NFF election: Submission of forms ends Sept. 1

INTERESTED Nigerians who are yet to obtain election forms into the executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), still have hours left as grace.  
According to the eight-man re-constituted of the NFF electoral committee, the polls will hold on September 4 in Abuja, as agreed at the last controversial general assembly in Abuja on August 26
The electoral committee stated that all qualified and interested candidates have the option of either downloading the requisite application forms from the electoral committee website, www.nffelect2014.com or obtaining the forms at No. 9, Arusha Crescent, Wuse Zone 1, Abuja.
It stated that duly completed forms are to be returned to No. 9, Arusha Crescent, Wuse Zone I, Abuja before 6.30pm on Monday, September 1, 2014.
"All candidates who previously obtained their forms but were unable to submit are eligible to participate in the 2014 NFF executive committee elections on September 4, 2014. Such candidates are advised to submit their forms as advised in paragraphs 3 and 4 above.
"All other candidates who previously had been cleared to participate in the 2014 NFF Executive Committee Elections are eligible to participate in the elections on the basis of their previous clearance, and will not require any further or fresh clearance. It is important, however, that candidates falling in this category communicate their willingness to participate in the elections either by letter to the NFF Electoral Committee at the  addresses listed earlier in this notice or by e-mail to info@nffelect2014.com
..........

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FIFA writes Nigeria over NFF crisis., nullifies Giwa's election

THE World Soccer-governing body, FIFA has said it will not recognise Ambassador Chris Giwa as president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) at a purported general assembly held on Tuesday in Abuja.
FIFA also said other elected members of the NFF executive committee at the August 26 general congress will not be recognised.
Prior to the said polls, the Department of State Services (DSS) had arrested the incumbent President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari alongside NFF Secretary-General, Musa Amadu and board member, Barrister Chris Green for interrogation which lasted 14 hours.
However, Amadu was released to come and supervise the general assembly at Chida Hotel, Abuja where the Sports Minister, Dr Tamuno Danagogo addressed the delegates, leaving the duo at the DSS office until their eventual release after 14 hours according to Green.
The majority of the state FA chairman and secretaries present at the Chida Hotel venue of the general assembly protested against the arrest of the three football chiefs, as they dared the security operatives which ordered them not to embark on a protest.
Some of the delegates later went ahead with the election which was won by Giwa who defeated outgoing vice president of NFF, Chief Mike Umeh in the disputed polls held at Chida Hotel.
But a new twist was added to the crisis on Friday as FIFA wrote to nullify the election which brought in Giwa and other board members into office as the body also directed them to vacate the Glass House by Monday.
Giwa with the newly-elected board members of the crisis-ridden NFF was at the Glass House on Wednesday to assume office.
FIFA also upheld the decision of the 39 out of 44 of the delegates present at an ad hoc general assembly later held the same day at Bentley Hotel, Abuja, that the election should now hold on September 4, 2014.
The letter from FIFA entitled: 'Situation of the Nigeria Football Federation' reads:
Dear General Secretary,

We refer to the enclosed reports we have received from members of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Association of Professional Footballers of Nigeria, as well as to information relayed by the media with regard to the events linked to the general assembly of the NFF on 26 August, 2014.
We understand from the sequence of events that the general assembly duly convened by the NFF Executive Committee could not start as planned because some NFF members, including the president, were being held by security forces for questioning.
We also note that, despite these absences, some members decided to hold an impromptu ‘elective general assembly’ while the delegates were supposed to be deciding on a new roadmap leading to elections for a new NFF Executive Committee.
According to the enclosed reports, 39 out of 44 of the delegates then resolved to hold an ad hoc general assembly during which they decided that elections would be organised for 4 September 2014 and elected new members to the electoral committees.
Finally, we have learnt that the persons who claim to have been elected during the so-called ‘elective general assembly’ have come to the NFF offices claiming to be the legitimate president and members of the NFF. It also appears that the Ministry of Sports has recognised them.
As stated previously, FIFA deems the general assembly to be the highest decision-making body of any football association and that its decisions are consequently binding, provided that these comply with the member association’s own statutes.
According to the facts reported to us, it appears that the vast majority of the NFF members decided to set the elections for 4 September 2014 and we consider this decision to be valid since it was taken by the highest decision-making body (the NFF general assembly) and conforms to what has been previously reported to FIFA.
As a consequence, we will not recognise the outcome of the abovementioned elections and should there still be persons claiming to have been elected and occupying the NFF offices at midnight on Monday 1 September 2014, we will bring the case to the appropriate FIFA body for sanctions, which may include the suspension of the NFF.
We ask you to inform all parties concerned accordingly and we thank you in advance for keeping us informed of any developments in the situation. In particular, we would like you to confirm that the date of 4 September 2014 will be met because the timing seems very short.
Yours sincerely,
FIFA
Jérôme Valcke
Secretary General

Caption: Maigari still recognised by FIFA as NFF President.

