Sports
CHAN: S’Eagles Target Winning Start Against Niger, Today
Nigeria will hope to get
off to a winning start in the 2016 CHAN against next-door neigbours Niger on Monday.
Kick-off time is 5pm Nigerian time.
Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh said it was crucial to start the 2016 CHAN on a winning note.
“We have a very good team to do well, but we pray for a good start in the tournament,” said Oliseh, who faces his first major championship since he was appointed the country’s coach in July 2015.
Christopher Madaki and goalkeeper Femi Thomas said they are seeking victory in the opening game in Rwanda.
“It’s victory we are going for against Niger Republic. Opening games are important in competitions and we are looking forward to start the CHAN on a winning note,” said Giwa FC defender Madaki.
Enyimba goalkeeper Femi Thomas said he believes a two-week training camp in Pretoria, South Africa, has been worth it and this will be evident against the Mena of Niger.
“Our camping in South Africa helped us, it brought us together as a team. We are like a family in camp with high spirit. Victory is our target,” Thomas said.
Nigeria will be buoyed leading up to Monday’s game after they defeated the same team 2-0 in a friendly in Port Harcourt in September.
Skipper Ahmed Musa gave the Eagles an 11th minute lead from the penalty spot, before Moses Simon doubled the advantage five minutes from time.
It was a very physical game with Niger most uncompromising in the tackles. It could be a repeat on Monday in Kigali.
Ghanaian-born Kofi Dan Kowa will be one of the most experienced players for Niger today having being an international since 2008. He featured at both the 2012 and 2013 AFCONs for his adopted country.
He has posted foreign stints in Tunisia, South Africa and most recently India.
The daring central defender could also play as a defensive midfielder and scored in both legs of the qualifiers against Togo.
Both West African countries are featuring for the second time in this competition.
Niger made their debut at the 2011 tournament in Sudan and reached the quarterfinals, where they lost on penalties to the hosts.
As it were, Niger stopped Nigeria from the 2011 competition after they overcame coach Daniel Amokachi’s team in Kano.
Nigeria first played at the CHAN two years ago in South Africa, where they finished third.
Niger eliminated Togo to qualify for Rwanda 2016, while Nigeria saw off Burkina Faso.
Chairman, South-South, SWAN and Chairman, Main Organising Committee (MOC), Go Round/SWAN Secondary School Athletics Championship, Mr Honour Sirawoo (middle|), Chairman, Publicity and Sub-Committee, Mr Gabriel Nwanetanya (right), and Mr Giga James, member of the MOC, during a press briefing at Ernest Ikoli Press Centre, Port Harcourt, recently.
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.
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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