Sports

Mixed Reactions Trail Super Eagles Draw With Kenya

Published

13 years ago

March 25, 2013

Mixed reactions trailed the Super Eagles 1-1 draw with the Harambee Stars of Kenya in Calabar at weekend.

The Super Eagles forced the Harambee Stars to a draw in the World Cup qualifier at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar.

Some soccer stakeholders and fans in Abuja told Tidesports that they were disappointment over the outcome of the match.

Mr Moroof Oluwa, the Secretary-General of Nigeria Football Referees Association (NFRA), expressed concern over the ability of the Super Eagles to take their chances in front of goal.

“The boys really need to wake up from their slumber and put the victory of the Nations Cup behind them.

“The World Cup is the biggest stage of the game and it will really be a shame if we don’t qualify,” Oluwa said.

Mr Godwin Bamigboye, the Chairman of the Nigeria Coaches Association (NCA), FCT chapter, said that the game was tough because the Kenyans came to defend.

“Well, the Kenyans came to defend but were caught napping in the final minute of the game.

“There is a likelihood that when the Eagles’ go for the return leg in Kenya, the Harambee Stars will come out to play; then the Eagles’ could create more scoring opportunities.

“I really do hope we can convert more of our chances to goals in our next match because our strikers were really wasteful today,” he said.

Dimeji Salami, a business man, said that the Super Eagles were lucky to have escaped defeat after throwing away many scoring chances.

“They missed a lot of scoring opportunities and could have paid dearly for it today but for a last gasp effort from Nnamdi,” he said.

Another soccer enthusiast, Audu Yisa, said the last minute goal was a big relief.

“The draw was bad enough. A defeat would have been worse.

“The boys need to put more effort into their next match because the Kenyans will be tougher to beat at home,” he said.

Mr Chidi Nwogwugwu, an estate surveyor, however, said that although the Eagles drew the game, hope was not lost.

“We are still on course; we have a very good chance of qualifying,” he said.

And from Lagos, Fatai Amao, a former Head Coach of 3SC, expressed gratitude to God for the draw and said that the shock given by the the Harambee Stars was an indication that no team should be underrated.

“The game of football is not predictable at all but we thank God that the game ended in a draw because Kenya came here to surprise us.

“I want to salute the courage of our boys not giving up until the end of the game, this is highly commendable,’’ he said.

Joe Erico, a former Assistant Head Coach of Super Eagles, said that he was taken aback by the result of the game.

Erico said that the Harambee Stars would have succeeded in beating the Eagles had they given up.

“I was apprehensive but thank God for the draw. I believe the team will convert all their missed opportunities to goals in Nairobi,’’ he said.

Erico said that there was no complacency on the Eagles side as the team played well.

He expressed optimism that the Eagles would convert all the missed chances to goals in the return leg to enable them to qualify for the World Cup.

But Ali Reham , the Kenyan Team manager, accused the referee of assisting the Eagles to equalise the game.

“The referee from Bostwana did not do well, he added extra time to enable Nigeria equalise.

“We played well and likewise Nigeria played like Africa Champions and kept the pressure until they equalised.

Sports

New W.W. Whyte Tournament Focuses On Talent Discovery – Engr. Alabere

Published

3 days ago

November 19, 2025

The Tide

The Chairman of Grassroots Initiative, Engr. Promise Alabere has reiterated that the New W.W. Whyte Secondary Football Tournament was to discover hidden players from the grassroots and groom them to stardom.

He stated that the his organisation is partnering with the Niger Delta Development Commission ( NDDC) for the football tournament, adding that in the first edition 32 players were discovered and NDDC, and his organisation are to fixing them into various clubs.

Engr. Alabere said this while briefing sports journalists last Tuesday, in Port Harcourt, and expressed optimism that the second edition which have 22 secondary schools participating would be exciting and impressive.

” The essence of this tournament is to catch them young because in the 1980s and 1990s most of the players that played for NNPC, Sharks and other big clubs in the country were discovered through this competition.

” Even me I was a product of the W.W. Whyte tournament, as I started playing for the Nigerian Police football club when I was in class four. But this competition stopped about 20 years when two schools resort to bloody clash during one of their games.

According to him the second edition expanded to schools in six Local Government Areas, saying that it will be better than the previous in terms of organisation and others.

“We want to make this edition more exciting and beneficial to all participating schools because the first edition was on experiment but this edition is no longer an experiment” he stated.

The Chairman of Grassroots Initiative,used the forum to advice all participating schools to conduct themselves in a good manner and adhere to rules of the competition.

He equally thanked NDDC for being its major sponsor of the tournament.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Hoopers Ready For NPBL Title Defence – Captain

Published

3 days ago

November 18, 2025

The Tide

Rivers Hoopers captain Victor Anthony Koko has said that his team is mentally ready for the challenge of retaining their Nigeria Premier Basketball League title when the 2025 season Final Four phase holds from November 21 – 23 in Port Harcourt, Tidesports source reports.
The Kings Men, who won back-to-back NPBL titles in 2023 and 2024 unbeaten, are chasing their seventh title.
They will be up against Lagos Legends, Gboko City Chiefs, and Nigeria Customs, as they hope to retain the title they won last year and also pick the ticket to next year’s Basketball Africa League.
Following the conclusion of the Final Eight earlier this month, the KingsMen have had time to fine-tune preparations ahead of their title defence at the Final Four, with the skipper stating that he and his teammates are fully prepared to retain the championship.
“This time around, everyone is ready; everyone is mentally ready. We understand what is at stake, so we need to go all out. And right now, with the level of energy I’ve seen from my team during practice, I don’t think we’re going to be a team that just wants to have fun [on the court]. We’re a championship-winning team, and we want to retain that championship,” he stressed.
Koko has won the league seven times in his career, and he is looking to help the Port Harcourt club reach its height.
“I want us to win the 2025 NPBL title. It’s on my mind, day and night: Hoopers Champions. And I’m assuring our fans that we’re not going to let them down. It’s happening here in Port Harcourt, and we’re going to make them proud.”

Sports

Barau Beat Rangers To Move Out Of Relegation Zone

Published

3 days ago

November 18, 2025

The Tide

Nigeria Premier Football League newcomers, Barau FC have zoomed out of the drop zone after they defeated Rangers International FC 2-0 on Sunday in a rescheduled tie played in Kano.
The Maliya Boys got their goals through Muhammed Umar and Joseph Kemin in the 26th and 76th minutes to record their third win of the season
They have moved to the 16th spot with 13 points from 12 games but the loss by the Flying Antelopes see them slid to the seventh spot with 19 points from 13 games.
The home win is no doubt a relief to Barau FC head coach, Ladan Bosso who has seen his job brought under scrutiny following the Maliya Boys impressive start to the season.