NRA compels LMC to suspend Week 26 games

The League Management Company (LMC) has suspended the Globacom Premier League Week 26 fixtures scheduled for this weekend.
This follows the withdrawal of services by the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) from all Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) organised matches, as a result of the crisis which has engulfed the Glass House in recent times leading to the arrest of the NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, the General Secretary, Barrister Musa Ahmadu and Chairman of the Technical Committee, Barrister Chris Green prior to the scheduled August 26 general assembly in Abuja.
A statement from the LMC Chief Operating Officer, Salihu Abubakar said the decision to put the Week 26 games on hold "is in the light of the notice of withdrawal of services by the Nigerian Referees Association which makes it impossible for us to organise games”.
The LMC said clubs in the Globacom Premier League and the sponsorship partners have already been briefed of the development with clubs directed not to proceed to venues of their respective games until further communication.
Abubakar said “we have written to the General Secretary of the NFF on this development and have also informed the clubs and our sponsors”.
He hopes that the matter will be resolved in due course to enhance the completion of the season in time.
“We are already running a tight fixture schedule and are hoping that this crisis is resolved soon so the season can be concluded in time for our clubs to prepare for continental registration and participation,” it added.
The NRA in a notice signed by the Secretary-General, Prince Moroof Oyekunle Oluwa and addressed to the LMC Chairman had stated that: “The Nigeria Referees are hereby withdrawing its services with immediate effect from all matches organised by the NFF which includes the Nigeria Premier League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria NationWide League, Nigeria Women League and the Federation Cup pending when sanity is restored”.
........
Globacom Premier League Week 26 fixtures

Lobi Stars          vs El-Kanemi Warriors
Crown FC         vs Nasarawa United
Sharks               vs Gombe United
Akwa United      vs Enyimba
Heartland           vs Kaduna United
Warri Wolves     vs Sunshine Stars
Bayelsa United   vs Nembe City
Enugu Rangers    vs Dolphins
FC Taraba        vs Kano Pillars
Abia Warriors    vs Giwa FC
..............
Globacom Premier League Week 25 table


                                                         P    W      D     L    GF    GA  GD    PTS            
1.Kano Pillars                                  25     12     7     6     38     28   10    43    
2.Nasarawa United                          25     12     5     8     27     19    08   41    
3.Enyimba                                       25     11     7     7     29     17   12    40    
4.Dolphins FC                                 25     10     9     6     26     17   09    39    
5.Abia Warriors                               25     11     4     10     35   28   07    37    
6.Sunshine Stars                              25     9     10     6     33     29    04    37    
7.Warri Wolves FC                         25     11     4     10     25     26  -1    37    
8.Lobi Stars FC                              25     12     1     12     27     30  -3    37    
9.Akwa United FC                         25     10     6     9       20     21  -1    36    
10.El-Kanemi Warriors                   25     10     5     10     28     22  06    35 
11.Sharks FC                                 25     9       8     8     25     22    03    35    
12.Giwa FC                                   24     10     5     9     22     21    01    35    
13.Heartland FC                             25     8     10     7     23     20    03    34    
14.Gombe United                            25     9     5     11     29     27    02    32    
15.Taraba FC                                 25     10     2     13     17     27 -10    32    
16.Rangers                                     25     9     4     12     32     31     01    31    
17.Bayelsa United                           25     9     3     13     29     37   -8     30    
18.Kaduna United                           25     9     3     13     21     31  -10    30    
19.Crown FC                                 25     8     3     14     18     30  -12    27    
20.Nembe City                               24     5     9     10     13     34   -21    24
.................

Club owners alert clubs on league's indefinite suspension

The leadership of the club owners Association, the umbrella body of the 20 premier league clubs in Nigeria have urged all the clubs not to honour any league fixtures pending the resolution of the crisis which has engulfed Nigerian football in recent times.
This is coming on the heels of the withdrawal of referees by the Nigeria Football Referees Association (NRA) from officiating in any organised Nigeria Football Federation-organised game until further notice.
A statement issued by the Club Owners and signed by the Acting Chairman Barrister Isaac Danladi and the Acting Secretary Alloy Chukwuemeka, urged the clubs to understand the present situation and avoid the inconveniences of embarking on league assignments.
According to the statement: "We wish to notify all clubs that we are in receipt of a correspondence from the League Management Company (LMC), informing us of the withdrawal of referees by the NRA.
"Consequently, we wish to notify you of the development and the need to understand and comply
pending when the issues are sorted out and resolved".
Meanwhile the club owners have called on the relevant key stakeholders in Nigerian football as well as the different factions of the NFF to come together and advance the course of our football by working in line with Football statutes and laws as sanctioned by FIFA.
The association cautioned on the dire consequence of the ongoing crisis on the nation's football and called on all to embrace peace and round table discussion to move the game forward.
........................

