Nigerian Football
NYSC SEEKS CLOSER TIES WITH NIGERIA FOOTBALL FEDERATION
The Management of the National Youth Service Corps in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory has expressed a keen desire to establish closer co-operation with the Nigeria Football Federation in order to achieve its extra mandate of empowerment of the youth in the country.
Speaking during a visit to the General Secretary of NFF, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi at the NFF Secretariat, Abuja on Wednesday, the new NYSC Coordinator, FCT, Hajiya Walida Siddique Isa said that the NFF has the capacity to firmly set on course youth corpers who have the aspiration to make a career in the round leather game.
“I have just resumed as the Coordinator and I feel that it is important to meet with various stakeholders of the NYSC, of which the NFF is key. We believe that the NFF has a lot to offer us in the area of empowerment of the youth who desire to play football.
“We need guidance for those of them who want to make football their career and also need technical support for our football team as a whole because we play an annual competition known as the Director General’s Cup.
“We commend your efforts in trying to take Nigerian Football to new heights. The work you are doing with the various National Teams is applaudable.”
Responding, Dr. Sanusi expressed delight at the visit by the NYSC Coordinator and her Management team, disclosing that he has always fully supported NYSC programmes and schemes right from his early days as a university lecturer.
“I partook in programmes and schemes of the NYSC right from my days in Sokoto State, even as a head of department of physical and health education. I have always been interested in the programme as I love to encourage and inspire the youth.
“It is commendable that you have come here to seek our support in the area of empowering the youth of this nation; this means that you are not just restricting yourselves to teaching them about patriotism and nationalism. Your objective is praiseworthy as football is one sure way of keeping the youth away from social and criminal vices.”
Also present at the meeting were NFF’s Director of Competition, Bola Oyeyode; Director of Technical, Coach Bitrus Bewarang; Director of Finance, Mr. Charity Kadiri and; Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire.
From the NYSC came also Mrs Blessing Iruma (Assistant Director, Corps Inspection); Mrs Comfort Jackson (Assistant Director, PRU); Helen Eyo (Chief Inspector) and; Joel Mambula (Personal Assistant to the Coordinator).
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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