The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Sunday Mba

  • Mba tastes victory with Bastia

    Mba tastes victory with Bastia

    Sunday Mba finally tasted victory with CA Bastia as they recorded a rare 1-0 away win over Nancy in the French Ligue 2.

    The Nigerian saw 90 minutes of action for the Ligue 2 strugglers, but was taken off in the fourth minute off added time and was replaced with Jean Grimaldi.

    A goal from Rivas Marouani in the 72nd minute helped the Noir et Blanc record their first league win in six games.

    Prior to this game, Bastia had not recorded a win since they beat Nimes 1-0 away at the Stade des Costieres on November 8.

    Mba was making a second appearance for the bottom-placed club, after walking straight into their starting line-up on his debut which ended in a 3-0 home loss to Niort in the previous round.

  • Mba completes 18-month Bastia deal

    Mba completes 18-month Bastia deal

    Sunday Mba has now sealed a move from Warri Wolves to French Ligue 2 side, Bastia on an 18-month deal.

    The midfielder, who last week left his country’s camp for the upcoming African Nations Championship (CHAN) to travel to France, has now put pen to paper with the Ligue 2 strugglers, Goal reports.

    Mba agreed to join Bastia back in September but the deal collapsed when Warri Wolves pulled out of talks at the last minute.

    However, the 25-year-old, who was Nigeria’s hero in last January’s Africa Cup of Nations final victory over Burkina Faso, has now got his wish to move to the Stade d’Erbajolo.

  • Mba joins Bastia on free transfer

    Mba joins Bastia on free transfer

    French Ligue 2 side CA Bastia has finally signed Nigeria international Sunday Mba on a free transfer.

    MTNFootball.com reports that Mba, 25, is the club’s first signing for the January transfer window.

    The player cancelled his contract with Warri Wolves and CA Bastia did not have to pay the Nigerian club for the transfer.

    It is believed Mba pocketed a hefty sign-on fee.

    One of the stars of the 2013 African Cup of Nations, Mba had tried to sign for the Corsican side last transfer window, but an inability to fulfill the player’s wage requirements at that time meant that the Mba was forced to wait until the New Year.

    The club, who had also signed defender Clement Fabre on loan, will be counting on Mba to help cement its status in Ligue 2.

     

     

  • Greek club PAOK wants Sunday Mba

    Greek club PAOK wants Sunday Mba

    Greek club PAOK Salonika is interested in Nigeria international, Sunday Mba, according to media reports.

    The 24-year-old midfielder failed to finalise a move to French second division side CA Bastia in the summer.

    PAOK has now made serious enquiries about the player, who is set to feature for Nigeria at next year’s Championship of African Nations (CHAN), according to Gazzetta.gr.

    The report said the Greek club which once paraded ex-Nigeria defender Ifeanyi Udeze, has already contacted the Warri Wolves star.

    MTNFootball.com reports that Mba shot to international prominence when he scored championship-defining goals at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

    He scored one of the goals as Nigeria upset tournament favourites Cote d’Ivoire in the quarterfinals and also scored the championship winner against Burkina Faso in the African Nations Cup final.

     

  • Grueling schedule in Brazil: No big deal, says Mba

    Grueling schedule in Brazil: No big deal, says Mba

    •Nigeria not the only country in such long trips

    Super Eagles midfielder, Sunday Mba acknowledges that the trips in Brazil will be grueling but does not believe it will adversely affect the players.

    “We players are used to such things and I can tell you that when you play at the World Cup, you don’t really worry about these type of things. Also, we are not the only team that will travel for long distances at the tournament so it’s really not such a big deal,” he told supersport.com.

    Former England manager, Steve McLaren is however on a different wavelength to Mba.

    McLaren, who was assistant to Sven Goran Eriksson as the Three Lions lost to Brazil in the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup, blamed exhaustion from extensive travel from Nigata (venue of the round of 16 game against Denmark) to Shizuoka (where Brazil beat England 2-1 in the quarter-finals) as the major reason for their premature elimination from the tournament.

    “The players were absolutely knackered when we arrived in Shizuoka. It took us four days to complete the trip with some of the journey done via train. Even when we played against 10 men, we just didn’t have the stamina to win that game,” he told Skysports News.

    African champions, Nigeria will battle potential exhaustion from extensive travel during the group stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil.

    The Super Eagles will face Group F opponents, Iran, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Argentina in Curitiba, Cuiabá and Porto Alegre respectively.

