Port Harcourt derby not fixed, says Eguma

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


November 23, 2010



Team Manager of Dolphins FC, Stanley Eguma, has come out to state that the outcome of last weekend’s Port Harcourt derby between his side and Sharks FC was not premeditated.

The encounter, which ended 1-0 in favour of Sharks, was the most eagerly anticipated game of the last round of matches of the Nigerian Premier League, and was beamed live by sports channel SuperSport.

In the first half of the game played at the Sharks Stadium, both sides made a contest of it, much to the delight of spectators at the venue, and appeared evenly matched. The second half was however a different kettle of fish as players of both sides, particularly those of Dolphins, literally went to sleep right after Sharks shot into the lead shortly after the hour mark through veteran forward Victor Ezeji.

Dolphins were more than content to maintain the score line as it stood and this wasn’t helped in any way when television cameras caught the team’s goalkeeper Sunday Rotimi with a broad grin on his face, toying around with the ball inside his penalty area.

Eguma, however, insists that there was no prior agreement between the two clubs jointly owned by the Rivers State government. The Dolphins boss, who expressed disappointment with the outcome of the game - his side’s first loss of the season - explained that his players, for no apparent reason, fizzled out in the second half.

“We played very well and gave our all but in the second half my boys fizzled out and that is where my disappointment comes from,” he said. “It is a game we should have won but in football you win some and lose some.

If you watched the game, you would have seen the effort my boys put in to score, especially in the first half. Maybe that was why they ran out of gas towards the end of the game. This was a big match watched all over Africa and the star match of the league and I wonder how you can fix a game like that. It was a bad day at the office for my boys and I will advise we stop these entire match fixing allegations.”

When the axe falls

Not only did the defeat at the hands of Sharks end Dolphins’ perfect start to the 2010/2011 season, a start that has seen them winning all their games so far and not letting in a goal, it also served as their first loss in the league to their bitter city rivals in seven years.

It was also the first win of the season for a Sharks side which subsequently dragged themselves away from the relegation zone. Last season, both sides were involved in a controversial fixture that ended in a draw albeit only after Dolphins’ goalkeeper Rotimi had saved a penalty awarded under controversial circumstances deep into stoppage time in the second half.

The result, which was unfavourable to Sharks, as they were neck-deep in relegation trouble back then, allegedly led to a slash in the salaries and sign-on fees of three Dolphins players.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Nigeria Premier League, Davidson Owumi, said that the league body will wait to receive the official report of the Port Harcourt derby before deciding on what step to take.

“We do not want to see anything that will damage the integrity of the league,” he said. “We are waiting for the official match report, and if it indicates that there was any sign of foul play, we will not hesitate to take action. The board is doing its best to sanitise the league and present a product that will stand up to the highest possible scrutiny, and it is unacceptable for clubs to try to compromise the integrity of this competition.”

FIFA’s dishonesty

By Ifeanyi Ibeh and Jide Alaka


November 18, 2010



It has always been very difficult to get straight answers from the world football governing body, FIFA, especially on bribery scandals. At the press briefing on Thursday, Carlos Sulser, the Head of the Ethics Committee that handled the investigations, just stopped short of condemning the action of London’s Sunday Times whose journalists have posed as lobbyists from the United States.

He alleged that the Times had grossly exaggerated its claims and “had twisted the truths”. But even more responsible for the mixed signals was that the body did not come out to say categorically that its members were corrupt. However it still went ahead to fine and ban six of its members for breaching its rules.

If the members had been found guilty, the sentence should have been more stringent than the maximum four year ban that was handed to Ishmael Bhamjee. Mr Bhamjee’s case is bizarre to say the least because the Botswana representative had been banned from all football related activities in 2006, after a ticketing scandal.

“He ( Amos Adamu) should have been banned for a longer period,” said TV football pundit Sola Aiyepeku. “Considering the allegations against him he probably should have been banned from football related activities for life.

“But I must admit that the three year ban handed to Adamu was more than I had expected.

It’s a good step in the right direction especially if they (FIFA) stick to it.” Another football pundit, Bode Oguntuyi however feels the ban period is enough for the government to get Nigerian football back on track.

