Nigerian Football
NORTH WEST, SOUTH EAST CLASH IN NFF/ZENITH BANK U15 FINAL
A week of exciting youth football in the ancient city of Kano will witness the grand finale in Lagos on Tuesday with the U15 final of the NFF/Zenith Bank Future Eagles Championship at the Agege Stadium.
Tuesday will be exactly a week on one year that the finals of the inaugural edition of the competition (U13 and U15) took place at the Onikan Stadium, with South West emerging champions in the U15 category with a 2-0 defeat of South East, while South East defeated South South 4-2 in the final of the U13 category.
This year, an enterprising North Central squad overcame equally ambitious South West team 4-2 on penalties in Kano to emerge champions of the U13 category.
North West and South East take to the Agege Stadium turf on Tuesday afternoon for the intermediate honours, with last year’s runners-up South East determined to take the step up to the champions’ podium this time.
Following last year’s inaugural competition that took place in Ijebu-Ode and Lagos, NFF Technical Director, Bitrus Bewarang told thenff.com: “I am delighted with the entire good job done by the NFF Youth Football Committee, headed by the NFF 1st Vice President, Seyi Akinwunmi.
“I saw excellent football by young, talented and ambitious kids. On the evidence of what I saw in Ijebu-Ode and Lagos, I believe that in the nearest future, we would be making use of very young players, in the mould of Kelechi Iheanacho and Alex Iwobi, for the Super Eagles.”
The former Super Eagles’ Assistant Coach also hailed competition sponsors Zenith Bank International PLC, assuring the bank that its name would be etched in gold once the prodigies start making waves in the NPFL, Super Eagles and top Leagues overseas.
“The bank has put its money in the right place, and I am using this opportunity to call on other big players in Corporate Nigeria to embrace sports, because by embracing sports, they are assuring the future of the youth.
“Certainly, the NFF/Zenith Bank Future Eagles Championship is a welcome development. I want to implore the bank not to rest on its oars, but rather guarantee that the competition has come to stay as an annual carnival for the young and determined boys from the grassroots.”
Zenith Bank’s chieftains are enamoured at the essence and glamour of the competition, and will again storm the Agege Stadium in full force on Tuesday.
NFF President Amaju Pinnick, 1st Vice President Seyi Akinwunmi (who is the Chairman of the NFF Youth Football Committee), a number of NFF Executive Committee members, NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, some top officials of the Lagos State Government, a couple of NFF Management officials, as well as members of the NFF Youth Football Committee will also be in attendance.
RESULTS (U13)
South South 3 North East 0 (W/O)
North Central 2 North West 1
North East 0 South West 3 (W/O)
North West 3 South East 0 (W/O)
South West 0 South South 0
South East 0 North Central 3 (W/O)
South West 2 North West 1
North Central 2 South South 1
FINAL
South West 2 North Central 4 (after penalties)
RESULTS (U15)
North East 2 South South 3
South West 0 South East 2
South South 2 North West 4
South East 4 North Central 0
North West 1 North East 0
North Central 1 South West 3
North West 4 South West 3
South East 4 South South 1
FINAL
North West Vs South East
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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