    Stephen Keshi’s men will make a trip of 1,726 kilometres from Curitiba (venue of their first group game against Iran on June 16) to Cuiabá where they will take on Bosnia-Herzegovina in their second group game on June 21.

    Four days later, the Nigerian contingent will then embark on an even longer journey that will involve the navigation of 2,145 kilometres from Cuiabá to Porto Alegre where they will be saddled with the task of stopping the Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina.

    Overall, the Nigerian team will be expected to cover 3,871 kilometres for their group games alone.

    In 2010, the Nigerian team covered just 950 kilometres for their three group games against Argentina, Greece and South Korea in Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Durban respectively.

    Meanwhile, Nigeria’s first game at the 2014 World Cup finals is on June 16 against Iran at Arena da Baixada, Curitiba.

    Five days later, the African champions face Bosnia-Herzegovina at the Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá before rounding off their first round campaign against one of the pre-tournament favourites, Argentina at the Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre on June 25.

    The Super Eagles have never gone beyond the second round of a World Cup.

  • CHAN: Keshi picks Iheanacho, Awoniyi, 28 others

    CHAN: Keshi picks Iheanacho, Awoniyi, 28 others

    Golden Eaglets stars Kelechi Iheanacho, Taiwo Awoniyi and Dele Alampasu have been picked for a training camp ahead of next year’s CHAN, MTNFootball.com reports.

    Coach Stephen Keshi has called up 30 players, while putting six on standby in preparations for the 3rd African Nations Championship in South Africa.

    Keshi said he is looking forward to a good outing on the country’s CHAN debut.

    “We are going to the CHAN for the first time, but we want to be the best at our very first outing,” he said in Salvador on Thursday morning.

    Nigeria would play in Group A alongside hosts South Africa, Mali and Mozambique.

    First-choice goalkeeper and skipper Chigozie Agbim and ace midfielder Sunday Mba top the list, with Shooting Stars forward Gbolahan Salami handed a recall.

    The training camp will open in Abuja on Monday.

    Players on the standby list would join the team only if a player on the main list gets injured.

    THE FULL LIST

    Goalkeepers: Chigozie Agbim (Enugu Rangers); Daniel Akpeyi (Heartland FC); Isah Danladi (Sharks FC); Sunday Alampasu (Abuja Football College)

    Defenders: Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves); Ebenezer Odunlami (Sunshine Stars); Benjamin Francis (Heartland FC); Solomon Kwambe (Sunshine Stars); Bright Esieme (Enyimba FC); Yinka Adedeji (Sharks FC); Reuben Ogbonnaya (El-Kanemi Warriors); Umar Zango (Kano Pillars); Chibuzor Madu (Enugu Rangers)

    Midfielders: Sunday Mba (Enugu Rangers); Etebo Oghenekaro (Warri Wolves); Rabiu Ali (Kano Pillars); Ogonna Osuchukwu (Enugu Rangers); Achiv Douglas (Lobi Stars); Kelechi Iheanacho (Taiye Academy, Owerri); Mohammed Ajia (Bayelsa United); Christian Pyagbara (Sharks FC)

    Forwards: Muhammad Gambo (Kano Pillars); Ifeanyi Edeh (Enyimba FC); Barnabas Imenger (Lobi Stars); Ejike Uzoenyi (Enugu Rangers); Ezekiel Mbah (Akwa United); Obiozor Christian (Enugu Rangers); Abubakar Aliyu (Nasarawa United); Gbolahan Salami (3SC); Taiwo Awoniyi (Imperial Academy, Ilorin)

    Standby: Happy Okuoka (Heartland FC); Bello Ikeleji (Insurance FC); Obinna Nwachukwu (Heartland FC); Izuegbu Abonima (Enugu Rangers); Paul Ikenna (Sunshine Stars); John Austin Igenepo.

     

  • Work permit stops Mba Stoke City move

    Work permit stops Mba Stoke City move

    English Premier League side Stoke City would not consider a move for Sunday Mba as he did not play enough games for Nigeria to be granted a work permit.

    Netherlands-based agent Richard Umejei told MTNFootball.com that a proposed move to the EPL for Mba fell through because in the last two years, the player has only played 10 of the 20 internationals involving Nigeria.

    Umejei disclosed: “It’s a pity Mba can no longer go to Stoke City because of work permit issues.

    “He played 10 matches out of 20 matches, which is far below the 75 per cent required for him to be granted a work permit. Had he played another five matches, he would have been good to go.

    “Both the Stoke chief scout, Kevin Cruickshank, and director of football, Mark Cartwright, were keen to invite him before they researched that his international appearances fall short of minimum required for a work permit.

