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Sustain Performance At AFCON 2013, Fans Urge Eagles

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Some football fans on Saturday advised the Super Eagles to sustain their current level of performance at the 2013 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa.

The Eagles beat Liberia’s Lone Star 6-1 at the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar on Saturday to qualify for the competition.

Some of the fans spoke in separate interviews in reaction to the win. Secretary of Nigerian Women Professional League (NWPL), Danlami Alanana, said the players did Nigerians proud with their performance which gave them an 8-3 aggregate win.

He however advised that they should further convince many football followers that they did not qualify on a platter of gold.

“They did Nigerians proud and I hope they will sustain their performance in the course of the competition in South Africa.

“This is because it is not just about playing Liberia and qualifying for the competition.

“All we want now is for the players to show the world that they did not qualify on a platter of gold.

“They should improve on their performance so that we can be a force to reckon with, once again, in football,’’ Alanana said.

He however commended the efforts of the team’s overseas-based players and advised the technical crew to be more tactical and help the players to remain focused.

“The foreign-based players really proved their worth and you will discover that they really brought about some difference in the game.

“I will say their call-up was justified to a large extent, because the level of the game was high and they showed a high level of seriousness.

“I want to advise the technical crew that they should not relax in their work, because this is just the beginning and the crew has to be more tactical,’’ Alanana, who is a staff of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), said.

A football coach in the FCT, who matched the match Maruf Adeyemo, said the Eagles should always show more seriousness and determination during any game.

He said he would be expecting the team to display such quality at the AFCON finals in South Africa next year.

“They (the Eagles) played a good game. But based on what they played, they were too confident of winning and I think we should not toy with this kind of game next time.

“I commend coach Stephen Keshi’s effort of blending the home-based players with their overseas-based counterparts.

“If you look back at the first leg game in Liberia which had ended 2-2 last month, it was basically a team of the home-based, while today’s is a blend of the two.

“A Sunshine Stars player and a Warri Wolves defender also played in the defence, and this shows that the coach has confidence in the Nigerian League.

“As for me, a Nigerian player is a Nigerian player as long as you can restore the lost glory for this country and be able to justify being called to play,’’ Adeyemo said.

A youth corps member, Felix Nwagwu, said the Eagles should improve on converting their scoring chances to goals.

“They missed a lot of scoring chances, even though they won. But they played a very good game and they were composed.

“But they should have scored more goals than they did. They should be more focused.

“They also need to change the attitude we saw in somebody like Victor Moses, who in spite of playing well was complacent towards the end of the match.

“He was no longer serious as the game went towards its end, because he felt his side was winning. But no matter how small a team is, they should never be underrated.

“Our players should play all games to the best of their ability and not take any chances at all.

“However, I commend the other players, especially the overseas-based ones. It appears that when they are invited to play crucial matches like this one, they will give their best performance,’’ he said.

The 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa will hold from January 19 to February 10.

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Football Pundit Lauds Chelle’s Effort In Monitoring Nigeria League Players

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A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.

Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.

“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”

He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.

“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”

“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.

“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.

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LGA Boss Pledges To Reintroduce School Sports 

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The chairman of the Khana Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State, Bariere Thomas, has revealed that plans are underway to commence school sports at the primary and secondary school levels in the area.
According to him, school sports that were primarily used to discover young talents had become a thing of the past, adding that one of the ways to discover young talents is to organize programs that will expose talents at the grassroots level.
Thomas said this on Saturday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after a novelty football match between Khana All-Stars and council appointees.
The match was held to mark the birthday of Felix Ibor, the Supervisor for Education in Khana LGA, at the Bori Police Station field.
The LGA boss reiterated that organizing competitive sporting events in primary and secondary schools is one of the best ways to bring out the best in young people and help to achieve their potential.
“What we are doing in the Khana Local Government Area is to consolidate on the sports we know, which are wrestling, cycling, football, and others,” he said.
He added that he is concerned about the competitive nature of wrestling on the global stage; at Khana LGA, for instance, they are focusing on how to consolidate the sports they know more about.
Thomas described Felix Ibor as an academic whom he has known and worked with since before he became LGA chairman.
He commended both teams for the novelty match, saying that it was held to celebrate Ibor’s birthday.
Ibor thanked the chairman and both teams for celebrating with him, and he prayed that God would also bless them.
Meanwhile, Ibor also presented a set of Jessy to the chairman for the council team.
Kiadum Edookor
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Ezechukwu Eyes Double Gold In African Champs

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Teenage Nigerian sprinter Miracle Ezechukwu has set her sights on winning both the 100m and 4x100m relay titles at the 24th African Athletics Championships in Accra, while also targeting a new personal best in the process, Tidesports source.

Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.

The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.

“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.

“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.

Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.

She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.

“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.

The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.

Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.

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