“At least all the talk about interference anytime the government tries to effect changes in our football will cease because personally I think Adamu and his cohorts are responsible for this,” he told NEXT.

“But now that he is out of the way, hopefully for the next three years, government can try to make some positive changes in our football,” he added.


The IOC example

Another sports body that got in a similar scandal, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), used the Salt Lake scandal of 1998 to rid itself of the corrupt toga in the eyes of a watching world. When it was announced that there were issues of bribery, four independent investigations were carried out: by the IOC, the USOC, the SLOC, and the United States Department of Justice.

And as a result of the investigation, ten members of the IOC were expelled and another ten were sanctioned. Though nothing illegal had been done, the acceptance of the gifts was adjudged to have been morally dubious.


Blatter as incorruptible judge

With the IOC example in mind, this would have served as a good opportunity for FIFA to purge itself of the corrupt organisation tag that had been associated with it since 2001 when its marketing partner, ISL/ISMM went bankrupt amid allegations of bribery, plunging the football body into a financial crisis and fuelling accusations that Blatter and other FIFA officials were being bribed by the company.

“Never have I tried to corrupt anyone else and I am not corruptible,” said Mr Blatter back then before admitting that corruption was at least possible in FIFA.

“I can tell you that in the 26 years I have spent at FIFA, attempts have been made to bribe me or to influence me in some form ... but never ever have I bribed anyone and I cannot be bribed,” added Blatter who, a year later, and for unknown reasons, suspended the probe by FIFA’s Finance Committee into corruption allegations within the organisation.

Ahead of the 2006 World Cup, credit company MasterCard tried to prevent FIFA from signing Visa as a sponsor for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. MasterCard took FIFA to court and settled for $90 million.

Also in 2006, FIFA vice-president Jack Warner was embroiled in a scandal for selling tickets for the World Cup, the competition from which FIFA earns about 90 percent of its income, at inflated prices through a travel agency owned by his family.

FIFA, in its usual character, however cleared Warner of any wrongdoing but demanded that his son pay a fine close to $1 million.

No one can stop us in Africa, says Eucharia Uche

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


November 17, 2010 10:42AM



Nigeria’s Super Falcons will continue to dominate women’s football in Africa for years to come according to the team’s coach, Eucharia Uche.

The Super Falcons last weekend in South Africa won the 7th edition of the African Women’s Championship (AWC) after defeating Equatorial Guinea 4-2 in the final. It was the sixth time the Falcons will be winning the tournament.

The victory over the defending champions was especially sweet after the semi final loss suffered at the hands of the Central African nation at the 6th edition of the AWC in 2008. This year’s win follows earlier successes in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006 by the Falcons.

The Super Falcons dominated the championship in South Africa; sweeping all the individual and team awards at the end of the championship including the awards for the leading scorer and the tournament’s most valuable player. The team also scored 19 goals and conceded just four in five matches.

Growing competition

In years past, Ghana was considered the biggest threat to Nigeria’s dominance of women’s football in Africa. That was until the emergence of the likes of Cameroon, South Africa and most recently the Nzalang Nacional of Equatorial Guinea, who ended Nigeria’s total dominance of the AWC two years ago.

Most followers of women’s football in Africa consider the 2008 champions as the biggest threat to the Super Falcons’ dominance on the continent but Uche, still fresh from leading the team to victory in South Africa, does not see it that way.

“I don’t think they are the biggest threat but I must commend them for winning the cup two years ago and for trying to defend it even up to the finals,” said Uche, who also took a swipe at the Equatoguineans over unproved allegations that they fielded male players in their squad.

“Even though there were allegations that they fielded men in their team I still commend them for giving us a good fight, but we always had an edge over them.”

Gender controversy

In 2008, the Nzalang Nacional were accused of fielding players suspected to be males on their way to winning the AWC title as host nation. The Simpore sisters, Bilguisa and Salimata, were at the centre of the controversy but no one, especially the Nigerians who felt most aggrieved, was able to prove that they were not women.

