Category: Football News

Coach Stanley Eguma has admitted his Rivers United is in for two tough matches against AS Real Bamako of Mali in a preliminary round of the 2017 CAF Champions League.
Rivers United will travel to Bamako to face the six-time Malian champions in the first leg in February 2017, before navigating the return fixture a week later in Port Harcourt.
Eguma said the ties will represent a difficult proposition for his side as they look to make a favourable impression in their first-ever expedition into the waters of Africa’s premiere club competition.
“I see the draw to face AS Real Bamako as an extremely tough one because they are a very big club,” he admitted.
“They have a rich pedigree in CAF inter-club competitions and have a history of producing plenty of players for Mali’s senior national team.
“Mali’s heritage in both the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and African Championship of Nations (CHAN) defines them as a very strong footballing Nation so AS Real Bamako must be respected.
“Don’t also forget that AS Real Bamako knocked (seven-time Nigerian champions), Enyimba out of this same competition in 2014.”
Eguma, a veteran of many CAF Champions League battles with former clubs Enyimba and Dolphins is however not daunted by the prospect of facing such a tough opposition.
The experienced coach explained that painstakingly detailed-pre-season preparations will put his side in fine fettle for the task at hand.
“We have prepared very well for this tournament and it is actually a blessing in disguise that we start meeting the stronger sides from the early (stages of the competition),” he said
“To become a champion, you must be ready to face the best.
“If we must beat Real Bamako over two legs, everyone involved with the football club must be united, work hard and stay focused on the task ahead,” he said.
Rivers United’s first leg clash with AS Real Bamako will take hold at the
Stade Mamadou Konaté in Bamako on the weekend of February 10-12 with the second leg coming up a week later at the AdokiyeAmiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt.

Nigeria improved its standing in the FIFA World ranking for Women, as it moved two places up to 35th , obviously triggered by the Falcons triumph at the Africa Women Cup of Nations in Cameroon this month.
The Super Falcons were previously ranked 37 on the log, and still retain their number one position on the continent, while Ghana’s Black Queens who moved a step further to the 45th position are the number two in Africa.
Cameroon, 47th in the world are in the third spot in Africa, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa make up the top five African ranks with 50 and 51 positions respectively.

Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) clubs will from the coming season raise youth teams for players aged 15 years and below to compete in the new NPFL Youth League. This is even as the League Management Company (LMC) declared a surplus/savings of N483 million in its operations for the 2015/16 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season.
This was contained in the financial report submitted by the Chairman of the LMC, Shehu Dikko and accepted with commendations at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the LMC held in Enugu on Sunday, December 11.
Other high points of the AGM resolution include the approval of the LMC proposal for a Youth League tournament in partnership with LaLiga that all clubs will participate in, the endorsement of a new bonus/incentives structure as proposed by the LMC, approval of the club merchandising proposal by the LMC to deploy part of the clubs’ revenue from source for payment of clubs’ jersey replicas and the election of clubs’ representatives to serve on the LMC Board.
In one of its 22 points resolutions, the AGM made up of the 20 NPFL Clubs, the Nigeria Football Federation and LMC Independent Directors, noted that it received a detailed presentation of the LMC income and expenditure report from the 2015/16 season which was approved at the 2nd AGM in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State in February, 2016. It went further to state, “the outline of expenditure report shows actual income receipts for 2016 of N2.831 million as against the N2.112 million expected guaranteed revenues and N4.817 million projected gross revenue while actual expenditure budget for year 2016 stood at N2.347 million as against budgeted expenditure of N3.260 million for the season. The financials for 2016 season therefore show a surplus/savings of N483million which has been carried over to form part of the revenues for the 2016/17 to facilitate early commencement of the season.”
On the Youth League, the AGM resolution noted, “The meeting approved LMC proposal to start a Youth League Competition for U-15 among NPFL participating clubs in association with LaLiga in furtherance of the partnership agreement between the two leagues. The league would be fashioned after the ‘LaLiga Promisas’ with Laliga serving as technical partners.”
Clubs are expected to employ young coaches for the Youth teams and in line with the collaboration with Laliga, the Spanish league will provide Technical assistance by sending coaches who will train the Youth team coaches before the start of the league.
The new bonus/incentive structure will see clubs earn N500, 000 for an away win, N200, 000 for an away draw and N250, 000 for attracting over 5000 fans to watch home games. There is also a N200, 000 monthly stadium maintenance support and N100, 000 for dressing three Youth players (U-18) in a Matchday squad with one of the players having a play time of 15 minutes while N200, 000 will be paid to a club that fielded such youth players with one playing for 45 minutes on a Matchday.

