The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Sunshine Stars

  • 10-man Sunshine Stars pip Bayelsa 2-1

    10-man Sunshine Stars pip Bayelsa 2-1

    Ten-man Sunshine Stars defeated relegated Bayelsa United 2-1 in a Week 37 game of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) in Oghara on Sunday.

    Sunshine now have 59 points from 36 games.

    The victory doesn’t have impact on the team’s ambition for a continental ticket.

    Jafar Buhari broke the deadlock in the second minute to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

    However, Cameroonian midfielder Tamen Medrano equalised for ‘The Akure Gunners’ from the spot in the 54th minute after Essien handled Prince Aggreh’s cross.

    Sunshine took the lead for the first time in the game through Luther Iyorhe, who connected Prince Aggreh’s cross in the 65th minute.

    In the first minute, Dele Olorundare missed a chance to score for Sunshine Stars.

    In the 43rd minute, Jafar Buhari was denied a brace by Sunshine’s goalkeeper John Shuaibu, who palmed his effort away from danger.

    Medrano was sent off with 10 minutes to play following a reckless tackle.

    In the stoppage time, Bayelsa’s Kadiri Samad smashed his effort against the goal post.

  • Sunday Abe returns for Sunshine Stars

    Sunday Abe returns for Sunshine Stars

    Sunshine Stars captain Sunday Abe will be available for Glo league matches after the League management Company (LMC) commuted his remaining two-match ban to a suspended sentence.

    Abe is under a six-match suspension for his conduct in their match against Shooting Stars.

    Abe was charged by the league body for head-butting and kicking the match referee, Peter Ogabor, after he awarded a penalty to 3SC in the heated game.

    Sunshine Stars management had through the Chairman, made a strong appeal to the LMC on the player’s behalf citing their special circumstance and the player’s demonstration of remorse which has served as a lesson for others.

    He had already served four matches before LMC granted the Sunshine Stars chairman’s strong appeal to the league body on the player’s behalf citing their special circumstance and the player’s demonstration of remorse which has served as a lesson for others.

    The LMC in a communication to Sunshine Stars noted that in view of the apology and pledge to be of good behaviour earlier tendered by the player and the special circumstance of the club having over six players with different national teams, “it is the decision of the LMC that the remaining two matches of the six-match suspension on the Player, Sunday Abe is hereby commuted to a suspended sentence, provided that the player maintains good conduct for the remainder of the current season.”

  • Salami hat-trick dims Sunshine Stars

    Salami hat-trick dims Sunshine Stars

    Gbolahan Salami scored a treble to help Warri Wolves beat Sunshine Stars 3-0 and cut to three points Enyimba’s lead at the top of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) table on Saturday.

    Wolves are now second on the league table with 55 points from 32 matches, while Sunshine Stars dropped to third place with 53 points.

    Enyimba, who are guests of regional rivals Heartland on Sunday, remain top of the pile on 58 points.

    After a number of misses, Salami broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute, when he turned in Joseph Osadiaye’s pass.

    He doubled Wolves lead with his second goal of the game in the 52nd minute.

    The Nigeria international completed his hat-trick with in the 90th minute.

    He has now scored 13 goals.

    The former 3SC forward fired wide in the fifth minute from inside the 18-yard area after Stanley Dimgba’s pass.

    Five minutes later, Stanley Dimgba’s again sent a cross for Salami, who couldn’t meet it.

    In the 13th minute, Salami fired over the bar from a very promising position.

    Both sides had chances to score in the second half but Sunshine goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa for one denied the home team on several occasions.

  • We are ready for Sunshine Stars -Aigbogun

    We are ready for Sunshine Stars -Aigbogun

    Warri Wolves Technical Adviser, Paul Aigbogun has said the team is fully prepared for today’s Glo Premier League match against Sunshine Stars at the Warri City Stadium.

    Aigbogun, who spoke after their training on Friday morning, said what happened during the week when the players made an attempt to go on strike will not affect their performance during the match.

    He assured their fans that they have nothing to fear, stressing that the players know what is at stake .

    “We have just finished our training and I know that the players will live up to expectations. We have talked to them and they know what is at stake at this time. We cannot allow that to affect us, especially with what Sunshine Stars did to us in the first leg in Akure,” Aigbogun said.

    He also appealed to the fans to come out in large number to cheer the boys to victory, citing the situation in Kano where the stadium was filled to capacity with thousands of fans cheering their team.

    “We want our fans to come out and support the boys. We need them at this time when the situation has become critical as we march on to catch up with Enyimba.

    “We know we can do it and we are going to give our best. In Kano, what I saw really impressed me and I want Warri people and its environs to come out on Saturday to cheer the team to victory.”

  • Sunshine Stars Bayo Adigun is hooked

    Sunshine Stars Bayo Adigun is hooked

    Sunshine Stars defender Bayo Adigun quit bachelorhood to marry Olasunbomi Komaiya in an elaborate wedding in Ibadan on Saturday.

    Adigun’s proud father, former Leventis United star Bunmi Adigun graced the event.

    Adigun has played for Shooting Stars and also overseas in Japan and Albania.

    The defender got a super wedding gift when his club beat visiting Giwa FC in Akure on Sunday to regain their leadership of the Nigeria league after Enyimba failed to win at struggling Bayelsa United.

  • ‘Sunshine Stars will beat Enyimba’

    ‘Sunshine Stars will beat Enyimba’

    SUNSHINE Stars coach Kennedy Boboye has maintained his team are still on track to win their first Nigeria league championship despite the surge by Enyimba.

