Connect with us

Sports

NPFL: Enyimba still favourites despite surprise home draw

Published

on

With almost a third of the NPFL season gone, patterns are starting to emerge. The title contenders are setting their stalls in the top echelon of the table, while the battle for survival at the other end is also brewing.

Kano Pillars lead the way with 23 points from 12 matches, with Enyimba and Kwara United in second and third respectively with 22 points each.

However, Enyimba have played two matches less than both Pillars and Kwara United.

Despite having games in hand over most of their closest rivals, Enyimba will be slightly disappointed that they are not leading the NPFL after the latest round of midweek matches.

Given their previously unblemished home form, they would have expected to take care of business when Akwa United visited Aba on matchday 12.

The two-time African champions were a perfect five from five at home, but they suffered a rare blip on Wednesday, drawing 1-1 with The Promise Keepers.

Perhaps their involvement in the continent had a role to play in the below par performance and result.

The league game against Akwa United came just three days after Enyimba’s penalty shootout victory over Rivers United in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Yes, most teams in the NPFL play weekends and midweek, but a high-power continental game with arguably a lot more on the line takes a bit more out of the players, especially emotionally.

With Enyimba now set to play six round-robin matches in the Confederation Cup, including trips to Algeria, Libya and South Africa, Fatai Osho’s men have got a tough balancing act to perform as they juggle their quests for domestic and continental glory.

If Enyimba do not find that balance, there are quite a few teams that are very capable of taking advantage.

Kano Pillars currently sit on top of the table and definitely know how to manage a title challenge, while Rangers International, in fifth, are only three points off the lead.

Like Pillars, seven-time champions, Rangers are also traditional superpowers in Nigeria, and will have their sights set on regaining a title they last won in 2016.

Also, look out for Rivers United, who are now out of the continent, and can fully focus on the NPFL. Rivers are five points behind leaders Pillars, with two games in hand.

The Nigeria Professional Football League has traditionally been very unpredictable, and this year is no different. These are exciting times for NPFL fans.

Unfortunately, fans are not allowed at match venues at the moment, but we can stream the matches via the NPFL’s streaming service.

Adding to the excitement is the fact that we can now bet on NPFL matches online. The very best betting sites in Nigeria all have the Nigerian league in their portfolios.

At the other end of the table are Adamawa United, who have managed a miserly three points from 11 matches. They are 10 points from safety and barring a monumental reversal of fortunes, they will be playing in Nigerian National League next season. Adamawa United are winless, and have scored just three goals all season. That’s proper relegation form.

So much was expected from teams like Plateau United and Abia Warriors, but they haven’t really got going this season and are loitering in the bottom half of the table. The great news for these clubs is that there is still time to rectify their season and get their campaigns back on track.

As is always the case with the NPFL, two or three wins on the bounce can do wonders to a team’s league position.

For now, Enyimba, Kano Pillars, Rivers United and Rangers are looking like the main contenders. They have the squad and know-how to put together a title bid.

Continue Reading

Sports

I Joined Saudi League To Win Titles – Senegal Keeper

Published

on

Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has said that criticism that he and other players chased money by moving to Saudi Arabia is wide of the mark.
The 33-year-old left Chelsea for Al-Ahli in a £16m ($21.4m) deal in 2023, and in May the Africa Cup of Nations winner helped his Saudi club win the Asian Champions League, making him one of the few players to win both that competition and its European equivalent.
But, like many others, Mendy has been criticised for playing for money rather than prestige in the lucrative Saudi Pro League.
When asked about such criticism, Mendy told a Tidesports source, “Al-Ahli’s project came along and they made me feel I had a big role to play.
“Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. So yes, that validates my choice. And I hope the coming years will validate it even more.”
He added: “Some people will quickly jump to conclusions and say the only reason is money. From the start, I always said that when I left Chelsea, I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything , which was no longer the case at Chelsea.”
The Blues have since won the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition, under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
But it comes after the regime’s trophyless first two years, a period which has frustrated some supporters after the success enjoyed under Roman Abramovich’s stewardship in the previous 19 years.
Mendy has also been celebrating what he describes as a historical win with Senegal against England at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, but days earlier he had been in Dakar delivering a different kind of win.
He is the sponsor of Yakaar, a school in Keur Massar, which seeks to improve funding and access to digital learning tools for local children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Famously, as Mendy grew up in France, he was unemployed, aged 22, while struggling to find a club, with members of his family still living on the outskirts of Dakar.
That is why Yakaar, a word meaning “hope”, was chosen, a word Mendy has carried with him in his career.
“Hope is what kept me going. When I was without a club, it was the hope of getting that first professional contract.
“Then the hope of playing for the national team. The hope of making my family proud by doing the job I had always dreamed of.
“Indeed, hope is the best word to describe my career.”
Mendy was also asked whether the responsibility of being an African goalkeeper had weighed heavily on him.
“Of course. When I was in England, there weren’t many African goalkeepers in top clubs,” he admitted.
“Whether nationally or internationally, I had that responsibility. It’s the same for other African goalkeepers like Andre Onana [Manchester United] or Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal).”

Continue Reading

Sports

Spanish Football Fires Entire Refereeing Committee

Published

on

The entire refereeing committee has been fired by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), with structural reforms soon set to follow.
According to sources, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has dismissed the entire refereeing committee in response to mounting pressure from clubs demanding structural reform. A major shake-up aimed at modernising Spanish refereeing from top to bottom has now been set in motion.
Head of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Luis Medina Cantalejo and Head of VAR, Carlos Clos Gomez, have been removed from their positions. They are joined by several senior officials, including Antonio Rubinos Perez and three vice presidents, who are also stepping down. A new leadership model will be introduced, led by a CEO and a sporting director, aiming to overhaul how refereeing is managed covering assessments, promotions, and daily operations. While the leadership changes are sweeping, the current pool of referees in La Liga and the second tier will remain, ensuring continuity on the field during the transition.

Continue Reading

Sports

Ronaldo Renews Stay With Saudi Pro League

Published

on

Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nassr that means he will stay with the Saudi Pro League club until beyond his 42nd birthday.
The Portugal captain, 40, joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United in acrimonious circumstances, having criticised the club and said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr deal had been due to expire at the end of June and there was speculation he could leave, but that has now been quashed.
In a post on X, Ronaldo wrote: “A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together.”
Although Al-Nassr have not added to their nine domestic titles during Ronaldo’s time at the club, they have benefited from a flood of goals from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo scored 35 times in 41 matches across all competitions last term and was the league’s top scorer for a second consecutive season.
He has managed 99 goals in appearances overall for Al-Nassr and is well on his way to reaching 1,000 senior goals in his career, with a current tally of 938 for club and country.
Having helped Portugal win the Uefa Nations League a little over two weeks ago, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Sporting and Juventus forward will almost certainly now be targeting a sixth World Cup appearance next summer.
Only a month ago, Ronaldo posted on social media to say “the chapter is over”.
That came after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al-Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.
The comment fuelled rumours that Ronaldo was ready to leave the league where he reportedly became the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m when he joined.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved in the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the extended tournament which is being held in the United States.
Ronaldo said he had received offers from participating teams but had turned them down.
The decision to stay until at least 2027, which is certain to be highly lucrative, appears to rule out any future prospect of Ronaldo returning to play at the highest level in Europe.

Continue Reading

Trending