Sports
New German Club Excites Okungbowa
Austrian-born Nigerian defensive midfielder, Osarenren Emmanuel Okungbowa, has declared that his recent move from VfB Lübeck to Offenbacher Kickers in the same German 3 Bundesliga was too good for him to reject. He is also certain the deal will add value to his playing career.
“I am very happy to be able to play at such an emotional club. This is exactly my thing. After they showed me the environment and the possibilities, there was no question for me whether I would accept the offer from Kickers Offenbach.
“I want to get fully involved here and be successful with the OFC,”the 27-year-old Okungbowa, whose parents are from Nigeria, added.
Thomas Sobotzik, Managing Director of OFC Kickers, was so emphatic on the reasons the club signed Okungbowa, noting that, “due to his technical, strategic and physical abilities, Osa can be used very flexibly both in the defensive midfield and in the back row.
As a so-called ‘late starter,’ the former top talent of the Rapid Wien talent factory made his breakthrough in professional football in the past two seasons.
“We hope and count on Osa to be able to confirm and further expand these achievements at OFC,” added Sobotzik.
It woyld be recalled thatvOkungbowa played 31 league games for VfB Lübeck last season.
Tidesports source gathered that previously, the 1.89-meter-tall left footer was under contract with Rapid Wien of Austria and Floridsdorfer AC, among others. Born in the Austrian capital Vienna, he played a total of 28 games in the Austrian Bundesliga and the second division for both clubs.
Okungbowa joined Rapid Wien in 2010 from the amateur club Donaufeld. He made his professional debut for Rapid Wien in a 2–1 loss against Sturm Graz on 27 November 2016.
On 18 January 2019, he signed for the rest of the season with Floridsdorfer AC. He signed for German third division side VfB Lübeck on a one-year contract in July 2020.
Also known as Kickers Offenbach, Offenbacher Kickers, were founded in 1901 and last featured in the German first division in the 1983/84 season.
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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