Nigerian Football
Five Big Clubs Set for Ouster at AITEO Cup Round of 64
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
As the round of 64 of the maiden AITEO Cup which is the 71st edition of Nigeria’s national cup competition gets underway this Wednesday, heavy casualty of big clubs is expected as no fewer than five of the 18 premier division club sides are destined for elimination.
There are five fixtures featuring head-to-head clashes of top division sides in a direct elimination contest.
They are the Lobi Stars versus Katsina United in Makurdi; Niger Tornadoes hosting El Kanemi Warriors in Abuja; Nasarawa United hosting MFM in Lafia; Wikki Tourists versus Plateau United in Bauchi and ABS hosting Enyimba in Ilorin.
The other eight teams from the top division side will be hoping against possible upsets which are characteristics of national cup competitions where midgets have brought the mighty.
This way, the fixtures of Sunshine Stars facing former greats, Mighty Jets come to focus. The game comes up in Jos, the home of Mighty Jets which decades ago was a major force in Nigerian football and indeed, the old Challenge Cup competition.
Another top division side facing a lowly rated club is Shooting Stars who host Edo State’s Dynamite FC in Ibadan. Shooting Stars last made impression in the national competition 22 years ago.
Also, Rivers United playing at home will host FC Atete of Delta. Will there be an upset?
In similar vein, both IfeanyiUbah and Akwa United will be playing away to upstarts, FC Yarma Light of Gombe and Halfa FC of Jigawa respectively. Other fixtures involving the top division sides and the lower ones involve Rangers International facing Kogi United in Lokoja; Kano Pillars travelling to Damaturu to face Yobe Desert Stars and Abia Warriors hosting Crown of Ogbomosho at the Umuahia Township Stadium.
Clash of Premier Division Sides
• Lobi Stars (Benue) VS Katsina United (Katsina) – Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi (4pm)
• Niger Tornadoes (Niger) VS El-Kanemi Warriors (Borno) – Area 3 Stadium, Abuja (4pm)
• Nasarawa United (Nasarawa) VS MFM FC (Lagos) – Lafia City Stadium (4pm)
• ABS FC (Kwara) VS Enyimba FC (Abia) – Kwara Sports Stadium (4pm)
• Wikki Tourists (Bauchi) VS Plateau United (Plateau) – Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi (4pm)
Premier Division Teams Facing Lower Teams
• Shooting Stars vs. FC Dynamite of Edo
• Mighty Jets FC (Plateau) VS Sunshine Stars (Ondo) – Rwang Pam Stadium (4pm).
• Rivers United (Rivers) VS FC Atete (Delta) – Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt (4pm)
• FC Yarma Light (Gombe) VS FC IfeanyiUbah (Anambra) – Patami Stadium, Gombe (4pm)
• Haifa FC (Jigawa) VS Akwa United FC (Akwa Ibom) – Dutse Township Stadium (4pm)
• Kogi United (Kogi) VS Rangers International (Enugu) – Confluence Stadium, Lokoja (4pm)
• Yobe Desert Stars (Yobe) VS Kano Pillars (Kano) – Damaturu Township Stadium (4pm)
• Abia Warriors FC (Abia) VS Crown FC (Oyo) – Umuahia Township Stadium (4pm)
Other Matches
• Ngwa FC (Ebonyi) VS FC Galadima (Kebbi) – Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu (4pm)
• Heartland FC (Imo) VS Insurance FC (Edo) – Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri (4pm)
• Katsina United Feeders (Katsina) VS Aklosendi FC (Nasarawa) – Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, Katsina (4pm)
• AITEL FC (Taraba) VS Unicem Rovers (Cross River) – Jalingo Township Stadium (4pm)
• Bayelsa United (Bayelsa) VS FC Zamfara (Zamfara) – Sharks Stadium, Port Harcourt (4pm)
• Adamawa United Feeders (Adamawa) VS Cynosure FC (Rivers) – Fufure Township Stadium (4pm)
• Ede United (Osun) VS Sakaba United FC (Kebbi) – Oshogbo Township Stadium (2pm)
• FC IfeanyiUbah Feeders (Anambra) VS Jigawa Golden Stars (Jigawa) – FC IfeanyiUbah Stadium, Nnewi-Ozubulu (4pm)
• Samba Kurna (Kano) VS Wikki Tourists Feeders (Bauchi) – Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano (4pm)
• Ekiti United (Ekiti) VS Dolphins FC (Kaduna) – Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado-Ekiti (4pm)
• Delta Warriors (Delta) VS Ayade Babes (Cross River) – Warri City Stadium (4pm)
• Niger Tornadoes Feeders (Niger) VS FC Abuja (FCT) – FIFA Goal Project, Abuja (4pm)
• Doma United (Gombe) VS Adamawa United (Adamawa) – Patami Stadium, Gombe (2pm)
• Osun United (Osun) VS Coal City Youths (Enugu) – Oshogbo Township Stadium (4pm)
• FC Lokoja (Kogi) VS El-Kanemi Babes (Borno) – Confluence Stadium, Lokoja (2pm)
• Kwara United (Kwara) VS Sokoto United (Sokoto) – Kwara Sports Stadium (2pm)
• FRSC FC (FCT) VS Potiskum Academy (Yobe) – Area 3 Stadium, Abuja (2pm)
• Almar (Ogun) VS Spartan FC (Lagos) – Dipo Dina Stadium, Ijebu-Ode (4pm)
• Moyero FC (Ondo) VS Akwa Starlets (Akwa Ibom) – Akure Township Stadium (4pm)
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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