NNL Week 25 tables and Week 26 fixtures

NNL Week 25 tables

Group A

                                                     P    W    D    L    F    A    GD    PTS
1 Wikki Tourists                           25    14    2    9    33    21    12    44
2 Kwara United                          25    13    4    8    41    19    22    43
3 Mighty Jets                               25    13    2    10    29    20    9    41
4 Kogi United                            25    13    1    11    39    26    13    40
5 Plateau United                         25    12    4    9    28    21    7      40
6 Ranchers Bees                         25    13    1    11    30    30    0    40
7 Niger Tornadoes                    25    12    2    11    23    17    6     38
8 Sokoto United                     25    12    2    11    19    23    -4     38
9 Spotlight FC                        25    11    3    11    27    29    -2      36
10 Supreme Court                 25    11    2    12    23    24    -1      35
11 DSS FC Kaduna            25    11    2    12    19    33    -14    35
12 Adamawa United            25    10    4    11    27    31    -4     34
13 Jigawa Stars                    25    10    3    12    21    26    -5     33
14 FRSC                             25    7    9    9    21    22       -1     30
15 Teap FC Abuja              25    8    4    13    16    30    -14     28
16 Nigeria Prisons                25    4    7    14    22    46    -24    19


Group B


1.Shooting Stars                25      12      5        8       34       21     +19     41
2 Gabros FC                    25      12      2        10      27       20     +07     41
3 MFM FC                      25      10      9        6       36       27     + 09    39
4 Akwa Starlets                25      11      5        9       20       22     -02     38
5.Bendel Insurance           25      11      4        10      26       25     +01     37
6 ABS FC                       25      11      4        10      24       25     -01     37
7 FirstBank                     25      11      3        11      29       26     +03     36
8 Abia Comets               25      10      6        9       29       30     -01     36
9 Ekiti Utd                      25      11      2        12      23       24     -01     35
10 Gateway Utd             25      10      4        11      29       31     -02     34
11 UNICEM Rovers       25      9       6        10      18       23     -05     33
12 Go-Round                  25      10      2        13      25       25      00     32
13 Prime FC                   25      9       5        11      19       22     -03     32
14 Remo Stars                 25      9       5        11      25       27     -03     32
15 COD Utd                    25      9       4        12      21       31     -10     31
16 Stationery Stores          25      8       6        11      25       31     -06     30
.......
NNL Week 26 fixtures, August 30, 31
Division A

Nigeria Prisons           vs Supreme Court
Spotlight                     vs TEAP
FRSC                        vs Mighty Jets
Niger Tornadoes       vs Kogi Utd
Jigawa Stars             vs DSS, Kaduna
Wikki Tourists          vs Sokoto Utd
Adamawa Utd          vs Kwara Utd 
Plateau Utd            vs Ranchers Bees

Division B
Shooting Stars         vs MFM
COD United           vs FirstBank
Stationery Stores    vs Remo stars
Abia Comets          vs Gabros
Prime                     vs ABS
Bendel Insurance   vs Akwa Starlets
Go-Round            vs UNICEM Rovers
Gateway Utd       vs Ekiti Utd
....

Globacom Premier League and NNL Week 25 results

Nigeria Premier League

Kano Pillars         1 Abia Warriors      0
Gombe Utd          2 Crown                0
Dolphins               0 Sharks                0
Sunshine Stars      2 Rangers              1
Enyimba               3 FC Taraba         0
El-Kanemi           2 Bayelsa Utd        0
Giwa                   2 Warri Wolves      0
Nembe City         0 Akwa Utd          0
Nasarawa Utd    1 Heartland            0
Kaduna Utd        1 Lobi Stars          0

Nigeria National League, Week 25

Division A
Mighty Jets         3 Nigeria Prisons   0
Kogi Utd            2 Jigawa Stars       1
Sokoto Utd        1 Niger Tornadoes 0
Kwara Utd        4 Wikki Tourists     1
Ranchers Bees   3 Adamawa Utd     1
TEAP                1 Plateau Utd         2
Supreme Courts 1 Spotlight             0

Division B
UNICEM Rovers     2 Stationery Stores  0
Akwa Starlets           2 Go-Round            1
Ekiti Utd                   3 Abia Comets        1
MFM, Lagos           2 Gateway Utd         1
FirstBank                1 Shooting Stars        0
ABS                       0 Bendel Insurance    0
Gabros                   1 Prime                     0
Remo Stars            3 COD Lagos           0

Globacom Premier League and NNL Week 25 fixtures

             August 23, 2014

El-Kanemi Warriors           vs Bayelsa Utd
Kano Pillars                        vs Abia Warriors
Gombe Utd                        vs Crown
Dolphins                             vs Sharks
Sunshine Stars                    vs Rangers

           August 24
               
Nasarawa Utd                  vs Heartland
Giwa                                vs Warri Wolves
Enyimba                          vs FC Taraba
Nembe City                    vs Akwa United
Kaduna Utd                    vs Lobi Stars

NNLWeek 25 fixtures

GROUP A

Mighty Jets            vs Nigeria Prisons
DSS Kaduna         vs FRSC
Kogi United           vs Jigawa Stars
Sokoto                  vs Niger Tornadoes
Kwara Utd            vs Wikki Tourists
Ranchers Bees       vs Adamawa Utd
TEAP                    vs Plateau Utd
Supreme Court       vs Spotlight

GROUP B

MFM, Lagos           vs Gateway Utd
Firstbank                 vs Shooting Stars
Remo Stars             vs COD, Lagos
UNICEM Rovers   vs Stationery Stores
AKWA Starlets      vs Go-Round
ABS                      vs Bendel Insurance
Gabros Int'l            vs Prime
Ekiti Utd                vs Abia Comets

