Nigerian Football
Here I Am, Pick Me; Medal-winning Former Flying Eagles Captain, Andrew Uwe Offers Services To Nigeria –
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Andrew Uwe who captained the Nigeria U-20 team, Flying Eagles to third place finish at the 1985 edition of the then World Youth Championship (now U-20 World Cup) has offered to serve as a coach for either U-20 team or the U-17 Golden Eaglets.
In a telephone conversation from his base in Germany, Uwe said he wished to return and give back to the system that produced him.
He captained a star-studded Nigerian team to the world championship in the old Soviet Union which has since been broken into several independent republics.
In the side that Uwe captained were players like Samson Siasia, Alloy Agu, Waidi Akanni all who made names in the Super Eagles.
Uwe was a central figure in the sensational Leventis United – a team that rose from the third division, gaining promotion successively and topping all the divisions.
The club went three seasons without losing any match.
“I was born in Lagos and featured prominently in the then popular Principals Cup, YSFON and the Flying Eagles after which I graduated into the Super Eagles and featured at the 1988, 1990 and 1992 Afcon”, said Andrew Uwe.
He captained the Super Eagles in the 2-0 defeat of Cameroon in a World Cup qualifier played on 10 June 1989 at the Lekan Salami Stadium. Till date, it remains the Super Eagles’ only match at that stadium. He also featured at the football event of the Seoul ‘88 Olympics.
He was part of the ‘Belgium trek’ of the late 1980s and early 90s as he left for SK Roeselare in July 1993.
He made rounds at SV Wehen, VfB Oldenburg, LR Ahlen and BV Cloppenburg – all in Germany before venturing westward to the US in 2001.
In the US, he featured for Houston Dynamos before retiring to pursue career in coaching.
Uwe obtained the A and B license as well as the Premier License in the US. He followed up with the Popular sports C license and the UEFA B level license and the DFB (Germany) Elite Youth License.
Since 2001, he has been involved in coaching youth teams in the United States and Germany. Some of the clubs include Ade Youth Soccer Academy in Houston/Texas, Saint Agnes College Academy Houston/Texas and VfB Oldenburg in Germany. Other clubs he handled in Germany include FC Wittsfeld (Oldenburg) and JFV NordWest Oldenburg
Briefly, he handled the Vandrezzer Academy in Uyo Nigeria as the Head Coach as well as being the Technical Director Real Sapphire FC in Lagos.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
After two matches last March in which Nigeria Super Eagles won one and lost the other, the Nigeria Football Federation Finidi George has been judged as the right man for the vacant Super Eagles job.
He thus become the 41st person to occupy the position since the adhoc engagement of John Finch, former Fulham winger in 1949. According to a press release by the NFF, the board of the federation on Monday approved the recommendation of its technical development committee to appoint Finidi George as Head Coach of the Super Eagles.
George who belong to the Nigeria Golden Generation of Super Eagles of 1994 spent 20 months as assistant to José Santos Peseiro.
In his baptism as an interim national coach, his squad edged Ghana 2-1, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but then lost 0-2 to Mali in the second game. The loss to Mali was the first time Nigeria had been beaten by Mali since 1972.
As a national team player, George is best known as the player whose goal qualified Nigeria for the World Cup for the first time ever.
It was a goal scored against Algeria on 8 October 1993 – incidentally it was the 44th anniversary of Nigeria’s maiden international match played against Sierra Leone in 1949.
Finidi played 60 times for Nigeria and was Nigeria’s 40th scoring debutant when he came as a substitute in a 7-1 defeat of Burkina Faso on 27 July 1991.
He is a winner with the Super Eagles at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nation and had his only World Cup outing at the USA ‘94.
Incidentally, his major task now is to qualify Nigeria to another World Cup in the USA and two other nations. The match is 35 days away from this Monday.
Enugu Rangers on Sunday beat Plateau United 2-0 to hold on at the top of the Nigeria Premier League. They extended their point haul to 57, two points ahead of their Oriental brothers, Enyimba who also beat Katsina United 1-0 to keep the chase for the title very hot.
Initial second placed team, Remo Stars dropped to the third position but still in contention for either the title, but at worse a continental ticket for next season.
Following Shooting Stars 2-0 defeat of Sunshine Stars in a South West derby, the top four positions of the are now held by the South East and South West as the league gets into its closing stage.
While Rangers and Enyimba are first and second at the moment, Remo Stars, though with an outstanding home game are third while their fellow westerners, Shooting Stars are fourth.
The weekend’s results:
Rivers United 2-0 Katsina United
Remo Stars 3-0 Niger Tornadoes
Doma United 0-0 Kwara United
Bendel Insurance 1-0 Heartland
Enugu Rangers 2-0 Plateau United
Shooting Stars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
Akwa United 3-0 Kano Pillars
Enyimba 1-0 Katsina United
Gombe United 3-2 Lobi Stars
Sporting Lagos 4-2 Abia Warriors
Remo Stars on Friday inch closer to achieving their first ever title in the Nigeria elite division league after beating visiting Niger Tornadoes 3-0 to move second on the log and just a point behind league leaders, Enugu Rangers.
Remo Stars are now with 53 points and still have an outstanding home game to play.
Friday’s win which comes on the eve of the proprietor’s birthday has put the team back into contention for the title.
They have progressively become prominent in the Nigerian premier league having placed third two seasons ago and second last season.
Top finish this season will confirm their progression and also a third consecutive continental outing.
Top scorer, Sikiru Alimi launched them of victory path as his 28th minute penalty kick heralded their return to high scoring ways.
It has been a while since they scored high in the league. Barely three minutes later, Sikiru, a contender for the top scorer award increased the tally to two.
Ahmed Akinyele completed the route in the 75th minute.
Finidi George becomes Nigeria’s 41st national coach
Further CAF Sanctions await USM Alger and Algerian Football Federation
What a twist of fate! Before now, Morocco and Algeria were allies
SUPER EAGLES TO FACE ENGLAND IN PRE-WORLD CUP FRIENDLY
Apart from Okwaraji, Nigeria’s Other Field-Related Obituaries
Grudgingly, Eto’o accepts new Cameroon coach Brys, but fails to attend ceremony
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African Games5 days agoBREAKING! Accra 2023 African Games Chieftain is dead
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Premier League5 days agoFive-Star Arsenal hammer Chelsea to move three points clear at the top
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Nigerian Football3 days agoRemo Stars close to winning their first Nigeria Premier League title
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CAF Confederation Cup1 week agoConfederation Cup runs into crisis as Moroccan players of RS Berkane are stranded at Algerian airport following seizure of jerseys and equipment
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Premier League6 days agoArsenal serve ‘5 Alive’ to Chelsea
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CAF Confederation Cup1 week ago
CAF compels Algeria to release Morocco’s RS Berkane equipment