THE Nigeria Football Federation on Friday appointed Manu Garba as the Head Coach of the Under-17 team, Golden Eaglets. “The former Nigeria international will now immediately resume the role and take charge of the team’s preparations for next month’s WAFU B U17 Championship, taking place in Ghana,” a message posted on the NFF website read. Garba led the Golden Eaglets to win the FIFA U17 World Cup for Nigeria in the United Arab Emirates in 2013 – Nigeria’s fourth triumph at that stage. In that squad were Super Eagles stars, Kelechi Iheanacho and Taiwo Awoniyi. The team finished as runners-up…
Author: Peter Noah KC
THE Nigeria Premier Football League club owners association says “there are no complaints or problems” following reports that clubs were set for a showdown with the NPFL board over financial differences. The club owners were said to have planned a boycott of match-day 30 games billed for this weekend, over the non-disclosure of broadcast deals the NPFL signed with StarTimes and Propel Sports, as well as the fulfillment of financial commitments made at the start of the season. Secretary of the body and Chairman, Sporting Lagos, Godwin Enakhena, informed this newspaper that they were negotiating with the board and also…
FORMER president of the Nigeria Football Federation and FIFA Council member, Amaju Pinnick, has thrown his weight behind ex-international, FInidi George, to become the next coach of the Super Eagles. Finidi is among the frontrunners for the vacant position left by Portuguese Coach Jose Peseiro, following the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. The Nigeria Football Federation is expected to name a new coach for the team in no distant time, and the former NFF boss believes Finidi fits the bill. “A player that was once regarded as one…
THE Super Falcons have qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Nigeria beat South Africa 1-0 on aggregate to reach the Summer Olympics. Rasheedat Ajibade scored from the spot in the first leg of the qualifiers in Abuja on Friday. That goal was enough for the Super Falcons to pick one of Africa’s tickets for the women’s football event of the Paris Olympics as the second leg tie ended goaless in South Africa. The last time Nigeria’s Super Falcons reached the Olympics was 16 years ago. More details shortly…
BILLIONAIRE banker and philanthropist, Tony Elumelu, says he is evaluating viability of owning a Nigerian Premier Football League club as part of his Coporate Social Responsibility. Elumelu made this known on Monday via his X handle after reacting to a post from another user Adebayo Mustapha, who suggested that the President and Ministry of Sports should woo top companies in the country to own clubs in the NPFL. Mustapha believes it will improve the NPFL. Mustapha whose X handle is @LawyerDayo, wrote, “Can we get the President and Ministry of Sport to weigh in on the big corporations in Nigeria…
IN the wake of the incident during a Nigeria National League match-day 17 game between Jigawa Golden Stars and Sporting Supreme FC in Dutse on Saturday, the league body has placed a one-year ban on an unidentified player of Jigawa Golden Stars for apparently pushing the ball into the net with both hands to deny their visitors a point. Chairman of the NNL, George Aluo, stated this in an interview with this newspaper on Sunday. The two referees who were involved in the game, Zaharadeen Nasiru (Katsina State) and his assistant, Usman Auwalu (Borno State), were expelled by the Refereeing…
ENYIMBA technical adviser Finidi George said he expects fair officiating in their Nigeria Premier Football League clash against Lobi Stars, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Lobi Stars will host the People’s Elephant in a matchday 29 fixture at the Lafia City Stadium on Sunday. Finidi expressed his team’s desire to secure a good result in the game saying, “We want to go to Lafia and get the victory, no doubt about that. I hope everything (will) be normal in the game, I hope we have that fairness in the game against Lobi Stars. “We are here to play as if we…
THE Super Falcons of Nigeria have moved a step closer to securing the ticket to the football event of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after seeing off South Africa 1-0 in a first-leg match in the final round of qualifiers. Rasheedat Ajibade converted a 43rd-minute penalty to hand the Nigerians victory in the encounter in Abuja on Friday. The Super Falcons began the game well, pressing the South Africans at the MKO Abiola Stadium. But the team could not convert. However, following sustained pressure, South Africa’s Noko Matlou hacked down Chinwendu Ihezuo in the box. Rasheedat stepped up to the…
THE Super Eagles of Nigeria ranked 30th in the 2024 Men’s World ranking, dropping two places from the previous 28th position. The ranking, as released by the Federation of International Football Association on Thursday, revealed that the Eagles topped the 2023 CAF African Cup of Nations winner, Cote d’Ivoire, and seven-time AFCON winner, Egypt. Having participated in two friendly matches after the AFCON tourney, the Eagles earned a 2-1 win against neighbouring rivals, Ghana, and fell to a 2-0 defeat against Mali. As observed by this newspaper, the Eagles rank third in African football, falling only behind the Atlas Lions…
NIGERIA Premier Football League giants, Enyimba and Kano Pillars, will meet for the 24th time since 2010, in a high-profile 2023/24 match-day 28 game in Aba on Wednesday (today). With 13 titles between them (Enyimba with nine and Pillars four), the meeting of both sides usually comes with intensity, thanks to their respective regional supremacy, which has fuelled their rivalry as two of the biggest sides in the NPFL. In their previous 23 games, Enyimba won 10 while Pillars triumphed in 11, including the first leg this season, while two other games have ended in draws. Coming into today’s encounter,…
NIGERIA’s sole representative in the Caf Confederation Cup Rivers United edged defending champions USM Alger of Algeria 1-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final clash at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Sunday. Augustine Okejepha got the opener from Sadiq Adamu’s cross from the corner in the 10th minute of the first half. Rivers United wasted several other chances to double their lead in the game. The reigning champions will host the Nigerian side in the return leg on Sunday next week in Algiers, Algeria.