NNL Week 24 tables

Group A, Week 24


                                            P    W    D    L    F    A    GD    Pts
1.Wikki Tourists                  24    14    2    8    32    17    15    44
2.Kwara United                  24    12    4    8    37    18    19    40
3.Niger Tornadoes              24    12    2    10    23    16    7    38
4.Mighty Jets                      24    12    2    10    26    20    6    38
5.Kogi United                     24    12    1    11    37    25    12   37
6.Ranchers Bees                 24    12    1    11    27    30    -3    37
7.Spotlight FC                   24    11    3    10    27    28    -1    36
8.Sokoto United                 24    11    2    11    18    23    -5    35
9.Plateau United                23    10    4    9    25    20       05    34
10.Adamawa United          24    10    4    10    27    28    -1    34
11.Jigawa Stars                  23    10    3    10    20    23    -3    33
12.Supreme Court FC       24    10    2    12    22    24    -2    32
13.DSS FC Kaduna          24    10    2    12    18    33    -15   32
14.FRSC                          24    7    9    8    21    21  0     00    30
15.Teap FC Abuja            24    8    4    12    15    28    -13     28
16.Nigeria Prisons FC       24    4    7    13    22    43    -21     19

Group B
                                      P         GD          PTS
1. Shooting Stars            24      +13          41

2. Gabros Int'l                24       +05         38
3. MFM, Lagos             24-     +08          36
4. Bendel Insurance       24       +04          36
5. ABS Ilorin                 24        -01          36
6. Akwa Starlets           24        -02           35
7. First Bank                 24        +02         34
8. Gateway Utd            24         -02         34
9. Abia Comets            24         -01         33
10. Go-Round            24          +02         32
11. Prime                     24         -02          32
12. Ekiti United            24        -03           32
13. COD United          24        -06           31
14. Stationery Stores   24         -04           30
15. Remo Stars           23         05             29
16. UNICEM  Rovers 23        -08            27

....................................
Outstanding matches: Plateau Utd vs Jigawa Stars and UNICEM Rovers vs Remo Stars.

NPL: Abia Warriors, Enyimba in 6-goal thriller

TWO Abia State-owned sides Abia Warriors and Enyimba International on Sunday at the Umuahia Township Stadium staged a six-goal thriller in a Week 24 Globacom Premier League game.
Skipper Chima Uluocha put the homers ahead with a spot kick barely six minutes into the encounter, but the People's Elephant rallied to an equaliser five minutes later through Mfon Udoh also through a penalty kick after Michael Ibeh Okoro had palmed the ball in the goal area.
The Warriors took the lead again in the 17th minute through Ifeanyi Onyeali who cashed in on the blunder by goalkeeper Femi Thomas who misjudged a free kick.
Enyimba again drew parity in the 30th minute through Uwadiegwu Ugwu whose 30-yard blinder could only be stopped by the net.
Both sides came back in the second half to complete the six-goal thriller as unmarked Rashid Olabiyi put the two-time African champions ahead this time.
It looked as if Enyimba will avenge the 0-1 home defeat suffered in the first round until Chikatara Chisom in the 88th minute brought smiles to the face of his coach, Ladan Bosso with a stunning equaliser.
Meanwhile, Peter Ebimobowei scored a hat trick at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin in Bayelsa United 3-0 defeat of Kaduna United in another Week 24 game.
In Owerri, goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim who was at the last World Cup in Brazil as reserves was beaten twice as his team, Gombe United lost 0-2 to Heartland FC at the Dan Anyiam Stadium.

Two first half strikes by Saibu Badarou and Jolly Osas halted Gombe United's  good runs since the arrival of former Super Eagles Coach, Austin Eguavoen as the club's helmsman.
..............
Caption: Chigozie Agbim, beaten twice in Owerri by Heartland.

Nigeria grabs AYC ticket as F/Eagles walk over Lesotho

NIGERIA’s Flying Eagles on Saturday qualified for the 2015 African Youth Championship as they walked over Lesotho, in what supposed to be a first leg final qualifier at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna.
According to the team's media officer, Sam Audu, the match officials from Senegal went ahead with the walk over as they claimed that they never received any official notification that the game had been called off by the Confederation of African Football.
An official of Lesotho Football Association had claimed during the week that they will not be in Nigeria for the match following the outbreak of Ebola in the country, saying CAF had been notified of the development.
The Flying Eagles after the 15-minute traditional walk over later spanked Kaduna United 6-0 in a friendly to ensure that Kaduna fans did not go home in sad mood.
Nigeria joins seven other countries including hosts Senegal for the 2015 AYC scheduled to
begin on March 8.
However, skipper Musa Muhammed and Sulaiman Abdullahi scored a brace each against Kaduna United with Taiwo Awoniyi and Ifeanyi Matthew also hitting the scoresheet.
Coach Manu Garba while speaking after the friendly expressed mixed feelings over Nigeria's qualification for the biennial championship.
“We trained very hard in the last two months for this match and we would really have been a lot happier had we qualified for the AYC on the pitch and not in the boardroom.
“It was a bit of a disappointment that Lesotho failed to turn up, but there was nothing we could have done about that,” said the former Gombe United player who added that the team will now go on break and regroup later in the year to prepare for the African Junior Nations Cup proper.
.....

