Sports
Poor Officiating Responsible For Our Draw – Coach Eguma
Poor officiating was responsible for our one all draw against visiting Sunshine FC , in Match day 16 in the Nigeria Professional Football League( NPFL). The Coach of Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt, Stanley Eguma said.
He expressed their preparedness of the game considering the position his team occupied on the log, but admitted that the visitors from Akure were also a good team.
Coach Eguma said this on Sunday in a post match interview, shortly after his side forced the visitors to one all draw at Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt.
“We should have won the game in the first half. But up till now I did not know how that penalty came against us ” he stated.
He explained that playing draw against Sunshine Stars at home is a huge set back for his team, saying that he will go back to drawing board to correct the grey areas in the team.
“We have to talk to our players. The game has come and gone we have to fashion out different ways to approach our next matches.
The game was going on normal until the referee gave them a penalty which I did not understand” he explained.
The technical adviser, noted that football is not Mathematics where the answer will remain same. However, he confirmed that Sunshine Stars is also a good team.
Both goals of the game were scored through a spot kick.
Ossy Martins of United converted the spot kick at the 68th minute, while the Sunshine Stars, Otebeji Ajibola also scored the equaliser through spot kick at 81st minute.
The pride of the state have played 15 matches, won five, draw five,lost five and currently on eight position on the log with 20 points
Earlier, the Head Coach of Sunshine Stars, Kabiru Dogo said his team has lost valuable points at home, adding that struggle will continue until they qualify for super six.
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.