    Last week, Sunshine Stars lost their leadership to six-time champions Enyimba, who have 41 points from 22 matches, two points ahead of the Akure club.

    Boboye said his team are very much focused on their set target  play continental football next year as Nigeria league champions.

    “Enyimba’s current form does not scare us in anyway. They are on top today but we shall catch up with them soon,” said the young coach.

    “We have our plans and we are on track. There are still 16 rounds of matches to play and we are sure of clinching the trophy at the end of the season.”

  • Ifeanyi Ubah hold Sunshine Stars

    Ifeanyi Ubah hold Sunshine Stars

    Sunshine Stars on Monday played out a goalless draw with home team Ifeanyi Ubah in Oba in a Week 22 game of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

    The game could not hold on Sunday as earlier scheduled due to heavy rain which left the Rojenny Stadium pitch unplayable and water-logged.

    Sunshine are now second on the league table with 40 points from 22 games, while Bayelsa United have 29 points. It was a game of misses at both ends of the pitch by both teams.

    In the 77th minute, league leading scorer Tunde Adeniji fired a free kick poorly at the wall. Five minutes to the end of the game, Adeniji got another chance for Sunshine Stars, but he flashed his header wide.

    In the 87th minute, Sunshine goalkeeper, Ikechukwu Ezenwa denied Ifeanyi Ede a goal with a good save from close range. A minute later, Okiki Afolabi shot wide with a volley at the other end for Sunshine.

    In the 90th minute, goalkeeper Ezenwa was again on hand to prevent Ifeanyi Ubah from scoring with when he saved Okereke Maduabuchi’s effort.

  • LMC clears Rangers, Enyimba, five others

    LMC clears Rangers, Enyimba, five others

    The League Management Company (LMC) has announced that Enugu Rangers, Enyimba and five other clubs have been cleared after fulfilling all financial obligations to their players.

    According to information gathered, the latest clubs to be cleared are – Heartland, Sunshine Stars, Enyimba International, Warri Wolves, El-Kanemi Warriors, Rangers International and Lobi Stars.

    They joined Kano Pillars, Abia Warriors and Bayelsa United who were the first to be cleared by the league’s governing body earlier in the week, kickOffNigeria.com reports.

    All 20 clubs in the Glo Premier League had at the start of the season received N10 million each from the LMC as the first installment of the “Basic Award,” and the LMC had said they could receive more in the course of the season if they are found to have complied with requirements.

    To this effect, only debt-free clubs as well as those who have complied with the N150, 000 monthly minimum wage will benefit from the Basic Award. Indebted clubs will also be prevented from operating in the mid-season transfer market.

    “We have created these procedures to protect players from the previous tales of unpaid salary arrears and will be working with the clubs to ensure overall improvement of players’ welfare,” chief operating officer of the LMC, Salihu Abubakar, disclosed.

    He, however, revealed that Gombe United, Sharks and Giwa FC were refused clearances after documents they submitted indicated that they pay players below the minimum wage.

  • ILLEGAL TRANSFER: Ekiti Utd set to drag Sunshine Stars to NFF court

    ILLEGAL TRANSFER: Ekiti Utd set to drag Sunshine Stars to NFF court

    The management of Ekiti United has resolved to report Sunshine Stars of Akure to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over allegedly poaching one of its players Anthony Bello Clement without due process.

    The club’s secretary Olowolafe Ayodeji told SportingLife that Clement failed to resume with the rest of the squad after the World Cup break last week.

    Ayodeji claimed that the management has made several efforts to locate Clement only to discover that he had since been training with Sunshine Stars.

    Clement joined Ekiti United 5th of January this year from Road Safety of Abuja on a free transfer.

    Ayodeji said the club was shocked that a club like Sunshine Stars could have a player of another club in their team without proper agreement with his club.

    He said the club has already reported the case to the officials of the Nigeria National League (NNL), stressing that they will go to any length to get justice.

    “The information from within said he has since been training with Sunshine Stars Football Club of Akure. Sunshine Stars as a professional club  run by people of high integrity and of repute should know what to do in such a case. I am telling you that the team is ready to take the matter to the league body for justice,” Ayodeji said in a mail forwarded to SportingLife.

    “We won’t stop him from joining Sunshine Stars if he wishes to move but what we are saying is that they should do the right thing by signing him legally. Our doors are open for negotiations.”

     

  • Why we lost to Crown FC — Sunshine Stars

    Why we lost to Crown FC — Sunshine Stars

    Sunshine Stars of Akure have attributed their defeat to Crown fc of Ogbomoso to hostile  reception, bad weather and poor officiating.

    Speaking after the match which took place at the Lekan Salami Sports complex in Ibadan, the Akure Gunners Team Manager, Gabriel Aborowa said: “It was highly unfortunate that the team failed to pick a vital points.

    “The reception we got was highly unfortunate, we were intimidated right from the entrance as we were not allowed to come down from the bus for almost ten minutes after arrival, claiming that the home team must be the first to go into the stadium.” According to coach Henry Abiodun, the early intimidation and harassment as well as the heavy down pour made the playing turf not so good, as it contributed to the defeat.

    “We tried our best to win the match but a lot of factors worked against us. The players could not put their hearts together throughout the match as they made a lot of mistakes.”

    Sunshine stars will now face Sharks of Port Harcourt in their next match billed for Akure this weekend.