Caption: Taiwo Awoniyi (left), scored in the 6-0 demolition of Kaduna United in a friendly.

Globacom Premier League and NNL Week 24 results

 Results: Globacom Premier League

Abia Warriors             3 Enyimba         3
Bayelsa Utd               3 Kaduna Utd    0
Sunshine Stars           0 Dolphins          0
Warri Wolves            2 Kano Pillars     1
Lobi Stars                1 Nasarawa Utd  0
Akwa Utd                1 El-Kanemi        0
Heartland                 2 Gombe Utd      0
Rangers                   1 Giwa FC           0
FC Taraba               1 Nembe City      1
Crown FC               2 Sharks             0
............
NNL Week 24 results

Group A

Niger Tornadoes              2 Kwara Utd        0
Jigawa Stars                    2 Sokoto Utd       0
FRSC                             1 Kogi Utd           0
Plateau Utd                     3 Spotlight           0
Adamawa Utd                3 TEAP               0
Wikki Tourists                2 Ranchers Bees   0
Mighty Jets                    1 Supreme Court  0
Nigeria Prisons              1 DSS, Kaduna    0

Group B

Prime                          2 Ekiti Utd                0
Abia Comets               1 MFM, Lagos        1
Bendel Insurance         3 Gabros                 1
COD                          2 UNICEM Rovers  2
Gateway Utd              2 Shooting Stars       2
Go-Round                  3 ABS                      0
Stores                         2 Akwa Starlet          2
Remo Stars                 2 Firstbank                1

.....

Canada 2014: Falconets seek s/final ticket against New Zealand

NIGERIA's Falconets will on Sunday face New Zealand in a quarter-final game of the ongoing FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Canada. The game is billed for the Moncton Stadium at 9 p.m. (Nigerian time).
Head coach of the Falconets, Peter Dedevbo says his players are in good conditioning for the game against the Oceania champions.
"It's going to be a difficult game because New Zealand too has a potent attack but we have made corrections in our defence after our last game against England. There is no injury worry and we are prepared for the match," Dedevbo said.
Injured Osarenoma Igbinovia is back to the team having returned to training after missing the last group game against England. Her combination with Loveth Ayila, Asisat Oshoala and Courtney Dike would no doubt add bite to the Falconets' attack.
New Zealand is playing at this stage for the first time and coach Aaron McFarland says the Oceanians will not be intimidated by the pedigree of the Nigerian side that is playing in the quarter-final of the championship for the sixth time.
.........
Caption: Asisat Oshoala, ready for the game against New Zealand.

Globacom Premier League Week 24 and NNL Week 23 fixtures

Globacom Premier League Week 24 fixtures, August 16, 17

Bayelsa Utd                 vs Kaduna Utd
Sunshine Stars             vs Dolphins
Crown                         vs Sharks
FC Taraba                  vs Nembe City
Rangers                      vs Giwa
Heartland                    vs Gombe Utd
Akwa Utd                  vs El-Kanemi Warriors
Lobi Stars                   vs Nasarawa Utd
Abia Warriors           vs Enyimba
Warri Wolves            vs Kano Pillars

.......
NNL Week 23 fixtures, Aug. 16, 17
Group A

Mighty Jets                vs Supreme Court
Wikki Tourists           vs Ranchers Bees
Adamawa United       vs Teap FC
Plateau Utd                vs Spotlight
FRSC                       vs Kogi United
Ngr Prisons               vs DSS FC Kaduna
Jigawa Stars             vs Sokoto United    
Niger Tornadoes       vs Kwara United    

Group B

Gateway Utd                   vs Shooting Stars
Abia Comets                   vs MFM, Lagos 
Stationery Stores             vs Akwa Starlets
Bendel Insurance            vs Gabros Int't
COD Utd, Lagos            vs UNICEM Rovers   
Go-Round                      vs ABS
Prime                             vs Ekiti United 
Remo Stars                    vs Firstbank  

Caption: Gbolahan Salami of Warri Wolves, one of the leading scorers in the Globacom Premier League.

