Nigerian Football
Pinnick Looks Forward to 4th Nigeria Pitch Awards
President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Melvin Pinnick has charged organizers of the Nigeria Pitch Awards to ensure a seamless fourth edition of the Awards, which ceremony comes up in Uyo on Saturday.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, the CAF Executive Committee member and President of the Organizing Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations insisted the NFF has continued to back the Pitch Awards because the leadership is enamoured by its transparency, credibility and integrity in the four years of the event.
“The Nigeria Football Federation is satisfied with the processes that the organizers bring into play for selection of voters, nomination, collation and eventual declaration of the winners. We urge the organizers to retain those processes for the good of the Awards.
“Awards serve a special purpose for professionals; they motivate in a way that we can hardly imagine.”
Organizers of the Awards, Matchmakers Consult International Limited, confirmed to thenff.com on Tuesday that Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel, who is nominated for Football Friendly Governor of the Year alongside Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos and Ezenwo Nyesom Wike of Rivers, will attend Saturday night’s programme, scheduled to begin at 8pm at the Nwaniba Hall of the Le Meridien Hotel and Golf Resort.
The nominees for the 4th Nigeria Pitch Awards were made known last month, after SIAO Partners Limited, the collating and verification firm, released the results to the Nigeria Football Federation.
In a letter to the NFF President, signed by SIAO’s Managing Partner, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, the auditing firm explained that the voting was done by Nigeria sports editors/managers across the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT.
THE NOMINEES
Goalkeeper of the Year: Vincent Enyeama; Carl Ikeme; Ikechukwu Ezenwa
Defender of the Year: Leon Balogun; Kenneth Omeruo; William Ekong
Midfielder of the Year: John Mikel Obi; Etebo Oghenekaro; Wilfred Ndidi
Striker of the Year: Chisom Egbuchulam; Godwin Obaje; Kelechi Iheanacho
MVP (Men) In The NPFL: Godwin Obaje; Stephen Odey; Chisom Egbuchulam
MVP (Women) In The NWPL: Osinachi Ohale; Rafiat Sule; Chioma Wogu
Queen of the Pitch: Desire Oparanozie; Onome Ebi; Asisat Oshoala
King of the Pitch: Victor Moses; John Mikel Obi; Kelechi Iheanacho
Sam Okwaraji Award: Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah; Samson Siasia; John Mikel Obi
Club/Team of the Year: Super Falcons; Dream Team; Enugu Rangers
Coach of the Year: Florence Omagbemi; Gernot Rohr; Imama Amapakabo
Referee of the Year: Adebimpe Quadri; Jelili Ogunmuyiwa; Ferdinand Udoh
Corporate Sponsor of the Year: Globacom Limited; SuperSport; Nigeria Breweries PLC
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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