The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Uzoenyi

  • Uzoenyi trains with Rangers

    Uzoenyi trains with Rangers

    • Insists on Sundowns contract

    Ex-Eagles star Ejike Uzoenyi has maintained he still has a running contract with African champions, Mamelodi Sundowns even though he has been training with former club, Enugu Rangers.
    “I am just training with my former club to keep fit, any moment from now I am going back to South Africa. I don’t know the time, but I know I will leave soon,” Uzoenyi said.
    “If I don’t have a contract again what will I go and do in South Africa? I have an existing contract.”
    It is understood the contract pays him five million Rands (about N100 million ) a year.
    Uzoenyi, whose career has been hampered by injuries, trained fully with the Rangers squad on Monday morning at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu.
    He looked sharp and lively not like a player who has not played competitive football for almost two years now.
    His agent has previously hinted on a move away from Sundowns and he even trained with another South African club SuperSport United but nothing came out of it.

  • Uzoenyi closes in on SuperSport switch

    Uzoenyi closes in on SuperSport switch

    Ejike Uzoenyi is set to seal a move to South African PSL club SuperSport United after he has recovered fully from injury, his representatives have informed.

    Uzoenyi is surplus to requirements at another South African club Mamelodi Sundowns, who are now ready to let him go with two years still left on his contract.

    The former Enugu Rangers star has already been training with SuperSport, but it is left to be seen whether he will be joining up on loan or permanently.

    “Ejike is fully fit and he is training with SuperSport. We hope there will be an agreement before the close of the transfer window. It will be left for the clubs to decide if it will be a loan or a permanent deal,” said the player’s agent Lawal Mohammed.

    Uzoenyi was MVP of the 2014 CHAN which South Africa hosted.

  • Injury stops Uzoenyi

    Injury stops Uzoenyi

    Mamelodi Sundwons head coach Pitso  Mosimane has explained why Elias Pelembe  and Ejike Uzoenyi failed to make the club’s CAF Champions League squad.

    The duo was not registered for the preliminary rounds of the tournament.

    Mosimane revealed that Pelembe is yet to renew his contract at the club, while Uzoenyi is still nursing a long-term injury which has seen him out of action for the last couple of months.

    “We didn’t involve Elias Pelembe in the CAF list because you must remember that we were doing the CAF list in December and imagine if I included him and he went on to sign a pre-contract at another club and leaves Sundowns,” Mosimane said.

    “People are moving. Imagine I put him on the CAF list, but I can’t choose him, I lose one spot. I played it safe. I didn’t want to lose one spot, I didn’t have time.

    “We spoke to him, he knows, he is professional. His contract is ending, we are still busy with negotiations. I can’t lose a spot and he might not be here.

    “I told him it is only three games, if he is around, and he has done well and he has renewed his contract we will go with him. He is professional.

    “Ejike is injured, that is why [we didn’t include him]. He will miss the six games. You haven’t seen him for a month or two. He won’t make the three rounds in CAF, so we keep the space,” Mosimane added.

    The Brazilians kicked-off their African adventure with a 1-1 draw away to Seychelles outfit St Michel.

    The return-leg will take place at the Lucas Moripe Stadium at the end of the month.

  • Uzoenyi weds hearthrob Loveth in Enugu

    Uzoenyi weds hearthrob Loveth in Enugu

    Itwas another memorable time for the national team at the weekend, as former Rangers International of Enugu winger and the MVP of the last CHAN tourney in South Africa, Ejike Uzoenyi, who now plays for South African top side Memolodi Sundowns walked down the aisle in Enugu.

    He took his lovely heartthrob, Chioma Loveth Uzoenyi to the alter at an impressive ceremony in the Enugu State capital. And  as has become traditional with   the NFF, the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) was well represented with Chidi Nwantu, Dayo Enebi Achor, the national team administrator, Okey Obi and national team coordinator, Emmanuel Atta fully in attendance.

    “It was an impressive ceremony and the NFF will continue to support its players who want to  move to the next level as this is the second wedding under a week and we are happy that our players are taking the responsibility route”, Achor quoted the NFF President, Melvin Amaju Pinnick as saying.

     

  • Uzoenyi not worried by Eagles’ exclusion

    Uzoenyi not worried by Eagles’ exclusion

    Ejike Uzoenyi is not losing sleep over his omission from the list of players that have been called up by Stephen Keshi for two vital African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo and South Africa.

    The national team selectors have taken note of the fact that the former Enugu Rangers star has not played a competitive game for club and country for the past two months.

    “Nigeria is blessed with a lot of players. Whoever that is called to play, let us pray and support them to do well. I think my chance will surely come,” says Uzoenyi to SL10.ng.

    New Bafana Bafana helmsman, Ephraim ‘Shakes’ Mashaba, has pencilled down 34 names for the clash against Nigeria in Cape Town on September 10, with five players in that pool from PSL champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

    When quizzed on the likely outcome of that tie, Ejike Uzoenyi did not have to scratch his head, and has predicted that the Eagles will defeat their opponents.

    “I am 100 percent sure Nigeria will win the game, but we have to understand that they have better players now than before,” he added.

    “I can’t pick any special player they should pay attention to, all of them should be watched. You can’t take it away from my teammates, we are better but we must show that we want it more.

    “The best thing that can happen to South African Football is to record a win against Nigeria. That will be their biggest achievement since winning the 1996 African Cup of Nations.”

