Nigerian Football
RIVERS FLOW INTO AITEO CUP ROUND OF 16
BY SAMMY WEJINYA.
In easily the toughest of the Aiteo Cup Round of 32 pitching together two top division ‘united’ sides, Rivers United proved superior, overwhelmingly outclassing Akwa United 3-0 in Enugu to reach the Round of 16.
Kehinde Adedipe, Bright Onyedikachi and Ossy Martins were the goal scorers for the ‘Pride of Rivers’ in the round of 32 clash decided at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium.
Rivers United started in barn storming fashion and could have scored in the opening 60 seconds when Martins got on the end of a teasing Peter Ubakanma delivery off a corner only for Etboy Akpan to clear his goal bound header off the line.
Akwa responded in the seventh minute with the Rivers United goalkeeper, Abiodun Akande forced into making a smart save to deny Dennis Nya who struck with purpose from the edge of the box.
Rivers United scored with their next goal attempt with Adedipe’s effort off an Ubakanma delivery from a free kick, crossing the line despite the best attempts by the Akwa defence to prevent the ball from hitting the back of the net.
Akwa predictably pushed forward in an attempt to get back on level terms and hurl themselves back into the contest.
They almost got the equalizer on 19 minutes when Olisema shot but saw his effort saved, again by Akande.
Spaces were now opening up for Rivers United as the Akwa United players charged up field in numbers in search of the equalizer.
They almost got caught out in the 23rd minute following an electrifying Rivers United counter attack, which ended with Bakary Bamba heading agonizingly wide from eight yards after he was set up brilliantly by the impressive Onyedikachi.
Moments later, Ubakanma fired an indirect free kick inches wide as the Port Harcourt side began to tighten the screw.
Seven minutes before the break, Akwa had and missed their best chance of the half when an unmarked Ocheme Edoh placed a header from six yards wide when it seemed easier to score.
The Uyo club, buoyed by that action, made one last push in an attempt to get back on level terms before the game got to the half way stage.
Temple Emekayi needlessly gave away a free kick at the edge of the Rivers United penalty area on the stroke of half time and set piece expert, Ndifreke Effiong stepped forward to take.
He struck it brilliantly and the ball seemed destined to nestle in the bottom corner but Akande produced an extraordinary save to push the ball away for a corner.
It was basically the last kick of a first half that ebbed and flowed but even more drama was to unfold in the second half which Akwa threatened to take by the scruff of the neck.
An Akwa free kick, five minutes after the restart was kept out by desperate Rivers United defending as the ‘Promise Keepers’ sought to briskly get the scoreline on an even keel.
All that was to change moments later as they were hit with a sucker punch with Rivers United scoring the game’s second goal with their next real attack.
A lightening break on 55 minutes culminated in Martins squaring for Onyedikachi on the far side.
The pint-sized terror still had it all to do with an Akwa United defender paying him close attention.
Onyedikachi is however a winger blessed with a magical touch and low centre of gravity and he proceeded to leave his marker flailing on his backside with ajn unbelievable feint before unleashing a fearsome strike that flew into the top right hand corner which leaving goalkeeper, Olorunleke Ojo shell-shocked.
Akwa never recovered.
It was only a matter of time before Rivers United netted their third, a stunning Martins header off a precise Justice Charles cross following another devastating counter attack in the 75th minute.
The Uyo club had some positive moments though, in a wonderfully-open second half that left the spectators gasping for breath.
Nya headed an Aniekeme Asuquo free kick over the bar in the 70th minute while Akande produced a top drawer save that defied the laws of Physics in the 72nd minute to deny Ndifreke from point blank range.
Rivers United was however the more efficient side and could have scored more as Bamba struck a fierce effort against the crossbar while an unmarked Martins headed wide from close range late in the half.
The Akwa United head coach, Abasiakan Windy refused to speak to the media after the game but striker, Edoh was more forthcoming.
“Today was their (Rivers United’s) day. We (Akwa United) didn’t play so bad but we had our chances and didn’t take them while they took theirs,” Edoh told the official Rivers United FC website, www.riversunitedfc.com.ng.
Technical manager of Rivers United FC, Stanley Eguma also shared his post match thoughts.
