BY MFON PATRICK.

Akwa United will resume their 2024-25 Nigeria Premier Football League season with a home fixture against league leaders Remo Stars at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Sunday in what will be their first league match in the new year.

The Promise Keepers ended the first round of the season in 19th position following a run of five victories, four draws and ten loses, managing 19 points from the same number of matches.

The 2021 league champions appears solid and ready for the second stanza following some technical changes effected by the management of the club which has seen the return of coach Kennedy Boboye as the head coach following the resignation of coach Muhammed Babaganaru who left the club before the end of the first round.

Coach Boboye who led Akwa United to their first league triumph in 2021 arrived in Uyo with his assistant coach Ifeanyi Nwachukwu and both have teamed up with other assistant coaches to embark on a redemption mission of taking the club to a comfortable position on the log by the end of the second stanza of the season.

The management and the technical crew have fortified the team with the signing of some quality players; they are forwards Uche Sabastine from PSports Academy and Orji Chisom from Sporting Lagos. Midfielders Ogar Sabastine and Samuel Tochukwu both from PSports Academy as well as defender Adamu Umar from Sunshine Stars while right-back Asuquo Etiene has been recalled to the team from his loan spell with Dakkada FC.

The two-time FA Cup winners have executed three mid-season friendly games; 5-0 thrashing of Immortality Academy was followed by a 3-0 win over NNL side Godswill Akpabio United FC before playing a 1-1 draw with NPFL outfit Abia Warriors as parts of preparations for the commencement of the second stanza of season.

Back to a familiar terrain, coach Boboye will be looking forward to making a positive start with the club and he will be expecting his players to be at their best especially strikers Chijioke Alaekwe and Friday Apollos (who have scored nine goals between them in the first round) to continue with their scoring form in the second stanza.

Akwa United lost 2-1 to Remo Stars in Ikenne in the first installment of this fixture on matchday 19 and they will be hoping to maintain their dominance over the visitors who are without a win in all their previous visits to Uyo.

The head-to-head record between the two teams shows that Akwa United has enjoyed a superior advantage having recorded six victories to Remo Stars three wins while one of those games ended in a 2-2 draw in Ijebu Ode back in 2017.

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Matches of the second stanza of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) will be played with the official match balls produced by Prostar Sports.

This followed the delivery of the first batch of the match balls from Prostar Sports to the NPFL earlier this week.

NPFL Chairman, Gbenga Elegbeleye noted that negotiations for the partnership dragged beyond the first stanza because both parties, including the NPFL investment partners, GTI Assets Management wanted to ensure a thorough understanding of the obligations of all parties.

“Ideally, the official match balls would have been introduced at the start of the season but we wanted to ensure that we got a ball that is of very high standard. 

“There was an issue of ensuring that the balls met international football competition standards so our players won’t get used to playing sub-standard balls. 

“So, we had lots of going forth and back until we were satisfied with what they were bringing to the table”, Elegbeleye clarified. 

Paul Maduakor, the CEO of Prostar Sports expressed delight at finally getting the deal over the line, describing the negotiation process as very meticulous.

“It is a breakthrough for us at Prostar Sports, a proudly Nigerian brand keying into President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda to produce and supply sporting equipment of international standard for the NPFL, the biggest league in Africa”, declared Maduakor.

Maduakor added that “doing business with the NPFL allows us to contribute to the growth of local talent and elevate the professional football experience in the country”.

A brand literature of the ball describes it as the pinnacle of Prostar Sports International dedication to quality, innovation, and performance.

The size 5 ball is crafted with diamond-pattern soft-touch thermal bonded PU leather, ensuring exceptional durability, control, and a premium feel for players.

 The ball features a micro-shell coated butyl bladder, providing superior air retention and consistent shape, even under intense match and weather conditions.

The design is said to incorporate 32 panels, delivering aerodynamic stability and precision during gameplay. 

It has a weight of 400-430 grams, a bounce range of 1.1-1.4 meters, and engineered to meet the needs of professional-level football. 

Maduakor emphasised that the ball complies with FIFA Regulated International Match Standards, ensuring it is suitable for competitive play at the highest level.

He assured the NPFL that “this exceptional combination of advanced materials, meticulous craftsmanship, and adherence to international standards guarantees a ball that enhances performance, durability, and consistency, providing players with an unparalleled match experience”.

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Sammy Wejinya, the journalist who has been slammed with a season ban from the Nigeria top-tier league matches by the Nigeria Premier Football League may drag the matter to court.

Wejinya, a journalist and media aide to the Rivers State Commissioner of Sports, Christopher Green, was earlier in the week sanctioned with the stadium ban by the NPFL who wrote a letter to him over an article he wrote about his ordeal in a 22nd December match of Nasarawa United and Rivers United.

The letter from the NPFL banning Wenjiya from the Nigerian league matches for the rest of the season

He had written about his ordeal in an article titled “Lafia, Pain, Blood and Escaping Death by the Whiskers.”

Following the ban, Wejinya’s legal representatives, Sammie Somiari & Associates have written the NPFL asking for not just a retraction of the ban, but also a public apology for the embarrassment caused to their client.  

The legal firm requested the NPFL to act within seven days of receipt of the letter dated 15 January 2025 to avert legal steps being taken to remedy what it termed as an “improper, unlawful and unjustified ban.”

In the letter signed by Sammie Somiari, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Boma Owunabo, the firm argued that the NPFL action was a violation of Section C, sub-section 18, para 18.12 of the NPFLFramework and Rules for 2023-2024.

The section provides that: “The sanctions which the NPFL may impose for breach of these Rules include:18.12: Suspension or ban on a player or official”.

Owing to this, the lawyers believe that the NPFL acted ultra vires its powers by banning Wejinya.

They also argued that Wejinya was never given an opportunity, by way of invitation, to be heard by any tribunal or panel set up by the NPFL before such a sanction was meted out.

“This is a clear contravention of his right to a fair hearing as guaranteed under Section 36 of the CFRN, 1999 (as amended)and applicable to all citizens of Nigeria.”

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