminding the athletes of recent doping allegations which cast aspersions on individual athletes and their home countries, he said: “Please keep Nigeria clean.”

    The menace of drug use in sports, the President said, is threatening the core foundation of sports and has led to embarrassing situations and sanctions of some great sporting nations.

    “I therefore urge you to keep the integrity of our nation intact by competing clean and fair at the Olympic Games,” he said.

     

  • Amoo defends Dream Team performance against Mexico

    Amoo defends Dream Team performance against Mexico

    Dream Team Assistant Coach, Fatai Amoo, has insisted that the team achieved its objective against Mexico U-23 in a tune game for the Olympics despite the 0-1 defeat.

    He told footballlive.ng that the Mexico side enjoyed home support and was very comfortable playing in front of a familiar crowd, a situation the Nigerian team will have to get used to when the competition gets underway in August.

    Amoo, who led a second string team to a 1-0 win over Brazil’s U23s in a commemorative friendly in March,  expressed hope that the expected players will improve the quality of the team.

    Chelsea midfielder, Mikel Obi, Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi and Kenneth Omeruo are expected to join the team before the commencement of the Olympics next month.

  • Olympics: Clubs have no obligation to release players – FIFA

    Olympics: Clubs have no obligation to release players – FIFA

    Football’s world governing body, FIFA on Thursday confirmed that clubs are not under obligation to release their players for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a development that will surely not sit well with Nigeria’s U-23 coach, Samson Siasia.

    Several players on the provisional list have been barred by their European clubs from representing Nigeria at the Games, despite pleas from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    And FIFA has now confirmed the clubs are not obliged to release their players for the quadrennial Games.

    “The men’s Olympic football tournament is not included in the men’s international match calendar 2014-2018, which applies to all FIFA competitions with age restrictions, and thus clubs are not under any obligation to release players for the men’s Olympic football tournament,” a FIFA spokesperson told africanFootball.com

    “However, FIFA is asking for support from the clubs to allow players who are called up by their national teams to be given the chance to be part of the Olympics experience.”

     

  • Olympics: Mikel, Ighalo, Iwobi in Nigeria provisional squad

    Olympics: Mikel, Ighalo, Iwobi in Nigeria provisional squad

    Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel and Watford striker Odion Ighalo have been named in the 35-man Nigeria Olympic squad put together by Samson Siasia.

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) released the list submitted by Siasia ending speculation about the identity of the over-23 players in the team as allowed by FIFA.

    Defender Godfrey Oboabona and goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi are the other over-age players that will compete for three slots in the team, Goal reports.

    Despite the ongoing speculation on their availability for the Games, Manchester City and Arsenal starlets Kelechi Iheanacho and Alex Iwobi were also included in the squad.

    The full list:

     

    Daniel Akpeyi (Chippa FC, South Africa), Yusuf Bala (Kano Pillars), Emmanuel Daniel (Enugu Rangers), Taiwo Abdulrahman (Kwara United), Ndubuisi Agu (FC Porto, Portugal), Junior Ajayi (CS Sfaxien, Tunisia), Stanley Amuzie (Olhanense FC, Portugal), Taiwo Awoniyi (Frankfurt FC, Germany), Okechukwu Azubuike (Yeni Malatyaspor, Turkey), Etor Daniel (Enyimba FC), Augustine Dimgba (Sunshine Stars), William Ekong (Haugesund FC, Norway), Saturday Erimuya (Kayseri Erciyespor, Turkey), Oghenekaro Etebo (CD Feirense FC, Portugal), Imoh Ezekiel (Anderlecht, Belgium), Saviour Godwin (Ostende, Belgium), Odion Ighalo (Watford FC, England), Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City, England), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal FC, England), Emiloju Julius (MFM FC), Kingsley Madu (AS Trencin, Slovakia), John Mikel Obi (Chelsea FC, England), Musa Muhammed (Istanbul Basaksehir, Turkey), Usman Muhammed (CF Uniao, Portugal), Wilfred Ndidi (KRC Genk, Belgium), Erhun Obanor (MFM FC), Godfrey Oboabona (Caykur Rizespor, Turkey), Kenneth Omeruo (Chelsea FC, England), Sodiq Saliu (Seraing FC, Belgium), Abdullahi Shehu (CF Uniao, Portugal), Moses Simon (KAA Gent, Belgium), Seth Sincere (Rhapsody FC), Ndifreke Udo (Abia Warriors), Aminu Umar (Osmalispor, Turkey), Sadiq Umar (AS Roma, Italy).

  • It’s a privilege to play at Olympics – Akpeyi

    It’s a privilege to play at Olympics – Akpeyi

    South Africa-based goalkeeper, Daniel Akpeyi, has said it is a great privilege to feature at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as one of the over-aged players for Nigeria.

    Akpeyi was a late inclusion to the Dream Team VI Olympics’ provisional list and while the goalkeeper has admitted only the coach will determine who goes to the Games, he is thankful for the opportunity.

