The Nation Newspaper

Tag: WIKKI

  • ‘We won’t disappoint at Wikki

    ‘We won’t disappoint at Wikki

    Nasarawa United head coach Kabir Dogo has said his side will not disappoint at top-flight Wikki Tourists.

    Dogo said Wikki Tourists have always been hard nuts for the side to crack irrespective of the match grounds.

    “I call the clash a northern derby with a difference as the rivalry between both sides has always been tough whether the match takes place in Bauchi or Lafia.

    “Last season Wikki Tourists beat us in Bauchi while we were winners in the reverse fixture at adopted home in Makurdi.

    “We are looking forward to another entertaining, explosive and wonderful match in Bauchi on Sunday.

    “Wikki Tourists are a continental side so we will give them their due respect but not to the point of being scared of them.

    “We have reached the business end of the league where results count. We are believing positively to come out of the battle smiling at the end of the day.

    “Everybody is ready and prepared to execute the match plan to the latter to achieve the desired result.

    “Management has done pretty well for us to prepare for the season we can only assure them that we will not disappoint,” said the former Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) FC coach to supersport.com.

  • Wikki: We will target three points against Nasarawa Utd

    Wikki: We will target three points against Nasarawa Utd

    Wikki Tourists’ skipper, Ibrahim Mustapha has said that the Bauchi side are prepared for their first match of the NPFL 2016/17 season against Nasarawa United after concluding their pre-season activities with a 2-0 win over Jigawa Golden Stars.

    Mustapha disclosed their last two pre-season test games against Yarmalight and Jigawa Golden Stars have equipped them to be set for their tie with the Solid Miners and that they are hoping to start the season with a home win.

    The former youth international hinted that the management of Wikki Tourists and the technical crew headed by Mohammed Babaganaru have done a very good job preparing the team for the NPFL season and their participation in the CAF Confederation Cup.

  • Wikki still have a lot to learn despite big win

    Wikki still have a lot to learn despite big win

    • Babaganaru seeks final pre-season friendly

    Wikki Tourists head coach, Mohammed Babaganaru has revealed that he has got many positive notes from their 5-1 annihilation of Yarmalight FC of Gombe in a friendly tie played on Saturday evening.

    Babaganaru confirmed that the test game was the club’s first after the NPFL Super Four tournament in Enugu where they placed third behind Rivers United and Enugu Rangers and that with the festive period arriving almost after the tournament in Enugu it was difficult for him and the players to make corrections on their outing during the Super Four.

    He said he was impressed with what his boys displayed against Yarmalight who are competing in the Nigeria National League (NNL) and that he noticed the team’s strong points and weaknesses he hopes to work on before their first game of the season against Nasarawa United whom they face in Bauchi.

    Babaganaru confirmed that the Bauchi side are in talks with Plateau United and Jigawa Golden Stars with a view to playing their final pre-season friendly against either of them before they get set for Nasarawa United.

    He said that the match will take place on either Tuesday or Wednesday this week.

  • Wikki in talks with Club Africain over Obaje

    Wikki in talks with Club Africain over Obaje

    • North African side hijacks deal from Etoile du Sahel

    Wikki Tourists have  opened transfer talks with Club Africain of Tunisia after they pulled out of the transactions with Etoile du Sahel over the sale of Godwin Obaje because of both clubs inability to agree on the mode the transfer fees would be paid.

    The Bauchi side have revoked transfer negotiations with the 2015 CAF Champions League winners and have begun discussions with another Tunisian club, Club Africain.

    The Chairman of the club, Mallam Isa Matori told SportingLife that Etoile du Sahel breached the agreement between both clubs and that they have refused to accept their plea that they would like the cash to be paid in three instalments.

    He said Etoile du Sahel also wished that they release Obaje’s International Transfer Certificate (ITC) even before cash is paid but that they have informed the Tunisian side that they won’t settle for that and so have ended contract discussions with them and have started talking to other clubs.

    Matori told SportingLife that he is certain that Obaje will seal a move abroad after the striker declared that he won’t like to play in the NPFL in the coming season and that everything is being done to ensure that the highest scorer in the league last season with 18 goals moves abroad during the January transfer window.

  • Waziri makes shock return to Wikki

    Waziri makes shock return to Wikki

    Wikki Tourists left full back, Christopher Waziri has made a sensational return to the club.

    Waziri was expected to join Enugu Rangers having trained with the Flying Antelopes for some weeks, but had a change of mind and opted to return to his former club.

    He  joined the team in Enugu on Friday for the ongoing Super 4 encounter.

    SportingLife gathered from a source that Waziri’s sudden change of mind may not be unconnected with the fact that it would be difficult for him to get a first team chance at Rangers  because the player  playing his position is very good.

    “Waziri is back in the team. His position is very competitive at Rangers and if he wants to make first team he has to be extra good. The player playing  his position is also a citizen of Enugu, except he wants to be a second class citizen. I think he made a good decision to come back to a team where he can get first team jersey. He is welcome and everybody loves him,” a source told SportingLife.

    Apart from Waziri, the club’s first choice goalkeeper Emaka Nwabulu has also returned to the club after his initial intention to leave the club.

