Nigerian Football
NWPL SUPER 4 FALLOUT: EDO PLANS 20 MINI STADIA, SHAIBU, FALODE IN CLOUD NINE
BY BEN ALAIYA.
The Curtain may have fallen in the Nigeria Women Professional League Super 4, but top officials of government and organizers have been making comments targeted at taking women football to new heights.
With Governor Godwin Obaseki, throwing his full weight behind the championship, his deputy, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has also been making critical statements regarding the future of sports in Edo state and indeed Nigeria.
He told the media in Benin City that there are plans in the pipeline for Edo to build 20 mini-stadia across the 18 local governments of the state and such plans will soon be actualized. “Edo, Delta, if you like call it former Bendel State is the fulcrum of sports in Nigeria and we cannot let go, hence our plans to take sports to another level by going to the grassroots to make it count”.
He said he has the assurance of his Principal and sooner than later those plans will soon start to materialize in Edo State.
An elated NWPL Chairman, Aisha Falode, said she was delighted that the tourney came to a fantastic close and she was looking forward to the next championship. She thanked the Edo State Government, the media board members and all stake holders for ensuring the success of the Super 4 Championship sponsored by the Edo State Government.
Meanwhile, Coach Edwin Okon and Delta Queens skipper, Joy Jegede, have taken their teams’ loss in the Super 4 in good faith.
Arguably, one of the best women football coaches in Nigeria, Coach Edwin Okon, hates defeat and as the top dog for recently concluded Super 4 Championship in Benin City, his team came last and he was not a happy man, but like he said he will fight another day.
Speaking to the media, Okon said he will come back stronger next time even as he feels that there was a conspiracy by the other team against his side.
“We know ourselves very well and we are going to other competitions, everybody know the best team in Nigeria but I won’t talk until another event happens”
Delta Queens skipper Joy Jegede, who was also sad that her side lost in the final to Nasarawa Amazons, assured that the team will come back stronger and better in the next championship.
“We know what to do to grab all trophies and we will sooner than later do the needful”, the gangling central defender declared.
The Edo State Government gave all participating a token of N500,000, while the this place team got N1million extra from Akogate Group of Companies, runners up got N2million while the Champions, Nasarawa Amazons got N3million.
1-Flat Participation: N500, for all four teams
2: Second Runner up: N1million
3: First Runner up: N2million
- Champions: N3million
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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