Nigeria goes for 6 gold as Marrakech 2014 ends

TEAM Nigeria will go for six more gold medals as the 19th African senior Athletics Championships end today (Thursday) in Marrakech, Morocco.
The AAC defending champions will compete in six finals men and women’s 200m, men and women’s 4x400m relays, the women's 400m hurdles and the women's triple jump.
Before the commencement of Wednesday event at the Great Stadium, Marrakech, Team Nigeria topped the medals table with six gold medals, four silver and four bronze medals ahead of South Africa with five gold medals, four silver and one bronze medals, while Kenya placed third with two gold medals, one silver and five bronze medals.
But Wednesday turned out to be another medals harvest day for Nigeria following the superlative performances of its athletes.
Tyron Akins, Alex Al-Ameen and Martins Ogierakhi dominated the 110 hurdles and made a clean sweep of all the medals for grabs in the event.
National champion, Akins returned a time of 13.57secs to win the title almost two decades since Nigeria had last won gold in the event, while Al-Ameen and Ogierakhi followed closely in 13.78seconds and 13.80seconds respectively.
Defending champion in the men’s triple jump event, Tosin Oke lost his crown to Commonwealth champion, Khotso Mokoena who took gold in 17.03m, just six-centimetre higher than Oke who leaped to a Season’s Best (SB) of 16.97m. The five-time Nigerian champion also relinquished
his Commonwealth crown to the South African in Glasgow, winning the silver medal instead. Compatriot Olu Olamigoke placed sixth with 16.18m.
In other events, national champion Divine Oduduru qualified for the final of the men’s 200m, having finished second in the semifinals. He will be going against the continent’s best, Isaac Makwala in Thursday’s final, as well as 100m champion, Wilfried Koffi Hua and Kenya’s Carvin Nkata who finished ahead of him in the semis.
The battle for gold in the women’s 200m will be between Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire as the former has three contenders, Gloria Asumnu, Regina George and Dominique Duncan, while the latter have double World Championships silver medallist, Murielle Ahoure, Marie J and Ta Lou Gonezie to contend with.
Amaka Ogoegbunam also secured her place in the final as she led the heats in 56.49secs, ahead of former African champion Hayat Lambarki and South Africa’s Anneri Ebersohn. Compatriot, Kemi Francis finished in seventh position in 1:01.42.
In the women’s 800m, Abiye David narrowly missed out on qualification for the final as she placed third in her heat in 2:08.58, behind Kenya’s Eunice Sum and Ethiopia’s Lidiya Melese.
Nigeria still leading the medals table looks set to retain the title it won two years ago in Benin Republic.
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Caption: Ese Brume celebrates after winning the women's long jump gold in Marrakech.

Globacom Premier League Week 23 results

Dolphins               2    Crown                0
El-Kanemi            1    FC Taraba         0
Enyimba               2    Warri Wolves     0
Giwa FC              1    Sunshine Stars    0
Gombe Utd         3    Lobi Stars           1
Kaduna Utd         1    Akwa United      0
Kano Pillars        3     Rangers              2
Nasarawa Utd    2     Bayelsa United    1
Nembe City        1   Abia Warriors      0
Sharks FC         1     Heartland            1
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19th AAC: Team Nigeria will top with 12 gold--Alli

COORDINATOR of Team Nigeria's track and field team to the 19th African Athletics Championships, Marrakesh 2014,  which begins on Sunday in Morocco, Yusuf Alli, has expressed optimism that Nigeria will successfully defend the title it won two years ago in Benin Republic.
Speaking at the team's hotel, Golden Tulip, Rawabi, Morocco after the athletes' training session, the Auckland 1990 Commonwealth Games gold medallist said Marrakesh 2014 is coming at the right time when Nigeria's athletes are in perfect conditioning.
"After studying the entries and looking at our strength and those of our competitors, I'm confident that we will win this championship with about 11 or 12 gold medals," he said.
Alli dismissed fears on the weather condition the athletes will battle with in the north African country.
"I don't think so, I have been there before and I have done it at this level, the weather will not affect us, this is our weather, and our success in Glasgow will serve as morale booster for this championship, we must not forget that the African Championships is a step down compared to the Commonwealth Games," said the former international long jumper.
The national record holder in the long jump with 8.27 metres believes Team Nigeria has what it takes to dominate the sprints, hurdles, quater-mile, relays and the jumps.
"Our athletes are highly motivated and we are ready to go, there are no injuries concern and the athletes are well behaved, With respect to our competitors, I can say this is our championship. I know South Africa is here with a strong team, ditto Egypt, Algeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, and even hosts Morocco, since this championships also serves as the qualifier for the IAAF Athletics World Cup also slated for Marrakesh next month.
"I am confident we will overcome all the oppositions to be crowned the champion of Africa again," said the former Nigeria's captain to 1984 and 1988 olympic Games.
Team Nigeria will parade the likes of the Golden Girl, Blessing Okagbare, Gloria Asumnu, Ese Brume, Dominique Duncan, Mozavous Edwards, Merk Jelks, Regina George and Ogho-Oghene Egwero,
among others at the biennial Games.
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Caption: Dominique Duncan, one of Nigeria's athletes vying for honours at Marrakesh 2014.

Marrakesh 2014:

REIGNING double gold medallist at the just-ended 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, will on Sunday lead Team Nigeria to begin medal haul as the 19th African Athletics Championships kick off in Marrakesh, Morocco.
Blessing Okagbare, who won the 100m and 200m titles at Glasgow 2014 in 10.85 seconds and 22.25 seconds respectively, will alongside Gloria Asumnu, and Lawretta Ozoh compete with Africa's best for places in the semi-finals of the women's 100m.
However, the Delta State-born Okagbare has opted out of the 200m leaving the trio of Gloria Asumnu, Regina George and Dominique Duncan in contention against their fellow Africans.
Mark Jelks, Mozavous Edwards and Ogho-Oghene Egwero who were also at Glasgow 2014 will represent Nigeria in the men's 100m event with finalists scheduled to emerge on Sunday.
On Sunday afternoon, Ameachi Morton and Miles Ukaoma will hoist Nigeria's flag in the men's 400m hurdles as Samson Idiata and Hammed Suleiman will compete in the qualifying rounds of the men's long jump.
Stephen Mozia and Augustine will also battle with their counterparts from South Africa, Egypt, Algeria and the host, Morocco in the men's shot put.
The early rounds of the 100m hurdles is also stated for Sunday as Queen Obisesan will compete in the women's hammer event.
On Monday morning, Glasgow 2014 gold medallist, Ese Brume and Amadi Chinazom will compete for
places in the final of women's long jump slated for Tuesday.
.......

