Mixed reactions trail Galadima's nomination

By Ifeanyi Ibeh with agency reports


November 28, 2010

Four years ago, Ibrahim Galadima became one of the least popular people in the country for his comments after Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Nigerians who were only then coming to terms with the fact that the Super Eagles were not going to the Mundial in Germany got furious that the head of the football house was quoted as saying that qualification for the biggest football event in the world was not Nigeria's "birthright."

Such was the public uproar that not a lot of eyelids were batted when the then sports minister Ismaila Sambawa decided to nullify the outcome of the polls re-electing Galadima as the NFF boss.

However, just over a week ago, the man under whose tenure Nigeria failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since making a debut appearance at the tournament in the United States of America back in 1994 was nominated as the country's representative ahead of next February's elections into the executive committee of Africa's football governing body, CAF.

And if Galadima or anybody in the NFF thought four years was enough to make the majority of Nigerians forget the memories of that 2006 World Cup failure, they were proved wrong because as soon as news of his nomination emerged, criticisms came from all directions.

Old sins still fresh

From former footballers like Emeka Ezeugo, Nduka Ugbade, Steve Abarowei and Jonathan Akpoborie, to football analyst Bode Oguntuyi, as well as sports writer Dare Esan, the general opinion was that the Kano based businessman was not good enough to fly the country's flag at the polls taking place in Khartoum next year. He will be up against the respective heads of the football associations of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, Kwesi Nyantakyi and Jacques Anouma.

The Galadima critics opined that other candidates such as former Nigerian internationals Segun Odegbami and Adokie Amiesimaka, as well as a former handler of the Super Eagles and FIFA technical instructor Adeboye Onigbinde would have been better placed to vie for a spot in the executive arm of the continental body.

"There are lots of other Nigerians who can represent us and do a better job like Odegbami, Adokie and even Onigbinde," Oguntuyi told NEXT in Lagos. "These are people I believe that can elevate Nigeria's status in CAF and FIFA but I guess they were not even considered in the first place by those that nominated Galadima."

"A lot of politicking takes place within CAF and FIFA but these organisations also know the importance of having technocrats and that's why we need the likes of Adokie and Odegbami who can represent Nigeria in CAF and FIFA the way the late Patrick Okpomo did," added Esan, editor of Nigerian sports daily, Complete Sports, recalling the late secretary general of the Nigerian FA, Okpomo, who died in 2004.

Efforts by NEXTSports to get the acting secretary general of the NFF, Musa Amadu to comment on how Galadima's name emerged from the discreet selection process proved abortive as the NFF scribe refused to comment on the matter offering instead to speak on the issue at some other time.

Subsequent efforts also failed to yield positive fruits as NEXTSports was informed by an official in the NFF secretariat that Amadu, along with a handful of board members had journeyed to Germany for last Thursday's international friendly between the Super Falcons and their German counterparts.

Galadima also refused to comment on his nomination when NEXTSports got in touch with him but he had earlier told the BBC why he decided at this point to come out of his shell.

And according to him, winning a place on CAF's executive committee would give him the chance to help rebuild the organisation's image and salvage the continent's dignity especially in the light of the recent suspension of four of the continent's top football administrators by FIFA, including Nigeria's Amos Adamu.

Project Galadima

"It's not a Galadima project but that of Nigeria and Africa," Galadima told the BBC.

"There are several aspects of the African game that require development. Our youth and club football needs to develop and the women's game must take a professional path as well." He then added: "The entire set-up needs change, which I hope to bring on board. The NFF has put me forward with the backing of the sports ministry in Nigeria not because I'm the best amongst several millions.

"They are confident I can represent Nigeria and the continent to the best of my ability." The decision of the NFF and the sports ministry didn't however go down well with Adamu whose seat Galadima will be vying for at next February's CAF Congress.

This is because Adamu recently launched an appeal against his three-year suspension by FIFA over a cash-for-votes scandal and felt the NFF's decision could lead to confusion if his appeal is successful at the end of the day.

There are however a cross section of individuals, mostly those who have had a first-hand experience of working with Galadima who believe his nomination is a step in the right direction.

One of those who see the move in a positive light is former NFF executive member Taiwo Ogunjobi, who worked as the FA's scribe under Galadima.

"I think Galadima's nomination was well thought out and I am hopeful that he will represent the country very well on the CAF Executive Committee board," said Ogunjobi in a chart with Supersport.com.

"He is a man of integrity and having worked very closely with him some years back, I can say without hesitation that his candidature will bring good tidings to both the image of the country and indeed the development of the game both in Nigeria and on the continent of Africa," he added.

Another is former member of the Federal House of Representatives Lumumba Adeh. "I want to call on all well meaning Nigerians to give total support to Galadima's candidature. The government has a special role to play because it is going to involve diplomacy and stuffs like that."

Age-old syndrome ruining the league

Alaba Balogun of 3Sc charges at Peter Bako of zamfara united in a premiership match played on Sunday 13th November 201 at Kano pillar stadium Kano. Photo by 4to-sports

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


November 28, 2010 12:53AM


The 2010/2011 Nigerian Premier League season has been on for close to a month now and a couple of impressive performances have been recorded by clubs as they attempt to justify the ‘huge' resources expended on them by their sponsors.

But it appears the pressure to achieve success is gradually beginning to lead to the re-emergence of a disease that is as old as organized league football in Nigeria - the win-at-all-costs syndrome.

After the opening weekend of the new season, the Nigerian league and its organizers, the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) justifiably received applause for the series of impressive results recorded by clubs, mostly those playing away from home.

Kano Pillars set the ball rolling with a 1-1 draw against Kaduna United in the opening game of the season on November 6 before Dolphins travelled to Jos the following day, to post a 1-0 win over Plateau United. Newly promoted JUTH also achieved a respectable 1-1 draw against Sharks in Port Harcourt courtesy of a goal in added time by their Ghanaian import James Amankwei, while Zamfara United played out a goalless draw away to Bukola Babes.

Even Lobi Stars received commendation from Enugu Rangers' coach Alphonsus Dike after leaving Enugu, and with their heads up high, on the back of a 3-2 loss to the Flying Antelopes. The following weekend was even better for the away sides as six of the ten scheduled games ended in score draws most notably the encounter in Kano between Zamfara United and visiting Shooting Stars that saw the home side grabbing a very late equalizer through an own goal by the Ibadan side's Festus Iyonu.

Even more remarkable about the second round of matches was the fact that all the other drawn games ended 1-1 with the visitors coming from behind to draw level against their hosts, while the latest goal recorded on the score sheet, besides the Zamfara equalizer, was the 82nd minute goal by Omoh Ojabu which decided the outcome of the game in Port Harcourt between Dolphins and Rangers.

Then came last weekend's third round of matches and a whole lot that everyone was beginning to forget suddenly returned to the consciousness of followers of the Nigerian league.

Although Sunshine Stars recorded an away win - a 1-0 victory over Plateau United- while Heartland and JUTH recorded draws away from home, the weekend was blighted by the lone goal victory of Kwara United over Kano Pillars with the home side's winning goal arriving in the 95th minute courtesy of a penalty conversion by Isiaka Olawale. This was after the visitor's had seen their goalkeeper Theophilus Afelokhai sent off by the referee.

"It's so sad to lose a game in such manner; it wasn't fair on my players," recalled Salisu Yusuf, the Kano Pillars coach. "We had done everything we could and deserved to come out with a draw from that game but the referee felt otherwise and I wouldn't completely blame him for doing that; it happens all the time in our league." According to Mr Yusuf, a former Nigerian international, the match which was played at the Offa Township Stadium did not have enough security personnel on ground.

Inadequate security

"I don't think the security provided by the home team was enough to guarantee the safety of the officials and that is something the NPL should look at in order to forestall a recurrence this season," Yusuf added.

Under the rules and regulations of the ongoing Premier League season, it is the joint responsibility of the state FA and the Premier League club under its jurisdiction to provide security at match venues.

Article 3.4 (1) of the rules and regulations, which is specific about security at match venues on match days highlights that ‘a minimum of 50 law enforcement agents are required before the start of a game. However, the Match Commissioner shall commence matches if satisfied with the security available on ground.' It also stated in Article 3.4 (2) that ‘security personnel shall be detailed to match officials and the away team.' "Those are the rules," Emeka Nwani, the head of media of the NPL told NEXT. "The state FAs and the clubs under their jurisdiction must provide security at match venues.

"The NPL cannot take any decision on the Kwara United/Kano Pillars game until we get the official reports from both the match commissioner and the referee. But if the referee was intimidated or harassed in that game the match commissioner has the power to call off the game.

"And if this is indicated in his report three points and three goals will be deducted from the guilty club," added Nwani with reference to Article 3.7(2 and 3) of the rules and regulations.

