Sports
PHC FC Confident Of Aiteo Cup Ticket
The head coach of Port Harcourt City FC, Joseph Zico has expressed optimism that his team will pick one of the slots to represent Rivers State in Aiteo Cup.
He stated that the experience he got from the coaching clinic in Spain has yielded fruitful result, saying that he will not fail to transfer same knowledge to the younger ones. .
Coach Zico stated this on Wednesday in an exclusive interview with Tidesports shortly after his team defeated Family Love FC of Port Harcourt 3-0 in a semi -final match at the ongoing Rivers State FA (RSFA) played at Sharks football Stadium, Port Harcourt.
Coach Zico, is one of the coaches in Real Madrid/Rivers State Football Academy that went for coaching course in Spain under the sponsorship of the State government.
According to him, his team coaching crew has intensified their effort to ensure that they win the RSFA competition.
“We want to win the tournament and represent the state at the national level” he said.
However, the coach commended Family Love FC over their impressive performance.
Meanwhile in the second match Urim FC defeated Rivers United Feeder team 4-3 in a penalty shootout after they played one all draw in regulation time.
In his reaction the head coach of Urim FC of Port Harcourt Lucky Batubo said he is prepared for this year FA cup.
“I thank God because he had done it again. United Feeders team is a good, every coach wants to win matches,”Batubo stated.
Also speaking the head coach of the United Feeder team, Ken Chukwu attributes the loss to their inability to convert chances.
“Penalty kick is nobody’s game .It can go either way” Chukwu explained.
Kiadum Edookor
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.