Both players were also at the just concluded AWC and Uche explained how she was able to get her team to focus on beating the former champions who also had four Brazilians, two Nigerians and a Spaniard in their starting-11 against the Super Falcons.

“We played them two years ago and we made up our minds that we were going to beat them this time around,” recalled Uche.

“We had that in mind and we talked to one another about their two controversial players.

“One was injured and didn’t get to play much during the tournament,” said Uche regarding the older of the Simpore sisters, Bilguisa, a defender who was injured all through the AWC and only got to play a bit-part role in the final.

“So we made up our mind to hold the one that plays in the attack (Salimata) which we did because we had many fast defenders.”

Nigeria may play Iran in 2011

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


November 17, 2010




The Super Eagles may still get to test their mettle against their Iranian counterparts as there are plans to get both national teams to play one another in 2011, according to the Iranian Football Federation (FFI).

The Super Eagles had been billed to take on Iran later today at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, but the tie was cancelled on Monday at the instance of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Initial reports suggested that strained diplomatic relations between the two countries over a recent arms cache impounded last month in Lagos may have been the reason for the cancellation. The NFF’s acting Secretary General, Musa Amadu, in a letter to the FFI however said the unavailability of the country’s top players was why the NFF called off the game.

Regardless of the cancellation, Amadu, according to the FFI, has suggested playing two friendly matches against the Iranians next year.

“The Nigerian Football Federation secretary general Musa Amadu sent us a letter in which he stated their key players cannot accompany the team. Amadu suggested playing two friendlies in 2011,” said Abbas Torabian Director of the FFI’s International Committee in a report published by the Tehran Times.

Compensation

Torabian however said this won’t stop the Iranians from seeking compensation from the NFF over the cancellation.

“We sent a letter to Nigeria Football Federation and claimed compensation after the match was cancelled unilaterally, they answered our letter swiftly,” Torabian told the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA).

“The Nigerian side have admitted that Iran was right and the African country would pay compensation to us.” This view was also corroborated by the FFI’s president, Ali Kafashian.

“We have had a contract with Nigeria and the game was an important test before the Asian games,” Kafashian told the ISNA.

“Therefore, we will definitely sue the Nigeria Football Federation and demand compensation.”

Amadu declined to confirm or refute claims by Torabian that he had suggested friendly games between Nigeria and Iran in 2011.

Speaking to NEXT yesterday, Amadu said: “That is what he (Torabian) is quoted as saying but the fact of the matter is that the game will not take place on Wednesday.

“Further speculation will not make the game go on, so if people want to speculate now or in the future they are free to speculate,” he added.

Amadu also refused to comment on plans by the Iranians to claim compensation from the NFF, but he was quoted on a Nigerian website as saying: “All I can say at this time is that both federations are discussing and we hope to reach an amicable and reasonable settlement.

“We want to find a solution that will not damage the relationship between the two federations, and we hope to have all that resolved at the earliest possible time.”

Amunike rues absence of Nigerians from football awards

Amunike believes Vincent Enyeama deserves to be in contention

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


November 17, 2010


Former African Footballer of the Year, Emmanuel Amunike has expressed his dismay over the total exclusion of Nigerian players from the shortlist of players for the 2010 BBC African Footballer of the Year award.

Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o, the Cote d’Ivoire duo of Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, as well as the Ghanaian pair of Asamoah Gyan and Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew, are the five players that have been put forward for the BBC African Footballer of the Year award. Eto’o and Gyan have been tipped to emerge as the winner of the award come December 17; when the winner will be announced on the BBC’s African sports programme Fast Track.

It was a similar scenario a few weeks ago when the continent’s football body, CAF released its shortlisted players for the CAF Footballer of the Year award; a list that was similar to the BBC’s except for the exclusion of Manchester City’s Toure whose place was taken by the Ghanaian international Kevin-Prince Boateng.

In times past, it was common sight to find Nigerian names among the shortlisted players for the BBC award whose eventual winner gets decided by African football fans via text or online - the same went for the CAF Award.

