The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Warri Wolves

  • Wolves to convey scores of fans to Lagos

    Wolves to convey scores of fans to Lagos

    • Flag off prayer session ahead clash with Enyimba

    Warri Wolves will be hitting Lagos September 15 for the FA Cup final with large number of their fans.

    Delta State Commissioner for Sports and State FA chairman Amaju Pinnick, who gave the hint during a television interview Tuesday, revealed that the Warri based side plans to come with at least two luxury bus full of fans to the Centre of Excellence to cheer the side to victory in the cracker billed for the Teslim Balogun stadium.

    He described the opponents and two time FA Cup champions Enyimba as a formidable side that should not be treated with kid gloves, but expressed confidence in the ability of the Warri based side to rise to the occasion.

    “We will be taking at least two full buses to Lagos to support the team. Enyimba is a good team but we will play our game and hope for the best,” he said even as he revealed his side has resolved to pray fervently ahead of the match.

    “We will pray because prayer is very important. If you don’t do that you might just be unlucky to see that on that day one of your best players could be down with malaria which could be a minus,” he added.

  • Crowd violence: Wolves seek Club Owners’ intervention

    Crowd violence: Wolves seek Club Owners’ intervention

    Warri Wolves have charged the Club Owners’ Association and League Management Company (LMC) to take action against crowd violence and the beating up of match officials that has been prevalent in the Globacom Premier League this season.

    On Saturday, Assistant Referee Durunna CIB from Abia State was assaulted allegedly by Kwara United fans before being rushed to hospital.

    Speaking with SportingLife on telephone, the media officer of Warri Wolves, Moses Etu said it was time the Club Owners spoke with one voice on what should be done to stop the trend.

    He said football and sports generally will not thrive in an atmosphere where the home teams must win at all cost.

    “It is time for Club Owners to stand up and be counted. They need to come forth with a solution to the incessant crowd violence because we do not know who will be next tomorrow.

    “The last fan trouble happened under the watchful eyes of the Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi and the Secretary of the Club Owners, Alloy Chukwuemeka.

    “It took the personal effort of Chukwuemeka before referee Durunna was rescued from the home fans that wanted to kill him.

    “We must put a stop to it now before something vicious will happen,” Etu said.

    He added that Warri Wolves would be patient to see what the verdict of the LMC would be on the what he termed a complete show of shame at Ilorin.

  • Ilorin has always been a good ground for us-Warri Wolves

    Ilorin has always been a good ground for us-Warri Wolves

    Warri Wolves has expressed they areconfident of picking the maximum points at the Kwara State Stadium,Ilorin today in their matchday 29 Glo Premier League clash with Kwara United.

    The Seasiders said the stadium has always proven to be a good hunting ground for them in recent times having remained unbeaten there this season.

    The club played two Federation Cup matches (against Spotlight of Katsina and Kano Pillars) and a league game against ABS which they won 2-0 earlier this season.

    Warri Wolves’ media officer, Moses Etu revealed to SportingLife that the club would ensure the unbeaten record is sustained when they face the Afonja Warriors today in the elite division tango.

    “Ilorin has always been a good ground for us. We are yet to lose there this season. We won a league match and two Federation Cup games there in the three matches we played there this season. We shall come out smoking against Kwara United on Saturday and ensure that we keep our unbeaten record intact,” Etu told SportingLife.

    Warri Wolves are sixth on the log with 42 points from 28 games while Kwara United are fifth with 44 points from same number of matches.

  • Wolves bare fangs in confidence

    Wolves bare fangs in confidence

    Warri Wolves attacking midfielder, Oghenekaro Etebo, is confident that he and his teammates will end up winning this year’s Federation Cup.

    Wolves will face Enyimba in the Cup final at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos but Etebo is unmoved by the pedigree of his team’s opponents.

    “They are a very big team and club in the country. They have won almost every trophy including the Federation Cup but I believe we can win this with God’s favour having come this far,” said Etebo, who is playing in the Nigeria top flight this season for the first time in his career.

