Category: Front News

A spectacular second half strike by EmekaOgbugh proved decisive as Rivers United subdued Shekarau Babes 1-0 in a fiercely competed opening game at the 2016 ShehuDikko Annual pre-season tournament in Kaduna on Thursday.
Goal scoring opportunities were at a premium in both halves with the two sides appearing evenly matched for most parts but a moment of quality, 20 minutes from the end settled matters at the Kaduna Township Stadium.
Second half substitute Ogbugh credited the Rivers United technical manager, Stanley Eguma for the goal explaining that the experienced gaffer’s last minute instructions before he was thrown into the fray proved crucial.
“Before I was introduced, I received instructions from the coach (Eguma) to shoot at goal. So when I had that chance, I (pulled the trigger).
“I give glory to God that the ball went into the net,” the IMSU graduate said.
The win over Shekarau Babes means United have won every game they have played in pre-season as they intensify preparations for the 2016/17 season.
Rivers United will represent Nigeria in the 2017 Caf Champions League and the Shekarau Babes coach,Kabiru Ali Mazado believes the ‘Pride of Rivers’ will give Nigeria good representation on the continent.
“We played against a very good team comprising of very good and experienced footballers.
“By the grace of God, they will go places and the entire nation will be supporting them in the 2017 Caf Champions League,” Mazado said.
Rivers United technical manager, Eguma is pleased with the opportunity to continue to build his team through tests posed by games in the tournament.
“Our opponents (Shekarau Babes) gave us a good game and I am impressed with the level of our opponents as they are a fantastic team.
“We won the game because we are more experienced than them but we still have a lot to do.
“It is important to win matches in pre-season and it builds confidence but the truth is, if we cannot replicate this form when the season starts, then all our hard work will be in vain.

As the screening to build a brand new team for the Naze Millionaires intensifies, Teacnical Adviser, Emmanuel Deutsch says he is impressed with the turn out of players so far.
The Cameroonian gaffer, in an exclusive chat with Sports Ambassador reiterated that he wants to build the team from the scratch and he will work without sentiments or favoritism.
“I have been impressed with the players who are showing up for the screening exercise since we started on Tuesday. There have been great improvement and I can tell you that I am satisfied with what I have seen so far,” said the gaffer to Sports Ambassador.
The former Akwa United TA also emphasized that the camp is open to every player who wants to prove himself and there is no discrepancies between who is an old player of the club or new player.
Hear him: “every player coming for the screening exercise will be treated equally. I will not give any form of preferences to those who claim to be old players of the club. Everybody needs to come and fight for a place. I can only consider one as an old player when he is able to show it in character, mentality and experience. There is a need for everyone to submit himself to the open camp and make good impression in order to get a place in the team.”
Heartland FC is making preparations to return to the top flight of Nigerian football after being relegated for the first time ever in the club’s history.
The open camp screening will continue until the 23rd of December when there will be a short break in order to resume next year.

Head coach of Nigeria’s women’s national team Florence Omagbemi is optimistic of her side’s chances of beating Cameroon in Saturday’s final of the 2016 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Awcon).
The Super Falcons and the Indomitable Lionesses go toe to toe in the showpiece game of the 2016 Awcon at the StadeAhmadouAhidjo, Yaoundé on Saturday.
It is a repeat of the 2014 final in Namibia when goals from AsisatOshoala and Desire Oparanozie proved decisive as Nigeria won 2-0 against Cameroon
Omagbemi believes history will repeat itself on Saturday and insists her charges are ready to retain the Awcon title.
“The strength of this (Falcons) team has a lot to do with determination and pride.
“We are the first African side to reach the quarter-final of the Fifa Women’s World Cup and we have that at the back of our minds and will try to communicate that to the players.
“We try to compete with the top teams and always relay that to the players when we compete in Africa.
“We have had some distractions but we try to focus on the task at hand because the players know our objectives,” she said.
Winning against Cameroon on Saturday may be more complicated than it looks on the surface as the Lionesses have been peerless in the tournament thus far.
They have a hundred percent record after four matches and have yet to concede a goal in the tournament while breaching the rear guard of their four previous opponents on six occasions.
The Cameroonian fans have also turned out en masse for all previous games of the Lionesses, providing a cauldron of noise for opposing sides, but Omagbemi is not fazed.
“We are here to defend the trophy we won in Namibia in 2014; that is why we are here in Cameroon.
“We are playing against the hosts on Saturday. The team (Falcons) is ready mentally, physically and psychologically for that game against Cameroon.
“This is not the first time the Nigerian team is playing against the Cameroonian team.
“Some of the players that played in 2014 in Namibia are still here so we have a lot of experience.
“It will be a great game on Saturday,” she said.
Omagbemi concluded by paying tribute to former coach UcheEucharia, the first female trainer to win the Awcon title for Nigeria.
“I am hoping to become the second female coach to win the Awcon after UcheEucharia who did a great job with the Falcons in the past.
“She was the one who opened the door for us (female coaches), proving that we could also do it.
“These days a lot of national federations are encouraging their ex-internationals to go into coaching,” she said.