Article 3.7 (1) states that: ‘where the match officials are harassed or intimidated,

Match Commissioners are empowered to call off or discontinue with the meetings and or the matches' while Article 3.7(3) states that: ‘upon receipt of the Match Commissioner's report, 3 points 3 goals shall be deducted from the already accrued points of the offending team, and the opponent shall be credited with 3 points and 3 goals.' "But referees are also humans, they make mistakes but it is not peculiar to Nigeria as it also happens in Europe," added Nwani referring to the last Wednesday's UEFA Champions League match between Braga and Arsenal; a match that was overseen with the experimental two additional penalty area referee's assistants.

"The referee ought to have awarded a penalty to Arsenal but he felt the player had dived and instead issued him a yellow card. That decision turned out to be crucial as Braga went on to score two goals and win the game.

Sanitizing the league

He then added that "The NPL will not sanitize the league in one year. In fact, we may need as much as five or six years to bring the league to a standard everyone will be proud to be associated with, but it is a gradual process and we're very much on track." The NPL sure appears to be on track with their efforts at sanitizing the league judging by the actions already taken by them in recent weeks.

Firstly, they fined Niger Tornadoes the sum of one million naira after their first and second choice goalkeepers appeared in unauthorized team jerseys in their game against Heartland.

The NPL also fined Rangers the sum of five hundred thousand naira after the name on the back of the jersey of one of its players in their 1-0 loss to Dolphins was discovered to have been done with the aid of a coloured pen.

"The rules are clear," continued Nwani "Rangers were fined just for simply using a coloured marker to indicate the name of a player on his jersey. The same thing happened to Niger Tornadoes.

"So if at the end of the day any team is discovered to have threatened the safety of match officials or visiting teams by not providing adequate security during matches then such a team will be sanctioned accordingly." The maximum penalty in this case, if it is proven that match

officials were harassed by club supporters or officials, even before, during or after pre-match meetings, is a fine of five million naira which according to Article 3.7(1), must be paid before the club's next home match.

Controversial Garden City derby

Undoubtedly, the biggest news from last weekend's matches was the controversial lone goal defeat inflicted on Dolphins by fierce Port Harcourt rivals Sharks.

The game was the most eagerly anticipated match of last weekend's games and was beamed live across Africa by SuperSport. Both sides actually tried to make a contest of it in the first half but it was a different kettle of fish in the second half as players of Dolphins literally went to sleep right after Sharks shot into the lead in the 64th minute through veteran forward Victor Ezeji.

Afterwards, Dolphins appeared content to leave the score line as it was as they made no effort to threaten their opponents thus fuelling rumours that the game's outcome might actually have been predetermined especially as both sides are jointly owned by the Rivers state government.

Both sides however vehemently denied the allegations while the NPL, through its chairman Davidson Owumi, stated that the league body will wait to receive the official report of the game before deciding on the next step adding that if the official report indicates that there was any sign of foul play, the NPL "will not hesitate to take action." Any action taken in this regard by the NPL will be in line with Article 4.5 which ensures that any club or clubs found guilty will be fined the sum of 20 million naira and expelled from the league.

In addition, the result of the match shall be cancelled and any individual found guilty of involvement in the act shall be banned from league related activities for a minimum period of five years.

There is however no provision in the NPL's rules and regulations guarding against the single ownership of clubs in the same competition by a single entity, which is a violation of Article 9 of the FIFA Club Licensing Regulations which prohibit a single natural or legal entity from direct or indirect ownership of multiple clubs, in the same competition.

Unbeaten Shooting Stars dares angry Pillars in Kano

Shooting Stars, Taiwo Hassan (R) stretches for the ball in his side's 2-2 draw against Zamfara United in Kano. Photo 4to-sports
By Ifeanyi Ibeh

League leaders Shooting Stars will tomorrow attempt to maintain their unbeaten run in the 2010/2011 Premier League season when they take on Kano Pillars at the Sani Abacha Stadium.

The Ibadan based Shooting Stars have so far this season shown considerable improvement from the side that struggled all through last season defeating Sunshine Stars (2-1) and newly promoted Bukola Babes (2-0) and were only a few seconds away from recording a memorable away win over Zamfara United before the home side grabbed a last gasp goal to secure a 2-2 draw at the Sani Abacha Stadium.

On the other hand, Kano Pillars have yet to hit any form of consistency in the three weeks old season.

Kano Pillars, league champions two seasons ago, actually started the season on a bright note with a one-all draw at Kaduna United before returning home to pip Bukola Babes 1-0 in penultimate weekend’s round of matches. They however went down by the same score line to Kwara United no thanks to a controversial 95th minute penalty conversion by Isiaka Olawale.

“We have already put that behind us,” said Pillars coach Salisu Yusuf, recalling last weekend’s controversial penalty against his side. “We are only focussing on the match against Shooting Stars.

“Everyone here knows that they have been doing well since the start of the season which is why they are on top of the table but we also know that if we get a win on Saturday we’ll both be equal on points,” stressed the former Nigeria international.

Familiar haunting ground

Shooting Stars are on seven points, three points ahead of Pillars, but have also scored twice in each of their three league games to date, and will be looking to continue on that impressive note as they make a return to an already familiar venue.

“We played there (Sani Abacha Stadium) against Zamfara and the playing surface is good for football,” recalled Shooting Stars coach Fatai Amoo. “It is very suitable for our style of football and if the boys play to their potentials I believe we can come out of this game with something.

“It won’t be, as the saying goes, a stroll in the park as our opponents are a very good side; a side that’s very difficult to beat at home. But we’ll give it our best shot,” added the former Super Eagles assistant coach.

Another big game billed for tomorrow is that between Dolphins and second-placed Gombe United, who are also unbeaten. The game comes up at Port Harcourt’s Liberation Stadium.

In other games, Bukola Babes will attempt to record a historic first ever goal in the Nigerian top flight when they welcome defending champions Enyimba to the Offa Township Stadium, while unbeaten JUTH, complete with Ghanaian import James Amankwei, who has scored two goals so far, will go in search of their first win of the season when they take on the equally unbeaten Warri Wolves at the Rwang Pam Stadium, Jos. Warri Wolves have in their fold Ekigho Ehiosun who has scored three goals and who jointly leads the scorers chart with Enugu Rangers’ Fred Okwara.

Crown FC will also take on Kwara United at Ilaro.

Ime Udoka rejoins San Antonio Spurs

By Ifeanyi Ibeh with agency reports


November 26, 2010





Nigerian basketball star, Ime Udoka, has rejoined the San Antonio Spurs and featured in Thursday’s 113-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The 33-year-old, a 6-foot-5 guard-forward, spent last season with the Sacramento Kings, where he played in 69 games and averaged 3.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15.4 minutes per game.

He previously played for the San Antonio Spurs in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons, where he averaged 5.1 points and 3.0 rebounds in 140 regular season games, and 5.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 21 playoff games.

He had also, over the course of his six years NBA career, played for the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers but had been a free agent since been released by the Timberwolves.

“It’s great to be back, and I know the system,” Udoka told The Oregonian. “The coaches know what I do from my two years, and I know the terminology and fit right in. And I’m very comfortable with the guys.”

Since becoming a free agent this summer, Udoka had worked out with the Chicago Bulls and declined several offers to play for a European club side.

“I didn’t want to go to camp just for the sake of going to camp,” he said. “I understood it might be a little slower with a down personal year for me last year with a team that wasn’t that good in Sacramento.”

Udoka, who will be paid the veteran’s minimum of $1.146 million, signed a non-guaranteed contract, meaning the deal won’t become guaranteed unless he is still on the roster come January 10 next year.

Germany too GR-EIGHT for Falcons

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


November 26, 2010





The Super Falcons on Thursday in Germany suffered an embarrassing 8-0 defeat at the hands of Germany in an international friendly match played in the city of Leverkusen.

It was the worst defeat to be inflicted upon the Super Falcons by any side since their equally embarrassing 8-0 defeat to Norway at the 1995 FIFA Women’s World Cup held in Sweden.

It was also the first time the Super Falcons will be conceding seven or more goals since suffering a 7-1 battering against the United States of America at the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, held in the United States.

The result was also the worst defeat the German side has ever inflicted on the Super Falcons since beating Nigeria 4-0 at the inaugural FIFA World Cup in China back in 1991.

German efficiency

Inka Grings opened the floodgate of goals for the Germans as early as the 5th minute, before Kerstin Garefrekes doubled the tally three minutes later.

A minute after the restart, Grings grabbed her second of the game to make it 3-0 for the Germans. It was the 32-year-old’s 61st goal for Germany on a night she was marking her 87th appearance for the national team.

Brigit Prinz, marking her record 208th appearance for Germany, then made it 4-0 for the world champions in the 18th minute, before wrapping up a one-sided half for the Germans with her second of the night in the 42nd minute; a goal that brought the 33-year-old’s internationally tally to 128 goals.

