The Nation Newspaper

Tag: RANGERS

  • Wolves, Rangers get 7-day ultimatum

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has asked Warri Wolves and Rangers to agree on the ownership of AFCON star Sunday Mba.

    Both Nigeria Professional Football League clubs claim the 24-year-old Nigeria international, who shone at the recent Nations Cup in South Africa, belongs to them.

    After two days of deliberations, the Sanusi Mohammed-led committee charged both clubs to find a meeting point.

    “We have asked both clubs to go and resolve the issues surrounding the ownership of the player. We have given them until next week to reach a gentleman agreement, but if they fail to sort it out the federation would make a pronouncement,” Sanusi said.

    Rangers spokesman Foster Chime while confirming the directive of the NFF, noted, “Our lawyers and those of Warri Wolves are already meeting to find the best ways to resolve the issue.”

    Last week, the Nigerian league ruled that Mba belongs to Warri Wolves, but the player himself has declared he is a Rangers player when he was presented to the media at a brief ceremony in Enugu along with other Rangers new signings.

  • Wolves, Rangers to agree on Mba

    Wolves, Rangers to agree on Mba

    The Nigeria Football Federation has asked Warri Wolves and Rangers to agree on the ownership of African Nations Cup star, Sunday Mba.

    Both Nigeria Professional Football League clubs claim the 24-year-old Nigeria international, who shone at the recent AFCON in South Africa, belongs to them, MTNFootball.com reports.

    After two days of deliberations, the Sanusi Mohammed-led committee charged both clubs to find a meeting point.

    “We have asked both clubs to go and resolve the issues surrounding the ownership of the player,” Sanusi said.

    “We have given them until next week to reach a gentleman agreement, but if they fail to sort it out the federation would make a pronouncement.”

    Rangers spokesman Foster Chime while confirming the directive of the NFF, noted, “Our lawyers and those of Warri Wolves are already meeting to find the best ways to resolve the issue.”

    Last week, the Nigeria league ruled that Mba belongs to Warri Wolves, but the player himself has declared he is a Rangers player when he was presented to the media at a brief ceremony in Enugu along with other Rangers new signings.

     

  • Wolves want ‘free lunch’ from Mba – Kujah

    Wolves want ‘free lunch’ from Mba – Kujah

    Football agent Friday Kujah has said Warri Wolves has no claim on African Nations Cup star, Sunday Mba.

    He insisted that the club wants “a free lunch” off the player.

    A verdict on who owns Mba between Enugu Rangers and Warri Wolves was not announced on Wednesday by the Nigeria Football Federation, but officials said a decision will be taken later Thursday.

    Nwankwo aka “Soccer Ambassador” told MTNFootball.com after Wednesday’s sitting on the stormy transfer case: “Warri Wolves is looking for free lunch, the club officials should be on their knees and beg for this. And the player has said no,” blasted Kujah.

    “Is it his fault that Nigerians do not know how to run their clubs? We should educate these people how to move a player. If a player wants to go, you cannot stop him.

    “We will go to FIFA if need be.”

    Rangers case on the Mba saga is being argued by one of the country’s foremost lawyers, Femi Falana.

    “We wasted the funds of two states, Delta and Enugu States, to come here (to Abuja on the transfer matter), when it is clear that without any iota of doubt that Sunday Mba is a Warri Wolves player,” said Amanju Pinnick.

    “He has been at Wolves for over 24 months, earning salaries and sign-on fees. He was not on loan (from Dolphin). The document is there that he is a Warri Wolves player and Rangers officials did not argue with the document.

    “Provisional (clearance) in Nigeria context is as a good as permanent (transfer).”

     

  • Sunday Mba to rejoin Rangers today

    Sunday Mba to rejoin Rangers today

    As the war between Rangers and Warri Wolves over the ownership of Sunday Mba continues to rage, the Enugu-based club have confirmed that the Super Eagles midfielder will rejoin them today.

    In an exclusive chat with KickOffNigeria.com the media officer of Rangers, Foster Chime, disclosed that the dispute has been referred to the Nigeria Football Federation who have consequently set up a committee to resolve the issue.

    Chime also disclosed that newly-signed Nigeria international defender Chibuzor Okonkwo has started training with the team along with Super Eagles goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim, who along with Sunday Mba played for Warri Wolves last season.