Tragedy was avoided two days ago as  Five members of the Super Falcons escaped death by the whiskers as airctaft emits smoke
– The players were eventually forced to travel by road from Doula to Yaounde
– Nigeria face hosts Cameroon in the final of the 2016 African Women’s Championship
Five members of the Super Falcons were able to escape a possible plane crash ahead of this year’s African Women’s Cup of Nations final.
Nigerian Bulletin reports that the players were forced to travel by road from Duoala to Yaounde on Wednesday, Novemver 30, as the aircraft they were meant to fly with developed electrical fault shortly before take off.
Nigeria face hosts Cameroon in the final of the 2016 AWCON tournament after defeating South Africa 1 – 0 in their semi-final clash.
The Super Falcons celebrate after their semi-final clash against South Africa.
It was gathered the team was scheduled to leave Douala at 9am, for a 45-minute flight to Yaounde but CAF could not secure seats for the players.
Florence Omagbemi’s ladies arrived at the airport, along with their South African counterparts who play Ghana’s Black Queens in third-place match.
On getting to Douala airport, CAF officials could not secure enough seats for the entire Nigerian team on one plane and the remaining five were checked in for another flight which eventually did not fly.
The trip is four hours by road.
“The team experienced some delay at the airport, but at the end, all the players and officials could not travel together in one plane because it was a small aircraft which could not accommodate both Nigeria and the South African team at the same time. As a result, five members of the team were left behind,” a member of the team told the Guardian.
“Those five people were later checked into another plane, but just as they were preparing to commence the journey to Yaoundé, smoke started coming out from the plane due to electrical problem and everybody was evacuated. The five people had to embark on their journey by road to Yaoundé.”
This incident is coming less than 24 hours players of Brazilian club Chapecoense were involved in a plane crash on their way to the Copa Sudemerica final against Atletico Naconial match in Colombia.

Nigeria Goal Keeper Carl Ikeme had to be substituted in the closing minutes of Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 win at Queens Park Rangers on Thursday night after suffering an injury.
The Super Eagles glovesman limped off the pitch with an undisclosed injury in the 83rd minute and is set to undergo tests to determine the severity of his latest injury.
Ikeme did not travel to Uyo for Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against Algeria last month after suffering a hip injury days leading up to the clash and was replaced in the squad by South Africa-based Daniel Akpeyi.
The 30-year-old was making his first appearance for Wolves since October 29, 2016 when he subbed out just before the second half started against Blackburn Rovers.
NedumOnuoha and Dominic Iorfa lasted the distance at Loftus Road, while Bright Enobakhare was on the bench for the entire duration of the game.

