Nigerian Football
OLATUNBOSUN BEATS IFEANYI TO MATCH DAY 18 VAT WONDER GOAL
Sikiru Olatunbosun has emerged the winner of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Match Day 18 VAT Wonder Goal award, adding to his accomplishment of winning the Cable News Network (CNN) global Wonder Goal award in February 2017.
Goals by Akwa United’s Ifeanyi, Go Round FC Chidi Nwachukwu and that of Olatunbosun were shortlisted for voting but it was the MFM football club forward that received the highest number of votes from fans in the weekly online poll for goals scored on a match day with 260 of the total 428 votes in favour of his goal against Rivers United at the Agege Stadium on Monday, April 23.
Ifeanyi came second with 149 votes and Nwachukwu ended with 19 votes.
In the build up to the first half goal that gave his side the lead, Monsuru Olawale had dispossessed a Rivers United player and pushed the ball to Chukwuka Onuwa who side-stepped his marker to release Olatunbosun.
The striker paced forward and arriving close to the edge of the 18 yard box, unleashed a right footed grounder that left veteran goalkeeper, Rotimi Sunday with no response. The fixture would go on to end 1-1 but Olatunbosun’s goal would also catch the attention of the VAT Wonder Goal panellists.
The player joins the list of the season’s winners that include Emeka Ogbugh and Somachi Elum, both of Rivers United and Sikiru Alimi of Sunshine Stars.
He will be presented the ceremonial award plaque during the MFM versus Niger Tornadoes match day 20 fixture at the Agege Stadium on Sunday.
The prize money of N150, 000 will be shared equally between the player and a charity he will nominate.
The VAT Wonder Goal was introduced in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) by the League Management Company (LMC) and is supported by the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) to strengthen club and community engagement and also create awareness for tax payment within the football community.
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.”
Nigerian Football
Ikenne’s Beyond Limit Football Academy top goal chart as NNL releases vital statistics
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.
Nigerian Football
Heartland back to their homeland as they host Shooting Stars
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.
“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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