Sports
Heartland Departs Today For TP Mazmbe
Officials of Heartland FC of Owerri disclosed yesterday that the team’s contingent to tomorrow’s CAF Champions League final match against TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo will leave today aboard a chartered aircraft from the Port Harcourt International Airport.
The Nigerian flag–bearers won the first leg 2-1 in Owerri on Sunday and countenance a huge battle on their hands against a side that parades the bulk of the DR Congo home–based squad that won the inaugural African Nations Championship in Ivory Coast earlier this year.
“We are going by chartered flight because it would be much better for us. If we have to go by regular flight, we would have to first fly to another country, Ethiopia or Kenya or elsewhere before connecting Lubumbashi. And it would not be good for us,” said the official.
Enyimba FC of Aba is the only Nigerian Club to have won the most prestigious Club marble on the continent, when she did a double in 2003 and 2004.
Enugu Rangers, Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Iwuanyanwu Nationale FC of Owerri (fore–runner of Heartland FC) are the only other Nigerian Clubs to have played in the Final of the biggest club championship on the continent.
In 1988, Iwuanyanwu Nationale defeated Setif of Algeria 1-0 in Ibadan only to lose 4-0 in Algiers.
The Nigeria Football Federation has written to the Nigeria Embassy in DR Congo to make arrangement for special protection for the Heartland FC contingent and also mobilize Nigerians within and around Lubumbashi to support Heartland at the Stade de La Kenya on Saturday.
NFF President Sani Lulu Abdullahi, 1st Vice President Amanze Uchegbulam and General Secretary Bolaji Ojo-Oba, who cheered on Heartland FC in the first leg in Owerri, will also be in Lubum-bashi.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.