Germany coach, Silvia Neid, who back in 1991 became the first German woman to score against the Super Falcons, then introduced Alexandra Popp, leading scorer at this year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany, in the second half, and she soon rewarded her coach for having faith in her by making it 6-0.

Garefrekes wasn’t, however, done yet as she then grabbed two further goals, in the 71st and 79th minutes, to complete her hat-trick and Germany’s biggest win since their 7-0 whitewash of Finland back in February at the Algarve Cup in Portugal.

The heavy defeat of the Super Falcons raises doubts over the team’s chances at next year’s World Cup in Germany, but it will be recalled that the team’s handler, Eucharia Uche, had shortly after the team’s arrival from the African Women’s Championship (AWC), expressed her displeasure at the games’ timing, as it did not afford her wards enough time to recuperate from the rigours of the AWC.

Galadima is unpopular choice for Adamu's position

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


November 24, 2010




It emerged on Monday that the former boss of the football association, Ibrahim Galadima, had been nominated by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to seek election into the executive committee of Africa's football governing body, CAF.

His nomination, which also reportedly got the backing of the sports ministry, comes in the aftermath of the three-year suspension slammed on Amos Adamu by football's world governing body, FIFA. Adamu, up until his suspension, was a member of the Executive Committee of both CAF and FIFA. The suspension meant that Nigeria no longer had any representation in the decision making bodies of the two organizations.

However, every member nation in CAF is permitted to send in a nomination ahead of next February's elections into the executive committee coming up in Khartoum, Sudan. But the question on most people's minds is how did Galadima emerge as the country's candidate where he will be up against the Ghana FA president, Kwesi Nyantakyi and Jacques Anouma of the Ivorian FA? "I wonder how his name popped up in the first place because to the best of my knowledge the NFF did not meet," said football analyst, Bode Oguntuyi.

Galadima was the boss of the FA between 2002 and 2006, before his place was taken by the erstwhile head of the NFF, Sani Lulu. His exit was however under controversial circumstances as he had been re-elected for another four-year term only for the sports ministry, then headed by Ismaila Sambawa, to nullify the election's outcome.

He subsequently lost out to Lulu in a re-run of the polls, but his name remained etched in the consciousness of football followers in Nigeria for the infamous statement he made in 2005, when he said that qualification for the World Cup was not "Nigeria's birthright" while the country battled for qualification during the 2006 World Cup. The football administrator will also be remembered as someone not tainted by any allegations of corruption.

Galadima's sin

"I don't think it is fair to give such an opportunity to someone who famously said that the World Cup was not Nigeria's birthright," said Oguntuyi. "No sane administrator will make such a statement." When asked how Galadima's name emerged as the country's nomination for the CAF position, the acting secretary general of the NFF, Musa Amadu, refused to comment on the issue, stating instead that he will speak on the issue at a more opportune time.

Dare Esan, the editor of Nigeria's all sports daily, Complete Sports, feels that Galadima is not the best candidate. According to him, the likes of former internationals Segun Odegbami and Adokie Amiesimaka, as well as Adeboye Onigbinde, the former Super Eagles coach who is also a member of CAF's technical and development committee, are better placed to represent the country's interests not only in CAF, but also in FIFA.

"There are lots of other Nigerians who can represent us and do a better job like Odegbami, Adokie and even Onigbinde," he said. "These are people I believe that can elevate Nigeria's status in CAF and FIFA but I guess they were not even considered in the first place by those that nominated Galadima. A lot of politicking takes place within CAF and FIFA but these organizations also know the importance of having technocrats and that's why we need the likes of Adokie and Odegbami who can represent Nigeria in CAF and FIFA the way the late Patrick Okpomo did."

Despite World Cup no-show, Ronaldo remains football's top earner

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


Fans of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, obviously want to forget as quickly as possible the performance of the football icon at the recently concluded World Cup, but they can still hold their heads high because he remains the highest paid footballer in the world.

Excluding his numerous endorsement deals, which run into millions of pounds, the Real Madrid forward currently takes home over £11 million annually in salaries, taking him above the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic,

Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o and Kaka who follow in that order.

According to a list of the top fifty salary earners published by the Portuguese based agency, Football Finance, which was based on last season's earnings 25 players took home over £5 million annually.

Besides Eto'o, other Africans in the top 25 are Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure and Frederic Kanoute, while Chelsea's Didier Drogba was in the 26th position.

The figures are unofficial and approximate, being dependent on new contracts or renewal of each contract, they were however, the result of research carried out in over 30 publications worldwide that specialise in football.

50 highest paid players in world football

S/N
Name of player
Club
Salary (£)

1.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid
11.3million

2.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Barcelona
10.4million

3.
Lionel Messi
Barcelona
9.1million

4.
Samuel Eto'o
Internazionale
9.1million

5.
Kaka
Real Madrid
8.7million

6.
Emmanuel Adebayor
Manchester City
7.4million

7.
Karim Benzema
Real Madrid
7.4million

8.
Carlos Tevez
Manchester City
7million

9.
John Terry
Chelsea
6.5million

10.
Frank Lampard
Chelsea
6.5million

11.
Thierry Henry
Barcelona
6.5million

12.
Xavi
Barcelona
6.5million

13.
Ronaldinho
AC Milan
6.5million

14.
Steven Gerrard
Liverpool
6.5million

15.
Daniel Alves
Barcelona
6.1million

16.
Michael Ballack
Chelsea
5.6million

17.
Raul
Real Madrid
5.6million

18.
Rio Ferdinand
Manchester United
5.6million

19.
Kolo Toure
Manchester City
5.6million

20.
Wayne Rooney
Manchester United
5.2million

21.
Robinho
Manchester City
5.2million

22
Iker Casillas
Real Madrid
5.2million

23.
Victor Valdez
Barcelona
5.2million

24.
Frederic Kanoute
Sevilla
5.2million

25.
Deco
Chelsea
5.2million

26.
Didier Drogba
Chelsea
4.8million

27.
Gianluigi Buffon
Juventus
4.8million

28.
Francesco Totti
Roma
4.8million

29.
Luca Toni
Roma
4.8million

30.
David Villa
Valencia
4.8million

31.
Arjen Robben
Bayern Munich
4.8million

32.
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bayern Munich
4.8million

33.
Ashley Cole
Chelsea
4.8million

34.
Fernando Torres
Liverpool
4.8million

35.
Gareth Barry
Manchester City
4.8million

36.
Patrick Vieira
Internazionale
4.8million

37.
Charles Puyol
Barcelona
4.3million

38.
Andres Iniesta
Barcelona
4.3million

39.
Sergio Aguero
Atletico Madrid
4.3million

40.
Andreas Pirlo
AC Milan
4.3million

41.
Willy Sagnol
Bayern Munich
4.3million

42.
Frank Ribery
Bayern Munich
4.3million

43.
David Beckham
AC Milan
4.3million

44.
Wayne Bridge
Manchester City
4.3million

45.
Lassana Diarra
Real Madrid
4.3million

46.
Dimitar Berbatov
Manchester United
4.1million

47.
Andrei Arshavin
Arsenal
4.1million

48.
Nicolas Anelka
Chelsea
4.1million

49.
Ryan Giggs
Manchester United
4.1million

50.
Alessandro Del Piero
Juventus
4.1million

Courted by Britain, in love with Nigeria

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


Temi Fagbenle looks all set to be the biggest thing to have ever happened to women's basketball in Nigeria.

Standing at 6 feet 4 inches and with a long, lean build that is quite rare in the women's game, as well as an uncanny ability to score with both hands inside the key, not forgetting a retinue of interior passes and a radar-like ability to rebound balls and block shots, Temi appears to already possess all that it takes to make it in any of the top leagues in the world, including the women's equivalent of the National Basketball Association - the WNBA. But she's not yet 18.

In fact, Temi won't officially be an adult until September 8 and is still a couple of years away from featuring in the WNBA. She's also still in high school and, even though she has Nigerian citizenship, holds passports from both the United States and Great Britain has already represented England at junior international tournaments.

"She has three nationalities," explained Temi's father, Tunde, in an interview. "She's American, she's British and she's Nigerian but I must tell you that her first love is Nigeria. She loves Nigeria and would love to play for Nigeria.

"She grew up in England, schooled in England and she sees England as home but we looked into it to see whether playing for England will prevent her from playing for Nigeria and we got assured that at the age level she is involved in it does not disqualify her from playing at the senior level for Nigeria."

Nigeria's loss, Britain's gain

The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has, in a bid to improve the fortunes of the women's national team, the Tigress, recruited foreign players of Nigerian descent like Mfon Udoka, Joanne Aluka, Ugochukwu Oha, Itoro Umoh and Mobolaji Akiode into the side which culminated in a first ever African title in 2003, followed by an appearance at the Olympic Games in 2004 and the FIBA World Championship for Women two years later.

