Nigerian Football
SPORTS IN NIGERIA: 2017 WAS GOOD, 2018 WILL BE BETTER SAYS DALUNG
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Nigeria’s sports minister, Solomon Dalung on Wednesday in Lagos took a retrospective look at sports in Nigeria in the past two years especially that of 2017 and concluded that the country has had its own fair share of laurels.
Decked in his trademark green shirt and red beret, the minister told a gathering of sports journalists at the boardroom of the Nigeria Olympic Committee that the only direction sports in Nigeria faces this year and the years to come is upward.
He made a sport-by-sport analysis, touching on virtually all sports federations and the youth departments of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. In virtually all sports disciplines, Nigeria won medals.
One of the most remarkable ones, according to the comrade-minister is that of the Nigeria women hockey team which had not featured in any international tournament for about 14 years.
“But the team won bronze medal at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ismailia, Egypt last October”, said the minister. The highlights of the address touched on the feats in basket ball where the Nigerian team regained dominance of the sport in Africa.
In scrabble, Nigeria won the best country trophy at the World English Scrabble Championship, while is another lesser-followed sports, Rowing & Yachting, the country got a gold, six silver and five bronze medals at the continental championship in Morocco.
The same was the tale in taekwondo, table tennis, judo and tennis where the Nigerian teams made appreciable impact on the various medal logs.
In badminton, a sport that is fast gaining popularity among Nigerians following a resurgence of tournaments across the country, Nigeria won two bronze medals in mixed and individual events in South Africa, two gold medals at the Cote d’Ivoire tournament, three gold, a silver and two bronze medals at the Benin Republic tournament as well as a bronze at the Uganda Para-Badminton tournament.
Expectedly, football got the most attention, especially the country’s feat of being undefeated on the field of play throughout the World Cup qualifying series.
The Super Eagles qualified in a power-packed group, even with a match to spare. The feats of the Super Eagles’ B team in picking a ticket to the African Nations Championship as well as emerging runners-up in the resuscitated WAFU tournament were commended by the sports minister.
He also mentioned individual feats, especially the successes of various Nigerians at gaining membership in various international sports federations. The year was a bountiful harvest for the country, he remarked as virtually in every sport federation Nigerians made inroad.
He particularly commended the feat of Amaju Pinnick, the Nigerian Football Federation chieftain, who not only won election into CAF Executive Committee, but wielded much influence in global football.
“In football, Nigeria made a lot of progress both on and off the pitch. These include: The appointment of Amaju Pinnick, President of the NFF as President of AFCON, the committee responsible for the organisation of the Africa Cup of Nations as well as a Member of the Organizing Committee for FIFA Competitions – the most influential committee in world football after the FIFA Council”, said the sports minister who apart from commending the inclusion of other Nigerians in CAF committees also pointed at the appointment of Justice Ayotunde Philips (a former Chief Judge of Lagos State) into the FIFA Ethics Committee (Adjudicatory Chamber).
Nigerian Football
Nigeria face tough defence as Burkina Faso lie in wait at U17 WAFU B AFCON qualifiers
Defending champions Nigeria have been handed a difficult path to the 2025 U17 Africa Cup of Nations finals after being drawn in the same group as Burkina Faso for next month’s WAFU B qualifying tournament in Ghana.
The Golden Eaglets, who won the last edition of the regional championship in 2022, will also face Togo and Niger in Group B of the competition which runs from 15-28 May.
Hosts Ghana find themselves in Group A alongside Cote d’Ivoire and Benin in a tough-looking section of the competition to be played in Accra.
The draw was conducted by 1970s Ivorian football legends Kobenan Kouman and Die Foneye at the Ivorian FA headquarters in Abidjan on Friday.
Nigeria claimed their WAFU B U17 AFCON title by defeating Burkina Faso 2-1 in the regional final in Ghana two years ago.
However, they will need to overcome some familiar foes if they are to defend their crown and with the Burkina Faso finishing third at the last TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations, some exciting matches are expected.
Arch-rivals Nigeria and Ghana are among the two favourites and could meet in the final in Accra on 28 May, should they top their respective groups and make it through the semi-finals.
Ghana also have pedigree at this level, having the World Cup in 1991 and 1995 as they bid to reach the U17 AFCON finals on home soil.
The top two teams from the WAFU B tournament will qualify for next year’s U17 Africa Cup of Nations.
Groups:
Group A: Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin
Group B: Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Togo, Niger.
Nigerian Football
Former Nigeria international, Onye recommends Amuneke-Siasia combo for Super Eagles
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
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.”
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