All sports stories from Naija – Latest from the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Nigerian Super Eagles and Super Falcons preparations for the FIFA World Cups, and the Nigeria athletes compete at the Commonwealth Games, Olympics and the IAAF World Championships.
MTNFootball.com has specially gathered that striker Ikechukwu Uche will start for Nigeria on Tuesday as they go for goals against Ethiopia. Nigeria are tied on two points apiece with Zambia, while Burkina Faso are the surprise leaders on four points. E...
Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi has hit at critics who call to berate him on his tactics and selection method, describing them as ‘those who know next to nothing in football’. He said the players must aim to win their matches so that...
Yet to be fielded Super Eagles midfielder, and Kano Pillars star Reuben Gabriel will make his Nations Cup debut today in the crucial must win encounter against Ethiopia. Gabriel, who is one of the home based Eagles players Stephen Keshi is banking on t...
Head Media and Publicity Committee at the Nigeria Football Federation, Emeka Inyama has revealed ahead of today’s make or mar clash against Ethiopia in the last group game that the NFF was not poised at seeing the Eagles qualify to the next round...
Ghana booked their place at the quarter final of the 2013 Orange Africa Cup of Nations in grand style beating Niger 3-0 on Monday in Port Elizabeth
The four-year programme in Nigeria has led to on-going partnerships between government and sports federations, initiated under the international sports legacy programme led by UK Sport in partnership with UNICEF and the British Council.
Two stunning goals, from May Mahlangu and Siyabonga Sangweni, saw Bafana Bafana twice fight back from a goal down to draw against Morocco in a drama-filled cracker of a game at Moses Mabhida Stadium, and send the host nation to the quarterfinals ...
Super Eagles Head Coach Stephen Keshi wants his wards focused and fully concentrated in tomorrow’s game against Ethiopia. He said this is necessary in order to avoid last minute mistakes that cost the country victories in their two previous games...
Algerian coach Vahid Halilhodzic has no explanations. Although the Foxes came into the Africa Cup of Nations highly rated, they failed to score in Saturday’s match against Togo, losing 2-0, and saw themselves eliminated. “Well, what can I s...
Togo’s 2-0 victory over Algeria was another sign that the team had come together following a recent turbulent history with the Africa Cup of Nations, striker Emmanuel Adebayor said. Adebayor was on target in Rustenburg on Saturday as Togo’s...
Nigerian forward, Peter Odemwingie has voiced his displeasure at Barclays English Premier League club, West Bromwich Albion for their perceived refusal to let him join Queens Park Rangers. QPR have made no secret of their desire to bring the Nigerian s...
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and passed the landmark of 300 club goals as Real Madrid put a turbulent week behind them with a 4-0 win at home to Getafe in La Liga on Sunday to close to within four points of second-placed Atletico Madrid. The bu...
Super Eagles captain, Joseph Yobo has appealled to the Referees officiating at the ongoing 2013 Africa Cup Nations (AFCON) to be fair to the teams in the remaining matches.
Reacting to Friday’s controversial penalty awarded to Zambia at the 86th minutes, Yobo said that while he would not want to question the officials, he would want to appeal for fairness.
``I don’t want to question the decision of the referee, but I want to make a passionate appeal to the referees to be fair in their decisions, so that the best team will always win.
“It was a bizarre officiating, the worst penalty award I have ever seen in my entire football career, only God knows why they are doing this to us,” Yobo said.
Another Super Eagles player, Azubuike Egwueke, said he was shocked from the bench area when the referee pointed to the spot.
“It was like a dream and I was asking whether it was a penalty award or free-kick against Zambia.
`` CAF should help us plead with the referees to be fair to the team,” he said.
On his part Ogenyi Onazi, who was alleged to have caused the penalty, said he’s still at a loss over the referee’s call.
“The opposing Zambian player was the one who was pulling me, shoving and almost pulled down my pants and we were not even in the 18 yard box when the referee called for a penalty.
``CAF should please tell them to stop killing African football”, he said.
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles will on Sunday morning depart for Rustenberg from Nelspruit, where they will play their final game against Ethiopia on Tuesday.
Super Eagles will play their ``must win'' last group match against Ethiopia at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenberg.
Gov. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers, says the Super Eagles will progress in the ongoing AFCON, in spite of drawing its first two matches. Amaechi told the players that President Goodluck Jonathan had promised that the team would lack nothing to ensu...
Football stakeholders in Ilorin have advised Coach Stephen Keshi to reinforce the Super Eagles attack, ahead of the team's make-or-mar encounter with the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia on Tuesday.
Scores of football fans, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Saturday, said that the team had so far performed poorly.
NAN reports that the 1-1 draw the team played against the Zambians would be the second in a row after its earlier 1-1 draw with the Stallions of Burkina Faso.
The Stallions had meanwhile, trounced Walya Antelopes 4-0, to boost their chances of advancing to the quarter-finals of the tournament.
The Eagles would have to defeat the Walya Antelopes by a wide margin, without conceding any; to stand a chance of progressing to the Quarter finals of the tournament.
Alloy Chukwuemeka, the General Manager of the Abubakar Bukola Saraki FC of Ilorin, said the performance of the Eagles in the championship was below average.
He stressed that the team’s attack should consist of Ike Uche, Ahmed Musa and Emmanuel Emenike for the desired results in the team's subsequent matches.
``The defence is better, especially with the removal of Joseph Yobo from the line. You can see that his omission was not felt at all.
``Let him combine Uche, Musa and Emenike together, instead of substituting one for the other,” the ABS manager said.
In the same vein, Coach Tunde Kazeem, the Director, Kwara Sports Council, also described the team’s performance as unimpressive.
The coach told NAN that he was, however, optimistic that the team would qualify from the group stage.
He harped on the need for Keshi and his technical crew to be on their feet during matches in order to appropriately direct the proceedings from the sidelines.
``All departments needed to be reinforced.
``The issue of substitution and the time to do so is a decision that should be left to the coaches.
``They are also monitoring as well. I noticed that their game is improving with each match; their performance against the Zambians was an improvement on their performance against Burkina Faso,” he added.
Mr Kunle Alao, said that the Eagles should strive to score as many goals as possible, to avert the disappointment of having a slender lead being cancelled out through an equaliser.
``If Nigeria had scored more goals in the first place, the issue of a shock equaliser at the dying minute would not be,” he said.
Meanwhile Julius Ogunro the Special Assistant on Media to Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, the Minister of Sports has said that the team was improving with each match.
``I urge fans to be patient and not relent in their support for the Super Eagles.
``The team will surely defeat the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia to boost its chances of playing in the quarter-finals of the AFCON,’’ he added.