The Tigress also retained their African title in 2005.

However, despite its popularity, basketball is underfunded in Nigeria and the NBBF has not done itself any favours with the constant infighting among its board members. All these have seen the fortunes of the national team dropping to an all-time low resulting in the team's unimpressive performance at the 2009 African Women's Basketball Championship in Madagascar.

There appears to be greater stability within the NBBF these days but the recent in-house squabbles have had a tool on Temi's international future as she is set to return to England at the end of the month to compete for a spot on the Great Britain senior national team ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games.

"I got across to the Nigeria Basketball Federation to let them know that I have a daughter who's about to be snatched by England. But then I was told that the members of basketball federation were all messing about with themselves and that I should just let Temi carry on with her life, at least until the senior level," recalled her father.

"She has played for England at U-16, she has played U-18 and she will probably play for Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. But if by the time she gets into the senior category and the Nigerian federation has its act together she will want to play for Nigeria over and above any other country," added Fagbenle who has 11 other children.

From budding tennis talent to hoop star

Temi comes from a sports-loving family with tennis the family's undisputed first choice, including hers.

"Everyone in the family plays tennis, even my grandchildren, so it was a tug-of-war trying to move Temi away from tennis into basketball," continued Fagbenle.

"She plays ferocious tennis; she plays for her academy as well but her stance was a bit awkward so I advised her to move into basketball. She fought against it in the beginning thinking I was pushing away from tennis but she took it up and now she loves it."

With her imposing physique, Temi is understandably the star attraction at her school, Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, but she didn't travel from England to the United States three years ago - which was also around the period she decided to take up basketball - to pursue a career in sports as her goals are surprisingly more academic than might be assumed of a player of her caliber.

Academic pursuit

In the United States, she is currently listed among the top 25 players in her category and, as a result, is being sought after by over 50 universities, including Duke, and more than a handful of Ivy League schools such as Columbia and Harvard which, when considered, is rare for most youngsters considered to be potential high school All-Americans.

"She likes Duke," continued Fagbenle whose mailbox has been bombarded with mails from the prospective schools.

"She wants to study dentistry and Duke gave her a scholarship straight away that would even cover medical school and they have a fantastic basketball program but I just got an email from Havard a couple of days ago as they are interested in her. I mean, Harvard is running after her and not the other way round.

"For Temi, basketball is just an interest. She does not want to take it as a career as she does not see much of a future in it beyond a few years. So for her she is looking beyond basketball and, consequently, a name like Harvard will open doors for you."

Super Falcons target historic win over Germany

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


November 25, 2010


Nigeria’s Super Falcons will come up against their German counterparts later today in an international friendly.

The Germans are the reigning world champions, while the Super Falcons are the reigning champions of Africa. The match, billed for the German city of Leverkusen, is the first game to be prosecuted by the Super Falcons since their successful campaign at the African Women’s Championship in South Africa, and serves as part of their build-up towards next year’s FIFA World Cup taking place in Germany.

Nigeria’s contingent of 18 players and eight officials earlier in the week departed for Germany well aware that they have always lost anytime they came up against the Germans, who will be aiming for an unprecedented third successive world title next year. The very first game between both sides at senior level took place back in 1991 at the FIFA World Cup in China, with the Super Falcons suffering an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Europeans in a group stage encounter decided in Jiangmen.

Players in 1991 now coaches in 2010

Current Super Falcons coach, Eucharia Uche, and her assistant, Ann Agumanu, were both in that Super Falcons squad; while current Germany coach, Silvia Neid, was a midfielder in the German team and grabbed the game’s opening goal. It took another 12 years before both sides were to meet again; this time in a friendly match decided in the German city of Trier, which served as a build-up game for both sides ahead of the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup in the United States. And as was the case in 1991, the Germans triumphed by three goals to nil. A year later, both sides met in yet another friendly decided in Germany, this time around in Offenbach, with the Germans triumphing 3-1. Nigeria’s only goal of that game was scored in the 86th minute by Ajuma Ameh, but it served only as a consolatory goal as the Germans went on to re-establish their two-goal advantage three minutes later through Steffi Jones.

A month later, the Germans came up against the Super Falcons in the women’s football event of the Athens 2004 Olympics. And this time around, after a goalless first half, it was the Nigerians who shot into the lead five minutes after the restart through Mercy Akide only for Steffi Jones to restore parity in the 66th minute, before substitute Conny Pohlers grabbed the winning goal nine minutes from time. Both sides also met again at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and, yet again, it was the Germans who triumphed but this time by a lone goal scored in the 65th minute by Kerstin Stegemann who made 191 appearances for the Germans.

The only player who has accumulated more caps than Stegemann is Birgit Prinz, who has made 207 appearances with the last of them arriving in last month’s 2-1 win over Australia. The 33-year-old three-time women’s World Footballer of the Year, who on Tuesday made known her plans to retire from football after next year’s World Cup, is also the record goalscorer for Germany with 126 goals.

Her last goal, however, arrived in February in Germany’s 4-0 drubbing of Denmark at the Algarve Cup in Portugal where she grabbed her side’s second goal. Inka Grings, who grabbed Germany’s equalizer in last month’s win over Australia, scored twice against the Danes at the Algarve Cup and the 32-year-old has an impressive record of 59 goals in 86 appearances for the Frauen Nationalmannschaft.

Chukwumerije targets gold at London Olympics

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

November 21, 2010


Yagazie Chukwumerije shed blood, sweat, and tears to win a bronze medal for Nigeria in the plus-80 kilograms men's taekwondo event at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. At the London 2012 Olympic Games, he hopes to finally achieve his dream of becoming an Olympic champion.


In Beijing, not many gave the then 24-year-old Chukwumerije any chance of winning a medal, not even after he had emerged as Africa's champion at the 2007 All Africa Games (AAG) in Algiers.

Chukwumerije lost narrowly to Alexandros Nikolaidis of Greece in the semi finals in Beijing, before regaining his comportment and doing just enough to defeat Akmal Irgashev of Uzbekistan in the bronze medal match.

His next shot is, therefore, an Olympics gold medal in London. "The All Africa Games is a special competition to me, perhaps not as much as the Olympics, for obvious reasons. It's nice to have athletes from across Africa gathered in one place," Chukwumerije told NEXTSports.

"The Olympics is a dream for me, and I toss in my bed at night just thinking about it, and considering I just completed my Masters degree programme in the UK, participating in the London Olympics will hold a special significance for me.

"However, I must qualify for all these events. It is not my birthright to go to the AAG or Olympics," he said, before adding: "I recognise this, and that is why I train so hard so I can earn the qualifying tickets yet again."

The national camp

He isn't looking forward to the intrigues and drama that usually precede the country's preparations for major championships, but he looks forward to flying the green and white of Nigeria as high as he can.

"The lows for me are the training camps," he disclosed. "There's always constant bickering and politicking that can make one lose focus. Thus, I prepare more mentally for the national camps than I do for tournaments... this drains me," he stressed, before adding: "Representing Nigeria will always be a high for me, and winning a medal makes it even more memorable, especially when you work so hard for it."

Work ethic

Despite his family's background - his father, Uche Chukwumerije, is currently a serving senator in the National Assembly - Chukwumerije has never undermined the importance of hard work and its relationship to success at all levels of life.

It was for this singular reason that in the months leading up to the Beijing 2008 Olympics, and with a ‘little' help from his father who, like him and his siblings, holds a black belt in taekwondo, travelled overseas to prepare for the Games. This training tour took him to the United States of America, where he spent more than a month, and later on to England, Germany, and Taiwan.

But so much has changed in taekwondo in the few years that have passed since he won a medal on that fateful Saturday, August 23, in 2008. And Chukwumerije knows he has to practically repeat this process all over again if he is to excel in the sport he loves so much.

So what does he plan on doing?

"By starting from scratch all over again," he says.

"The past is the past, and I have seriously forgotten about any achievements that have occurred. Things are changing... things have changed... and I must adapt to these changes. There are new rules in taekwondo, new competition equipment, different fighters currently in the circuit, etc. All this will affect how I would train.

"I have my training programme, which I keep to rigidly. However, I am not a country on my own, so I am careful to look out for the official programme of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF). I make sure my programme complements the official programme, as every athlete must be guided by the same rules, as dictated by the National Sports Commission (NSC)," he said.

Private enterprise

He nevertheless hopes that this time around, funding for his training programme, ahead of the AAG and the Olympics, will arrive from less familiar sources.

"For the preparatory competitions I want to go for, I intend to reach out to the private enterprise. I need finance - simple.

"I have a track record that says, ‘I know what I am doing and I know what it takes to be successful', and I hope that private enterprises will be willing to share this journey with me," he said.

If he gets the much needed support from the private sector and goes ahead to make it to the Olympics, what attitude will he be taking to the event?