“We had our tactical plans for this game against Akwa United. I watched them in Lagos during the Super Six playoffs and studied their weaknesses with the aim of exploiting them.
“My players were prepared and this win will boost their confidence as our focus is to go as far as possible in this competition,” he said.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
“Let the music play; Make the voices sing; Start the celebration; Drums may roll out” is part of the lyrics of the famous song, ‘Barcelona’, composed and sung by Freddie Mercury along with Montserrat Caballé. It was originally to be the theme song for Barcelona 92, but for the demise of Mercury months earlier.
The recording of the song was played over a travelogue of Barcelona at the start of the international broadcast of the opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics.
The lyrics fit appropriately for Kunle Soname, as he turns 59 this Sunday, a day his club, Remo Stars, may emerge Nigerian champion. If that happens, he becomes the first man to be so blessed, as no other club owner has won major laurels on their birthdays.
A win by his club, Remo Stars, not only confer the Nigerian championship to the club, Soname will become the first sole proprietor to win the Nigerian league since that of Oscar Udoji’s Udoji United in 1996.
Still blazing on records, Soname’s club will become the first in Ogun State to win the Nigerian lead league and the first South West champions of Nigeria since 1998 when Shooting Stars won the Nigerian League.
Quiet, self-effacing, Soname is an Ikenne-born businessman who works silently, but efficiently like a brand-new air conditioner.
His ValueJet had been the career of the national team since 2023.
He has made a success in virtually all endeavours, and is well known for his cheerful disposition, humility and generosity.
On Friday, the Nigerian U17-Women’s team clinched a ticket to the World Cup, great thanks to this gentleman who not only quietly motivated the team financially, he hosted their home matches.
Yet he would not voice out the financial gestures, which only came out through secondary sources of the NFF.
Never since the days of Bashorun MKO Abiola has a man been known to run three football clubs.
Abiola had the famous Abiola Babes, Concord FC and also the ITT football club in Lagos.
Soname’s Remo Stars are getting beyond the blue skies. His Beyond Limits Football Academy has become a model that even CAF is quietly studying.
The club has become the launchpad into a professional football career for many Nigerian youngsters who are now flourishing in European and American leagues.
Soname’s third club, the Remo Stars Ladies, has qualified for the Super 6 of the NWFL. That they are still in the President Federation Cup points to the fact of a possible double title this season.
Soname is a game-changer whose support is not limited to football.
Since 2022, his Bet9ja outfit, which is easily the most popular in the gaming business, has been sponsoring the Southeast Bet9ja Foundation Badminton Championship, where close to 100 players have been featured.
Miracle Ufuasia of Enugu State collects her trophy and medal from Obiageli Solaja, the Africa Women in Badminton Award Winner, 2019.
The championship brought up budding badminton players, some of whom later made marks even at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
In an era where private ownership of football clubs is becoming a high-risk venture, Soname raised the bar with his Remo Stars, which has become a model football club in Nigeria.
Equipped with its own all-covered stadium, the club boasts of easily the best turf in Nigeria.
Those marvelling at the current Remo Stars Stadium will be swept off their feet as Soname is not done yet. A bigger arena is in the offing.
When he piloted Remo Stars to the international level, featuring in the 2022/23 CAF Confederation Cup, it was a landmark.
That was the first time in more than 30 years in Nigeria that a one-man-owned football club featured in a continental competition.
His club structure features a football academy, which is the nursery ground for Nigeria’s football stars. The 1998 Africa Footballer of the Year, Victor Ikpeba, was full of awe when he made a tour of the facilities of the academy where players of Beyond Limits are housed at two per room.
“Oh, I wish these were available in my formative years, the sky would have been my limit”, Ikpeba remarked to Sports Village Square.
The father of Super Eagles’ player Ola Aina, Femi Aina, was pleasantly surprised when he visited the Remo Stars facilities last year.
On getting inside, he exclaimed, saying he never imagined such a facility could exist in Nigeria, let alone his own small town of Ikenne.
This is comparable to what I am used to at the Chelsea academy in London, said Mr. Aina, who also remarked that he never knew there could still be another rich man, outside MKO Abiola in Nigeria, who has tremendous passion for football.