    Etebo, who joined Warri Wolves from non-league outfit, Lord Honour FC, is also excited with the chance of appearing in the showpiece match of the Federation Cup.

    The Super Eagles player added that he did not envisage that he will be lining up so soon for Warri Wolves in the Federation Cup final in only his first season with the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) club.

    “I am very happy that I will play in the Federation Cup final for the first time in my career. Honestly, I didn’t see this coming but I was just always confident this team will have a good season,” said the youngster.

    Etebo is, however, buoyed to win the Cup by the fact that Wolves cannot boast of any major silverware in the country unless at state level where they won the Delta State FA Cup this year.

    “I believe all that will definitely change soon. But we must take this opportunity of winning a trophy which is more realistic than the league,” said the Wolves talisman of his club’s status of a lack of a major title.

    Etebo played a key role in helping Wolves reach their first-ever Cup final when he scored his team’s equalising goal against Akwa United before they went on to win 2-1 in the semifinal played over two days this week.

  • Heavy downpour halts Warri Wolves/Akwa United tie

    Heavy downpour halts Warri Wolves/Akwa United tie

    • To be replayed today in Bauchi

    The semi final battle between Akwa United and Warri Wolves played at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi was declared inconclusive and would be replayed today because of the heavy downpour which rendered the pitch waterlogged.

    Akwa United drew the first blood in the 62nd minute off a mistake from Wolves’ goalkeeper, Marshall Ordah but the Seasiders fought back and equalised in the 67th minute through Oghenekaro Etebo.

    The centre referee acting on instruction from the match commissioner, Patrick Paschal called off the match immediately the goal was scored in the 67th minute. It would be started afresh today by 4pm at the Tafawa Balewa Stadium,Bauchi.

    The President of the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF), Alhaji Aminu Maigari was among the dignitaries who witnessed the explosive semi final clash.

  • Warri Wolves continue win-less run

    Warri Wolves continued their win-less run as they were beaten 1-0 by Nembe City in a week 26 game of the Glo Nigerian Premier League (NPL) played on Sunday.

    Wolves have not won in their last four games of the NPL. Tunde Abidoye’s first half effort earned Nembe the three points at stake as Wolves were unable to fight back. The result now gives Wolves 42 points from 26 games played so far this term.

  • Warri Wolves emerge LBA Q2 winners

    Warri Wolves emerge LBA Q2 winners

    Warri Wolves have been named the second winners of the Q-Award organised by the League Bloggers Awards (LBA).

    The Q-Award is a quarterly reward system to decorate clubs that finish top of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) standings.

    Kano Pillars were the first to win the Q-Award this season when they finished top of the league log after Week 10.

    This time, Wolves overtook Kano Pillars for the Q2 by amassing 21 points.

    Wolves were by far the best team for the second quarter, which ran between Weeks 11 and 19.

    The Warri club lost just two games to Lobi Stars and Wikki Tourists during the period under review to edge Kano Pillars and Kwara United on 17 points apiece.

    Though Warri Wolves were awarded three points and three goals from the fallout of the abandoned tie against Akwa United by the League Management Company (LMC), the club would have still finished on 18 points in the second quarter, one ahead of Kano Pillars and Kwara United.

    During their fine run up to winning the LBA Q2, the Warri club scored 18 goals in nine games, more than any other NPFL club and also put together a streak of five wins on the bounce.

    They claimed the scalp of big teams like Dolphins, Kano Pillars, 3SC, Sunshine Stars and capped it up with a 2-0 win at modest outfit, ABS.

    The third quarter of the Q-Award will kick off on July 3 and will run from Weeks 20 to 29 of the NPFL calendar.

    The LBA has divided the current NPFL season into four quarters to help track winners for the Q-Award.

    The LBA has been in the forefront of organising a reward system for the actors in the Nigerian top flight since 2009.

    The Quarters & Winners

    Week 1-10: Kano Pillars

    Week 11-19: Warri Wolves

    Week 20-29

    Week 30-38

  • Warri Wolves player, Solomon Oboh is dead

    Warri Wolves player, Solomon Oboh is dead

    Solomon Oboh , a player with Warri Wolves Football Club of Warri is dead.