    He further disclosed that Mba who has since distanced himself of any affiliation with Warri Wolves will return to Enugu today.

    Mba who is currently holidaying in Jos is reported to have been approached by more than ten European clubs including English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.

  • Mba is Rangers player — Emordi

    Mba is Rangers player — Emordi

    The Head Coach, Rangers International FC of Enugu, Okey Emordi, said on Tuesday that the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) board had no justification to claim Sunday Mba is a Warri Wolves’ player.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Rangers, Warri Wolves and Dolphins of Port Harcourt have been in intense dispute over the rightful owner of the Super Eagles player.

    Emordi told NAN that he was confident Mba was a player of Rangers, saying he had trained with the team before joining the Super Eagles’ Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) camp.

    “The NPFL has no justification to claim that Mba is a player of Wolves. It’s the clubs concerned that are in a good position to lay claims to the player. I strongly believe that Mba is a player of Rangers because as much as I can tell he was already training with us before the Nations Cup. And he was training with Rangers as a bonafide player of the team not on any other condition,” he said.

    Emordi added that the player had been registered in all of the club’s competitions prior to the AFCON and that his name had since been incorporated in the club’s payroll.

    “The player has since been registered in all of our competitions for this season and his name has been included in the club’s payroll. Therefore, by virtue of this fact he is our player, otherwise, we wouldn’t have registered him as part of our plans for the season,” Emordi said.

    The coach said he was optimistic that Rangers would win the dispute over the rightful owner of the emerging football star.

    Mba scored the lone winning goal of the Nations Cup final against Burkina Faso in South Africa that crowned the Super Eagles champions of the continental showpiece.

    The player also scored the winning goal in the Super Eagles’ quarter-finals 2-1 win over Cote d’Ivoire but has been the subject of intense controversy over contractual club agreements.

  • Rangers dare NPFL over Mba

    Rangers dare NPFL over Mba

    Nigeria’s CAF Champions League campaigners, Enugu Rangers are taking their statutory claim over Nigerian international, Sunday Mba to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Status Players Committee.

    The status of the Africa Cup of Nations’ hero has been hotly disputed between two NPFL sides, Warri Wolves and Enugu Rangers leading to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Management Committee issuing a statement on Monday that the Nigerian forward is a bona fide player of Warri Wolves.

    However, an official of Rangers, Foster Chime on Tuesday declared the NPFL statement on Mba as inconsequential and of no effect as it lacked the locus standi to enter into the fray of ascertaining the rightful owner of the player.

    “We don’t have any issue to grind with the NPFL especially as we know that the issue they’ve elected themselves to speak on is beyond their bound, so, whatever statement emanating from them on Sunday Mba is considered null and void by the management of Enugu Rangers.

    “The NPFL has no right to comment on players’ status. That right is reserved for the Nigeria Football Federation Status Players Committee.

    “All the parties will soon appear before the committee with facts and figures to establish once and for all the rightful and legal owner of the disputed player. Wolves are forcing themselves on the case which actually is between Dolphins and Rangers (and) by extension Enyimba.

    “We obtained Mba from Enyimba from where we loaned him to Dolphins who didn’t fulfil the loan agreement. We learnt, too, that Dolphins complained that Wolves didn’t fulfil its loan agreement with the Port Harcourt side. I believe every fact will be laid bare at the NFF Status Players’ Committee at the right time and justice will be given to the parties involved,” he said to supersport.com.

    Supersport.com learnt that Mba is far away from the shores of Nigeria where he is believed to be negotiating deals with some clubs.

  • Rangers, Warri Wolves fight over AFCON hero Mba

    Rangers, Warri Wolves fight over AFCON hero Mba

    Enugu Rangers officials have declared that African Nations Cup hero Sunday Mba is their bonafide player contrary to the claims by Warri Wolves, where he last played.

    Mba, who shone at the AFCON in South Africa and even scored the championship winner in the final against Burkina Faso, is bound for an overseas club soon, MTNFootball.com reports.

    Warri Wolves officials have maintained that Mba is their player, but Rangers has now come out to dismiss such a claim.

    Enugu state Football Association boss Chidi Ofor Okenwa said Mba has always been a player of Rangers as he was sent on loan to Dolphin in the first instance.