Rashidi Yekini, Victor Ikpeba and Nwankwo Kanu, as well as Amunike are all previous winners of the CAF award.

Five years and counting

Former Super Eagles captain Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, even won the BBC award back to back in 2003 and 2004 - the only player to have claimed it twice since the award debuted in 2000 - but for the fifth straight year, no single Nigerian player was deemed worthy of making it into the final shortlist.

The last Nigerian to be shortlisted was Obafemi Martins back in 2005.

“I have to admit that I was surprised that not a single Nigerian was shortlisted,” Amunike, the 1994 CAF African Footballer of the Year winner, told NEXT. “I know the Super Eagles didn’t have a good year but some of our players did quite well and one of them should have been included by the BBC.”

Nigerian goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama is one player Amunike felt should have been included in the final shortlist following his impressive displays for the Super Eagles at both the African Cup of Nations in Angola and the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, as well as for his club side Hapoel Tel Aviv with whom he won the Israeli league title, scoring a couple of goals along the way.

“The entire world now knows Enyeama,” Amunike said. “He is now one of the best goalkeepers in the world and we all saw what he did at the World Cup and how he has been saving his club from embarrassing defeats in the (UEFA) Champions League.”

The shortlist was determined by a panel of experts across Africa who, according to the BBC, took into consideration individual skill, technical ability, teamwork, consistency, impact on results and fair play.

“Enyeama also scores goals and there are not too many goalkeepers like that in the world so I am really surprised he wasn’t shortlisted,” continued Amunike.

“The players shortlisted are also good but if you consider the impact of these players in their respective teams then I think Enyeama’s exclusion is a big omission,” added the former Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon winger.

Victorious Super Falcons get heroes welcome

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


November 16, 2010 03:36AM




The newly crowned champions of Africa, Super Falcons, returned home yesterday afternoon to a rapturous reception at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.


Hundreds of well-wishers, most of who had been at the airport hours before the team's arrival from Johannesburb, jubilated and cheered the team.

The Falcons had done the country proud by winning the 7th edition of the African Women's Championship (AWC) on the back of five straight victories over Mali, South Africa, Tanzania, Cameroon and defending champions Equatorial Guinea.

Moments after their arrival, they were paraded in an open-top trailer before being taken to the domestic wing of the airport from where they boarded an Arik Air aircraft to Abuja for a reception - organised by the federal government.

The presidency commended the Falcons for not only reclaiming the African Women Championship title they failed to defend at the 2008 tournament in Equatorial Guinea, but for also qualifying for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup scheduled to hold in Germany in June.

Up next, Germany

Ahead of the World Cup, which will be Nigeria's sixth successive appearance. As part of preparations, the Super Falcons will play an international friendly against Germany on November 25. Because of the match, the team is expected to resume training this weekend after observing a few days of rest.

"I think that the friendly is very close," Eucharia Uche, the team's coach told reporters in Lagos. "As soon as we finish celebrating we will gather together for that game.

"The World Cup is different from the AWC. It is a bigger tournament and we intend to prepare well for it." The game against the Germans will take place in the city of Leverkusen and will see the newly crowned African champions testing their might against the winners of the last two editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Perpetua Nkwocha, the leading goal scorer at the AWC, is happy about the fixture and she called on the Nigeria Football Federation to organise more of such games for the team.

"The NFF must organise many friendly games for us, not against African teams but against European teams.

"I think they are planning to do that because this month we are going to play Germany," said the Sweden-based forward when asked what was needed to help the team prepare for the World Cup.

Official airline congratulates the team

Arik Air, the airline that flew the team home, also joined millions of Nigerians in congratulating the Super Falcons on their victory over Equatorial Guinea in Sunday's AWC final.

The airline's Managing Director/Executive Vice President, Chris Ndulue echoed the sentiments of many in Nigeria by saying: "Congratulations to the Super Falcons from all of us at Arik Air, in reclaiming the African title they lost to Equatorial Guinea two years ago and on becoming six-time champions of Africa." Ndulue said Arik Air is happy to be identified with the team having had the honour of flying the team to and from South Africa.

