Sports
LMC Announces Dates For Rescheduled NPFL Fixtures
The League Management Company (LMC), yesterday announced new dates for the rescheduled games of Nigeria Professional League (NPFL) for clubs participating in the CAF Club competitions.
The company’s Media Officer, Harry Iwuala, said in a statement in Lagos that new dates had been scheduled for the postponed fixtures of Match Day 8 and Match Day 9.
The statement said the matches involved clubs participating in the CAF Clubs competitions, the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederations Cup as a consequence of their concluded first round ties.
“The LMC also announced the postponement of Match Day 13 and Match Day 14 fixtures involving Rangers International and Rivers United, the two clubs that made it through to the second round of the CAF Champions League,’’ it said.
According to the new schedule, the fixture of Match Day 8 between Kano Pillars and Wikki Tourists and that between FC IfeanyiUbah and Remo Stars will now hold on March 8.
It also said that the fixture between MFM and Rivers United and that of 3SC of Ibadan and Rangers International would hold on March 22.
“Other rescheduled fixtures are those of Match Day 9 between Wikki Tourists and Lagos-based MFM and that between Enyimba International of Aba and FC IfeanyiUbah which will hold on March 15.
“The other fixtures between Rivers United and ABS FC of Ilorin, and that between Rangers International and Kano Pillars are fixed for March 22,’’ the statement said.
The LMC said that a notice has been sent to the clubs by the Chief Operating Officer, Salihu Abubakar, in respect of the changes.
The statement indicated that all Match Day 13 and Match Day 14 fixtures involving Rangers International and Rivers United had been postponed to dates that would be announced later.
“On Match Day 13 which holds on March 12, Rivers United is to play away to Katsina United, while Rangers International is to host Wikki Tourists.
“Match Day 14 fixtures scheduled for March 19 features Rangers International away to Sunshine Stars and Rivers United at home to Remo Stars.
“The respective fixtures have now been put on hold as Rangers International and Rivers United have been drawn to play their CAF Champions League second round matches during the weekends of March 12 and March 19,’’ the statement said.
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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