"Giving my best is more important, and it starts in the training phase. I try to give 100 percent at training sessions and get in the best possible shape," he explained.

"Thus, I generally expect to do well when I go for tournaments. However, I do not go to tournaments over-confident I will win - that will be disrespecting my opponents. I go to tournaments knowing I have the same chance of winning as any other athlete, and I do not shy away from taking the chance," added Chukwumerije.

Humble pie

The year was 2004, and the event took place in his current location - Germany.

"I got a kick to the mouth in the first 10 seconds of the fight, and the opponent was a red belt," he recalled.

"My front three teeth wobbled, and I lost some blood. I continued the fight in fury and rage, but the national coach (Osita Egwim) threw in the towel because my rage only made me unfocused.

"I was so embarrassed, and to make matters worse, I wore braces for two weeks," he exclaimed, before adding: "How can I ever forget that? But it humbled me. I had underestimated the opponent, and let my guard down. That was the very last time I ever underestimated anyone," narrated the 26-year-old who, asked who his greatest adversary has been, retorted:

"I really don't see anyone as a great adversary. Every opponent is the same to me - they want to kick my ass, and I want to kick theirs. For me, it is a simple as that. Two people go into the ring, only one comes out victorious," he said.

Hopefully, the one that will keep emerging victorious even right up to the final bout of the men's plus-80 kg event of the London 2012 Olympics will be the dynamic Nigerian who began practising taekwondo at the age of four.

Weird facts about the World Cup

compiled by Ifeanyi Ibeh


With France trailing Mexico 1-0 in their second game of the 1930 World Cup finals, referee Almeida Rego blew up for full time with a French forward clear through on goal and six minutes remaining on the clock.

The Greek national anthem is a 158-verse poem set to music. Alas, only the first two verses are sung.

Legendary Romanian midfielder Gheorghe Hagi, who captained the national team to the 1990 and 1994 tournament’s, and who also played for Spanish side Barcelona, was a qualified dentist.

During the 1938 finals, Brazil’s Leonidas attempted to remove his boots and play in bare feet during a game against Poland held on a muddy pitch in Strasbourg. The ref ordered him to put them back on and the striker subsequently scored four goals as Brazil won 6-5.

United Arab Emirates players received a Rolls Royce for every goal their team scored at the 1990 finals. The UAE managed two in three defeats.

Ronaldo decided to switch to his ‘half-moon’ hairstyle in the later stages of the 2002 tournament after he saw his infant son Ronald kissing a picture of Roberto Carlos, apparently believing the defender was his dad.

Legendary Belgian keeper Paul Preud’homme used to wear a shirt of his first club, Standard Liege under his national team jersey during international matches. He had to abandon this tradition during the 1994 World Cup in the United States because of the heat.

The 1974 final between Germany and Holland was delayed by 10 minutes because officials had forgotten to put in the corner and centre-line flags.

The opening match of the 1966 tournament, against Uruguay, was delayed because seven England players had left their FIFA registration cards back at the team hotel. A police motorcyclist was sent to get them.

Hector Castro, who scored the winner in the 1930 World Cup final, accidentally cut off his right arm with an electric saw when he was 13. He was known as El Manco - The Maimed.

The Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) side which appeared at the 1938 finals was captained by a doctor, Acmad Nawir, who wore glasses during the games.

Uruguay’s 2-1 win over France at the 1966 World Cup was played at White City Stadium, Shepherd’s Bush, because Wembley was already booked for a greyhound race night.

Swedish referee Ivan Eklind infuriated opponents Czecholslovakia by visiting Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in his box before the 1938 final between the Czechs and the Italians.

The preliminaries at the 1930 final included two coin-tosses - one for ends and one to decide which ball should be used as both Argentina and Uruguay had brought their own. The Argentines won but Uruguay still used their own for the second half - and overturned a 2-1 deficit to win 4-2.

Italy broke the World Cup soon after receiving it in 2006. A large piece of the green malachite which surrounds the base was chipped off during their wild celebrations.

Premier League youth sides to take centre stage

Photo courtesy 4to-sports

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

November 24, 2010 11:24PM


The Nigeria Premier League (NPL) have made known their intention to organise a championship involving the youth sides of all the teams taking part in this season’s Premier League championship.

Prior to the start of the 2010/2011 season, the NPL made it mandatory for all the 20 teams taking part in this season’s championship to register a youth team made up of players under the age of 18. Plans are now underway by the NPL to have these youth teams compete against one another in its bid to develop youth football amongst the 20 clubs taking part in this season’s top-flight. Spokesman for the NPL, Emeka Nwani, said that the move is to ensure that the feeder teams of the 20 clubs are also actively involved in playing the game rather than taking the back seat. According to Nwani, the competition will take a format that will see the various teams grouped into six zones as the NPL wants to take into cognizance the fact that a league system will be financially too demanding on the clubs.

20 teams, six zones

“The NPL will soon organise a competition for the feeder teams of the 20 clubs taking part in this season’s Premier League,” said Nwani. “Remember that the NPL told all the clubs before the start of this season to ensure that they set up their feeder teams with the age limit of players not more than 17 years. So in order to make sure that these feeder teams, or youth teams as you will like to call them, are not just there for the sake of being back-ups for the senior teams, the NPL has decided to start a competition for them very soon. The competition will be in a zonal format. This format we believe will be good for the clubs for the time being.”

Nwani further revealed that the champions of the six zones are expected to converge at a yet to be determined venue to feature in a playoff that will determine the winner of the youth cup. The NPL media man also took time to warn clubs of the grave consequence of fielding players that are older than the stipulated 17 years during the proposed competition. “The NPL will not condone a situation where clubs field players that are older than 17 years. Once we discover that, I can assure you that appropriate sanctions will be meted out to such a club or clubs,” said Nwani.

For Amuneke, a time to give back

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

Former Nigeria international player, Emmanuel Amuneke, is without a doubt one of the best footballers of his generation. With a resume that includes championship wins with the likes of Zamalek, Barcelona, and Sporting Lisbon, as well as an African Cup of Nations title and an Olympic gold medal, Amuneke is also one of the most decorated Nigerian players of all time.

He has retraced his steps back to his former club, Julius Berger, as the team's chief coach and there suddenly appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel for the former Nigerian champions who have been languishing in the second division for the past three seasons.

"If you have played for a club, you will always be happy to see them making progress, but it is unfortunate things started poorly for the club this season," began Amuneke in an interview with NEXTSports at Julius Berger's Euro 65 training ground. "So when I came around, the chairman [Adewale Kuti] told me of how he wanted me to become the team's coach. I knew the situation was difficult but I couldn't say no because of my love for the club."

Since rejoining the club also known as the Adewale Bridge Boys on December 29, 2008, Amuneke has been able to transform Julius Berger from National League no-hopers to promotion seekers all under the space of three weeks with wins over Prime FC and Kolu United. The 1-0 win against the latter was all the more impressive as it was achieved on away soil at the Ughelli Township Stadium in Delta State, and in a league where securing a win on the road can be likened to searching for life on Mars.

"It's normal for every team to want to win at home but the most important thing as the away team is to give your best all the time. There is no law that says you can't win when playing away from home, but most Nigerian players feel that way," continued the 1994 African Player of the Year.

"But if you do the right thing mentally, physically, and tactically, and approach the game the right way, then you've already given yourself a realistic chance of getting something out of the game."

Amuneke's arrival at Euro 65 appears to be the only noticeable change for the 1991 and 2000 League champions as there has been no modification to the playing personnel.

So what is the secret behind the team's newfound form? The 38-year-old offers an answer.

He said: "I have been working with the same players that were here, and I'm trying to get to know them better and letting them know exactly what I want from them because I really want all of them to know that they can give something to the team even if it's for five or ten minutes in a game.

I want them to feel that they are part of the project because that is the only way you can start getting results from a player. When a player feels he is part of a worthy project, he will try his best to meet up with the standard of his teammates even if the team isn't doing so well, and it gladdens me that it's working for us."

Amuneke's rise to prominence can be traced back to his Julius Berger playing days as well at the 1991 All Africa Games in Cairo, Egypt where he lit up the scene with a series of top-class displays with the Nigerian U-23 side. Although the Nigerian team eventually finished a disappointing third, Amuneke's performance in the Egyptian capital was enough to earn him a contract with Cairo-based Zamalek.

His arrival at Zamalek appeared to be the catalyst the Cairo club needed to curtail the dominance of the Egyptian football terrain by bitter rivals Al Ahly as they clinched two league and three continental titles between 1991 and 1994.

"I had a great time at Zamalek and at the end of the initial two-year deal, I signed for an additional two years but I only saw out a year before leaving for Sporting Lisbon," recalls Amuneke.

