The Nation Newspaper

Tag: SHARKS

  • Victory Non-Negotiable, Ogunbote

    Victory Non-Negotiable, Ogunbote

    NPFL SOUTH-SOUTH DERBY

    SHARKS gaffer, Gbenga Ogunbote has said that the Nigeria Professional League week nine South-South derby against Bayelsa Utd is a non-negotiable victory affair.

    Speaking with SportingLife, the two-time continental semi-finalist said it’s not going to be a winning by all means thing but that his side will come out smoking to ensure that the success which the team has begun to experience will be sustained.

    “We all know it’s not negotiable. But we will work hard for it. We are going to work hard to ensure we get the three maximum points. We cannot afford to lose a point at home any longer. I will just want to enjoin the fans to come out and give us the maximum support, to believe in the team. The team will still do it right. We know its going to be a local derby. We expect it and we will be looking towards the game and by the special grace of God, all we want is three points and we are going to get them,” he said.

    Speaking further on the fast improvement that is been witnessed in the team, Ogunbote said it’s a gradual process and before week twelve, the team is expected to have stabilised.

    He also noted that the week nine open window is not going to be an overhauling issue but selecting of the required few to beef up the team.

    “I just want to give glory to God because the boys are really working hard.

    “The improvement is coming gradually, but that does not mean we have a perfect team yet. All we know is that the league is not going to wait for us and that is why we know that we have to do our little bits both the technical crew, the players and the management to ensure that we don’t lose any values. We are beginning to catch them and we will continue to pick them. We will do everything humanly possible to manage the success because that’s all we need to do.

    “The job is not yet completed. And when we go for players in week nine open window, it’s going to be a matter of bringing in a few that will fill in the necessary places and by the time we get to week twelve, the team would have been back to where to should be,” he assured.

  • RIVERS FA CUP Dolphins, Sharks through to semis

    RIVERS FA CUP Dolphins, Sharks through to semis

    EX-FA CUP Champions, Dolphins of Port Harcourt strolled into the semi-finals of the 2013 edition of the Rivers FA Cup competition by demolishing Nationwide League side, Gokana Utd by 7-1.

    Dolphins who played in the second quarter-final match scored four goals in the first half and added another three in the second half of the game before the Gokana club managed to grab a consolation.

    Eguma Stanley commended his boys for the win and only hopes the goals harvest gets into the league matches of the club.

    “We all planned to win the game and the most important thing is to win the game. Some days you can get harvest of goals and some days, the goals will be dry. And that we have scored so many goals today does not make Gokana a bad team. It’s just that we are lucky to convert our chances today and we pray that our next League match would yield goals harvest too,” he said.

    In the same vein, Sharks played in the first quarter-final match against rookies, New Gunners FC from Ogoni scored three goals in the first half and one in the second half of the game for a four nil win against their opponents.

    Fortune Omoniwari got a brace while George Amakiri and Chiamaka Madu scored the third and fourth respectively for the Blue Angels.

  • Sharks have no team – Ogunbote

    Sharks have no team – Ogunbote

    Rules out team’s being relegated

    The new technical adviser of Sharks football club of Port Harcourt, Gbenga Ogunbote has revealed that the club does not have the manpower needed to prosecute the matches of the Nigeria Professional Football League.

    Speaking after dropping more vital points in Port Harcourt on Sunday against Kano Pillars, he noted that though the club can only boast of five points and two goals from seven games and that the team has improved visibly under him would not be relegated.

    Ogunbote asked for understanding and patience from the fans and all concerned promising that his crew will do all humanly possible to ensure that the team progresses.

    “The truth of the matter is that, I must confess to you that the team is weak. Like I told you, we don’t have a team that can compete in the professional league. There is no two ways about that: I don’t have a team that can compete actively for this tournament.

    “We are just trying to make the best use of the worst situation. I didn’t plan to play draw against Pillars we planned to win but unfortunately we didn’t. But I think the boys are actually improving. We are trying to psyche them up and to let them know that they can do better than they are doing.

    “I know that the team is improving and it has to be a gradual process but I can assure you that by the special grace of God, relegation is out of it. We are still going to do everything humanly possible to ensure we do better than we have done against Pillars but I just want us to understand this

    “We are asking for understanding and patience from the fans. We will get there,” he assured.

    Meanwhile, the Rivers state sports boss, Fred Igwe, has assured fans clamouring for change that a new Sharks will emerge by week nine.

    “I was not too comfortable with fact that as at last season, all Sharks players apart from Odinga were on loan. Is that how to run a team? That’s not how to run a team,” he queried and answered at the same time. “So this is a fresh team,” he continued, “and we are going to continue like this until we get it right. And by week nine, we are injecting new players where we find deficiencies.”

     

  • Sharks, Wite at war

    Sharks, Wite at war

    Former secretary of Sharks FC, Cyril Dum Wite believes the Blue Angels will be relegated unless sweeping changes are made at the club.