    “I must say that the main list is not out and only the coach knows that. But I am honoured to be counted among the over-aged players that the coach thinks can help the team,” he told africanFootball.com

    “It is a great privilege but it doesn’t give me the automatic shirt in the team.”

    The 29-year-old shot stopper was at the United States Embassy in Abuja on Thursday with other members of the team to apply for visas as they prepare for the training camp in the U.S ahead of the Olympic Games.

     

  • RIO 2016 OLYMPICS: Come with evidence of bribery

    RIO 2016 OLYMPICS: Come with evidence of bribery

    • Amaju dares accusers
    • Directs Green to supervise Dream Team VI

    President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Melvin Pinnick has challenged anybody with evidence to show that they offered bribe to coaches of the country’s 2016 Olympic Games team to come forward with such documents.

    Disclosing this to Sportinglife on telephone over the weekend, Pinnick revealed that he has received a deluge of allegations on the matter of players paying large sums of money to coaches through their agents to get a place in the Dream Team VI squad.

    But, Pinnick told Sportinglife that he challenged those who sent such allegations to his phones to step forward with the document and see if he wouldn’t sack the coach, if such a person can substantiate his allegations.

    According to Pinnick: “I have directed the NFF technical committee chairman, Chris Green to oversee what is happening in the team’s camp. I pleaded with Green to ensure that only those who justified their places on merit are picked to represent the country at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

    “Most times, such allegations are difficult to prove. But I can assure anyone with incriminating documents to step forward with them. I will invite such a coach to face his accusers. If the allegations turn out to be true, I will ask the coach to resign or I will immeidately sack him.

    “We want the best players at the Rio Olympics. My reason is that the Olympic Games squad is the future of Nigeria’s football, especially at this time when most of our younger players are playing in the big leagues in Europe. We should aim at using the boys going to the Olympics for Nigeria’s 2018 World Cup qualifiers which draws would be made on June 24,” Pinnick said.

  • Rio Olympics: Dream Team VI resume camping Wednesday

    Rio Olympics: Dream Team VI resume camping Wednesday

    Nigeria U-23 team will resume training camp in Abuja on Wednesday, officials have disclosed.

    The team went on a short recess after the Suwon International Tournament in South Korea, where they lost to hosts Korea and Denmark, before they defeated Honduras.

    The Dream Team VI are scheduled to apply for entry visas to the United States and United Kingdom on their return to camp after an initial arrangement to do so earlier this month was shelved.

    The team will train in  the United States of America and England prior to the Rio Olympics in August.

  • MFM FC backs Emiloju, Obanor for Olympics

    MFM FC backs Emiloju, Obanor for Olympics

    Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Football Club of Lagos has tipped the duo of Obanor Erhun and Julius Emiloju Oriyomi for success at the forthcoming 2016 Rio Olympics that will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    Speaking with mountaintopfc.com, the chairman of the Lagos-based team, Godwin Enakhena stated that Emiloju and Obanor are bound for success at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

    “All things being equal, Obanor and Emiloju will be flying Nigeria’s flag at the Olympics. We owe them total support and prayers for their names to go down in history as joining Nwankwo Kanu and Austin Okocha to have won the football gold .”

    Enakhena added that Obanor and Emiloju need to keep their heads up inspite of the poor results of the Dream Team in South Korea.

  • Olympics: I have not picked my overage players – Siasia

    Olympics: I have not picked my overage players – Siasia

    Olympic Team Coach, Samson Siasia, has dismissed claims that he has announced the three overage players that will play for his at this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    Reports had said John Obi Mikel, Odion Ighalo and goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi had been confirmed for the Olympics soccer event.

    But Siasia has now dismissed the news as false, insisting he will name them at the appropriate time.

    “I have not named my overage players for the Olympics yet,” Siasia told Goal.

    “I don’t know where those who quoted me got theirs from. I’m taking my time before naming them because the best legs deserve to be picked.”

    The coach met with the duo of Mikel and Ighalo in London during a recent trip to United Kingdom.

    Nigeria has been zoned in Group B with Sweden, Japan and Colombia and he is upbeat about his chances of making a meaningful impact in Brazil.

    He also disclosed that his side will be gunning for glory when the Suwon international tournament begins in South Korea.

    “My boys are very prepared and are eager to make the country proud,” he concluded.

     

     

  • Siasia dreams Nigeria, Brazil final at Olympics

    Siasia dreams Nigeria, Brazil final at Olympics

    Nigeria Olympic Team coach, Samson Siasia, has said his dream is to meet hosts Brazil in the final of the Olympic Games soccer event in August.

    Both teams met at the semi final stage of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta with Nigeria winning 4-3 in extra time, africanFootball.com reports.

    Siasia attended the Olympics soccer draw in Rio de Janeiro last week and said his thoughts of another clash with the five-time world champions came when he stood beside Brazil coach Dunga at the event.

    “I told myself this is the man I would be playing against in the final match,” he told africanFootball.com.