    The right full back died in a ghastly motor accident at Agbarho,( 2 Kilometres from Warri) immediately after his team match with Shooting Stars of Ibadan on Sunday.
    Oboh who was born on the 13th, September, 1989 played for amateur side, Bisalo Football Club, Warri and Paulson Football Club, Benin before joining Delta United in 2007
    He has featured twice this season due to competitive nature of his position.
    Management of Warri Wolves said they regretted the dead of Solomon Oboh.
    “We wishes to announce the passing on of our right full back., Solomon Oboh who died in a ghastly motor accident at Agbarho”.
    The  Chairman of the Delta State Sports Commission, Mr Pinnick Amaju today visited the Camp of Warri Wolves and met with the rest players who wept profusely.
     Hon.  Amaju who was still in a state of shock commiserated with the Family and said the Club would be fully involved in the burial of the youthful player.
    “May the Almighty God grant us the will to bear the loss”. He said
  • Transfer imbroglio: Mba appeals to Rangers, Wolves

    Transfer imbroglio: Mba appeals to Rangers, Wolves

    Nigerian international, Sunday Mba has made a passionate appeal to Nigeria Professional Football (NPFL) clubs, Enugu Rangers and Warri Wolves to “amicably settle” their long-running dispute over his ownership.

    The two clubs have been enmeshed in a bitter dispute over the ownership of the player which prompted Super Eagles head coach, Stephen Keshi to declare that he may consider dropping the player from the squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Kenya on March 23.

    The attacking midfielder has now voiced his sentiments about the issue.

    “The coach (Keshi) has the best interest of the country at heart and I completely respect his judgment in this matter. He wants the best for the national team and it is only logical that he builds his team around players who are playing regularly for their clubs every week,” Mba exclusively told supersport.com.

    Mba took the football world by storm with a superlative display at the 2013 African Nations Cup in South Africa where he netted the winner for Nigeria in the showpiece game against Burkina Faso.

    The 24-year-old wants to perform at the peak of his powers on a consistent basis and acknowledges that he can only do that if he plays regularly.

    “I am pleading with the clubs (Wolves and Rangers) to amicable settle this because for me, I am a professional and I just want to resume playing,” he said.

    Mba also took the time to allay fears over his physical condition ahead of the game against Kenya.

    “I am in great shape physically. As a matter of fact, I think I am in the best condition I have ever been in since I turned pro.

    “I also want the fans to recall that before the 2013 AFCON, the Nigerian league was on break but I still did well at the tournament because I never joked with my training (sessions).

    “I have intensified my regimen after the tournament because I understand that the stakes are even higher now and there are so many people who now look up to me as a role model,” the player added.

     

  • Warri Wolves ‘offers’ Mba to Euro clubs

    Warri Wolves ‘offers’ Mba to Euro clubs

    Warri Wolves are “hawking” African Nations Cup hero Sunday Mba to clubs in Europe even though the ownership row with Rangers has yet to be resolved.

    Wolves was the club Mba played for in the last domestic season in Nigeria before the player went ahead to negotiate a return to former team Rangers few weeks before the AFCON in South Africa.

    At the end of the tournament, where Mba gained cult hero status by scoring the goal that won Nigeria the trophy, the 24-year-old midfielder became hot cake in the international transfer market.

    And MTNFootball.com has now gathered that Wolves has gone ahead to open communication with one of the clubs who have indicated interest in the player.

    An agent, at the instance of the eastern European club, had got in touch with the chairman of Wolves, Pinnick Amaju, who referred him to Emmanuel Ibru, who apparently is a consultant to the club on international transfers.

    After discussions, the agent could not continue with the transaction because Wolves refused to issue him an official mandate to broker the deal.

    Few days later, the ownership of Mba became contentious, with Rangers claiming he is their player.

    However, Wolves would go ahead to contact the eastern European club to negotiate the transfer of the player.