Sports
Enyimba At War With NPL Over Rescheduled Matches
Nigerian Premier League defending champions, Enyimba International FC is at war with the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) Board over new dates announced for their rescheduled games. According to the club, the matches have been crammed too close to each other and would not give them a fair ground to contest for the title.
The CAF Champions League semi-finalist are scheduled to play three outstanding matches, between October 5 and 12 and after which week 35 matches will be played from October 18.
Enyimba is scheduled to play away to Kwara United on October 5 and four days later they will take on Enugu Rangers in Enugu in an ‘oriental derby”, before they host Kadun United on October 12.
However, club officials have said that this schedule would be too demanding for their team, who are also engaged in the Champions League semi-finals against Wydad Casablanca of Morocco.
They will host Wydad in a return leg semi finals on October 16 in Aba after playing the first leg on Friday.
NPL officials have insisted that this was the best they could come up with for this long drawn league season to finally come to an end.
The league has to be concluded on November 2 and that is why we expect all the clubs to comply with this new timetable”, an official disclosed to Tidesports source.
They also argued that Enyimba have a big squad and so have no reason to complain of fixtures congestion.
Enyimba is currently ninth on the table with 51 points from 31 matches, 13 points off the pace set by front runners Sunshine Stars and Dolphins Football Club.
Gold Monday
Sports
Iwobi Optimistic On S’Eagles Qualification
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.
Sports
ATLANTICBELL CEO ADVICE SPORTS WRITERS ON SPECIALIZATION
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.
Sports
DEPUTY PRESIDENT EXPRESSES COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT SPORTS DEV, SWAN
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.
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