Caption: Blessing Okagbare going for the 100m gold at Marrakesh 2014.

NNL Week 23 and Nigeria Premier League Week 22 results

Nigeria National League Week 23 results
Group A

Kwara Utd        1 Jigawa Stars       0
Sokoto Utd       1 FRSC                0
Ranchers Bees  3 Niger Tornadoes 1
TEAP               1 Wikki Tourists    0
Spotlight           2 Adamawa Utd   0
Kogi Utd          3 Ngr Prisons       2
DSS FC           3 Mighty Jets        1
Supreme Court 2 Plateau Utd       1

Group B
MFM, Lagos        1 Prime FC              0
Ekiti Utd              1 Bendel Insurance   0
Akwa Starlets       2 COD Utd, Lagos   0
Shooting Stars      2 Abia Comets          0
Gabros                 3 Go-Round FC        0
Firstbank              2 Gateway Utd          1
ABS                      2 Stationery Stores   0
UNICEM Rovers  p  Remo Stars          p
.........

Nigeria Premier League Week 22

Bayelsa Utd          0 Gombe Utd             1
Heartland             1 Crown FC                0
Abia Warriors      2 El-Kanemi Warriors  0
Rangers               1 Enyimba                    1
Giwa FC             1 Dolphins                     1
Warri Wolves      1 Nembe City                0
FC Taraba          2 Kaduna united            0
Sunshine Stars    3 Kano Pillars                0
Akwa United      0 Nasarawa Utd            0
Lobi Stars           1 Sharks                        0

No animosity over Crown's exit--Akpokona

SUSPENDED Technical Adviser of Crown FC, Lawrence Akpokona has described the indefinite suspension slammed on him by the management of the Nigeria Premier League side as unfair, just as he said has taken the decision in good faith.
Akpokona believed to be on a monthly salary of N750,000 was relieved of his duty following Wednesday's 0-1 home loss to visiting Lobi Stars at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan in a Week 21 game, as the management attributed its decision to the spate of poor results posted by the Ogbomoso-based team.
The former coach of Dolphins of Port Harcourt however, said he did his best to handle a demoralised team that is battling with unpaid backlog of players salaries and match bonuses.
"I don't think it was the wise thing to do by the management, even after they have failed to motivate these players properly to perform well. The management considered the decision to suspend me as the best option for the club in moving forward, but I have tried my best and I have no regrets whatsoever," said the man who coached Bendel Insurance FC to win both the defunct WAFU and the CAF Cup in 1994.
The former handler of Julius Berger, Rangers and Enyimba further stated that his suspension did not come to him as a surprise.
"To start with, the home defeat to Lobi Stars informed why I have been suspended indefinitely but I have taken it in good faith. As a coach, you have to prepare for anything. As coaches, we always receive blame for the woes that befall our teams on and off the pitch," he said.
The Delta State-born tactician added that he will take some time off to get over his unceremonious exit from the side being managed by the Oyo State government.
..........
Globacom Premier League Week 22 fixtures, Sunday August 10

Giwa                        vs    Dolphins
Bayelsa Utd             vs     Gombe Utd
FC Taraba               vs    Kaduna Utd
Abia Warriors          vs    El-Kanemi Warriors
Sunshine Stars         vs    Kano Pillars
Lobi Stars               vs     Sharks
Heartland                vs     Crown
Akwa Utd               vs    Nasarawa Utd
Rangers                   vs    Enyimba
Warri Wolves          vs     Nembe City
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Caption: Coach Akpokona.

Crown/Lobi fallout: Referee Udoh is a killjoy-Ibadan fans

THE majority of fans who watched the Nigeria Premier League Week 21 game between Crown FC and Lobi Stars on Wednesday left the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan disappointed.
Reason: the 0-1 defeat suffered by the home team, Crown was believed to be a product of bias officiating of referee, Ferdinand Udoh.
Right from the blast of the whistle, the FIFA-badged referee from Akwa Ibom State. established firm control of the match but he however, on a number of occasions took decisions that were roundly condemned
from the terrace.
One of such occasions was when a player of Lobi Stars wrestled his opponent down, but Udoh instead warned the former to the chagrin of the spectators who followed the scene, as he also failed to award an infringement in favour of the homers as well.
The 52nd minute penalty kick he awarded to Lobi Stars which was converted by Moses Bunde, was equally believed to be an error of judgment, as the foul which resulted in the penalty appeal was committed on the edge of the box.
The match had to be temporarily suspended by Udoh as fans resorted to show displeasure with his officiating while the play resumed after after about six minutes of stoppage as the host FA quickly restored sanity.
After the final whistle, it took Udoh and his assistants time before they could leave the playing arena, as fans continued to pour vitriols on them for the woes that have befallen the home team.
"It's like this referee came here with a script which he played out to the letter. I mean, how can you be hostile to your host in the first instance? Right from the first half, he has expressed bias for the away team to win and this is not good for our football," lamented one of the fans.
Another soccer fan said: "My advice is that the Nigeria Referees Association should watch the match clip to know the extent of damage this referee has done to Nigerian football. He was far from the ball if not, the penalty kick he awarded was committed outside the box, they should go and watch the clip again".
Some of the fans who also spoke fumed that Nigerian football needs to be sanitised in terms of officiating.
"That is why our clubs don't always go far in the continental championships. The only way to grow our football is to encourage productivity by ensuring that every team wins on absolute merit. It is not also good for the image of Nigerian referees and that is why they don't assign them to handle international matches despite Nigeria's pedigree in international football," said a football analyst.
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Caption: Referee Udoh.

