Super Eagles To Play All Home Games At ABUJA National Stadium

The Super Eagles will play their World Cup 2018 home qualifying matches at the National Stadium, Abuja, Thisday reveals.

The return will be the first time the national team will be playing at the nation’s capital since they defeated Sudan 3-1 on October 15, 2014, in an Africa Cup of Nations (Equatorial Guinea 2015) qualifier.

Nigeria is pitched in an onerous “Champions League’’ Group B made up of Algeria, Cameroun and Zambia- all former winners of the Africa Cup of Nations- following last Friday’s draw in Cairo by CAF.

The Eagles will begin their bid for a sixth World Cup slot, when they travel to Zambia on October 3 for the opening group encounter before they host the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun on September 2, 2017 at the National Stadium, Abuja.

Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, monday at a meeting with the NFF leadership, instructed that all three home fixtures be played in Abuja.

The basis of his directive is hinged on security in addition to allowing many Nigerian spectators watch the fixtures in view of the profile of opposing teams.

Apart from that ‘Glasshouse’ is cautious of a poor decision of organising a match of high magnitude in a stadium with little capacity for large spectators.

The federation is still smarting from the consequences of the security breaches and poor crowd control that marred the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Nigeria and Egypt in Kaduna on March 25.
That shoddy arrangement where over 40,000 fans were packed into a stadium that could barely contain 15,000 spectators made CAF to impose a $5,000 fine on NFF, with a warning of stiffer sanctions in the event of a repeat in the future.

Eagles played all their Brazil 2014 home matches at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, which has a limited space for only 20,000 spectators.

The National Stadium, built in 2003 for the All Africa Games same year, has a capacity for 60,000 and was the theatre when Nigeria realised her dream of qualifying for the first World Cup held on African soil at South Africa 2010.

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Super Eagles To Get Head Coach In Two Weeks, Says Pinnick

Amaju Pinnick, the President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), on Sunday in Ibadan said the Super Eagles would have a substantive Head Coach within the next two weeks.

Pinnick told newsmen that the football body was working assiduously to ensure they got a new head coach for the Super Eagles, urging Nigerians to hope for the best.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NFF President was in Ibadan to watch a 2015/2016 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) match.

The NPFL Match Day 24 fixture between hosts Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) and FC IfeanyiUbah Football Club ended in a 2-2 draw.

Pinnick also spoke on the Russia 2018 World Cup Qualifier draws, pointing out that football has come of age and was getting tougher by the day.

“Football has come of age. Peru beat Brazil in Copa America. But I think we have assets that can make the country proud and I believe we will qualify,’’ he said.

NAN recalls that the African 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers have the Super Eagles placed in Group B with Cameroon, Algeria and Zambia.

The NFF President said Super Eagles players were excited about facing Algeria and not Egypt, adding that the Federation would do everything possible to support them to qualify.

“We will ensure that we make the difference in all,’’ he said.

Also speaking on the allegation that he was in Ibadan as a guest of FC IfeanyiUbah, Pinnick said he was there to visit his aunt.

“I grew up here and I am a fan of 3SC. I have only come to greet my aunty in Ibadan,’’ he stated.

Pinnick said he was very glad to see football fans come out in their thousands to support 3SC.

“It is a sign of the people’s love for the team and the game,’’ he said.(NAN)

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3 wounded In Nigeria Over Messi, Ronaldo Superiority Argument in abuja

Three football fans were wounded in a free-for-all in a bar in Abakaliki on Saturday night over an argument about who is a better player between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Correspondent who witnessed the melee reports that the incident occurred at the Kpirikpiri area of the town during the EURO 2016 second round match between Portugal and Croatia.

NAN also reports that Portugal won the match 1-0 courtesy of a Ricardo Quaresma 114th minute-extra time goal that sent them into the competition’s quarter-finals.

Trouble started when a Ronaldo supporter identified as “Marshal’’ celebrated widely as the Real Madrid star’s shot was parried into Quaresma’s path for the goal to the consternation of the Messi’s supporter named Obinna.

The duo had argued all night over the better player between both mega stars.

NAN reports that immediately Quaresma scored, Marshal rushed to Obinna and mocked him, chanting “I told you, I told you Ronaldo is the best’’.

Obinna who apparently was reeling with anger pushed Marshal and a fight ensued which made others inside the bar to intervene.

Matters, however, went out of hand when Marshal’s friends felt that Obinna’s friends were indirectly aiding him in the fight, thus making the fight instantly a free-for-all.

The bar owner, identified simply as Simon, rushed outside to invite people within the compound as those inside couldn’t control the situation.

However, calm was eventually restored but three persons, including Obinna were seriously wounded, while Simon immediately closed before the match could end.

On the development, Simon said that both fans always argued on the issue of Real Madrid and Barcelona superiority.

“I banned them from coming to my shop but this is their first visit since the commencement of the competition.

“It took the intervention of others inside the shop for me to allow them, as I was sure that their acrimony toward each other goes beyond Ronaldo and Messi supremacy,’’ he said.

Dr Obiora Ike, a youth activist, decried the level of fanaticism being displayed by young soccer fans in the state, especially over foreign clubs and players.

“This sort of incident occurs regularly and one wonders why people should fight and disturb themselves over clubs and footballers who do not even know that they exist.

“It is time the relevant authorities should seriously address this issue before it gets out of hand and curiously, none of these fanatics has such sentiment for Nigerian clubs and players,’’ he said.

DSP George Okafor, the State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, said that the incident had not been officially reported.

He added that the command always dealt with such issues decisively.

“Football hooliganism is a societal malaise as it is only foolish people who indulge in it,’’ he said.

cc: abujafact

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Nigeria’s U-20 Beat U-23 In A Friendly Match Played In ABUJA Today

Nigeria’s U23 national team suffered a 4-3 defeat against their U20 counterparts in Saturday’s friendly match played at the National Stadium, Abuja.

Orji Okonkwo’s brace plus Samuel Chukwueze and Victor Oshimen strikes helped Emmanuel Amuneke’s lads overcome the Olympics team despite strikes from Godwin Saviour, Etebo Oghenekaro and Shehu Abdullahi.

Orji Okonkwo handed the Flying Eagles side the lead in the 10th minutes before Saviour leveled up in the 27th minute.

Okonkwo recovered the lead for the U20 side nine minutes later and Chukwueze made it 3-1 five minutes to half time break.

In the second half, Oghenekaro reduced the scoreline to 3-2 in the 56th minute, but Oshimen restored Flying Eagles two goals lead for 4-2 in the 72nd minute with Abdullahi getting the third goal for his team.

The Nigeria U23 team had lost 2-1 to the same team in a friendly played in April.

The Dream Team Vi are expected to depart  for Atlanta, USA to continue preparations for the men’s football tournament of this year’s Olympics on July 2, while the Flying Eagles step up preparations for their Afcon U20 qualifier against Sudan.

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