    Sharks currently sit in 19th position in the 20-team 2012/13 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) with four points from their first five games and Dum Wite does not see things changing for the better anytime soon.

    “Sharks as a football club is not run professionally. The team is run by a sole administrator, (acting general manager) Okey Kpalukwu who is not even qualified to hold such a position. He is a civil servant in the ministry and under the rules of the league should not head a professional club. Interestingly, he acts as general manager, secretary, welfare officer and basically everything to Sharks FC,” Dum Wite told supersport.com.

    Dum Wite also accused Kpalukwu of putting the lives of Sharks’ players at risk by compelling them to travel to match venues in “rickety buses at unconventional hours.”

    “I feel sorry for the players who are made to travel to honour matches in rickety buses at unconventional hours. Most times the players arrive at match venues on the day of the games and this is pathetic and unacceptable.

    “The players of the club are made to stay in sub-standard hotels which they reject most times. A case in point was just before the Matchday 2 NPFL game between Sharks and Kaduna United in Kaduna. The players rejected the hotel in Kaduna because it was barely fit for any self-respecting individual. That is what Sharks has been reduced to because of unprofessional officials,” he added.

    Responding, Kpalukwu described Dum Wite as a “disgruntled individual looking to score cheap points.”

    “I don’t understand what Wite means when he says I am not qualified to run the club. I am a qualified administrator in the civil service. Cyril is just a disgruntled individual looking to score cheap points. He has a lot to answer for because when he was acting secretary of Sharks, a lot of wrong decisions were taken at Sharks.

    “We had 35 registered players but all of them were at Sharks on loan. There was a cabal at the club that siphoned money in this regard and Cyril was seriously involved. We cannot allow this any longer because when the Rivers State government (sponsors of Sharks) spends money, they expect it to be accounted for and also expect some form of returns,” he said.

  • Eguavoean quits Sharks

    Eguavoean quits Sharks

    Former Super Eagles coach, Austin Eguavoen has parted company with his employers a few days after he made a return to Sharks FC, SportingLife can exclusively report.

    A source told SportingLife that the former U-23 coach is no longer interested in coaching Sharks.

    ‘Cerezo’ as he is fondly called by his admirers walked away from the team yesterday after their week four Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) match against Gombe United.

    It was gathered that Eguavoen travelled straight to his residence in Benin from Gombe State yesterday.

    “No matter what happens in the Sharks versus Gombe United match today (Thursday) either away win, draw or loss, Eguavoen will be walking away from the team and move straight to Benin,” a source told SportingLife yesterday.

    It was suggested that Eguavoen was unhappy with some members of the technical crew whom he felt were not truthful about wanting to move the club forward.

    SportingLife gathered that threats from militant groups allegedly organised by these club officials compelling him to use untested players as against experienced ones to prosecute league matches did not go down well with Eguavoen.

    “They are not helping matters at all for Eguavoen,” said the source.

    “He is tired of what is going on in the team, most especially the pranks and the threats to use players that are not up to the standard for matches.”

    SportingLife had reported last Friday that Eguavoen had accepted the pleas of prominent indigenes of Rivers State to continue as the team’s Technical Adviser. The intervention of the Commissioners for Sports and Justice made Eguavoen reconsider his decision to re-join the team without signing any contract with the management of the Port Harcourt club.

    After he was unveiled, Eguavoen insisted on signing a contract before starting work. But the management told him that he would get the contract papers later. He was further told that the contract had been drafted and sent to the Ministry of Justice after he threatened to walk out on the deal.

    In Sharks’ first game of the season against Warri Wolves in Port-Harcourt, Eguavoen chose to be in Owerri to watch Heartland take on Nembe City.

    But in the second game which was against Kaduna United in Kaduna, Eguavoen watched from the stands based on the management’s instructions that he step aside and return only when he had seen the contract papers.

    The management however again prevailed on him and in Sharks’ week three game against Kwara United in Port Harcourt which they lost 0-1 at home, Eguavoen finally started work.

     

  • Sharks miss Tuesday date for Eguavoen’s contract

    Sharks miss Tuesday date for Eguavoen’s contract

    Sharks of Port Harcourt have missed the Tuesday date they promised to hand Austin Eguavoen a working contract with the side for the 2012/2013 League season.

    Futaa.com had exclusively reported on Monday that the former Super Eagles coach was promised the document after he walked out on the team one day before the NPFL was scheduled to kick-off.

    Sharks then promised to get the document ready by Monday or Tuesday, so that the former Enyimba handler could get back to work. But futaa.com checks on Tuesday, revealed that the contract has not been signed.

    Efforts to get in touch with Okey Kpalukwu, the General Manager of the team proved abortive, as his phone was switched off.

  • ‘Sharks better than Wolves’

    ‘Sharks better than Wolves’

    Sharks chief coach, Ere Dokubo is convinced his side deserved their opening day victory over Warri Wolves in their premiership tie at the Sharks Stadium.