Amuneke spent two years playing under legendary English coach Bobby Robson at Sporting Lisbon and won the Portuguese Cup and Super Cup. But his time at Zamalek had already earned him a call-up to the Super Eagles, and by 1993, he made a scoring debut in the 2-0 defeat of Sudan at the National Stadium, Surulere in a Nations Cup qualifier. The final tournament in Tunisia was, however, a different kettle of fish for the then 23-year-old Amuneke as he was consigned to the Super Eagles bench by the team's handler Clemens Westerhof until the final against Zambia when the Dutchman decided to throw the winger into the fray with devastating effect.

Elijah Litana had headed the Zambians into a shock 1-0 lead three minutes after kickoff, but Amuneke reciprocated the gesture three minutes later with a header of his own. Five minutes into the second half, Amuneke latched onto a lofted 40-metre pass from Sunday Oliseh before blasting a right-foot volley past James Phiri in the Zambian goal for a 2-1 victory. What followed afterwards could be likened to the story of comic superhero Clark Kent as Amuneke metamorphosed into the Superman of Nigerian football as he led the Super Eagles to an impressive World Cup debut at USA ‘94.

In a country where the concept of football meant a bunch of testosterone-boosted men chasing after an inflated deerskin, the Super Eagles, with a forward line comprising of 1993 African player of the Year Rashidi Yekini, Daniel Amokachi, Finidi George, and Amuneke won over American hearts with a beautiful and effective brand of football that was only surpassed by eventual winners Brazil.

A 2-1 loss to eventual runners-up Italy however sent the African champions packing from the Mundial.

Amuneke's agony was however short-lived as he succeeded Yekini as Africa's Player of the Year in 1994. On November 10, 1995, the same day Ken-Saro Wiwa and a handful of his Ogoni kinsmen were executed by the military government of late General Sani Abacha, Amuneke scored Nigeria's only goal in the 1-0 defeat of Uzbekistan in the final of the Afro-Asia Cup. In 1996, he returned to the United States for that year's Olympic Games and grabbed the winning goal in Nigeria's 3-2 win over Argentina in the final. By December of 1996, Amuneke followed Robson to Barcelona and won two league titles, two King's Cup and a Spanish Super Cup.

Four years later, he joined Albacete and by 2002, he left for South Korean side Pusan Icons before heading off to Jordan a year later where he played for his last professional club Al-Wehdat.

Amuneke subsequently became a coach and got his UEFA Grade-A license in 2005 and now has his sights set on returning Julius Berger back to the pinnacle of Nigerian football

"It hasn't been easy but we still have a long way to go," continued Amuneke. "It takes a lot to be a coach because there's no guarantee of success or failure but one has to be prepared for whatever comes up. But I'm up to the task. I'm not worried about failing. The most important thing is getting the right products that are willing to do their job. I'm not going to boast that I will secure promotion for Julius Berger but time will tell how the clock ticks."

Indeed, time will determine whether Amuneke succeeds or fails with Julius Berger but for the time being, he can hold his head high for treading a path that many of his former Super Eagles buddies wouldn't dare.

Siasia promises a new dawn for the Eagles

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

November 19, 2010 06:42PM


Samson Siasia, the new coach of the Super Eagles, has promised to gradually enforce changes in the national team saying that it won’t be business as usual by the time he resumes as the new Super Eagles coach.

Siasia will resume officially as the team’s head coach on December 1, but his emergence as the new helmsman had long been foreseen and most believed it was only a matter of time before the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) listen to the clamour from the streets that he be handed the Super Eagles job.

He was denied the position back in 2008 when the NFF opted to name Shaibu Amodu as the successor to Berti Vogts.

Now that Siasia has finally gotten the job he has described as his “dream job”, he knows he has to do all within his power to ensure that he does not end up disappointing those who have stood by him all these years.

“Nigerians have never hidden their love for me,” he told NEXT. “Right from my playing days to this day they have made it obvious that I am part of one very big football family and I will do everything I can to make sure that I do not disappoint them.”

Nigerians have been apparently disenchanted with the performance of the Super Eagles over the past couple of years, a time that has also seen the side struggle to attain the lofty heights of a past golden generation.

Nigerian players were a force to be reckoned with globally and the onus falls on Siasia, himself a member of the greatest Super Eagles side ever (the 1994 squad), to rebuild the Super Eagles and transform them into a side capable of resuming a position of world beaters.

There have also been calls from football fans for sweeping changes within the Super Eagles set-up especially as most of the current national team regulars have been deemed ‘too old’ to contribute meaningfully to the team’s long term goals.

Siasia insists he is in tune with “the yearnings of the people” but says changes will not be swift, but gradual.

“I have my plans for the team and there will definitely be changes but I will try to carry everybody along,” he said.

“The World Cup is four years away and four years is a very long time in the life of a footballer.

“If you add four years to the present age of some of the players they may no longer be at their best by 2014, so younger players will have to be introduced into the team, but only gradually.

“That is the only way it can be done in order not to create a vacuum in the team. So the moment I see someone who can fit into the team; who has something to offer the team, we will find a way to integrate that player into the team,” added Siasia, who also laid emphasis on discipline and work ethic as yardsticks for anyone aspiring to be in the new Super Eagles.

Discipline in the team

Indiscipline in the national team has for long been an issue as players have often been accused of not showing enough commitment and the proper level of professionalism when representing their country.

There had been instances in the past when players had been accused outside the field of play of engaging in activities detrimental to the team’s cause and unbecoming of individuals on national team assignment.

It is probably for reasons such as these that it had been suggested that national team players could be made to sign a Code of Conduct by the NFF in a bid to curb the players’ excesses.

“Discipline is synonymous with success. A disciplined side has a much better chance of attaining success than an undisciplined one,” said Siasia. “I would rather have a bunch of disciplined and dedicated players than a bunch of unruly players even if they are the best players on the planet.”

It is a view that is shared by Siasia’s former Super Eagles team mate, Emeka Ezeugo, who believes tough times lie ahead for any Super Eagles player not ready to change his ways for the better.

“I feel sorry for any player who isn’t ready to change his ways because this guy (Siasia) will not tolerate nonsense from anyone,” Ezeugo told NEXT.

“He has a fantastic rapport with his players and is a very friendly guy but he also knows when and where to draw the line, and any player who messes up after this line has been drawn will have himself to blame,” added Ezeugo, who was until recently was Siasia’s coaching assistant at Nigerian Premier League side Heartland FC, Owerri.

Siasia, Heartland and Kalika

Siasia’s continuous involvement with the Owerri-based club, even after securing the Super Eagles job, has been a topic for debate amongst footfall fans lately. But he said the matter will be resolved before he resumes with the NFF on December 1.

“My contract with the NFF hasn’t commenced yet but everything will be resolved before December,” said Siasia who refused to divulge further details.

Another issue is Siasia’s selection of Surinamese coach, Simon Kalika as his coaching assistant. This decision hasn’t gone down well with some individuals who would have preferred a Nigerian in that position.

One of such individuals is former international Peterside Idah who on Thursday on live television spoke against Siasia’s intention to have Kalika tag along as his assistant.

Although Idah was quick to point out that he held no ill feelings towards Kalika, he is of the opinion that a local coach will be better suited for the position; a view that got the backing of former Bafana Bafana of South Africa skipper Lucas Radebe.

Siasia and Kalika have been working together since 2005 when Siasia led the Flying Eagles to a second-place finish at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in the Netherlands, right up to the football event of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China where the Nigerian team returned with a silver medal, and even at last year’s FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt.

And he has no qualms at having his trusted right-hand man by his side yet again.

“We have known each other for quite some time now and have come to appreciate one another,” he said. “We don’t always agree on everything but he is someone I respect; he also respects me, and we work very well together.

“I understand what he (Idah) was trying to say but the truth is I prefer working with someone I know very well than with someone new.”

Nduka Ugbade, a former Super Eagles colleague of Siasia’s, and also a coach, is totally in support of Siasia’s decision to recruit Kalika.

“If I were in Siasia’s shoes I would do the same,” he told NEXT. “The position of an assistant coach is very vital to the success of a team. If you don’t have an assistant you can confide in, an assistant that you trust, then it will be almost impossible for the coach to succeed.

“So, I am totally in support of his decision to bring in Kalika and I believe the NFF have done well to support his decision. I am sure they will not regret it.”

World Cup target

Kalika himself hasn’t been quiet as he was quoted in the media as saying that Siasia has set a semi-final target for the Super Eagles at the 2014 World Cup.

Nigeria’s best at the World Cup were back-to-back second round appearances in 1994 and 1998 but Kalika expressed confidence that the semi-final target was achievable and that it only required “good planning”.

Siasia agrees that with the right level of planning and organisation, the Super Eagles can qualify for the World Cup and go further than they had ever done at the tournament but insists everything has to be taken one step at a time.

“I don’t know about a semi-final target but it will be a great achievement for an African team,” he said. “It won’t be easy but if we plan properly we can go very far.