    Uzoenyi is inching closer to making his official debut for the Brazilians after he made the bench in their last PSL game against bitter rivals Orlando Pirates.

  • Sundowns won’t loan Uzoenyi

    Sundowns won’t loan Uzoenyi

    Mohammed Lawal, who brokered the deal that took Ejike Uzoenyi to Mamelodi Sundowns, has reiterated that the Nigeria international will not be sent out on loan by the Pretoria based club before the end of the transfer window.

    The former Enugu Rangers star has been training with the Premier Soccer League champions for the past two weeks, but did not dress in back to back matches against Ajax Cape Town and Moroka Swallows.

    “You can not assume that he will be loaned since he has not played for Mamelodi Sundowns. Since Ejike arrived South Africa, he only missed playing one (two) game.

    “Ejike is fully registered with Sundowns and they can not loan him now since he has been registered,” says Mohammed Lawal to allnigeriasoccer.com.

    Ejike Uzoenyi did not take part in the Brazilians pre – season training due to difficulties in processing his work permit.

    South Africans will not get a glimpse of him when their national team confronts Nigeria next month in an African Nations Cup qualifier as he has been omitted from the nominated players.

  • Uzoenyi gets work permit

    Uzoenyi gets work permit

    Nigeria international Ejike Uzoenyi has finally been issued a work permit by the South African authority to team up with Premier Soccer League [PSL] club Mamelodi Sundowns.

    Mohammed Lawal, representative of Uzoenyi, told supersport.com that the work permit was issued to the former Enugu Rangers winger in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, by the South African High Commission on Friday.

    Lawal explained that the Nigerian winger could only apply for the work permit after his participation at the 2014 FIFA World Cup since he was saddled with international duty with the African champions. He also disclosed that Uzoenyi will leave Nigeria for South Africa on today to join Sundowns.

    “We just came out of the South African High Commission a few minutes ago (Friday). Ejike has been issued a work permit and he will travel tomorrow (today) to join his new teammates.

    “The normal process [for the work permit] is six weeks and Ejike applied for it only after the World Cup. But the club [Sundowns] management worked really hard to make sure he got the permit on time. Personally I had to come down to Nigeria to make sure we got it on time,” said Lawal to supersport.com.

    Uzoenyi signed a four-year deal with The Brazilians in February this year.

  • Sundowns debut: Uzoenyi waits on SA Embassy

    Sundowns debut: Uzoenyi waits on SA Embassy

    Premier Soccer League champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, will begin the defense of their title today against Maritzburg United without their new recruit, Ejike Uzoenyi.

    The 26-year-old is still holed up in Enugu awaiting the outcome of his work permit application to the South African embassy.

    Except the process is fast tracked, the Nigeria international might remain in his homeland until late August.

    Based on the new South African immigration system that came into effect few months ago, it takes a minimum of six weeks to process a similar work application.

    ”I submitted my application after the World Cup, I mean after the final game between Germany and Argentina. We have been told that the embassy can call me at any time to pick up the document, but I’v not heard from them yet.

    ”For now, I’m keeping fit by training with my former team, Enugu Rangers,” Ejike Uzoenyi told SL10.ng.

    Mamelodi Sundowns  are patiently waiting for the African Nations Championship top player to join the club, and they have no immediate plans to loan him out despite the bloated foreigners in the squad.

    Uzoenyi has penned a four-year deal with the Brazilians, tying him to the Pretoria based side till  2018.

     

  • Sundowns wait on Uzoenyi

    Sundowns wait on Uzoenyi

    Mamelodi Sundowns newcomer Ejike Uzoenyi and Ghanaian defender Rashid Sumaila are yet to report for pre-season training with the club after doing duty at the World Cup.

    The pair, though, will soon arrive at Chloorkop, according to Sundowns spokesman Kabelo Mosito.

    “Rashid is also not yet here but they will soon be arriving after participating in the World Cup,” says Mosito.

    Downs signed Nigerian midfielder Uzoenyi – who was named CHAN’s player of the tournament – earlier this year but he was immediately loaned back to his former club Enugu Rangers for the rest of the past campaign.

    Sumaila impressed in his maiden PSL showing last term, and has attracted interest from Turkish Super Lig side Akhisar Belediyespor.

  • Uzoenyi celebrates Eagles return

    Uzoenyi celebrates Eagles return

    Rangers International of Enugu winger, Ejike Uzoenyi, who will be heading to the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) after the World Cup, has said his joy knew no bounds when he was recalled into Nigeria’s team for the Mundial after being initially dropped from the squad.

    “The way my colleagues in the team received me was wonderful and I was short of words, my only pain is that I had to come back to the team because one of our team members was injured. It would have been sweeter if I had been chosen on merit, which I think I deserve. But I wish Elderson Echejile quick recovery and hopefully he will return before the start of next season in Europe,” Uzoenyi said.

    He said contrary to reports in the media, he was not disappointed when he was not named in the initial 23-man squad of Nigeria because he had total confidence in the judgment of Coach Stephen Keshi. “From the beginning Keshi has been with me, treated me like a father will his son, and I have been everywhere with him. Even if he asks me to leave now I will still respect his decision but I thank God that I am back in the team and will do my best in the World Cup.”

    Uzoenyi resumed training with the rest of the squad on Thursday evening after a rousing welcome from his mates on Wednesday evening.