Nigerian international Michael Uchebo has made a shock revelation of his inhumane treatment in Portuguese club Boavista.
In June 2014 Uchebo realised a dream. The striker, then playing for CercleBrugge, was a surprise selection for Nigeria’s World Cup squad and his moment arrived 66 minutes into a Group F tie against Argentina.
Lionel Messi had just been substituted but as Nigeria sought to overturn a 3 -2 deficit and Uchebo contested late, desperate balls into the box with EzequielGaray, it seemed like the kind of company any footballer would be thrilled to keep.
These days Uchebo is, in his own words, “confused and scared”. That afternoon in Porto Alegre could hardly seem further away; Uchebo signed for Boavista three months later but alleges the Portuguese club have not paid him since March and he has been forced to train alone for the best part of a year. It is a troubling story, inevitably involving claim and counterclaim, and unless the player’s situation is resolved his case will be lodged with Fifa’s dispute resolution chamber – a last resort, given the likely duration of any hearing would extend his isolation indefinitely when he simply wants to be playing football.
“I’ve been dying in silence, with nobody to help me,” Uchebo said at a specially arranged press conference last week.
“I remember going to have a shop and not having money to buy something; I came to [Boavista] and said I needed money for food. They haven’t paid my house rent, haven’t paid for my electricity – I remember two days when I didn’t have any electricity in my house. They didn’t care; they don’t give me any money and don’t care for me.”
Uchebo says his problems began when, last November, Boavista told him to stop reporting for training and advised he should find a new club in January. The team had begun their PrimeiraLiga season disastrously; Uchebo, 6ft 4in, had not scored and on the surface it may seem reasonable that a club afflicted with long-term financial difficulties would wish to consider the best use of resources. Uchebo says he was not paid in December or January and then, when two offers from other clubs materialised before the transfer deadline, was told Boavista had changed their minds.
“I told them: ‘You’ve stopped me training for two months, you’re not paying my salary and, now I have an option, I want to go; I don’t ask for the money, I just want to continue my career,’” he said. No agreement was reached but Uchebo’s lot temporarily improved. He won brief favour from Erwin Sánchez, the new coach, and made seven appearances – all bar one from the bench – earlier this year. He also received a salary payment in March.
Uchebo, made a brief return to the Boavista side but then found himself exiled again.
According to Uchebo that is the last time Boavista – to whom he is contracted until 30 June 2017 – fulfilled their obligations. Fifa rules stipulate clubs must pay players within 90 days of the agreed date. He claims that after the season finished he was told to accept a new deal, with a salary revised significantly downwards, if he wanted to stay; no agreement was reached and on his return for pre-season he was frozen out from training once more.
“They said I couldn’t train, they wouldn’t give me anything to train, eat with the team or go where the team was eating,” he said. “At the end of August I told the club president [Álvaro Braga Júnior] that my family had problems because they still hadn’t paid me my salary. He told me: ‘I don’t pay you, I won’t pay you any money, just go.’ In September they asked me to take one month’s salary to leave but the transfer window had closed, so where did they want me to go?”
He says that since then he has been denied an individual training programme and at times even banned from the club gym when seeking to work out alone. Earlier this month a video emerged that purports to show Uchebo being threatened with force by security personnel when attempting to use the club’s facilities. “How can you treat me like a slave?” he is heard asking. Another video appears to show a furious Uchebo confronting an inscrutable Braga Júnior about the non-payment of his salary.
Uchebo’s exile continues. He is effectively trapped in a foreign country with few diversions other than fruitless daily visits to his employer. He is supported by the global players’ union Fifpro and the Portuguese Sindicato dos JogadoresProfissionais de Futebol [SJPF], who provide financial and legal backing.
“This case embarrasses the country and Portuguese football,” the SJPF president, Joaquim Evangelista, told the Guardian. “Like any other player Michael just wants to do his job. Every day he hopes the nightmare will end. He just wants to play again. The club is repeatedly violating the obligations established in his contract.”

Imo state born Italian defender, Angel Obinze Ogbonna who hails from Obinze in Owerri North LGA has for the record time lamented on the manner journalists, football commentators and analysts have continue to spell/write his name wrongly.
Reacting to a report published last weekend by Sports Ambassador why Angelo Ogbonna couldn’t play for Nigeria, the West Ham of England defender who expressed his observation through a whatsapp massage wished that his name be spelt and pounced correctly adding that Obinze is his middle name while Angel is his first name.
Journalists and other Sports writers even at the international community are however requested to take note of the corrections in their subsequent write-ups.