Nigerian Football
NFF/ZENITH BANK TOURNEY: THE FUTURE IS HERE SAYS AKINWUNMI
NFF 1st Vice President and Chairman of the NFF Youth Football Committee, Seyi Akinwunmi was full of elan and elocution on Tuesday, after another successful and highly inspiring conclusion to the NFF/Zenith Bank Future Eagles Championship.
This year’s event was concluded at the Agege Stadium. Five days of exciting youth football in Kano came to an exciting finale in Lagos with South East U15 boys emerging champions after a 5-2 spanking of their North West counterparts.
Midfield action in the final match of the NFF/Zenith U-15 Tournament
Yet, there were so many talents on display on both sides that Akinwunmi, who is also Chairman of the NFF Football Committee, was much delighted: “I am very happy at what I am seeing here. We can safely say the future is here. I had no doubt when we started this programme that we were on to a great thing.
“Indeed, in the next two years or thereabout, we would have no reason to go outside this competition to pick our U17 National Team.
“We are also emphasizing the importance of combining academics with football. Any player who is unable to do this will be dropped.
“You can never compare the ball sense and guile of a player who is combining education with football career with that of one who is unable to.”
Most Valuable Player and Top Scorer of this year’s competition, Divine Nwachukwu netted a hat –trick to steer the South Easterners to glory. His goals came in the 32nd, 43rd and 53rd minutes.
Franklin Eneh had put South East ahead in the 21st minute, with Oluebube Oguduba sealing victory for them in the 75th minute. Ibrahim Saifulahi netted both goals for equally impressive North West in the 52nd and 60th minutes.
South West emerged champions of last year’s edition. “Football is about catching them young and this is what we are doing.
“Talented players abound everywhere in this country and you only need look for them to get enough. We will not relent but will even intensify the programme to bring the best from all the zones.
“My joy is that the sponsors (Zenith Bank) are also happy with this and have expressed immense joy at how this is turning out.
“With the raw talents that we have, all that is left is for us to find ways of exposing them, and we will work very hard at that. We will also ensure we bring the selected players to camp periodically to nurture their talent and add finesse to their game,” Akinwunmi added.
NFF President Amaju Pinnick, Executive Committee members Ibrahim Musa Gusau, Yusuf Ahmed Fresh, Sharif Rabiu Inuwa, Babagana Kalli and Chidi Ofo Okenwa, NFF Youth Committee members Busari Ishola, Dotun Coker and Edema Fuludu, Emmanuel Iba (Chairman of Akwa Ibom FA), members of the Lagos State FA and an array of the nation’s top sports editors/managers were among dignitaries at the finale.
North Central had earlier emerged champions of the U13 competition after defeating South West 4-2 on penalties following a 0-0 draw in Kano at the weekend.
The NFF U15 National Team had earlier wowed dignitaries and spectators with eye –catching performance in a 3-0 defeat of Pepsi Academy in an exhibition match that preceded the final match.
HONOURS
- Best Coach award – Jude Agada (South East)
- Best Goalkeeper – Anthony Okoronkwo (South East)
- Golden Boot Award – Divine Nwachukwu (South East: 6 goals)
- MVP – Divine Nwachukwu (South East)
ALL THE RESULTS
(U13 COMPETITION)
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 0–0 North Central (2-4 after penalties)
(U15 COMPETITION)
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
Nigerian champions, Enugu Rangers have been beaten 4-3 by visiting Kano Pillars in the Match Day 7 of the Nigeria Premier Football League.
The visitors went into the lead in 15th minute when Rabiu Ali converted a penalty kick. They doubled the lead in the 28th minute through Zulkifilu Rabiu before Rabiu Ali extended the lead to 3-0 in the 37th minute after converting another penalty kick.
The game turned into a nightmare for Rangers as Ahmed Musa made it 4-0 in the first minute of the added time.
Rangers began a fight back in the opening minutes of the second half as Isaac Saviour pulled a goal back in the 47th minute. Twelve minute later he scored a second goal to reduce the tally to 4-2. Emmanuel Silas Nenrot made the score line a more respectable for Rangers when he scored a third goal in the added time.
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.
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