Sports analyst and The Nationa Newspaper Sports Editor, Ade Ojeikere joined by Online Editor Sunday Oguntola, discuss on sports issues around the world.
Tag: SportingLife
-
SportingLife: Ade Ojeikere discusses Asisat Oshoala transfer to Barcelona
Sports analyst and The Nationa Newspaper Sports Editor, Ade Ojeikere joined by Online Editor Sunday Oguntola, discuss on sports issues around the world.
-
Ousted board shared mouth-watering amounts
• Top guns got $100,000
• Other board members pocketed $50,000Information available to SportingLife suggest that the sacked Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president,Alhaji Aminu Maigari and his executive committee members got mouth-watering amounts from the $3.28m World Cup apperance fees that was sent to the Nigerian team to Brazil 2014 World Cup by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Earlier reports had chronicled how the Eagles stars received staggering sums with most players of the national team smiling home with about $130,000 after they refused to train two days before their second round game against France.
However,it has now emerged that apart from the players,top brass of the NFF benefitted from the largesse which FIFA normally gives to all the 32 countries that qualified for the mundial.
According to SportingLife source,sums ranging from $100,000 to $50,000 were also shared to all the executive committee members on the wee hours of the same day Nigeria lost to France at the World Cup.
Before the event that led to the Eagles boycotting training,the NFF had pleaded with the Eagles to wait till after FIFA releases the largesse before they get their appearance fees.
The players insisted and got their appearance fees but it was never reported that NFF executive committee members also shared from the money.
-
Falcons hit camp April 6 for Rwanda
• 40 players invited
Super Falcons will regroup for the start of their build up to the African Women’s Championship second round qualifier against Rwanda on April 6 in Abuja, SportingLife can specially announce.
The Falcons’ camping was halted last December when word came from the Sierra Leonean Football Federation that their senior women national team won’t be honouring the first round fixture with Nigeria owing to shortage of funds. The West Africans ought to have played the Falcons in the first round of the qualifier scheduled for late February and early March but did not.
The acting head coach of the team, Edwin Okon has however told SportingLife that he is hoping to invite as many as 40 players to camp starting from April 6 to fight for shirts ahead of the confrontation with Rwanda on the weekend of 23-25 May and June 6-8 this year to ensure that Nigeria gets past the East Africans to the AWC proper slated for Namibia in October also this year.
Okon revealed that he would be inviting up to that number of players so that he could get the best possible players for the Falcons for the challenges ahead, especially making meaningful impact at the AWC where the country placed fourth when it was last held two years ago in Equatorial Guinea.
“The Falcons will enter camp for the preparation for the AWC qualifier against Rwanda on April 5 or 6 in Abuja,” Okon began in a chat with SportingLife. He continued:” I will like to invite up to 40 players and the mode will still be substitution by elimination so as to get the best for Nigerians.
“We are not going to underrate our opponents at all. We shall start our work at qualifying from the first leg in Kigali before we wrap things up at home in the first week of June during the second leg. We want to raise a team that will be good enough to wipe off the disappointment of the last two years. We won’t stop working until we achieve our aim of assembling the best possible players for the Falcons.”
Rwanda got the berth to play against the sixth time African Champions early March when they qualified on the account of away goal rule applied. Both legs had ended 2-2 but Rwanda’s solitary goal in their 1-2 loss at Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos was their saving grace having beaten same Kenyan 1-0 in the first leg tie played at Stade Régional Nyamirambo, Kigali on the 2nd March,2014.
-
FANS URGED TO SUPPORT ENYIMBA AGAINST RANGERS
ENYIMBA of Aba have been implored to ensure that they secure maximum points to gladden the hearts of their faithful supporters when they host Rangers in an Oriental Derby today.
The People’s Elephants got a draw away against Sunshine Stars FC and have been told that a victory over their bitter rivals, Rangers will put back smiles on their fans faces.
A People’s Elephants fan Donald Egemba alias ‘Dero’ in a chat with SportingLife said he found it appalling that Enyimba supporters were cheering the visitors from AS Real de Bamako of Mali when the team visited Aba and secured a 2-1 win in the CAF Champions League. Dero appealed to Aba fans to continue to support Enyimba whether things are going well or not.
-
Nigeria shifts base to Dubai today
Nigeria’s U17 players and officials will leave Al Ain’s Danat Resort Hotel this morning for Dubai, the venue of their third group match of the current FIFA cadet World Cup against Iraq, holding at the Rashid Stadium.
The team’s Secretary, Taiye Egbayeilo told SportingLife that the Eaglets will be lodged at the Intercontinental Hotel, Dubai and will do so by 11.00am today.
Egbayeilo said support for the Eaglets has been massive since the competition started, adding that Nigerians from Dubai and other neighbouring cities in the UAE have defied the distance to come watch their darling team in Al Ain.
He predicted that the support would be massive in Dubai when the Eaglets entertain Iraq on Friday.
“We shall be leaving for Dubai tomorrow (today). I have to state here that we have received enormous support from Nigerians in the UAE. They have all left their businesses to come support us despite the distance. We had over 300 fans from Dubai that came to watch our first match against Mexico and we are expecting more than thrice that figure when we play Iraq on Friday.
“We shall be staying at the Intercontinental Hotel, Dubai. And we are leaving by 11.00am tomorrow (today),” Egbaiyelo stated.