    The Bauchi fans would be glad to have him back with the team, having played a pivotal role in the team’s success last season.

  • Obaje resumes training with Wikki

    Obaje resumes training with Wikki

    Striker Godwin Obaje is expected to resume training in the coming with Wikki Tourists after a proposed move to Russia club Spartak Moscow collapsed.

    The Nigeria league top scorer last season with 18 goals was not given a contract by Spartak after he failed a medical.

    “Obaje will resume training with Wikki,” an official disclosed.

    “The move to Russia did not work out and it only makes sense for him to return to his team.”

    Obaje’s goals last season have attracted interests from overseas and it is now expected that he could explore some of these options.

    Wikki, who beat hosts Gombe United 1-0 in a pre-season friendly this week, are due in Kaduna from Gombe for the Shehu Dikko Annual Tournament, which begins today.

    They will also feature in the NPFL Super 4 in Enugu from December 7.

  • NORTH EAST PRE-SEASON TOURNEY Gombe United, Wikki, El Kanemi to take part

    NORTH EAST PRE-SEASON TOURNEY Gombe United, Wikki, El Kanemi to take part

    North East Pre Season tournament will commence today in Gombe and it is a tournament aimed at testing the might of the three clubs from the zone in the topflight ahead of the NPFL 2016/2017 season.

    Wikki Tourists, Gombe United and El Kanemi Warriors are the three clubs from the elite division slated to participate in the tournament that will start today in Gombe and end on Monday.

    The chairman of Wikki, Mallam Isa Matori told SportingLife that the Bauchi side are gradually finding their feet under new coach, Mohammed Babaganaru and his assistants and that before the start of the LMC Super Four, they would have raised a formidable team.

  • Wikki hit by massive exodus

    Wikki hit by massive exodus

    Nigeria’s 2017 CAF Confederation Cup campaigners, Wikki Tourists look set to lose their entire first team from last season ahead of the new campaign.

    Coach Abdu Maikaba, who guided Wikki Tourists to a historic third place this past season, has already signed a two-year contract with Akwa United.

    Several of his players from the Bauchi club have since joined him in Uyo.

    They are Shittu Lawal, Alhassan Ibrahim ‘Muazam’, Lawal Abubakar and Nura Usman.

    Christopher Waziri and Charles Henlong, who was on loan from expelled Giwa FC last season, are bound for champions Enugu Rangers.

    Star striker and NPFL hotshot Godwin Obaje is currently undergoing trials in Europe. Hamza Umar is in talks with Kano Pillars.

    And there are very strong indications that more first-team players will desert the club before the season gets underway.

     

  • Wikki target Babaganaru as Maikaba’s replacement

    Wikki target Babaganaru as Maikaba’s replacement

    According to a leak gathered by SportingLife, the management of Wikki Tourits of Bauchi has identified former Kano Pillars gaffer, Mohammed Baba Ganaru as its main target for the technical adviser position.

    The Bauchi-based side sees Ganaru as the ideal  candidate to replace its former technical adviser, Abdul Maikaba who left the club last Friday.

    A source told SportingLife that Ganaru’s continental and Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) experience is being considered by the management as a yardstick to bring him into the team.

    SportingLife had exclusively reported on Sunday that Maikaba will sign a deal with Akwa United on Wednesday.

    “All options are on the table for the management to take. We have to move on from Maikaba’s exit and plan for the progress of the club. We can’t stop Maikaba when he said he is leaving the club. He kept us in the dark for a very long time before he finally came out to tell us his decision.

    “Coach Baba Ganaru has been shortlisted as a good replacement for Maikaba. He has been in the continental assignment before and he has won the premier league twice so we are looking towards his direction at the moment,” a source disclosed to SportingLife.

  • Wikki accept Maikaba’s resignation letter

    Wikki accept Maikaba’s resignation letter

    • Praise  coach’s contributions to  Bauchi side

    Wikki Tourists have accepted the resignation letter of their former head coach, Abdu Maikaba who is on the verge of joining Akwa United ahead of the next  NPFL season.

    Maikaba tdropped his notice to quit the Bauchi side on Saturday after he submitted his technical report for the past league season to gradually bring his association of two years with Wikki to an end.

    The chairman of Wikki, Isa Matori told SportingLife that Maikaba had told them immediately the season ended that he would be seeking another adventure and that there was no time the coach deceived them regarding his future plans.

    Matori said: “This is to bring it to your notice that coach Maikaba did not deceive Wikki Tourists. We were very much aware of his intention to change environment immediately after the conclusion of the league season. He didn’t make it official then because he was not sure if the agreement with his new employer would be sealed.

    “Now that he has concluded agreement with Akwa United, he has officially submitted his letter of resignation and the management of Wikki gladly accepted and wished him well. The Wikki management sincerely appreciate the role Maikaba played in the last two seasons with the club and we are aware that he would leave one day. We wish him the very best in his coaching career and his new assignment with Akwa United.

    Matori disclosed that they were aware of the expected departure of Maikaba who missed the 2015 CAF Confederation Cup ticket by the whiskers with Wikki.

    The Bauchi side finished the campaign third on the log with 57 points from 36 matches.