Nigerian Football
Hammer Falls on Chukwu, Nigeria’s Former Skipper and Coach
The League Management Company, which organizes the Nigerian elite professional football league on Friday, announced the suspension of the General Manager of Enugu Rangers, Christian Chukwu.
The suspended football official was the captain of the Nigerian team in the 1970s till March 1980 when the team won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time. He was also a former coach of the Nigerian and Kenyan national teams.
The organizers of the Nigerian league announced through their official twitter handle that Christian Chukwu had been suspended from all its activities with immediate effect.
It added that the suspension will hold pending Chukwu’s appearance before the Ethics Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.
The LMC added that the referral was in pursuant to the provisions of Rule C17.5 of the NPFL (Nigeria Professional Football League) Framework and Rules.
The LMC had referred to the NFF Ethics Committee the matter of Chukwu’s conduct in the dispute resolution proceedings between Enugu Rangers and their former coach, Imama Amapakabo who was sacked following the club’s elimination by Egypt’s Zamalek SC from the 2017 CAF Champions League.
Earlier, Rangers and the club secretary, Joseph Onwukwe had been charged with infractions of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Rules and Framework in the course of mediation proceedings in the dispute between the club and its former coach, Imama Amapakabo.
The LMC subsequently levied sanctions on the club and the official with Rangers fined N5million ($5,000) and Onwukwe banned from all NPFL activities for a period of one year.
The LMC also directed Rangers to pay the sacked coach various sums including N14, 560,000 representing his salaries for April to October 2017 and compensation for wrongful termination, N1, 600,000 representing his salary for November and December 2016, N600, 000 which represents arrears of allowances and bonuses and $725 which is international travel allowance owed Amapakabo.
Onwukwe was charged for breaches of Appendix E1.5, Appendix E1.4 (Code of Conduct for Club Officials), C28 and C1 of the Framework and Rules.
The first charge read, “you are in breach of Appendix E1.5 (Code of Conduct for Club Officials of the NPFL Framework and Rules in that on Wednesday, 19th July, 2017, in your capacity as an official and representative of Rangers International Football Club in the course of dispute resolution proceedings involving Coach Imama Amapakabo and Rangers International Football Club, you issued threats, including: “that the coach is an individual whereas the Club is an apparatus of the government and that he must stop giving the Club problems”; thereby failing to show due respect to others involved in the game.
Onwukwe was also charged for breach of Appendix E1.4 (Code of Conduct for Club Officials) of the Framework and Rules, “in that on or about Wednesday, 19th July, 2017, in your capacity as an official and representative of Rangers International Football Club in the course of dispute resolution proceedings involving Coach Imama Amapakabo and Rangers International Football Club, your words and conduct, including the issuance of threats, switching off your mobile phone in a bid to refuse to disclose and to evade requested information, constitute attempts to game the system”.
The Rangers official was further charged for refusal to assist in the mediation proceedings when requested to do so, thereby violating Rule C28.
On the fourth count, Onwukwe was charged for issuing threats, failure to provide assistance in the course of inquiry, failure to behave with the utmost good faith, failure to act in the best interest of the game, failure to comply with the directives, requirement, rules and or regulations governing the League and acting in a manner capable of bringing the game into disrepute, which constitutes misconduct contrary to Rule C1.
Rangers International FC was charged for inappropriate handling of official correspondence with the LMC as well as failing to act with utmost good faith in the claim over a vehicle which formed part of the matter in the dispute contrary to Rule 5.5.1.
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.
It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.
Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
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