Olufemi Aina (c), father of Ola Aina, is thrilled at what Kunle Soname put up in Ikenne.
“I thought it was only the late MKO Abiola that has the capability of putting together a facility of this nature.
“This man, (Soname), earns my maximum respect.”, said Mr. Aina, who at that point had never met the Remo Stars proprietor.
“I am used to sports facilities, having been the one taking Ola to different academies when he was a teenager. “This place reminds me of Chelsea facilities.”
In the block were a gym, clinic, indoor swimming pool, hydrotherapy chamber, boardrooms and a clinic.
The next point of call was the restaurant being used by the pupils at the Beyond Limits Football Academy. The aroma and ambience were breathtaking. On the walls were messages of inspiration to the pupils and footballers.
The matron later informed Mr. Aina of the daily routine of the players and the level of discipline they are exposed to.
He met some of them at the common room where they were playing computer games. Mr. Aina introduced himself and told them of the tremendous privileges the players are enjoying and admonished them to make the best of the opportunity.
The residential buildings at Kunle Soname’s outfit have 56 rooms for junior and senior players, accommodating 112 footballers.
It has five semi-detached blocks of 10 units, two-bedroom coaches’ accommodation, a restaurant for players and officials, as well as an administrative block comprising offices, a conference room, a training classroom and reception.
The block is equipped with a panoramic lift to the first floor, which is the table tennis centre. A twin basketball court has been added as Soname’s facilities will be the epicentre of next month’s National Sports Festival. It will be the first time facilities owned by one man will play a prominent role in the 52-year-old sports fiesta.
Others are the sports centre block of the Remo Stars Stadium facility, comprising a gym, clinic, swimming pool, hydrotherapy chamber and a 30-room hotel with panoramic lift.
Also at the model arena is a tournament pitch with a 10,000-capacity covered pavilion, three training pitches, 2,000 capacity car parks and a good internal road.
Soname is possibly the only Nigerian who runs four clubs. Three are in Nigeria – Remo Stars, Remo Stars Ladies and Beyond Limits. He is also the owner of Portugal’s Clube Desportivo Feirense, which is commonly known as CD Feirense.
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA
The Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) gets to its climax this weekend, especially on Sunday, when the title could be won and one of the other two tickets for the continental competition could be confirmed.
Also, one or two other teams may get their visas to the lower league.
Remo Stars will become the Nigerian champions if they win their home match against Niger Tornadoes in their fortress in Ikenne.
History seems about to repeat itself. It was Niger Tornadoes that Remo Stars beat on 17 July 2022 to get their first ever continental ticket to feature in the following season’s CAF Confederation Cup.
This Sunday, Niger Tornadoes may again be Remo Stars’ launchpad into the league title. What a season it has been for the club that has led the Nigerian league for the longest duration.
They were leaders into Christmas 2024. They were leaders at the end of 2024 and leaders into 2025 as they became the first club to have a double after beating Akwa United home and away.
No team won more away matches than Remo Stars this season. They won five matches away from home. At home, they won 15 of their 17 matches, making Ikenne a fortress. Only Rivers United and Katsina United, who drew their matches, escaped defeat in Ikenne.
With 20 wins, no team has won more matches this season than Remo Stars.
With the title almost decided, and the runners-up awaiting confirmation, the battle zone is the contest for the third place where seven teams are in contest.
The most ferocious of the battle will be that of the surprise team of the season, Ikorodu City and rejuvenated Abia Warriors.
They occupy third and fourth positions respectively. Yet at the onset of the season, those positions looked unlikely. Ikorodu City were the punching bag for the other teams, losing home and away and got their first league point only after five matches.
Today, the continental door is invitingly open to them. What about Abia Warriors, who began the season with a 2-0 home loss to Remo Stars?
They looked like going for their pound of flesh when they suddenly went two goals up against Remo Stars in Ikenne. But Remo Stars fought gamely back to snatch a nervy 3-2 win.
Abia Warriors will be hosting the initial top three runners, Shooting Stars who suddenly slumped in fortunes. But a win by the Ibadan team may reignite their continental aspirations.
Also jostling for a possible top-three finish are the quartet of Bendel Insurance, Kano Pillars, Enugu Rangers and Enyimba.
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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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