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Nigerian Football

NIGERIA PITCH AWARDS ROLLS OUT 2017 NOMINEES

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6 years ago

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Usual suspects topped the list as Match Makers Consults and its auditing partners, SIAO rolled out 54 possible winners in 18 categories of the fifth edition of the annual awards.

The unveiling was done on Wednesday by the organisers at a press conference in Ikeja, Lagos. Top on the contenders’ list for the main title is the Super Eagles’ skipper, Mikel Obi who is expected to have stiff challenge from the duo of English Premiership stars – Victor Moses of Chelsea and Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester City.

The three national team players are jostling for the ‘King of the Pitch’ Award. According to Sina Philips, the CEO of Match Makers Consult, the event will hold in Lagos at a date to be announced in June.

Nominated for the Goalkeeper of the Year is Carl Ikeme, the recuperating goaltender for Wolverhampton Wanderers of England. Contending with him are Ikechukwu Ezenwa who was with FC UfeanyiUbah in the season under consideration and Dele Ajiboye of league champions, Plateau United.

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The full nominations run thus:

 

 

GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR

  1. Carl Ikeme             Wolverhampton Wanderers
  2. Ikechukwu Ezenwa Ifeanyi Ubah FC
  3. Dele Ajiboye Plateau United FC

 

DEFENDER OF THE YEAR

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  1. Leon Balogun FSV Mainz 05
  2. William Troost-Ekong Bursapor FC
  3. Shehu Abdullahi Anothosis Famagusta FC

 

MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR

  1. John Mikel Obi Tianjin Teda
  2. Wilfred Ndidi Leicester City FC
  3. Victor Moses Chelsea FC

 

STRIKER OF THE YEAR

  1. Victor Moses Chelsea FC
  2. Anthony Okpotu Lobi Stars FC
  3. Odion Ighalo Changchun Yatai

 

MVP (MEN) IN THE NPFL

  1. Ikechukwu Ezenwa Ifeanyi Ubah FC
  2. Stephen Odey MFM FC/FC Zurich
  3. Anthony Okpotu Lobi Stars FC

 

MVP (WOMEN) IN THE NWFL

  1. Charity Rueben Ibom Angels
  2. Rasheedat Ajibade FC Robo
  3. Amarachi Okonkwo Nasarawa Amazons

 

COACH OF THE YEAR

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  1. Fidelis Elechukwu MFM FC
  2. Gernot Rohr Super Eagles
  3. Kennedy Boboye Plateau United

 

CLUB/TEAM OF THE YEAR

  1. Super Eagles
  2. Plateau United FC
  3. MFM FC

 

REFEREE OF THE YEAR

  1. Ferdinand Udoh
  2. Adebimpe Quadri
  3. Ogabor Joseph

 

STATE WITH THE BEST GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

  1. Lagos State
  2. Rivers State
  3. Delta State

 

FOOTBALL FRIENDLY GOVERNOR OF THE YEAR

  1. His Excellency Godwin Obaseki Edo State
  2. His Excellency Emmanuel Udom Akwa Ibom State
  3. His Excellency Akinwunmi Ambode Lagos State

 

SAM OKWARAJI AWARD FOR COMMITMENT TO NIGERIAN FOOTBALL

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  1. Shehu Dikko 2nd Vice President, NFF
  2. Amaju Melvin Pinnick President, NFF
  3. Chief Ifeanyi Ubah Chairman, Ifeanyi Ubah FC

 

CORPORATE SPONSOR OF FOOTBALL AWARD

  1. Aiteo Group
  2. Nigerian Breweries plc
  3. Coca Cola plc

 

FOOTBALL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR (PRINT)

  1. Johnny Edwards Complete Sports
  2. Tana Aiyejina Punch Newspapers
  3. Olalekan Okusan The Nation Newspapers

 

FOOTBALL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR (RADIO)

  1. Godwin Enakhena Top Radio FM
  2. Olawale Adigun Top Radio FM
  3. Tony Bekederemo Brila FM

 

FOOTBALL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR (TV)

  1. Austin Okon-Akpan Channels TV
  2. Godwin Enakhena LTV/SportsSplash
  3. Mozez Praiz Supersport

 

QUEEN OF THE PITCH

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  1. Rasheedat Ajibade FC Robo
  2. Rueben Charity Ibom Angels
  3. Asisat Oshoala Dalian Quanjian

 

KING OF THE PITCH

  1. Victor Moses Chelsea FC
  2. Wilfred Ndidi Leicester City FC
  3. John Mikel Obi Tiajin Teda
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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Nigerian Football

Season’s first win for Akwa United and Ikorodu City

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3 days ago

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October 13, 2024

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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.

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Nigerian Football

Behold! Nigeria Football’s October 8 Magic

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1 week ago

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October 8, 2024

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Nigeria’s Godwin Iwelumo terrorising Egypt’s goalmouth 47 years ago in an October 8 match. Nigeria won 4-0 inflicting the worst ever defeat on Egypt in a World Cup qualifier.

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.

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 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!

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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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Nigerian Football

 Rivers flow to the top!

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1 week ago

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October 6, 2024

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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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