    Cruickshank told Umejei, “I’ve been looking into his playing record for Nigeria and I’m not sure he qualifies for a work permit. He has only played 10 of the last 20 competitive games (50 per cent) for his county in the last two years.”

    Among the games he missed were 2013 AFCON group matches against Zambia and Burkina Faso as well as qualifiers against Liberia both home and away as well as the home game versus Rwanda in Calabar.

    Director of football Cartwright described Mba as a talented player.

     

  • CHAN: Keshi ‘not satisfied’ with Eagles’ victory

    CHAN: Keshi ‘not satisfied’ with Eagles’ victory

    Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, has said he expects improvements from his team after beating Cote d’Ivoire 4-1 in a CHAN qualifier on Saturday.

    And as such, Keshi revealed that he plans to call up at least new three players ahead of the return leg slated for Abidjan in a fortnight.

    The Eagles coach also told MTNFootball.com that it was difficult for the coaching staff to get the players to understand how they wanted them to play against the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire.

    Keshi equally expressed disappointment at the poor defending that led to the only goal scored by the Ivorians during the match.

    “We have practised how defenders close down attackers in the box area in training, but unfortunately the defenders didn’t do well to defend. It only means we still have a lot of work to do,” he said.

    “However I must confess that the experience of several players, Sunday Mba, Godfrey Oboabona, Azubike Egwuekwe and even Gambo Mohammed who were at the Confederations Cup, paid off in this game.”

    Keshi also explained why he did not use Nigeria league leading scorer Dele Olorundare in the match.

    “I noticed that my two holding midfielder where becoming weak and Gambo Mohammed was still doing the job. So, I left him on the pitch because I needed to balance if I make any changes. That is why most of my changes came from the midfield,” he offered.

     

  • Keshi unveils Confederations Cup squad

    Keshi unveils Confederations Cup squad

    … Picks eight local players

    Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has picked eight players from the domestic league for the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, MTNFootball.com reports.

    The players from the local league include five who made the final squad to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, where Nigeria won a third continental trophy.

    Enugu Rangers supply three of these players, Sunday Mba, Chigozie Agbim and Emeka Eze, while Sunshine Stars had two players – Godfrey Oboabona and Solomon Kwambe.

    The other players are Gambo Mohammed (Kano Pillars), Benjamin Francis (Heartland) and Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves).

    Heartland left winger Obinna Nwachukwu and Sunshine defender Odunlami Kunle were dropped.

    14 members of the Confederations Cup squad led by Chelsea midfielder MIkel Obi were also in AFCON.

    Nigeria opens its Confederations Cup campaign on June 17 against Tahiti. Other teams in the group are Spain and Uruguay.

     

    Eagles Full squad:

    Goalkeeper: Chigozie Agbim (Warri Wolves), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Beer Sheva), Vincent Enyeama (Lille)

    Defenders: Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves),Efe Ambrose (Celtic Glasgow), Elderson Uwa Echiéjilé (Sporting de Braga), Kenneth Omeruo (ADO Den Haag), Godfrey Oboabona, Solomon Kwambe, Francis Benjamin (Heartland FC)

    Midfielders: John Mikel Obi (Chelsea), Ogenyi Onazi (SS Lazio), John Ogu (Academica de Coimbra), Sunday Mba, Emeka Eze (Enugu Rangers), Babatunde Michael (Kryvbas), Fegor Ogude (Valerenga)

    Forwards: Joseph Akpala (SV Werder Bremen), Brown Ideye (Dynamo Kiev), Anthony Ujah (FC Cologne), Nnamdi Oduamadi (Varese), Gambo Mohammed (Kano Pillars), Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow)

     

  • We will get the desired result in Kenya – Mba

    We will get the desired result in Kenya – Mba

    The Super Eagles midfielder, Sunday Mba, believes the players on ground will get the much needed victory against the Harambee Stars on Wednesday, Goal.com reports.

    Mba is one of the players that Coach Stephen Keshi will be relying upon to get a win against the Harambee Stars on Wednesday at the Moi Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi.

    The undoubted hero from the last Africa Cup of Nations believes that though the team is shorn of some of its star players, the current squad will get the result needed against Kenya.

    “Yes, we will be without some of our top stars for the qualifiers as well as the Confederations Cup,” Goal.com quoted Mba as saying to FIFA.com.

    “We would have loved to have them with us, but we hope that we still get the results we need even without them.

    “We have set a standard and Nigerians do not expect anything less,” he concluded.