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Nigerian Football

Calabar Gets Private Soccer Academy

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The first private-owned football academy, Pythagorean Academy and Robusto Sarl, PARS, has officially opened in Calabar, South Eastern Nigeria.

The academy, with Swiss partnership, was fully registered with FA in Cross River and the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, in 2016 has trained medical experts who attend to health of footballers.

The academy came into being in August 2016 with 20 players within the age bracket of 15 and 19 years

In his address, during the opening ceremony/launching of the academy in Calabar recently, the Chairman of PARS, Mr Henry Ojugu, lamented that despite the rich history of Cross River state the state hardly boast of first line player in the national team, let alone in the international arena.

He said that one of the major pre-occupation of the academy is to build champions and not mediocre players, adding that Pythagorean not only train young people how to play football alone, but also teach young players much about discipline, excellence, attitude that will help young footballers attack the future.

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“We are rolling male football professionals and the secretariat has all information for enrolment, just on Thursday this week, we played against Rovers Football Club but we unfortunately had a draw game; next time we shall beat them ”Ojugo said.

Declaring the academy open, the Technical director of Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Mr Bitru Bewarang, said the federation is set to partner with management of PARS Football Academy, Calabar in the promotion of grassroots soccer in the country.

Bewarang, said the federation will never allow the academy`s footballers to be taken abroad on slavery and commended the management for putting in modern sports facilities,.

The Technical Director enjoined them to aggressively seek for sponsors to be able to remain in business just as NFF will give them necessary support to succeed.

He said: “For this singular initiative to have invested in such area of human capital potential and for not thinking like most Nigerians, who prefer to put their monies in ventures that they can reap quick rewards, NFF weight is solidly behind the academy.

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“We remain a bulwark to ensure that this project survives. What I have seen here is more than enough to make NFF give approval; PARS Academy has passed the test of becoming an academy.”

The NFF Technical Director further enjoined Cross Riverians to support the academy and urged the management of Pythagorean to aggressively seek for sponsors if they are interested to see the academy succeed.

Speaking also,  the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. John Gaul Lebo has urged the students of Pythagorean Academy to focus not only their attention in learning how to play football alone, but play football alongside with education.

“As you play football think of education, as you are here, your coach is going to be like your next God, take whatever that you are thought, your future lies in your hands” the Speaker said although learning how to play football is a noble idea, but it has to be done alongside with education so that even when football career crashed perhaps due to injury in the future the footballer can still stand the chance of fending for themselves.

“This is the field that will build your career in life, you cannot play football and forget education, if you abandoned education and follow football alone you not survive when your career fades,” Lebo said.

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  • From: EMMAH OKOH, Calabar

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Nigerian Football

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

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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.

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Nigerian Football

Heartland back to their homeland as they host Shooting Stars

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BY TOSIN OMOJOLA, OWERRI

The uncertainty surrounding our Matchday 31 encounter against Heartland FC of Owerri, has been cleared with the game eventually slated to hold at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, the home ground of the host team

The Nigeria Premier League has given the approval to the stadium after an inspection was carried out on Wednesday afternoon.

The Oluyole Warriors have since arrived the Imo State capital and have settled down ahead of Friday’s clash which will be be shown live on cable television.

Meanwhile, the Technical Adviser of the Ibadan soccer lords, Gbenga Ogunbote, while addressing the players on arrival at their hotel, urged them not to be distracted by the development.

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“I want to apologise to you on the change of venue. We got to know about it some hours ago, but be that as it may, I want us to remain focused as and get the desired results we needed”.

In the same vein, the players of the Ibadan soccer lords, said they are not in any way moved by the change of venue, expressing their readiness to get the maximum points, not minding the venue.

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Remo Stars add fuel to the fire as title chase turns East – West battle

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Added time-goal specialists, Remo Stars pulled off one of their now familiar traits, chalking up a valuable point as Skipper Nduka Junior scored in the 90+4 minute to scuttle an impending victory by Doma United on Wednesday evening.

When all-hope seemed over, Remo Stars had scored hope-reviving goals as they did against Lobi Stars, Insurance and a host of others in the Nigeria Premier League.

Getting a valuable point take them from fifth position to fourth their haul to 50, just a point below that of second and third placed Enyimba and Lobi Stars respectively.

The 1-1 scoreline also changed the complexion of the league table as their South West rivals were pushed down from their initial fourth position.

As it is, the struggle for the title is taking regional colouration as the top two- Enugu Rangers and Enyimba are from the South East while fourth and fifth – Remo Stars and Shooting Stars are from the South West.

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Lobi Stars from the middle belt, stand in-between the South East and South West in the power struggle.

 Remo Stars at the fourth position however still have an outstanding home game against Rivers United and that could still change the positions of the top six teams when the match is played.

Attention will now shift to match-day 31 as the league embarks on its home stretch.

 On Friday, relegation-bound Heartland will be hosting rejuvenated Shooting Stars who have suddenly discovered they could return to continental competition next seasons after 25 years.

They have lately been having unbeaten runs. On Saturday, Kwara United will host desperate Akwa United who are struggling to avoid dropping into the lower league.

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On the same day, Abia Warriors will be at home against Bayelsa United.

  On Sunday seven matches are on the card. They are:

Kano Pillars v. Gombe United

Katsina United v. Sporting Lagos

Lobi Stars v. Bendel Insurance

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Niger Tornadoes v Doma United

Plateau United v. Remo Stars

Rivers United v. Enugu Rangers

Sunshine Stars v. Enyimba

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