Nigerian Football
Nigeria Premier League draw holds on August 17 ahead of August 26 kick-off date
Rising from a consultative meeting with the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) board in Abuja, the Football Club Owners Association of Nigeria has agreed to kickstart the 2023/24 season on August 26 as recommended by the NPFL body.
In a unanimous decision reached by all 20 clubs and presented to the NPFL led by its chairman, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, the clubs also jettisoned the much talked about abridged league while opting for a full season of 38 straight matches to determine the league champion and Nigeria’s representatives in the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup respectively.
Speaking at the end of the meeting, Hon Elegbeleye thanked the clubs led by Chief Okey Kpalukwu for the co-operation the NPFL board has enjoyed under his leadership, while promising to always reciprocate the kind gesture at every given opportunity.
“I want to thank the entire club owners under the leadership of Chief Okey Kpalukwu for the support and cooperation given us thus far, we’ve no doubt that together we will have a league that Nigerians will be proud of”, stated Hon Elegbeleye who doubles as 2nd Vice President Nigeria Football Federation.
In his remarks, Chief Kpalukwu assured the NPFL leadership of the Club Owners support because both parties are partners in progress.
“What we as Club Owners will guarantee the NPFL board is our cooperation as long as we are seen to be important partners and major stakeholders in the NPFL.
“I look forward to a very successful 2023/24 NPFL season”, admonished the Rivers United General Manager.
Meanwhile, the draw for the 2023/24 league season will be conducted during the NPFL board’s Annual General Meeting billed to hold on August 17 in Abuja which will be live on television.
In another development, the Club Owners have set up various committees for the smooth running of the body.
General Secretary Godwin Enakhena is to head the constitution drafting adhoc committee with Rangers of Enugu Administrative Secretary Ferdinand Ogwuarua as secretary and the chairman of Niger Tornadoes of Minna Engineer Ibrahim Dada as member.
Akwa United Chairman, Elder Paul Bassey is chairman Publicity Committee, Godwin Enakhena is secretary while Kumbi Titiloye of Kwara United is member. Other committees are Financial with Alhaji Suleiman Umar of Doma United of Gombe as chairman, he’s to be assisted by Plateau United chairman, Honourable Habila Mutla as secretary and Sunshine Stars of Akure chairman Honorable Tunde Ogunja is member.
The Welfare committee has Gombe United General Manager Alhaji Abubakar Abubakar as chairman to be assisted by Heartland of Owerri General Manager Promise Nwachukwu as Secretary while the Secretary of Bendel Insurance of Benin City Charles Ihimekpen is a member.
The Nigeria U17 women’s team has been given incentives to make it to the Women’s World Cup for the eighth time.
The team, Flamingos, who arrived in Algiers in the early hours of Wednesday aboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul, are highly inspired by the imminence of another FIFA World Cup ticket as well as further financial windfall from the Nigeria Football Federation and billionaire business mogul Kunle Soname.
Soname gifted the young players and their officials the sum of N4 million (one million naira for every goal) following their commanding win over the North Africans at the Remo Stars Stadium on Saturday, while the NFF gave out the sum of N2 million (five hundred thousand naira for every goal).
President of NFF, Ibrahim Musa Gusau and Soname have both confirmed that the same financial incentives are in place for the second leg in Blida on Friday.
“Our objective is clear – to win the FIFA World Cup ticket. That is the big motivation.
“Yet, we have been further incentivised by the monetary rewards. My girls will go all out on Friday night,” Head Coach Bankole Olowookere said.
Olowookere, who led the Flamingos to their last two World Cup ventures, will most likely rely on first-leg two-goal heroine Queen Joseph, lone-goal scorer Zainab Raji and Kaosarat Olanrewaju to start at the fore, with Shakirat Moshood, Muinat Rotimi and Philomena Isaiah supplying the passes from the midfield.
Goalkeeper and captain Christiana Uzoma and defenders Azeezat Oduntan, Hannah Ibrahim, Christiana Sunday and Jumai Adebayo are also likely to start.
The Confederation of African Football has selected Cameroonian official Marie Noelle Etong to be the referee, with her compatriots Marcelle Teikeu and Innocentia Ntangti as assistant referee 1 and fourth official, respectively, while Chadian Ngarassoum Victorine will be assistant referee 2.
Oumou Souleymane Kane from Mauritania will be the commissioner, and Sabelo Maphosa-Sibindi from Zimbabwe will be in the role of referee assessor.
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Former president of the initially 15-member West African Football Union (WAFU), Chief Jonathan Boytie Ogufere, has expressed his heartfelt condolences over the recent death of former national team captain and coach, Christian ‘Chairman’ Chukwu.
He remarked that the erstwhile Enugu Rangers’ defence stalwart will ‘be dearly missed’. In a personally signed letter of condolence, Ogufere described Chukwu, who died on Saturday, April 12, in Enugu after a brief illness at 74, as a ‘hero of our time and a friend’.
The nonagenarian recalled with nostalgia how he nearly recruited the young Chukwu for his P & T Vasco da Gama Football Club of Enugu, adding he was impressed with how the ‘Field Marshal Christian Chukwuemeka ‘Chairman ‘ Chukwu (MFR), conducted himself throughout his career as he led both the national team, the then Green Eagles and his beloved Enugu Rangers to many conquests.
“I join numerous others to mourn the transition of the legendary Christian Chukwu, a hero of our time and friend,” the Ugbugba of Okpe Kingdom wrote.
“As one of the young academicals discovered after the end of the Civil War in 1970, I tried to enlist into my club, the P & T Vasco da Gama Football Club of Enugu but he was fair and frank in informing me that he had already joined Enugu Ranges Football Club, and I respected that attitude. From the rivalries between the two clubs, his exploits as a central defender were very visible.”
He continued: “Christian Chukwu emerged at the national level as a trustworthy and formidable captain of the national team who led by example.
“He was one of the heroes during the Golden age of Nigerian football when I was one of the Board Members of the Nigeria Football Association under the chairmanship of Chief Sunday Dankaro as Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980 for the first time where Christian Chukwu as captain of the Green Eagles was declared the best player of the tournament. He led the national team in several battles, which endeared him to millions of football lovers.
“After his playing days, he showed his talents through coaching in Nigeria and abroad.
“I express my sincere condolences to the family he left behind, the football family and the country in general. He will be dearly missed.
“May the good Lord grant his noble soul eternal rest,” he noted.
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Remo Stars are coasting to what will be their greatest moment ever, a win of the Nigeria Premier Football League title, as they recorded a 1-0 win over Shooting Stars in Ibadan in a match played behind closed doors.
In doing so, they achieved their sixth double of the season, having earlier beaten Shooting Stars in the first stanza of the league.
They maintained the seven-point lead over second-placed Rivers United, who also beat Sunshine Stars 1-0 in Port Harcourt.
After a ding-dong affair, Alex Oyowah scored the vital goal for Remo Stars from a right-wing cross from Ismail Sodiq.
In another match, Ikorodu City continued to work tenaciously to obtain a continental ticket as they held El Kanemi to a 1-1 draw.
SUNDAY RESULTS
- El Kanemi 1-1 Ikorodu City
- Niger Tornados 1-1 Bayelsa United
- Heartland 0-0 Kwara United
- Plateau United 1-0 Akwa United
- Rivers United 1-0 Sunshine Stars
- Shooting Stars 0-1 Remo Stars
- Bendel United 1-1 Nasarawa United
SATURDAY
- Katsina United 0-0 Abia Warriors
- Enyimba 2-1 Kano Pillars
- Lobi Stars 2-4 Enugu Rangers
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