Nigerian Football
Plateau United’s Matthew Chibudom: The NPFL’s Football Engineer
BY KINGSLEY OYERO.
There are hundreds of players in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), but it’s rare to find those that have successfully combined it with education.
It’s even uncommon – playing for one of the best teams in Nigeria (Plateau United) and pursuing one of University of Port-Harcourt’s most difficult academic programs – Environmental Management and Technology (M.Sc).
But in his distinct way, former MFM and Plateau United striker, Matthew Chibudom has managed to do it successfully.
The Environmental Technology graduate of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri was part of the Sunshine team that finished sixth last season in the NPFL – with the Akure-based side finishing with the fifth best attack after scoring 44 goals.
His contributions for Sunshine Stars saw him team up with Kennedy Boboye’s Plateau United at the beginning of the season and he featured 4 times as the Peace Boys ended the first Stanza in first position.
However, the former TEAP FC number 9 was released by Plateau United at the end of the first stanza and he’s now a free agent, but he’s not daunted by the setback and sees it as a wake-up call.
“It’s tough to balance everything. You have to know what to prioritize, and what to sacrifice.
“Combining education and football was a very difficult task for me because sometimes after training in the morning, I have to still go for lectures when am supposed to rest, but I have no regrets.
“I know I would bounce back and I have been getting some offers from some NPFL clubs, but am trying to study the offers, before making my next move,” Chibudom stated.
Chibudom is nicknamed the “Football Engineer” because of his ability to combine professional football with education and feels “Combining education with football will help mould any future star to the right path of his or her career and the ‘book’ is an important aspect of life that will help compliment the efforts of the ‘boot’.”
· Matthew reveals secret to Plateau United success
Discipline, teamwork, hard work, payment of salaries and match bonuses promptly are just some of the secrets behind Plateau United’s success story this season, according to former MFM and Plateau United striker, Matthew Chibudom.
Chibudom, who joined Plateau United from Sunshine Stars at the beginning of the season stated: “The secret of the team is discipline, teamwork, hard work and payment of salaries and match bonuses promptly.
“The government and good people of Plateau are solidly behind the team and they turn out en-mass to support their darling team on match days at the Rang Pam Stadium in Jos. The stadium is always sold out.
The former TEAP FC Number 9 also claims that boss Kennedy Boboye’s greatest armoury is his leadership qualities, winning mentality and his ability to simplify instructions down to the most basic and succinct form.
“Before the start of the ongoing season, the Technical Adviser, Kennedy Boboye said we should agree that we have to start very well and in order to do so, we have to set a target for ourselves that for every five matches, we need 15 points and if we have 13 points, that will be a good one and that is what have propelling the team at the top.
He added: “The Technical Adviser and the coaching crew are very jovial. The Technical Adviser even joins the players in training sessions and also encourages us. He even joined us to play in training sessions, leads by example and breaks down his tactics to the most basic.”
PROFILE
NAME: Matthew Chibudom
POSITION: Striker
PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
- Port-Harcourt City Academy (2000-2005)
- Stars Football Club Port-Harcourt (2005-2007)
- Mc-Jeff Soccer Academy Port-Harcourt (2008-2013)
- Teap Football Club Abuja (Pro Division Nigeria) (2014-2015)
- MFM Football Club Lagos (Pro Division Nigeria) (2015-2016)
- Sunshine Stars Football Club Akure (Premier Division Nigeria) (2016)
- Plateau United Football Club, Jos (Premier Division Nigeria) (2017)
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Plateau State F.A Cup Winners with Plateau United Football Club 2017
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION:
- Tech in Environmental Technology – Federal University of Technology, Owerri.
- Sc in Environmental Management-University of Port Harcourt.
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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