Globacom Premier League Week 21 results and table

Crown        0    Lobi Stars 1
Kano Pillars 3    Giwa FC    1
Dolphins     1    Heartland  0
Enyimba      2    Sunshine   0
Sharks       2    Bayelsa Utd 0
Nembe City   2    Rangers      1
Kaduna Utd   3    Abia Warriors  2
Gombe Utd    2    Akwa Utd    0
Nasarawa Utd 2    FC Taraba  0
El-Kanemi    2    Warri Wolves 0
..................

Globacom Premier League table at Week 21

     Teams                              P     W     D     L  GF   GA   GD   PTS
1    Kano Pillars                  21    10    7    4    33    21     12      37
2    Nasarawa Utd              21    10    4    7    23    17     06      34
3    Abia Warriors               21    10    3    8    30    23    07      33
4    Dolphins                       21    9    6    6    23    16       07      33
5    Sharks                          21    9    6    6    24    18      06       33
6    Enyimba                       21    9    5    7    20    13      07       32
7    Giwa FC                      21    9    4    8    21    19      02       31
8    Warri Wolves              21    9    4    8    22    21       01       31
9    Akwa Utd                   21    9    4    8    19    20      -1        31
10    Lobi Stars                  21    10    1    10    24    26   -2       31
11    Sunshine Stars            21    7    9    5    28    27      01       30
12    El Kanemi                  21    8    5    8    25    19     06        29
13    Taraba                       21    9    1    11    14    21    -7       28
14    Rangers                     21    8    3    10    27    25     02      27
15    Heartland                  21    6    9    6    19    18      01        27
16    Bayelsa Utd              21    8    3    10    25    32    -7         27
17    Kaduna Utd              21    7    3    11    19    26    -7        24
18    Crown FC                21    7    3    11    16    25    -9        24
19    Gombe Utd              21    6    5    10    23    24    -1        23
20    Nembe City              21    4    7    10    11    35    -24      19
............

Glasgow 2014: Nigeria emerges Africa's 2nd best

As England tops with 174 medals

TEAM Nigeria finished with 11 gold, 11 silver and 14 bronze medals to place eighth on the final medals table at the 20th Commonwealth Games which ended on Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland.
Nigeria became the second best country from Africa at the Games after South Africa which finished seventh with 13 gold, 10 silver and 17 bronze medals.
Interestingly, Nigeria finished ahead of Kenya which placed ninth on the table with 10 gold, 10 silver and five bronze medals and Jamaica which placed 10th with 10 gold, four silver and eight bronze medals.
England topped the medals table after the 12-day event with 58 gold, 59 silver and 57 bronze medals ahead of Australia which amassed 49 gold, 42 silver and 46 bronze medals.
Team Canada followed with 32 gold, 16 silver and 34 bronze medals as Scotland placed fourth with 19 gold, 15 silver and 19 bronze medals. India with 15 gold, 30 silver and 19 bronze medals and New Zealand with 14 gold, 14 silver and 17 bronze medals placed fifth and sixth respectively. 
Meanwhile, the gold medallists for Team Nigeria at the Games were Blessing Okagbare who accounted for two golds and one silver; Ese Brume (women's long jump with a jump of 6.56m); Oluwatoyin Adesanmi (women’s 63kg weightlifting); Maryam Usman (women's Weightlifting +75kg); Odunayo Adekuoroye (women's 53kg freestyle wrestling); Aminat Adeniyi (women's 58kg freestyle wrestling); Esther Oyema (women's para-powerlifting up to 61kg); Loveline Obiji (women's para-powerlifting heavyweight class (from 61.1kg); Paul Kehinde (men's para-powerlifting lightweight (up to 72kg) and Abdulazeez Ibrahim (men's heavyweight (from 72.1kg).
It will be recalled that Nigeria's first gold medallist at the Games, Chika Amalaha after her heroics in the women's weightlifting 53kg where she set new games record 85kg in snatch and 196kg in total lift was
stripped of the medal by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) for using performance-enhancing substances.

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Caption: Nigeria's Golden Girl, Blessing Okagbare celebrates her golden moments at Glasgow 2014. She finished the Games with two gold and one silver medals.