It's not the first time Arik Air will be flying the national team to or from a major championship.

In May this year, prior to the commencement of the World Cup, the airline stepped in to fly the Super Eagles from London to Durban, South Africa, after the prearranged chartered flight for the team could not operate.

Super Falcons are champions again

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


November 15, 2010




Nigeria’s Super Falcons yesterday defeated defending champions Equatorial Guinea’s Nzalang Nacional 4-2 to win the 7th African Women’s Championship, in South Africa.

It was the 6th time Nigeria will be emerging as champions of Africa and the win served as sweet revenge for the Super Falcons, who had lost out at the semi final stage of the 2008 tournament to the Nzalang Nacional.

Perpetua Nkwocha shot Nigeria into the lead in the first half to score her 11th goal of the tournament. But it wasn’t until the second half that the game came alive with both sides thrilling spectators to an incredible display of attacking football with five goals arriving in the final half-hour of the game - one from the head of Nigeria’s Ugochi Oparanozie, and four by the Equatoguineans, including two own goals.

The second half

The Nzalang Nacional started out the stronger of both sides after the half-time break with their most dangerous player Salimata Simpore doing her best to trouble the Nigerian backline, but Osinachi Ohale, and Rita Chikwelu who had to abandon her responsibilities in the Super Falcons midfield ensured that the threat posed by the 23-year-old forward was nullified. Simpore got past her markers on one occasion, in the 57th minute, only to shoot over the Nigerian crossbar.

Two minutes later, Oparanozie, put through on goal by Stella Mbachu, got the better of her marker only for her shot to be parried out for a corner kick by the Nacional’s Brazilian-born goalkeeper Mirian.

From the resultant corner kick, Oparanozie came close to extending Nigeria’s lead but her header from four yards out went over the bar.

Paying the price

The Nigerians were to eventually rue those misses when Caroline Conceicao headed home a corner kick, in the 63rd minute to draw the Equatoguineans level. In the process, the Brazilian-born central defender received a blow from the Nigerian goalkeeper, Precious Dede, and she had to be taken off the pitch for treatment.

The equalizer served as a wake-up call for the Super Falcons and raided the Nzalang Nacional’s backline in search of the winning goal. The pressure paid off in the 76th minute when Oparanozie rose higher than every other person in the penalty area to nod Nigeria back into the lead, with her third goal of the tournament.

Three minutes later, Ghislaine Nke scored an own goal from a cross by Mbacu to make it 3-1.

The Nzalang Nacional however responded almost immediately with an 82nd minute goal by Jade Boho Sayo, who was actually a member of the Spanish team that won the 2004 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship in Finland. She scored the opening goal of Spain’s 2-1 win over the Germans in that 2004 final.

But a dazzling run down the right flank, right after the restart, resulted in yet another own goal by the Equatoguineans, this time by Conceicao, who side footed a cross by Mbachu past her goalkeeper.

No frayed nerves

“We were not worried,” said Nkwocha in response to a question about the attempted comeback by the Equatoguineans. “I was not worried because we remained focused all through. We had our targets, which were to qualify for the World Cup and to win the tournament so we were always confident of winning,” added the Swedish-based player who ended up as the tourney’s leading scorer.

She however fell short of the 15 goals that had been set for her by her teammates.

“I tried my best to score because I said I was going to score 15 goals,” said Nkwocha before adding: “Actually my friends did, but at least I tried by scoring more than half of it.” Mbachu said she is convinced that Nkwocha did her best.

“You can see that she tried to do it,” she said. “Anytime she is on the pitch she gives us confidence. We have so much faith in her and she didn’t disappoint.”

Apart from Nkwocha’s top scorer award, Nigeria also won the Fair Play Trophy while Mbachu was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. And there was none more pleased about it all than the team’s coach Eucharia Uche, herself a former Falcon player.

“I’m really happy about it all,” said an elated Uche. “I’m really glad that almost all the awards here are for Nigerians.”

The next task for the Super Falcons is to get ready for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, which has been scheduled to take place between June 26 and July 17 in Germany. They have never made it past the quarter finals of the World Cup.