The Nation Newspaper

Tag: trophy

  • Mertesacker: ‘Germany needs World Cup trophy win’

    Mertesacker: ‘Germany needs World Cup trophy win’

    Germany defender Per Mertesacker has insisted that his side need to push on and end their 24-year drought without a World Cup trophy win.

    Die Mannschaft have reached the last four of the tournament for the fourth competition in a row, but have failed to go on to win the title.

    “We finished the last two World Cups in third position and that is really consistent,” Mertesacker is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

    “What we need in Germany after all these years is a title. We are talking about titles and trophies.”

    Mertesacker missed training on Sunday after suffering with flu ahead of his side’s semi-final clash with Brazil tonight.

  • OBA AROMOLARAN U-17 CUP: ‘Eaglets’ exploits moved me to donate trophy’

    OBA AROMOLARAN U-17 CUP: ‘Eaglets’ exploits moved me to donate trophy’

    As the Paramount Ruler of Ijesaland, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran officially presented a giant trophy to A Square Sports International to organise a grassroots soccer tournament tagged Oba Aromolaran National Under-17 Soccer Competition in his name, he has assured participants drawn from all the states of the federation of a rousing welcome and enjoyable stay in Ilesa.

    The commencement of the maiden tourney has been scheduled for February 23rd and would end on March 2 inside Osun State College of Education Ilesa, Osun State.

    The respected Yoruba monarch during the trophy presentation expressed his happiness over the exploits of the Nigeria Under-17 team that recently won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates(UAE) thus necessitated his interest in donating the Cup for Nigerian youths in the particular grade.

    “I’m moved when watching how our boys dazzled the world during the last FIFA U-17 World Cup in Dubai, I think this effort would assist us sustain our pedigree in the world of youths football globally”, Aromolaran said.

    He, however, promised all states that have qualified after a play-off for the finals of the tournament a memorable and pleasant stay during their one week stay in the sprawling city of Ilesa while assuring eventual winners of mouthwatering incentives.

  • Nasarawa Amazons upset Rivers Angels to lift League trophy

    Nasarawa Amazons upset Rivers Angels to lift League trophy

    Nasarawa Amazons surprised bookmakers on Thursday by defeating River Angels to lift the 2012/2013 league title.

    The match tagged ‘Champion of Champions’ was played at the Confluence Stadium in Kogi as part of activities of the Nigeria Women League Congress which got underway yesterday. It was decided in penalties after full time ended goalless.

    The Champion of Champions replaces the Super Six competition that determines the league champions.

    Board member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dilichukwu Onyedimah hailed both sides for the entertaining football. “It was an interesting match which shows that anything can truly happen in football,” she said.

    Angels, Federation Cup winners, were the favourites to win the match given the quality of players at their disposal. But yesterday’s match was a sweet revenge for the Lafia-based side who were pounded 3-0 by Angels at the FA Cup final.

     

  • Onazi, Ogu tip CHAN Eagles for trophy

    Onazi, Ogu tip CHAN Eagles for trophy

    • Keshi cagey about final list

    As preparations for the 2014 African Nations Championship, CHAN reaches the crucial bend, some members of the national team based abroad have been sending positives across to encourage the team ahead of the tourney which starts January 11, in South Africa.

    The latest to speak on the team’s chances are Lazio of Italy playmaker, Ogenyi Onazi and Academica Du Combra of Portugal combative midfielder, John Ogu. Eagles’ Media Officer, Ben Alaiya, quotes the two players as saying that with the quality they have seen of the players each time they were in camp together, there is no team in Africa that will be good enough for the CHAN trophy in South Africa than the Super Eagles.

    Hear Onazi: “We are the African champions and we are sure that by the close of the competition, our brothers at home will not let us down because they will win the CHAN trophy to sustain what we have jointly achieved. Luckily for us we have the same coach for us and our brothers at home, I see no obstacle ahead”.

    On his part, Ogu praised the impact, Eagles coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi has had in his career and said he believes that the same was being extended to players in the CHAN Eagles. “Just help me tell my teammates that I’m here rooting for them and very sure that by the end of the day they will be celebrating with the Cup back home in Nigeria. Greet Coach for me too..oooo”.