    “We don’t have to start joining issues with Warri Wolves on who owns Sunday Mba. Any contractual agreement of a player is with the state FA, and that is Delta state FA. Like when Mba joined Rangers from Enyimba, he was duly registered in Enugu FA and his papers are still on my table,” said Okenwa.

    “Even his loan deal to Dolphin, it was duly documented.”

    “Warri Wolves officials are crying wolf. We don’t have any business with them because Mba is a registered player of Rangers. He joined us from Enyimba, then we loaned him to Dolphin, who in turn loaned him to Warri Wolves without our consent,” added Rangers media officer Foster Chime.

    “We don’t have to start joining issues with Wolves, who had started crying wolf as the club name goes.

    “Mba is our player. A player has the right to say where he wants to play and Mba has come out to say he wants to play in Rangers.

    “Rangers even gave him transport fare to Abuja to team up with Eagles before they left for Faro. He was training with us. His Honda Accord is parked in our Enugu camp and I know he will be glad to team up with Chibuzor Okonkwo, his childhood friend from Jos,” Chime added.

  • Warri Wolves slam €1m on Mba

    Warri Wolves slam €1m on Mba

    Nigerian top flight side, Warri Wolves, is willing to sell African Nations Cup hero, Sunday Mba only for the sum of €1 million (around N210 million), Supersport.com reports.

    Wolves had also included a 20 percent sell-on clause in any future deal for the Super Eagles striker.

    The 24-year-old striker, who scored the winning goal at the 2013 AFCON final against Burkina Faso earlier this month, has already been linked with Bayer Leverkusen, Dinamo Zagreb and OB Odense.

    “The transfer fee for Sunday Mba has soared right now. The club is very willing to cash in on him at the moment as he was a key player for Nigeria at the Nations Cup.

    “Also there are a number of clubs in Europe seeking to sign him following his superb display at the Nations Cup against Cote d’Ivoire in the quarterfinal and Burkina Faso in the final. The (Warri Wolves) club chairman is insistent on doing business for the player but for nothing less than the asking fee of €1 million,” a club official informed supersport.com.

    The striker was close to sealing a move to rivals, Enugu Rangers but that switch now looks dead.

    Mba has made 10 appearances for the Super Eagles and has scored five goals.

     

  • NPL changes name

    NPL changes name

    The interim management committee (IMC) of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) has effected a change of nomenclature for the Nigerian top flight and the league will now be referred to as the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPLF).

    The draws for the 2012/13 NPFL were held on Friday in Abuja with Enugu Rangers playing host to Enyimba FC in the standout game, Supersport.com reports.

    The first round of matches would be played on March 9.

    Champions, Kano Pillars travel to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium Bauchi where the team will face Wikki Tourists while things are expected to get heated up at the Illorin Township stadium with the first derby of the season between Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) FC and Kwara United.

    Cup kings, Heartland welcome newly promoted Nembe City to the the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri in a fascinating fixture while Sharks take on Warri Wolves at the Sharks FC stadium in a game that is expected to be evenly contested.

    Two other newly-promoted clubs; Nasarawa United and El Kanemi Warriors go toe to toe at the Lafia township stadium, Lafia.

    Three-time champions, Dolphins embark on the short trip from Port Harcourt to Uyo to face Akwa United while last season’s CAF champions’ league semi finalists, Sunshine Stars will take on Kaduna United.

     

     

  • Rangers stop Enugu All Stars

    Rangers stop Enugu All Stars

    RANGERS have extended their fine form in pre-season as they defeated a strong Enugu All Stars 2-0 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu. Fred Okwara, who featured for Enugu All Stars, told MTNFootball.com: “It was a difficult game for both sides. We created our chances, but failed to utilise them, while they converted their own and that is the difference. I wish them well in the coming season.”

    Former Enyimba striker Razaq Adegbite gave Rangers the lead with a well taken effort from a very tight angle after some neat interchange of passes in the middle by Anthony Okemiri and Chisom Egbuchulam set the attacker for a clinical finish on the half hour mark.

    After this goal the All Stars, who had the likes of Okwara and Wikki ace Bishop Onyeudo, swarmed all over Rangers like bees, but were stoutly repulsed by the Cyril Oriaku-led defence. With only 10 minutes to the end of the game, a swift counter attack from Rangers saw former Warri Wolves attacker Lazarus Chukwu outrun his marker to deliver an inch-perfect cross for Onoriode Odah to poke into a yawning net for the second goal.