    Wolves cried foul after Kola Anubi’s scrambled effort from a corner in the 81st minute was ruled out and Sharks held on to win 2-1. However, Dokubo, who is also a qualified referee and the chairman of the Rivers State Referees Council, told supersport.com that the officials were spot on with their decision, as they had the power to overrule any goal that infringed the rules of the game.

    “I thought the referee had a good game, but everybody is entitled to their opinion. We scored two good goals and they scored one, because the assistant referee’s flag was already up before the player’s attempt to score the other one they are claiming to be perfect,” he said.

    “The officials had spotted something wrong before the ball hit the back of the net, and for me that was a good decision. I don’t understand what they are complaining about.”

    Dokubo, who was in full charge of the team in the absence of technical adviser, Augustine Eguavoen, expressed satisfaction with the performance of the players.

    “The boys played above average, and I would rate them 60 per cent; the league is just starting and there is the potential for them to forge a better understanding in subsequent matches,” he said.

    It would be recalled that Sharks fans were apprehensive about the performance of the team ahead of the start of the season because so many top players had left. They face a huge test in their next match, which is an away trip to Kaduna United.

  • Dolphins, Sharks players vow: No pay, no play Want last season signing on fees settled

    Dolphins, Sharks players vow: No pay, no play Want last season signing on fees settled

    Players of the two Rivers government owned clubs in the elite Dolphins and Sharks have embarked on an indefinite strike which they vowed would only be called off after their signing on fees for last season have been settled.

    Both clubs’ players have not trained since Thursday and feelers got from players of the two clubs who do not want their names in print said they have endured enough and have exhausted their patience with only six days to the kick off of another season in the league.

    The supposed friendly match organised between both clubs was the first to suffer from the industrial action and they have promised to stay out of action until their demands are met.

    The players pointed to the several unfulfilled promises of the State government as regards the payment of the signing on fees adding that they want the governor to match his words with action by approving of the payment of the said money without delay.

    “We are hungry and not happy at the situation of things at all. We have been practically turned to beggars regarding our own sweat. It is unfair.

    “The government has promised to pay but have reneged on their promise. If nothing is done now before another league season begins, it may turn a bad debt and this we do not want.

    “We are appealing to the sports loving governor to come to our aid and release the money meant for the payment of our signing on fees,” the players echoed.

    It would be recalled that both state owned sides finished lower their expected heights last season after they lost some part of the season to similar exercise. Dolphins only confirmed their stay in the elite division on the final day of the season while Sharks didn’t fare better either with their mid table placement last season.

     

  • Sharks players owed three-month salaries

    Sharks players owed three-month salaries

    • Signing-on fees too

    Players of Sharks FC of Port Harcourt have complained of not having received three months of salaries and signing-on fees for the 2011/2012 season.

    A source from the Garden City revealed to SportingLife that the players have been going through hard times since resuming camping last month in preparation for next season, a development which forced some notable players to part ways with the club.

    Some of the key players that have dumped the club are Victor Ezeji, Kola Anubi, Okemute Udah and Usmane Pape. Others are Thankgod Ahamefule and Chidiebere Okoli.

    “The state of things in Sharks is very bad. We are approaching a new season and the players are complaining of wages. Even, as at now the players are yet to receive their signing-on fees for last season let alone the new season,” a club fan, who claimed to be the team’s supporter since 1996, told SportingLife.

    He added: “Things are not done that way. The boys have been training on empty stomachs and because of this all the key players have left the club for another team. If a team like Sharks are beginning to lose their notable players it means the club will start all over again. We don’t know what the management under General Manager, Okey Kavaluku is doing about this because we don’t want our team in disarray.”

  • Abutu dumps Lobi for Sharks

    Abutu dumps Lobi for Sharks

    A FORMER Lobi Stars defensive midfielder, Jonah Abutu has teamed up with Garden-City favourites Sharks FC for the 2012/13 campaign.

    The ex- Dolphin ace told SportingLife that he was looking forward to another title challenge when the season’s hostilities commence.

    “It’s nice to return to Port Harcourt again…That’s the beauty of the game. With a new lease of life and a return to popular terrain, I’m looking to improve on my game this coming campaign. Sharks are a big side by all standards in the Nigeria Premier League and I’m looking forward to building a harmonious relationship with the new manager (Austin Eguavoen) and my new teammates,” he said.

    On his stay with Lobi Stars that saw them miss out in both the NPL crown and the NPL title, the powerful shooting midfielder said: “My stay in Makurdi will always be memorable by all standard.”

    ”Despite not winning the league or the Federation Cup, I want to say that it was nice being part of the squad and want to thank all that made my stay eventful. I wish them well in the forthcoming campaign,” added Abutu, who previously enjoyed the honour of claiming the NPL diadem with Bayelsa United in 2008/09 season.