  • Yola tasks Pillars’ players to clinch Super Four trophy

    Yola tasks Pillars’ players to clinch Super Four trophy

    The Chairman of Kano Pillars management board, Abba Abdullahi Yola, has challenged the technical crew and the players that the Super Four tournament coming up in Kaduna should be a mission to be accomplished.

    Yola spoke at a lunch organised for the players and the technical crew of Kano Pillars who emerged as the league leader of the 2012 / 2013 Globacom Premier League .He charged them to brace up for the tournament, saying nothing short for you is to bring the trophy to Kano in order to make it double.

    “You have an herculean task to accomplish and what we expect from you is to bring the trophy to Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso”.

    He said: “As champions, you need to exhibit your outstanding skills so that you can overwhelm the three other teams that will compete with you in the Super Four League in Kano by making it double; the enthusiasm and the sacrifice that bind you together during the league should equally be extended to the Kaduna tournament.”

    Yola said winning the league back to back is a testimony that the bond of friendship that exists between the technical crew, the management and the players made them champions.

    However, he told the players that the lackadaisical attitude they exhibited in the last Super Four tournament should not repeat itself, adding that “we went on holiday and went to sleep, but this year’s tournament must be different because we want two trophies which we wish to present to Governor Kwankwaso.

    In his words of encouragement, the chairman also promised the players that after their two days break all their outstanding allowances would be settled.

    He said that the continental battle is another task that must be done.

    The Kano Pillars Technical Manager, Babaganaru thanked the sports loving governor for his moral and financial support during the league, adding that with the support and cooperation also from the board, the team will not relax in its mission to win the cup.

  • Gov. Yuguda, Emir of Bauchi to receive Afcon trophy

    Gov. Yuguda, Emir of Bauchi to receive Afcon trophy

    The Executive Governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda will today host some officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Super Eagles, to appreciate them for Nigeria’s triumph at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

    The Super Eagles swept all before them to clinch the trophy at the 29th edition of the 56-year old competition, making it the first time in 19 years and third time overall that Nigeria would emerge champion.

    Officials confirmed on Monday that the delegation will be led by President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, with a number of Executive Committee members, Management and some presidential aides also on the entourage.

    Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, Emeka Inyama, Dr. Shehu Adamu, Yusuf Fresh and Hon. Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande are the Executive Committee members, with General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu and Director of Competitions, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi also Bauchi-bound.

    There will also be Super Eagles’ Assistant Coach Daniel Amokachi, special assistant to president, Alh. Ibrahim Musa Gusau, personal assistant to president and ex-international player Nasiru Jibril and Eagles’ Team Secretary, Enebi Achor.

    The train will move to the Government House, Bauchi straight from the airport to present the glittering trophy to the sports-loving Governor, who was in Calabar at the weekend to watch the Golden Eaglets play a friendly international with their Botswanan counterparts, and has also provided land for the construction of a FIFA Technical Centre in the State.

    From the Government House, the trophy will move to the palace of the Emir of Bauchi, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Rilwan Suleiman Adamu, who will also have opportunity of receiving the prestigeous trophy.

  • 3rd AFCON TITLE Keshi dedicates trophy to Nigerian coaches

    3rd AFCON TITLE Keshi dedicates trophy to Nigerian coaches

    Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi has dedicated the winning the 2013 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), to all Nigerians.

    Keshi told newsmen at the post-match conference of the AFCON tournament in Johannesburg on Sunday that he also dedicated the trophy to all Nigerian coaches, his colleagues, who stood by him during the competition.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Super Eagles defeated Burkina-Faso 1-0 at the final of the 2013 AFCON tournament at the National Stadium, in Johannesburg.

    “When I came on board, my dream was to make Nigerians happy. I made it known that I wanted Nigeria to have the best team that would win trophies, we are not there yet even though I am happy about the victory. I want to dedicate this victory to all Nigerians coaches who have been praying for us. I hope some African coaches will also get to this position and make their nations proud,” Keshi said.

    Keshi said he was confident that the team would lift the cup in spite of Burkina-Faso getting close to getting an equalizer.

    “So many things went through my mind at those last moments but I knew that if we didn’t score the second goal, we would end it 1-0. The boys concentrated and this gave me hope,” Keshi said.