“With good planning, the right players and the right attitude, we can achieve anything but everything has to be taken one step at a time,” added Siasia whose top priority remains securing a ticket to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations to be co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

2012 before 2014

The Super Eagles are currently second behind Guinea in their qualifying group but will need to win the group ahead of the Syli Stars if they want to qualify automatically for the Nations Cup.

This has placed a lot of pressure on Siasia as the NFF, through Chris Green, it’s technical committee head, said that Siasia has been given a mandate not only to qualify the team for the Nations Cup, but to reach the semi-final otherwise the last two years of his four-year deal will not be activated by the NFF.

In response, Siasia said he is up to the task and will do all he can to get the Super Eagles’ Cup of Nations qualification back on track, and thereafter focus on the tournament itself.

“It looks difficult at the moment because of the loss to Guinea but we still have four matches to go,” he said. “After that we can now look at what we need to do at the tournament and plan towards it.

No instant success

Siasia is however quick to warn that success won’t come in an instant. The new coach said taking the Super Eagles back to the level they occupied back in the mid-90s culminating in the 1994 conquest of the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia will be gradual.

“It’s not going to be immediate as it will take some time to rebuild and get an ideal team that Nigerians will be happy to associate with, but we will get there.

“There may be some unfavourable results here and there but that is something we have to be prepared for, after all Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

In the eyes of the average football follower in Nigeria, good results will not matter if the Super Eagles don’t play an attractive brand of football to go along with the results. So what does Siasia intend to do about this?

“My football philosophy is attack oriented. I prefer attractive, free-flowing football but I also love to win. Having said that, I don’t think Nigerians will be pleased if we played attractive football only to end up losing games.

“Winning is the most important thing in football. I would prefer my team to play badly and win rather than to please the fans and end up losing, but I know that over the next couple of years we will have a team that Nigerians will love to be associated with.”

Alabi gets chance to shine at Raptors

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

September 26, 2010 02:32AM

Nigerian basketball player, Solomon Alabi has a chance to impress the entire coaching team of the Toronto Raptors ahead of the upcoming 2010/2011 National Basketball Association (NBA) season.

The Kaduna-born Alabi got the opportunity after the Raptors’ prized rookie Ed Davis underwent arthroscopic surgery to fix a meniscus tear to his right knee.

Davis, who was selected out of North Carolina with the 13th pick of this year’s NBA draft, hurt his knee while playing a pickup game not sanctioned by the NBA side a week ago and had to undergo surgery on Monday to fix the tear.

Canadian newspaper, The Toronto Sun reported that the 21 year-old will be out for close to two months before he will be able to resume basketball-related activities.

And with the club’s training camp all set to commence next week, there is no way the 6 foot 9 inch power forward will return in time for the Raptors’ first pre-season game in Vancouver on October 6, or for the commencement of the new season which gets underway on October 26.

It was however a blessing in disguise for Alabi, who was acquired at the last NBA draft on June 24 from the Dallas Mavericks, as he now has a chance to make an impression with the coaching staff and become a starter ahead of his debut season in the world’s most competitive basketball league.

Selected 50th overall in the 2010 NBA draft, the 7 foot 1 inch Alabi is renowned for his defensive abilities but has in the past two months added offensive qualities to his skills’ repertoire. The 22 year-old was discovered seven years ago in Nigeria by the Raptors’ erstwhile assistant general manager, and former Nigerian basketball star Masai Ujiri who is now with the Denver Nuggets.

Udoka in Chicago

News out of Chicago has it that Nigerian basketball player Ime Udoka had a workout with the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday at the Berto Centre.

A report in Chicagobreakingsports.com stated that no contract offer was made, but that it’s possible that the 32-year-old Udoka, who spent last season with the Sacramento Kings but who had previously played for the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs, could secure a training camp invitation from the team that was led to six NBA titles by the legendary Michael Jordan back in the 90s.

However out of the start of training camp is Kelenna Azubuike of the New York Knicks who is still recovering from patella tendon surgery in his knee from last November.

“He’s got one of the roughest injuries for a basketball player; the patella tendon,” New York Knicks president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh said during a pre-camp press conference. “He’s been here for three weeks, working 9-to-5 every day. Our trainers feel he can do it. But there’s always the danger of a setback.

“I don’t think he’ll be ready for training camp but he could be ready for the regular season when that rolls around.”

Azubuike, a 6 foot 5 inch shooting guard, was born in London, England to Nigerian parents but has yet to represent his country of birth or Nigeria.

Seventy crowns for King Pele

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

October 24, 2010 12:55AM

Literally translated, the Portuguese term ‘O Rei' stands for ‘the king' and that is exactly what Pele, who turned 70 yesterday, is to football.

Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on October 23, 1940 in Tres Coracoes, in the state of Minas Gerais, Pele had football in his veins as his father, known as Dondinho, was a talented footballer whose career was cut short by a knee injury; a situation that had a hand in carving the destiny of the young Pele.

"During the periods when my dad was sidelined from football through injury," Pele wrote in his autobiography, "the family really struggled. [My siblings] and I were always barefoot and wore only castoff clothes. The house was small and overcrowded with a leaky roof.

"With no regular source of income, I remember that on several occasions the only meal my mum had for us was bread with a slice of banana. We never went without food - like many people worse off than us in Brazil - but for my mother it was a life governed by fear, a fear of not being able to provide. And one of the things I have learned is that fear of life is fear of the worst kind."

With his father's bitter experience, it was always going to be difficult for Pele's mother to allow Pele to take to professional football as all it needed to end the career of even the most gifted of footballers was one bad tackle.

Pele however overcame his mother's resistance and after his family moved to the city of Bauru, in the state of Sao Paulo, he joined local side Bauru Atletico Club and at the age of 15 played his first matches for the side where he got the now famous nickname, Pele.

Legend in the making

Months after joining Bauru, he caught the eye of top Brazilian outfit Santos, where he rose to become the biggest name on the planet as he led Santos to 10 Sao Paulo state tournaments, five Brazilian Cups, two Copa Libertadores titles and two Intercontinental Cups.

Pele scored four goals on his league debut for Santos in a match against Corinthians on September 7, 1956 and nine months later, scored his first hat-trick in a game against Lavras and went on to score three or more goals a staggering 129 times during his career including an incredible eight goals on November 21, 1964 as Santos recorded a monumental 11-0 victory over rivals Botafogo.

By the middle of 1958, still a couple of months shy of his 18th birthday, Pele was on his way to Sweden for the FIFA World Cup where he grabbed his first World Cup finals goal in a 1-0 quarter final win over Wales before going on to score two goals in Brazil's 5-2 win over the hosts in the final.

That feat made Pele the youngest ever winner of the World Cup and he went on to win two more in 1962 (in Chile) and in 1970 (in Mexico) - where he inspired Brazil to a 4-1 win over Italy scoring the game's opening goal and created the last. Pele's header against Italy in that memorable final was Brazil's 100th World Cup goal.

However, a few months before the World Cup in Mexico, on November 19, 1969, Pele scored his 1000th career goal in a league game for Santos with the goal arriving from a penalty, which, for someone who once said that "a penalty is a cowardly way to score", was quite ironic.

Hundreds of spectators, and even pressmen, raced onto the pitch to mob the Brazilian star and it took over thirty minutes for the game to resume. But the day, 19th November, subsequently became known as ‘Pele Day' to celebrate the anniversary of his 1,000th goal.

On July 18, 1971, Pele played his last international game for Brazil in a 2-2 draw with Yugoslavia although he came out of retirement to feature one last time in the gold and blue of Brazil in a 1976 friendly against local club side Flamengo.

Football ambassador

1976 was also the year Pele moved to the United States to play for the New York Cosmos where he helped promote the sport in the lucrative U.S. market.

When Pele played for the New York Cosmos so many of his opponents wanted to swap shirts with him that the club had to give each of their opponents a shirt after every match.

"Pele was the main attraction," said Gordon Bradley, one of the club's coaches at the time.

"Sometimes we had to take 25 or 30 shirts with us to a match - otherwise, we'd never have got out of the stadium alive."

Age was however beginning to catch up with the ‘Black Pearl' and on October 1, 1977, ten years after leading his beloved Santos to a Nigeria that was experiencing a bloody civil war (a 48-hour ceasefire was declared by the government as a result of Pele's presence), Pele played his last game as a footballer as Santos played New York Cosmos at the Giants Stadium in New York.

He played the first half of the game for the American club, and the second half for Santos.

Maradona and Pele

The period of his retirement marked the beginning of the career of another prodigiously talented footballer who would go on to become one of the greatest players the world has ever seen - Diego Maradona.

A decade later, Pele was no longer the undisputed king of world football as a new generation of football fans (and writers) preferred the pint-sized Argentine who almost single-handedly won the World Cup for Argentina in 1986, also in Mexico.

Pele, nevertheless regards himself as the best player ever, out rightly rejecting any comparison with Maradona.

