Nigerian Football
A clash of Nigerian league front runners, Remo Stars and Rivers United…Who blinks first?
This could be the clash that will decide where the Nigerian league title will swing at the end of the current season. Remo Stars, the suprise team of the current Nigerian football season, have been unrelenting in making bold statement on the league title.
For the greater part of the season, they have been the team to beat as they held on tenaciously to the top position which following a day delay in their matchday 5 tie, they temporarily relinquished to established powerhouse, Rivers United.
Now the two top contenders go head-to-head in Ikenne on Sunday.
This is a highly anticipated clash as both sides are the only unbeaten teams on the NPFL this season.The Gbenga Ogunbote’s boys currently sit second on the log having same points with Rivers United who are currently on top of the league, with the Sky Blue Stars behind on goal difference.
The Sky Blue Stars held former champions, Rangers International to a goalless draw at the Ifeanyi Ubah Stadium in Anambra on Wednesday, while the Pride of Rivers defeated Heartland 3-1 in Porthacourt.
Sunday’s encounter will be the fifth meeting for both sides in the NPFL, with Rivers United having edged out the Sky Blue Stars in all previous four meetings.
Bernard Ovoke gave the Pride of Rivers all three points in the 21st minute back in 2017 when both sides met at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Porthacourt.
Remo Stars were defeated 3-1 back at the Gateway Stadium in Sagamu with goals from Bernard Ovoke, Emeka Ogbuh and Esosa Igbinoba with Oche Salefu scoring the consolation goal two minutes to the end of the game for Remo Stars.
When both side met in January 2019, Wasiu Jimoh gave Rivers United the maximum victory at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Portharcourt.
Three months later, Justice Charles won the game for the Pride of Rivers at the Gateway International Stadium in Sagamu to win all four matches against the Sky Blue Stars.
The Sky Blue Stars will be looking to continue their unbeaten run in the ongoing season with Dayo Ojo, Junior Nduka, Andy Okpe, Samuel Anakwe, Sunday Williams, Ifegwu Ojukwu and Kayode Bankole all available for this match.
The backline of Remo Stars will be wary of their former player, Rafiu Isahq who is currently the highest goalscorer in the NPFL with 7 goals, former MFM player, Akuneto Chijioke who has 3 goals, Nyima Nwangua, Chidiebude Duru, Uche Onwuansanya and Maurice Chukwu.
Former Remo Stars Head Coach, Fatai Osho will also make his way back to Ikenne as he leads the Pride of Rivers to the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State for the crunchy tie.
The Sky Blue Stars have kept 6 clean sheets, one ahead of the Pride of Rivers as both sides biggest win this season was a 3-0 victory against Heartland for Remo Stars and 3-0 victory against Katsina United for Rivers United.
The Nigeria U17 women’s team has been given incentives to make it to the Women’s World Cup for the eighth time.
The team, Flamingos, who arrived in Algiers in the early hours of Wednesday aboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul, are highly inspired by the imminence of another FIFA World Cup ticket as well as further financial windfall from the Nigeria Football Federation and billionaire business mogul Kunle Soname.
Soname gifted the young players and their officials the sum of N4 million (one million naira for every goal) following their commanding win over the North Africans at the Remo Stars Stadium on Saturday, while the NFF gave out the sum of N2 million (five hundred thousand naira for every goal).
President of NFF, Ibrahim Musa Gusau and Soname have both confirmed that the same financial incentives are in place for the second leg in Blida on Friday.
“Our objective is clear – to win the FIFA World Cup ticket. That is the big motivation.
“Yet, we have been further incentivised by the monetary rewards. My girls will go all out on Friday night,” Head Coach Bankole Olowookere said.
Olowookere, who led the Flamingos to their last two World Cup ventures, will most likely rely on first-leg two-goal heroine Queen Joseph, lone-goal scorer Zainab Raji and Kaosarat Olanrewaju to start at the fore, with Shakirat Moshood, Muinat Rotimi and Philomena Isaiah supplying the passes from the midfield.