    “Playing in the Confede-rations Cup is an honour to Nigeria and when we get there, we will see how it goes.

    There is lot of potential in the team,” Keshi added.

    “I know there is a lot of potential in the team, but I need to push them hard, we are not there yet but the players are a bunch of disciplined people with high concentration and that is what we have going for us in the team. I have always had faith in the team; and I also believed that we have what it takes to do well in the just concluded tournament.”

     

  • Emenike: trophy important for my career

    Emenike: trophy important for my career

    Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike has admitted in an interview with a Turkish Sports website that winning the coveted African Cup of Nations trophy is important for his fledging career.

    Emenike is one of the greenhorns selected by Coach Stephen Keshi for a debut appearance in Africa’s biggest football showpiece which gets underway this weekend in South Africa and the Russia-based striker has said he is ready to make the best of the chance given.

    “I would like to win the Africa Cup of Nations, that is our aim at the championship.

    “I ‘m going to try as much as I can to score but that does not matter; what is most important is that Nigeria emerges champion.

    “This championship is extremely important in terms of my career,” Emenike told ajansspor.com.

    Nigeria have just two AFCON titles in her kitty after victories in 1980 and 1994 and are keen to complete a hat-trick of wins in South Africa.

    Emenike has been in good form for the national team scoring twice in two of the tune-up games played by the Eagles in Faro, Portugal.

  • NFF TO EAGLES: Win trophy, share N352 million

    NFF TO EAGLES: Win trophy, share N352 million

    MTNFootball.com can exclusively reveal that each Super Eagles star could earn as much as $100,000 (about N16m) should they win the AFCON in South Africa. The 22 players of the team would thus earn a total of N352m.

    “Incentives will not be the Super Eagles’ problem at the Nations Cup,” a top official simply informed MTNFootball.com at the weekend.

    “If they go all the way and win the competition, they will each take away about $95,000 and when you add that to their daily allowances of around $5,000, you will have about $100,000.

    “And the chief coach (Stephen Keshi) will get double this amount.”

    In the proposed budget for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations, each Super Eagles player will earn $10,000 (about N1.6m) for a win in the first round, where they are drawn against defending champions Zambia, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia.

    This would translate to $30,000 (about N4.8m) each if they win all three first round matches, the same amount they also received when they qualified for the quarterfinal of the 2010 tournament in Angola.

    However in Angola, the bonus was a winner-take-all one in the sense that the players were paid $30,000 each for going past the first round rather than being paid per game.

    The team’s win bonus will then be reviewed upwards as they move up in the knockout stage of the biennial competition.

    Victory in the quarterfinal will fetch each player $15,000 (about N2.4m), while victory in the semi-final will see them $20,000-a-man richer, (about N3.2m).

    And should the Eagles clinch Nigeria’s third Nations Cup trophy inside the magnificent Soccer City in Johannesburg on February 10, each player will pocket a win bonus of $30,000.

    Each player to the Nations Cup in Angola two years ago earned about $80,000 when they placed third.

  • AHEAD 2013 NATIONS CUP Ejide Vows: We’ll win the trophy again

    AHEAD 2013 NATIONS CUP Ejide Vows: We’ll win the trophy again

    HAPOEL BE’ER SHEVA goalkeeper Austin Ejide has said the current Super Eagles squad is is determined to make sure that Nigeria win the Nations Cup trophy again.

    Ejide while expressing delight at leading the Super Eagles to a win over Venezuela in Wednesday’s friendly in Miami, USA noted that it’s been a long time that Nigeria last won the Nations Cup and said the current squad will be going after the title in South Africa in 2013.

    He said: “It’s been a long time that Nigeria have won the Nations Cup and the current squad is determined to make sure that we win the trophy again. The players have to work hard and be more dedicated to achieve the dream.”

    Ejide has been living in the shadows of Vincent Enyeama in the goalkeeping role and was happy to lead the team against the South Americans.

    He added: “I’m satisfied with my performance because it’s been a long time that I have played for the country,” added the former Gabros FC goalkeeper who also commended the players for their performance which ensured that the team got a victory in what was their first official preparation match for the upcoming Nations Cup in South Africa.