"When I go to Argentina I tell them: discuss first who is the best in Argentina, and then we will see who is the best in the world," he said in a recent interview, in which he recalled that the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano was for many years regarded as the best Argentine player ever.

Slumped against the ropes

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

October 3, 2010 02:58AM

Boxing, the noble art of self-defence, was at some point in time in Nigeria the undisputed king of sports. It had immense following among the populace and boxers, especially the successful ones among them, enjoyed cult followership from fans who just couldn't get enough of them.



In addition, there were others who opted for the professional ranks and dominated their respective weight categories. These included the legendary duo of Hogan ‘Kid' Bassey and Richard Ihetu, more popularly known as Dick Tiger.

Both fighters didn't rest on their achievements within the Commonwealth. They extended their dominance beyond this radius and ended up becoming undisputed world champions, Bassey at featherweight and Tiger in both the middleweight and light heavyweight classes.

Bassey, who back in 1950 at the age of 18, and still in high school, became the youngest boxer to win the national flyweight title, achieved his world title feat back in 1957 when he defeated Cherif Hamia, a French-Algerian in Paris and went on to defend the title twice before losing it two years later to America's David Moore, in a fight that turned out to be his last. He quit professional boxinga afterwards.

For his part, Tiger became world champion in 1962. He claimed the then vacant WBA middleweight title after defeating Gene Fullmer over 15 rounds in a bout decided in San Francisco, California.

He held on to the title until December 1963 when he lost on points to Joey Giardello but reclaimed it, along with the WBC title, two years later with a 15 round unanimous decision victory over Giardello.

He lost both titles to Emile Griffith in April 1966 and thereafter stepped up to the light heavyweight category and by May of the following year stopped Roger Rouse in the 12th round to become the WBC and WBA light heavyweight champion of the world.

The nearly men

Besides Bassey, who died in 1998, and Tiger, who died in 1971 at the age of 42 - a year after his retirement from the sport, Nigeria also produced other world champions such as the Owerri-born Herbert Maduagwu, better known as Herbie Hide, and the Lagos-born Henry Akinwande who both temporarily held the WBO equivalent of the heavyweight crown at separate times in the 90s.

In recent times, Samuel Peter has joined the growing list of Nigerians to have won a world title after he claimed the WBC world heavyweight title in 2008, and there's also Segun Ajose who is the current Commonwealth light welterweight champion.

Success hasn't been limited to the professional ranks alone. The country has also produced champions in the amateur cadre such as Eddie Ndukwu, a two-time Commonwealth gold medallist in the bantamweight and featherweight categories; Nojeem Maiyegun, who won Nigeria's first Olympic medal at the 1964 Games in Tokyo; Isaac Ikhuoria, who won a bronze medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich; and Davidson Andeh, who became world champion at the 1978 World Boxing Championships in Belgrade.

Peter Konyegwachie also won a silver medal at the Los Angeles ‘84 Olympics, a feat that was replicated eight years later at the Barcelona Olympics by the duo of David Izorintei and Richard Ibenegu, while Duncan Dokiwari won a bronze at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Disasters and near disasters

But it hasn't been all smooth sailing as a lot of Nigerian boxers have seen their campaigns ending in disappointments as was the case with Obisia Nwankpa, who lost to WBC light welterweight champion Saoul Mamby in a title bout decided at the National Stadium, Lagos. So was the case with Joe Lasisi, who lost a shot at the WBA light heavyweight crown, along with his unbeaten record, when he suffered a 7th round knockout loss to Virgil Hill in North Dakota in May 1989.

At the moment Nigerian boxers particularly those in the amateur ranks have become cannon fodder for their opponents in international sporting competitions. Worse still, is the state of facilities were these boxers are trained. They are decrepit and so outdated that it is amazing that they have not been phased out.

And that appears to be what lies in the horizon for boxing in Nigeria unless, in the opinion of respected boxing coach Joe Mensah, certain things are put in place.

"There must be conducive atmosphere for sponsors to come in. Where it concerns government is for them to put facilities in place. But, as at today there is no facility for boxing across the country, and the administrators are comfortable with the situation," Mensah told a local newspaper.

"We really need the Federal Government to do more for boxing to develop in the country. The sport is going down by the day. The administrators should endeavour to build boxing gymnasiums in the geo-political zones in the country. With that the sport would go places."

A legend takes his bow

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

Nwankwo Kanu’s first game for the Super Eagles took place just over 16 years ago on May 5, 1994, in an international friendly against the Swedish national team. Last Tuesday, Kanu appeared for the Super Eagles in the 2-2 draw against Korea Republic, and stayed on the field for 57 minutes, before making way for Obafemi Martins.

Prior to the commencement of the game, the 33-year-old earned the loudest applause from the spectators that had trouped into the stadium in Durban, to watch what turned out to be a dramatic encounter between two sides eager to advance to the knockout rounds of the tournament.

For almost one hour, the former Arsenal, Inter Milan, and Ajax star remained on the field; his every touch on the ball was greeted with some sort of cheer from the appreciative crowd. Even as he lumbered off the pitch with his 1.97 metre frame, to be replaced by the much smaller Martins, there were still fans at the match venue as well as millions of others watching the game across screens the world over, who didn’t realise the implications of what had just transpired.

But hours later, with the Super Eagles unable to achieve their target of advancing to the Round of 16, it suddenly dawned on everyone that the legendary ‘Papillo’ had called time on his international career.

Undoubtedly the most successful and consistent Nigerian player of his generation, Kanu first emerged on the global stage as a bean pole utility player in the victorious Nigerian U-17 team to the 1993 tournament in Japan. A year later, he broke into the first team of Dutch club side, Ajax, and went on to claim the prestigious UEFA Champions League title in 1995.

More honours

A year after winning the Champions League trophy with Ajax, the lanky Kanu skippered Nigeria to the gold medal at the Olympic Football Tournament at Atlanta, scoring two goals in the famous 4-3 semi-final win over Brazil, including the last-gasp equaliser and the exquisite extra-time winner.

Not even the heart defect that was discovered by Inter Milan doctors and the subsequent surgery to correct the defect, was able to prevent Kanu from his number one passion, as he returned in time to play a part in the Super Eagles’ qualification for the 1998 World Cup in France, and went on to take part in the tournament where he entered the record books as the youngest player to captain a side in World Cup history.

He thereafter left Inter Milan for Arsenal, where he attained legendary status, scoring 44 times in 198 appearances with the Gunners, winning two league titles and two FA Cups in the process. He also won an FA Cup winners medal with Portsmouth in 2009, and looks set to play second-tier league football with the English south coast outfit, following their relegation from the Premier League.

But even though he has lost some pace to age, his brilliance on the pitch still seem a couple of years away from oblivion, and will still be enough to attract to match venues football fans eager to catch a glimpse of the benevolent football icon, who has dedicated a greater part of the past decade towards ensuring a better life for children with heart defects through the Kanu Heart Foundation.

Testimonial

“Kanu will always be a great player, if not the greatest player to have come out of Nigeria,” said former Super Eagles defender, Benedict Iroha. “I always felt this will be his last appearance for Nigeria. It didn’t turn out the way we all wanted, but I’m sure people will always remember him for the great things he did on the field of play.”

Iroha also called on the Nigeria Football Federation to “immediately” organise a befitting testimonial for Kanu, a view that is equally shared by a host of his former Super Eagles teammates, including Nduka Ugbade.

“That is the least that can be done, and it must be as soon as possible, not one year later because Kanu has given so much of his life to this country,” said Ugbade.

Regardless of whether a testimonial is organised or not, football fans the world over will not easily let go of the great memories evoked by the legendary Nigerian, who competed at six African Cup of Nations tournaments, three FIFA World Cups, and who was twice named the African Player of the Year.

Kanu the coach

Who knows, he might even delve into coaching, an idea that he seems to be warming up to when he met up with reporters shortly after Nigeria’s exit from the World Cup.

“Moving into coaching is an interesting idea, but the organisation from above has to be right. Not just for anyone who wants to coach, so it is easier for them to do the job, but for those who want to play and get on with it.

“You don’t see many Africans who have made it (as players) want to go into coaching - they don’t want to take all the nonsense that comes from above. If the people in power have played football, they would understand what is going on, but that is not often the case,” said Kanu.

A few days ago, Kanu, speaking to a reporter from the BBC, said he would be looking back on his international career with pride.

“I’ve really enjoyed myself, and it was emotionally important for me to play in front of my family,” he stated.

“I’ve won the [under-17] World Cup, the Olympic gold, and Nations Cup silver and bronze medals. We haven’t achieved much as a team, but personally, I think it’s an achievement I am proud of.

“My wife was here [in Durban] to watch me. I played in front of my kids at the biggest football tournament, so what else can I ask for,” he added.

Indeed, what else can one ask for from such an accomplished individual?