Goalkeeper and captain Christiana Uzoma and defenders Azeezat Oduntan, Hannah Ibrahim, Christiana Sunday and Jumai Adebayo are also likely to start.
The Confederation of African Football has selected Cameroonian official Marie Noelle Etong to be the referee, with her compatriots Marcelle Teikeu and Innocentia Ntangti as assistant referee 1 and fourth official, respectively, while Chadian Ngarassoum Victorine will be assistant referee 2.
Oumou Souleymane Kane from Mauritania will be the commissioner, and Sabelo Maphosa-Sibindi from Zimbabwe will be in the role of referee assessor.
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Former president of the initially 15-member West African Football Union (WAFU), Chief Jonathan Boytie Ogufere, has expressed his heartfelt condolences over the recent death of former national team captain and coach, Christian ‘Chairman’ Chukwu.
He remarked that the erstwhile Enugu Rangers’ defence stalwart will ‘be dearly missed’. In a personally signed letter of condolence, Ogufere described Chukwu, who died on Saturday, April 12, in Enugu after a brief illness at 74, as a ‘hero of our time and a friend’.
The nonagenarian recalled with nostalgia how he nearly recruited the young Chukwu for his P & T Vasco da Gama Football Club of Enugu, adding he was impressed with how the ‘Field Marshal Christian Chukwuemeka ‘Chairman ‘ Chukwu (MFR), conducted himself throughout his career as he led both the national team, the then Green Eagles and his beloved Enugu Rangers to many conquests.
“I join numerous others to mourn the transition of the legendary Christian Chukwu, a hero of our time and friend,” the Ugbugba of Okpe Kingdom wrote.
“As one of the young academicals discovered after the end of the Civil War in 1970, I tried to enlist into my club, the P & T Vasco da Gama Football Club of Enugu but he was fair and frank in informing me that he had already joined Enugu Ranges Football Club, and I respected that attitude. From the rivalries between the two clubs, his exploits as a central defender were very visible.”
He continued: “Christian Chukwu emerged at the national level as a trustworthy and formidable captain of the national team who led by example.
“He was one of the heroes during the Golden age of Nigerian football when I was one of the Board Members of the Nigeria Football Association under the chairmanship of Chief Sunday Dankaro as Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980 for the first time where Christian Chukwu as captain of the Green Eagles was declared the best player of the tournament. He led the national team in several battles, which endeared him to millions of football lovers.
“After his playing days, he showed his talents through coaching in Nigeria and abroad.
“I express my sincere condolences to the family he left behind, the football family and the country in general. He will be dearly missed.
“May the good Lord grant his noble soul eternal rest,” he noted.
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Remo Stars are coasting to what will be their greatest moment ever, a win of the Nigeria Premier Football League title, as they recorded a 1-0 win over Shooting Stars in Ibadan in a match played behind closed doors.
In doing so, they achieved their sixth double of the season, having earlier beaten Shooting Stars in the first stanza of the league.
They maintained the seven-point lead over second-placed Rivers United, who also beat Sunshine Stars 1-0 in Port Harcourt.
After a ding-dong affair, Alex Oyowah scored the vital goal for Remo Stars from a right-wing cross from Ismail Sodiq.
In another match, Ikorodu City continued to work tenaciously to obtain a continental ticket as they held El Kanemi to a 1-1 draw.
SUNDAY RESULTS
- El Kanemi 1-1 Ikorodu City
- Niger Tornados 1-1 Bayelsa United
- Heartland 0-0 Kwara United
- Plateau United 1-0 Akwa United
- Rivers United 1-0 Sunshine Stars
- Shooting Stars 0-1 Remo Stars
- Bendel United 1-1 Nasarawa United
SATURDAY
- Katsina United 0-0 Abia Warriors
- Enyimba 2-1 Kano Pillars
- Lobi Stars 2-4 Enugu Rangers
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