Nigerian Football
Shooting Stars, Remo Stars, Gombe Utd return to elite league as Niger Tornadoes rule NNL
Niger Tornadoes of Minna, on Sunday emerged as the champion of the Nigeria’s second tier football assembly, the National League (NNL) after a hard earned 3-2 win against Shooting Stars FC of Ibadan in the final match of Super 8 league at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium, Enugu.
Both teams along with the duo of Remo Stars of Ikenne and Gombe United gain promotion to the elite division, the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
The quartet will replace Jigawa Golden Stars, Warri Wolves, Ifeanyi Ubah United and Adamawa United who got demoted in the 2020-21 campaign from the NPFL.
Although it could have been a complete circle for the traditional fanatically followed team, ‘Old Horse’ Insurance FC of Benin lost out to Remo Stars in the Southern Conference of the mini-tournament in a hotly contested final-match day.
Prior to that, there have been behind the scene struggle for the promotion from the southern conference of the second tier league.
Remo Stars were at advantage as Insurance needed a massive three-goal difference victory to upstage the boys of Kunle Soname.
engaged in off-field activities and their final group match ended 2-2 to give the Kunle Soname lads final ticket to the elite division.
In the end, they rallied to a face-saving 2-2 draw, a result that could not guarantee safe passage to the elite league where the Benin boys have been long time being glaring absentees.
Interestingly, Niger Tornadoes (then in Group A) and Gombe United (Group B), were relegated from the NPFL together with Remo Stars in 2019. The three of them are back together in the elite division.
Bendel Insurance and El-Kanemi Warriors, who were also relegated in same season failed in the bid to return and will have another season languishing in the lower division.
In a related development, the Football Club Owners Association of Nigeria have congratulated the four clubs from the NNL who gained promotion to the Nigeria Professional Football League NPFL via the just concluded Super 8 Play-off held in Enugu.
Club owners said the four clubs showcased high level display of soccer artistry worthy to play in the top flight domestic league, the NPFL.
” We are happy to welcome you to the top flight league as worthy winners and assure you of our cooperation in the NPFL, ” Club owners said in a statement in Enugu jointly signed by the Chairman Isaac Danladi and the Executive Secretary Chief Alloy Chukwuemeka who were in Enugu to observe the Super 8 play off.
The Association urged the newly promoted clubs to speedy up their preparations cum licensing requirements in order to have a smooth take off in the Nigeria Professional Football League expected to kick off soon.
Club Owners also congratulated the leadership of the Nigeria National League NNL for a successful conclusion of the season just as it praised the government and good people of Enugu for being a good host of the Super 8 play-off.
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
NFF Communication director unfolds 20 Points of a 20-hour ordeal on Libyan soil
African football legends, Adebayor and Aubameyang condemn Libya’s treatment of Super Eagles
BREAKING! CAF wades into the Libya-Nigeria Airport episode
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
AIU releases its report on Tobi Amusan
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Players boycott Libyan national team
-
AFCON5 days ago
Billiat’s penalty seals Zimbabwe’s 1-0 win over Namibia
-
AFCON1 week ago
Facts & Figures as AFCON 2025 qualifiers enter Matchday 3
-
AFCON6 days ago
AFCON 2025 in Morocco: Everything you need to know
-
AFCON5 days ago
Libya’s captain, Faisal Al-Badri alleges poor treatment in Nigeria
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
CAF compels Kwasi Appiah to step down from Ghana FA
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Fastest World Cup final scorer is dead!
-
AFCON1 day ago
BREAKING! CAF wades into the Libya-Nigeria Airport episode