Nigerian Football

Battle Against Relegation in Akure

Published

7 years ago

February 26, 2017

After the drama of last week that threatened the possibility of Sunshine Stars versus Rivers United Match Day 10 fixtures, it is now certain the duel goes ahead as the host team has called off the threat to forfeit the match.

Rivers United’s media officer, Sammy Wejinya previews that Sunshine Stars and his team will be the two sides that will go head to head in search of crucial points as they seek to leave the wrong end of the table.

“The Stars are currently in the relegation zone and United are not too far away from the murky waters either.

“Sunshine Stars have not won an NPFL game in their last five attempts with their last victory recorded over a month ago, specifically on January 25 against Kano Pillars in Akure.”

Sunshine Stars’ build up to this game has been anything but straightforward with players of the football club embarking on protests in the week to press home demands over the non-payment of their financial entitlements.

Head coach of the Akure club, Kayode Olujohungbe however insists his plans for the game against United went according to script and predicts an easy win on Sunday.

“My boys never went on strike this week. They merely went on protests.

“Each time they went on those protests under their captain, Abe Sunday, they sought for our permission.

“We could not stop them (from protesting) because they need to get the monies owed them.

“They never missed training and we are ready for the game on Sunday.

“Rivers United is a very strong side but the statistics show that they don’t usually pose much problems for us when they play in Akure.

“Last season, we took four points off them in the league and I see something similar happening again this season,” Olujohungbe said to the Rivers United official website, www.riversunitedfc.com.ng.

Olujohungbe will choose between two exceptional goal keepers, Henry Ayodele and Olorunleke Ojo for Sunday’s game while Kehinde Adedipe, Ambrose Onyema, Kelechi Ogoh and Nojeem Raji will be favourites to start in defence for the Owena Whales.

Sikiru Alimi, Samad Kadiri and Oke Oghagotewho are other important personnel Olujohungbe will be relying on to deliver the goods against the Pride of Rivers who have the odds heavily stacked against them.

United’s form domestically has been patchy. The Port Harcourt club have never beaten or scored against Sunshine Stars and are winless in their last four NPFL games.

United were beaten 1-0 the last time they visited Akure with veteran, Dele Olorundare firing in a peach of a free kick which left Sunday Rotimi with no chance.

Technical manager of the Port Harcourt club, Stanley Eguma remembers that defeat vividly and knows his charges will have to be up for the challenge on Sunday to avoid a repeat of last season’s reverse.

“Sunshine Stars have a good team and we respect them a lot.

“We know we have to be strong as a team and try to take our chances when we get them,” he said.

Form guide (last five NFL matches)

Sunshine Stars: Lost; Lost; Draw; Draw; Draw

Sunshine Stars 0-2 Gombe United (A)

Sunshine Stars 0-1 MFM FC (H)

Sunshine Stars 1-1 Abia Warriors (A)

Sunshine Stars 2-2 ABS FC (H)

Sunshine Stars 1-1 Nasarawa United (A)

Rivers United: Win; Draw; Draw; Lost; Draw

Rivers United 1-0 Niger Tornadoes (H)

Rivers United 0-0 FC Ifeanyiubah (A)

Rivers United 0-0 Lobi Stars (H)

Rivers United 1-2 Shooting Stars (A)

Rivers United 1-1 Kano Pillars (H)

Previous meetings in competitive matches (Head-to-head)

Matches: Two (2)

Sunshine Stars wins: One (1)

Rivers United wins: Nil (0)

Draws; One (1)

Goals for: Sunshine Stars (1); Rivers United (0)

Goals against: Sunshine Stars (0); Rivers United (1)

Points accumulated: Sunshine Stars (4); Rivers United (1)

Details (Specific breakdown)

Rivers United 0-0 Sunshine Stars (NPFL: Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt on March 23, 2016).

Sunshine Stars 1-0 Rivers United (NPFL: Akure Township Stadium on July 23, 2016).

Story: Courtesy Sammy Wejinya

Nigerian Football

Former Nigeria international, Onye recommends Amuneke-Siasia combo for Super Eagles

Published

1 day ago

April 22, 2024

Kunle Solaja

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Kingsley Onye, the left sided defender who was a member of the first Flying Eagles side to have a podium finish at the U-20 World Cup has suggested the employment of Emmanuel Amuneke as the coach of the Super Eagles.