SUPER Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie is desperate to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as Nigeria gears up for their crucial final qualifiers game against their familiar foes, South Africa. Both sides have forged an intense rivalry over the years and are seen as the toast of Africa following successes on the continent, but it’s been the South Africans who have won recent battles. Banyana beat Nigeria in their last two meetings, the 2022 Women’s Afcon in Morocco and 2021 Aisha Buhari Cup in their own backyard, tournaments that Banyana went on to win. For Nnadozie, qualifying for the…
FINIDI George, head coach of the Nigeria Premier Football Leagues side, Enyimba, has stated that he is not losing any sleep over getting the Super Eagles job on a permanent basis. Early this month, the Nigeria Football Federation declared the position of the Super Eagles’ head coach vacant, following the exit of Portuguese Jose Peseiro, who led the side to a second-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup Nations in Ivory Coast in February. In an advertisement on its website calling for applications with a March 13 deadline, the football governing body stated that the prospective Eagles coach “must have…
THE Eagles of Mali beat the Super Eagles of Nigeria 2-0 on Tuesday night. In the clash with the Eagles, Nigeria suffered the loss courtesy of one goal in each half of the game. E. Toure gave Mali the lead in the 18th minute and the runners-up in the recently concluded African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast could not severe a draw in the first half. K. Doumbia sealed the victory for the Malians with an 84th-minute strike from the centre of the box. This loss was the interim coach, George Finidi’s first loss at the helms of affairs…
THE Federal Government has hailed Nigeria’s contingent to the 13 African Games for its outstanding performance during the competition. Nigeria finished second on the medals table behind Egypt with 47 gold, 33 silver and 40 bronze medals. Hours after the team returned to the country, the Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s congratulatory message to the athletes. ”Yesterday I received the Team Nigeria delegation to the 13th African Games, Ghana, back to Abuja, Nigeria,” he posted on his official X account on Sunday. “I thank our athletes, our stars, and our VVIPs, immensely and I congratulate…
SEVEN-TIME champions Enugu Rangers have climbed to the top of the Nigeria Premier Football League table after securing a 2-1 win over struggling Heartland in oriental derby on match-day 27 in Aba on Sunday. Defender Ifeanyi Onyebuchi scored Rangers first goal in the first half and Kalu Nweke doubled the advantage in the second half before the hosts halved the deficit to end the game 2-1. Led by Fidelis Ilechukwu, Rangers have been on the ascendancy in their last 10 games, losing only one and are unbeaten in nine consecutive games. They have also won three of their last four…
A GOAL in each half was all Nigeria needed to claim the bragging rights against Ghana’s Black Stars in a 2-1 win on Friday evening. The Super Eagles scored first courtesy of Cyriel Dessers’ penalty and a sweet finish from Ademola Lookman of Atalanta. But Jordan Ayew scored a late spot-kick to give the 10-men Ghana a consolation. Nigeria, fresh off a great campaign where they finished runners-up at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) were without the CAF Player of the Year Victor Osimhen, and defender William Troost-Ekong among others. Both are nursing injuries. But from the blast…
THE 2023 African Games, which officially began March 8, ends on Saturday (today) with perennial champions Egypt once again claiming top spot at the continental sports showpiece event, which held in Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast. Of the 54 countries in Africa, 53 were in attendance, with only Cape Verde absent from the 13th edition of the Games. The Games were initially billed for August 2023 but a failure to complete facilities on time and issues over marketing revenue resulted in the event being delayed till March 2024. However, it didn’t stop the West African country hosting a memorable championship.…
NIGERIA’s Ese Brume leaped to gold in the women’s long jump event of the African Games, jumping a record 6.92 meters to defend her title in Accra, the Ghanaian capital on Thursday night. She won the title in 2019 in the Moroccan city of Rabat and continued her fine form five years later in Ghana. Brume’s first attempt was good enough for gold on the night that her compatriot Prestina Ochonogor also won the bronze medal. She had a jump of 6.67m. Burkina Faso’s Koala Marthe clinched bronze. But it was a disappointing night for Nigeria’s Ruth Usoro who finished…
DESPITE finishing second at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast last month, the Super Eagles suffered a massive drop in their squad market value. The three-time African champions dropped down one step and are now ranked the 13th most valuable international team globally, while retaining their position as the most financially valuable team in Africa. The Eagles boast players who ply their trade in Europe’s lucrative leagues, making them one of the world’s most valuable teams, with a total value of €345m, which, according to the official exchange rate of the naira on Wednesday, amounts to N555bn.…