Sports
NPFL: Eguma Attributes Loss Against Tornadoes To Fatigue
The Technical Manager of Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt, Stanley Eguma, has attributed their opening match loss against Niger Tornadoes in the Nigeria Premier Professional League (NPFL), 2023/24 season to late arrival to match venue.
According to him, following the late arrival, the players were tired and could not coordinate themselves in the first half of the game.
Eguma said this last Sunday in his post match interview with sports journalists which was made available to Tidesports shortly after they were defeated 1-0 at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, in Minna.
He explained that in the first half, his players were not so much on the ball; in the second half, they were in control of the game but could not convert their chances.
“The result was not too good because my players did not play as expected. My players were peaceful in the game. Their reaction was not too much good because they were a bit tired due to late arrival to the match venue occasioned by long distance.
“In the second half, the game was under our control and we created chances but our problem was conversion.
“I think we got a penalty in the second half but I did not know why the referee denied us but he gave them penalty in the first half.
“ All what I know is that it was not a good outing for us today and we need to go back and work on the team and come out stronger in our next game,” Eguma said.
He further expressed disappointment over the poor condition of the pitch, adding that the pitch did not allow free flow of the ball.
“The pitch also contributed to our loss because it didn’t allow the ball to flow as expected.
“I think we need to work on some of these factors and we are going to win our next game,” he stated.
By: Kiadum Edooko
Azeez, one of several fresh faces invited for the four-nation tournament, was handed a starting role straight away and repaid the faith with two goals to seal the win for the Super Eagles at The Valley.
He scored with a powerful low strike in the sixth minute before calmly tapping home a Terem Moffi layoff in the second half, making him the undisputed standout performer by most assessments.
However, Chelle was far from satisfied.
The Franco-Malian tactician acknowledged the goals but was sharply critical of the 24-year-old’s failure to execute his tactical instructions during the 91 minutes he spent on the pitch before being replaced by Aderemi Adeoye.
“You can ask Azeez directly. The first objective was for him to run today; this is what I asked of them,” Chelle said. “The second instruction was to press high, but during the 90 minutes, they did not.
“We have to analyse the performance, particularly Azeez’s. I know he scored two goals, so congratulations to him.”
But he lost possession far too often, technically, so I’m not happy. He won the ball back at times, but other times he didn’t, so I’m not happy. But for his debut, I can say congratulations to him.”
When asked whether Azeez had done enough to earn a spot in the squad for Nigeria’s upcoming friendlies against Poland and Portugal in June, Chelle was deliberately vague.
“If I want him for the games against Portugal and Poland, I’ll say yes. But if I don’t want him, I’ll say no,” he said.
Chelle handed debuts to eight players against Zimbabwe overall, with Arthur Okonkwo, Chibueze Oputa, Obinna Igboke, and Azeez all starting, while Rafiu Durosinmi, Tosin Oyedokun, Owen Oseni and Adeoye came off the bench.
Nigeria, who advance to the final of the tournament, will now await the winner of the second semi-final between India and Jamaica.
The Nigeria Boxing Federation has set its sights on six gold medals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as the body looks to recover from the administrative turmoil that undermined its preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
NBF Vice President Omonlei Imadu told our correspondent, “Our target is 10 medals, six gold, while others can come in silver and bronze colours. We are truly determined to make this a reality in Glasgow.
“We have moved focus now to the camping phase. Our aim is to ensure that the boxers are in perfect shape during and after the camping.”
Diaspora boxer Patricia Mbata, the African Games gold medallist based in the United Kingdom, was among the women’s finalists, while Kenneth Anigboro topped the men’s 90kg class. Other female finalists are Udoette Happiness and Gafar Fathia (51kg), Ajishola Kadijat and Gbadamosi Aishat (57kg), Sodipe Damilola and Ismail Abibat (65kg), Blessing Orakwe (70kg), and James Queen and Odoka Celestina (above 70kg). The male finalists are Ogunremi Michael and Habeeb Qazeem (55kg), Abdulwahab Abdulrahmon and Saliu Ridwan (65kg), Folly Hassan and Nwoha Precious (70kg), Daniel Joshua and Sharafadeen Fawas (80kg), and Anigboro Kenneth and Abiodun Adesoji (90kg).
National Sports Commission Director General Bukola Olopade, who attended Nigeria’s Commonwealth trials, also expressed optimism about Nigeria’s prospects.
“We are doing everything possible to ensure that Nigeria have a successful outing at the Games, and the prospects in boxing truly excite me,” he said.
Nigeria’s push for improvement comes after the backdrop of a difficult period for the sport at the last Olympics.
Boxers who competed at Paris 2024 also raised concerns about poor preparation, with Zainab Adeshina stating there was no adequate equipment for training and Ifeanyi Onyekwere describing the build-up as a one-week camp filled with stress.
Nigeria also suffered a 4-3 defeat to Ghana in a Commonwealth Games warm-up friendly in Accra recently, a result Imadu acknowledged as a reminder of the work still required, while noting that the federation was in advanced talks with two other nations over additional preparatory fixtures before the Games.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will run from July 24 to August 1 at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, where boxing will feature across 14 events — seven men’s and seven women’s categories.
The NBF vice president also commended the board members for their commitment and altruism towards the welfare of the athletes.
“As a federation, we would like to appreciate these board members for their patriotism. This is an attestation of their dedication to the advancement of boxing in the country. As a body, we would continue to encourage the selflessness of our colleagues so we can collectively deliver on our mandate to revamp the squared ropes sports across the board,” he said.
The Yucateco boss further states the NBF’s readiness to deliver medals at the Games in Glasgow.
“Like I said previously, our focus has not shifted. We strongly believe that every boxer on the plane to Scotland must return with a medal for Nigeria, hence we took the lead as the only federation to call its athletes to camp ahead of time. 30 of our boxers have been in camp since April, and the federation has been solely responsible for their welfare since they commenced training,” Imadu added.
At the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, nine Nigerian fighters returned with four medals — one silver through Elizabeth Oshoba and bronzes for Cynthia Ogunsemilore, Jacinta Umunnakwe and Ifeanyi Onyekwere.
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