He wants him to be assisted by Samson Siasia when the ban on the latter lapses in August. Alternatively, Onye pointed to Sylvanus Okpala as alternative to Siasia.

The Super Eagles are in dare need for a head coach as the clock ticks down to the Match day 4 and 5 of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in which the team is trailing at the third position.

The two matches in early June are crucial for the Super Eagles to bounce back into reckoning as the team can not afford to drop any of the available six points in the duels with South Africa at home and away to Benin.

From this Monday, it is 41 days to the potentially challenging tie with South Africa, but the Nigerian national team has been without a coach since the expiration of the contract of Portugal’s Jose Peseiro shortly after the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

Without mincing words, Onye remarked: “Emmanuel Amuneke is the right man for the job of the coach of Super Eagles. He has been there before.

“He tasted it and had been fantastic with the Nigeria youth team, the U-17 by assisting Manu Garba to win the U17 World Cup in 2013 and as head coach, led the Golden Eaglets to win the cup again in 2015.”

Onye who played for the Enugu Rangers in Nigeria before venturing to the UK but had his career scuppered by freak injury pointed out that the solution to Super Eagles’ technical deficiency is the appointment of an indigenous coach and that Amuneke is the man.

In buttressing his assertion, he declared: “As a senior team coach, Amuneke qualified a long standing absentee team, Tanzania for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

“His record as a player is also very impressive. He played and won with the Super Eagles, the AFCON 1994. He played at the Olympic Games and was also the first Nigerian to score two goals at the World Cup.

“He has played at the African Games and also for top clubs in the continent as he was a member of the Egyptian giants, Zamalek. In Europe, he played for Sporting Clube de Portugal and then Barcelona before injury ended his playing career.”

Onye also looked at the personality of Amuneke in recommending him for the Super Eagles job.

His record as a player is also very impressive. He played and won with the Super Eagles, the AFCON 1994. He played at the Olympic Games and was also the first Nigerian to score two goals at the World Cup.

He has played at the African Games and also for top clubs in the continent as he was a member of the Egyptian giants, Zamalek. In Europe, he played for Sporting Clube de Portugal and then Barcelona before injury ended his playing career.

Nigerian Football

GTI enlarges coast…spreads from League fund-raising to Federation Cup

Published

4 days ago

April 19, 2024

Kunle Solaja

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Strategic partners of the Nigeria Football Federation, GTI Asset Management and Trust Ltd has expanded their scope of operations from fund sourcing for the Nigeria Premier League to adding the responsibility of getting the national cup competition back into its glamorous days.

The MD of the company, Abubakar Lawal at the unveiling a revamped Federation Cup which has been renamed President Federation Cup remarked that his company decided to take a bold step to support the national cup.

“I am the happiest man today, he said in the opening remark of the rebranding of the national cup through signing of Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Sports and the NFF.

“Our company is also strategically involved in ensuring that the President Federation Cup is given necessary attention to thrive using The Nigeria Football Fund (TNFF) as our vehicle to actualise this dream.

“Therefore, it is our vision that the oldest domestic football event becomes one of the best organised football events in the world in no distant future.”

Nigerian Football

Ikenne’s Beyond Limit Football Academy top goal chart as NNL releases vital statistics

Published

5 days ago

April 18, 2024

Kunle Solaja

The secretariat of the Nigeria National League has released the match statistics of the four conferences of the 2024 season.

With 198 matches so far played in Conferences A and B, 426 goals were scored, with 125 home wins and 26 away wins, representing 63.1%, & 26% respectively. There were 47 draw matches, representing 23.7% of matches. 299 home goals were scored, and 127 home goals.

Beyond Limit FC scored the highest goals of 33 goals, with Stormers FC and Ekiti United conceeding the least goals of 28 goals. Tradesafe and Solution FC scored the least numbers of goals of 11 goals and Osun conceded the least numbers of goals of 8.

In group C & D, 209 goals have been scored in the 106 so far played, with 70 home wins and 14 won away representing 66. 3% and 13.1% respectively.

Teams drew 31 matches representing 29.2% of the matches played. Wikki Tourists scored the highest numbers of goals, with 23 goals, while EFCC FC conceded the least numbers of goals. They conceded 18 goals. Nasarawa United’s 8 goals conceded made them the team that conceded the lowest numbers of goals, while ABS scored the least number of goals of 5 goals.