BY KUNLE SOLAJA 

Remo Stars recorded a rare win against Rivers United in what was their first ever defeat of the Port Harcourt side in 10 matches spanning seven years. Monday evening 2-1 win was their first since their maiden encounter with Rivers United in 2017.

Before now, Rivers United had won seven times while three other encounters ended drawn.  

The win on Monday put Remo Stars a point behind the table-toppers, Enugu Rangers who will be under severe pressure as Remo Stars aim for their first ever Nigerian Premier League title.

Conceding a last minute goal against Rivers United in last season’s Super 6 encounter was one of the factors that cost Remo Stars the title. Now they put pressure on Enugu Rangers as the race gets to the anchor leg.

Yet it was not an easy win for them as their former star, Andy Okpe was the one that put Rivers United ahead through a penalty kick. He famously scored the winning goal for Rivers United when in the first stanza of the league last year.

He appeared to be hunting his former club again when he was called upon to take the penalty kick after his teammate, Deputy Echeta was fouled in the penalty box in the 18^th minute.

The smart kick beat Kayode Bankole to the wrong side and extended Okpe’s goal tally against his former employers after the superb goal in the first leg in Port Harcourt which Rivers United won by two nil.

In the second half,  Remo Stars were all over the game with more area covered and it was not a surprise when Haruna Hadi broke the deadlock in the 68^th minute to give the home fans a lot to celebrate.

With the match inching towards the final minute, Togolese import, Kwame Mawuena headed home from a corner kick by Adams Olamilekan in the 83^rd minute to give the home side the maximum points.

With Monday’s win, Remo Stars moved a point within leaders, Enugu Rangers.

Remo Stars  v Rivers United: Past Encounters

3 May 2017  Rivers United 1-0 Remo Stars

13 Aug 2017 Remo Stars 1-3 Rivers United

16 Nov 2017 Rivers United 1-0  Remo Stars

30 Jan 2019 Rivers United 1-0 Remo Stars

31 Mar 2019 Remo Stars 0-1 Rivers United

30 Jan 2022 Remo Stars 1-1 Rivers United

22 May 2022 Rivers United 1-0 Remo Stars

5 May 2023 Rivers United 1-0  Remo Stars

12 Oct 2023 Rivers United 2-0 Remo Stars

Renowned financial investment firm, GTI Group has joined many well-meaning football-loving Nigerians in congratulating the newly appointed Super Eagles Head Coach, Finidi George. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) recently announced the former Super Eagles winger as substantive head coach of the senior national football team, Super Eagles, following the expiration of Jose Peseiro’s contract in March 2024.

As strategic partners to the NFF on the President Federation Cup and the Nigeria Premier Football League respectively, GTI Asset Management and Trust Limited will continue to play a vital role in helping to reposition and restructure Nigeria’s football ecosystem using international best practices.

“The recent appointment of George is a golden opportunity for another indigenous coach to prove his mettle with our senior national team after Stephen Keshi of blessed memory successfully guided the Super Eagles to the 2013 AFCON triumph in South Africa. Therefore, we call on all stakeholders of Nigerian football to rally round George to ensure his tenure is successful,” said GTI Head of Media and Publicity, Andrew Ekejiuba.

It could be recalled that George assisted former coach Peseiro for 20 months during which the Eagles reached the final of the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire, but the team lost narrowly to the hosts by 2-1 in the final game.

Renowned for his attacking prowess and deft touches at the wings during his playing days, George began his club football from the local scene, featuring prominently for Calabar Rovers FC of Calabar and Sharks FC of Port Harcourt before heading to Europe. He won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals.

George also won gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.

Prior to his appointment, Finito as he is fondly called by football fans was in charge of two friendly matches in the March 2024 FIFA window where the Super Eagles edged Ghana 2-1 in the first match, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but then lost 2-0 to Mali in the second game.

His first official game will be Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bafana Bafana of South Africa in June and will be followed by the second game against Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively. These are must-win ties for the Super Eagles who are lagging in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.

Head Coach Many Garba has told thenff.com that the technical crew of Nigeria’s U17 boys, Golden Eaglets that he heads, is firmly on course to raise a squad capable of doing Nigeria proud at the forthcoming WAFU B U17 Championship in Ghana.

The 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup-winning team lead strategist has told Nigerians to discountenance stories of large failures of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tests in his team and rather believe that his crew will put together a squad that will do the job of winning a ticket to next year’s Africa U17 Cup of Nations from the tournament in Ghana.

“Let me clear the air on this matter. The genuine U17 players, according to their official document made available to the NFF and the MRI tests conducted by the football body are still in the camp preparing for the WAFU B U17 tournament. When the camp opened last month, the very sincere football academies had to withdraw their players after the MRI tests they conducted showed that their players were on Grade 5. These players had to leave the camp immediately.

“Those who were not sincere and thought they could find a way through one way or the other have been exposed after the NFF conducted its own MRI a few days ago, and found the results earlier presented by their players before entering the camp did not tally with the requirements of the NFF. The NFF insists on players whose results are between Grade 1 – 4. Players on Grade 5 have been asked to leave the camp.

Garba denied that his camp had been thrown into confusion due to results of the MRI tests.

“The good news is that most of the players recorded good grades in their MRI results done at the NFF-approved medical centre, and the team is looking forward to a favourable outing at the WAFU B U17 tournament in Accra, Ghana.”

Another MRI test will be conducted by the medical team of the Confederation of African Football before the beginning of the tournament.

The five-time world champions, who are title holders of the WAFU B U17 Championship, will begin the defence of their title against Burkina Faso on the 16 May.

The team has so far played nine friendly games, winning six, drawing two and losing one.