Reports coming out of England has it that Anglo Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman will join English Premier League side Everton from Charlton Athletic on the first of January.
He is reportedly being tracked by host of English Premier League clubs but it appears Everton have won the race for his signature in a deal reportedly worth over £10m.
The highly rated 19 year old is widely regarded as one of the finest talent in English football with 10 goals from 45 first team appearances for the Addicks.
Lookman is expected to add firepower to the forward line of Everton as manager Ronald Koeman seek an alternative to top scorer RomeluLukaku, who could be in need of a rest as the season progresses.
Born to Nigerian parents in the United Kingdom, he has already represented England at youth level, but Nigeria are reportedly keeping a close watch on his progress.

Newly signed Enyimba goalkeeper, Fatau Dauda has been called up by Ghana  for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, Sports Ambassador gathered.
The 31-year old was  Black Stars’ first choice goalkeeper at  the 2013 AFCON finals in South Africa, but lost his place to Brimah Razak at the last edition of the competition in 2015 hosted by Equatorial Guinea.
The coach Avram Grant led side will resume camping for the competition on December 28  at the Thomas Aquinas Secondary School before proceeding to the United Arab Emirates on January 2nd for the final part of their preparation.
The shot-stopper who has been capped 25 times by Ghana recently penned a two- year deal with the seven-time Nigeria Professional Football League champions.
Dauda joined the Peoples Elephant in a free following the expiration of his contract with Ghana Premier League side, Ashanti Gold. He  once had stints with South African sides; Orlando Pirates and Chippa United.

It is apparently becoming clear to fans of English Premiership club, Chelsea that Super Eaglers Captain, John Mikel Obi, will be among the first set of players to be shipped out when the winter transfer window opens in just matter of days.
Already, a very close confidant of the Chelsea midfielder admitted at the weekend that Obi and his managerial team are currently perusing all the offers on the table with the hope of picking the ‘most suitable’ of them all.
“He is not looking for a club to win more trophies again. He is looking for a club, who will give him the right money. That is the more reason the agents are now carefully studying the offers tabled by all the clubs interested in his services,” revealed the close confidant of Mikel to Africanfootball.com.
“He has achieved all what he can in football, so he needs the money now.”
Two seasons ago, Mikel demanded a salary of six million dollars tax-free a year if he were to quit Stamford Bridge.
It is already understood that Inter Milan has tabled a bigger offer than Olympique Marseille for the Nigeria skipper.
Four top Chinese clubs as well as top French club Marseille and Milan rivals Inter and AC Milan are believed to be in the hunt for the experienced midfielder.
The 29-year-old Mikel has outdone the legendary NwankwoKanu as the most decorated Nigeria star after he won both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League as well as two Premier League titles, four FA Cup and two League Cup winners’ medals.
Just last summer, Mikel led Nigeria’s Dream Team VI to win Nigeria’s only medal -a bronze, in the men’s Olympic football event in Rio, Brazil.
It is generally believed that Mikel is paying for the ‘sin’ of going to the Olympic when a new manager stepped into the saddle at Stamford Bridge. He has remained frozen out of action since the beginning of the current season.

Enugu Rangers defender Kalu Orji says the club must be at their best to make an impact in the CAF Champions League after they were handed a tough draw on Wednesday.
The Flying Antelopes will face Algeria’s Jeunne Sportive Saoura in the preliminary round of the competition in February 2017.
ImamaAmapakabo’s men will then face Egyptian giants Zamalek in the next round should they beat Saoura. If the Nigerian champions overcome Zamalek they will be guaranteed a place in the group stages of the competition.
“It’s a tough draw for us and we must be at our best to go far in the competition,” Orji said.
“We all know the pedigree of North African teams in this competition, especially clubs from Egypt and Tunisia.
“As for Sauora, they are not a big name in African football but you don’t joke with any team from North Africa.
“We have to beat them first before we can start thinking about Zamalek. It’s going to be a tough road for us, one that will require hard work and dedication.”