A group of concerned individuals who hail from the community of Ogene Amejo in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State has put machinery in motion to inaugurate a civil society group known as Ogene Reformation Movement (OREMO), which is aimed at bringing out the best in the youth of the community. Mr Owoicho Michael Alleh, who is one of the co-conveners of the proposed group, in a virtual meeting held on Sunday, September 6, 2020, stated that “In view of the state of high level of moral decadence, lawlessness, drug abuse, loss of positive values, illiteracy, ignorance of one’s…
Author: Owoicho Michael Alleh
After several postponements of the rebranded Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, followers of the game can now go to the various match venues across the country to cheer and jeer the twenty teams depending on where their hearts lie. The League is already five-week-old with week six fixtures to be on the card this weekend. The twenty teams plying their trades in the current campaign include Plateau United, Lobi Stars, Wikki Tourists, MFM FC, Eyimba FC, Ifeanyi Ubah FC, Warri Wolves FC, Abia Warriors, Akwa Starlet FC, and Sunshine Stars. Others are Rivers United, Kastina United, Enugu Rangers, Adamawa United,…
The 1970 Africa Cup of Nations was the seventh edition hosted by Sudan from 6-16 February, 1970.Just like in 1968, the field of eight teams was split into two groups of four. Sudan won its first championship winning Ghana in the final 1-0. The tournament marked 4 final appearances in a row for Ghana, then tagged ‘The Brazil of Africa’. The eight teams that made it to this edition included Cameroon, Congo-Kinshasa (holders), Ivory Coast and Ethiopia all played in Group A, while Ghana, Guinea, Sudan (hosts) and United Arab Republic featured in Group B. A total of 16 matches…
The fourth edition of the African Cup of Nations was hosted by Ghana from 24 November to 1 December, 1963. Six countries namely, hosts Ghana, United Arab Republic, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Sudan, and Nigeria. Ghana and Nigeria participated for the first time with the latter losing all matches in the tournaments. For the third consecutive time the hosts won the African Cup; Ethiopia in 1959, United Arab Republic in 1962 and Ghana in 1963. The format changed: two groups of 3 teams each, the winner played the final; the runners-up could only play third place final. Ghana, Ethiopia and Tunisia were…
The second edition of the Africa Cup of Nations was hosted and won by the United Arab Republic, a short-lived confederation between Egypt and Syria. The tournament held from 22-29 May, 1959. Only three countries participated in the tournament just like in the first edition in Sudan 2 years earlier. The teams included the host team United Arab Republic, Sudan and Ethiopia. All three matches took place in Cairo. With only three teams, the format changed into a round robin group, but the results were the same, the United Arab Republic won over Ethiopia 4-0 and over Sudan 2-1. The…
The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations is to be staged in six stadiums in Egypt, namely Cairo International Stadium, 30 June Stadium, Al Salam Stadium all in Cairo. Others are Alexandria Stadium in Alexandria, Suez Stadium in Suez and Ismailia Stadium in Ismailia. The biennial tournament holds from June 21 to July 19, 2019 with 24 countries from across Africa participating for the first time since the first edition in Sudan in 1957. The countries are hosts Egypt, defending Champions Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Algeria, Guinea, Mali, DR Congo, Ghana, Tunisia and Senegal. Others are Uganda, South Africa, Guinea-Bissau,…
The abridged version of the Nigeria Professional Football Leagues enters week 19 this Sunday May 12, 2019. Group B table toppers Rangers International of Enugu are playing away against Lobi Stars of Markurdi at the Aper Aku Stadium. It will be a battle of two united teams in Illorin as Kwara United await visiting Rivers United at the Kwara Stadium. Sunshine Stars will engage visiting Niger Tornadoes of Minna in Akure Township Stadium. Elsewhere, the peoples’ elephants Eyimba FC of Abah will square up against Wikki Tourist of Bauchi at the Aba Township Stadium as MFM will lay ambush against…
Former Ivorian Captain who was also a key Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder, Yaya Toure has retired from football. The player’s controversial agent Dimitri Seluk announced the news on Friday through his twitter handle, revealing that the Ivorian powerhouse will now concentrate on a career as a coach. After leaving Manchester City following eight-trophy laden seasons, Toure returned to former club Olympiakos in September but his contract was terminated after just three months in his second spell with the Greek outfit. The former Monaco man collected multiple titles across his club career, including the Champions League and three Premier League…
Rangers International of Enugu are still topping the log of Group A despite succumbing to a 1-3 defeat by bitter rivals Eyimba FC of Aba in one of the match day 17 of the Nigeria Professional Football League played at the Eyimba International Stadium on Sunday. The defeat is third in the series after the Flying Antelopes lost their two previous matches to Bendel Insurance and Rivers United. However, Eyimba extended their unbeaten run to 12 games after Sunday’s match to close in on the Coach Gbenga Ogunbote’s tutored side with 3 points separating the duo. Ifeanyi Anaemena gave the…
California-based Mexican boxer, Andy Ruiz Jr has express his confidence to ruin Anthony Joshua’s ambition of becoming undisputed champion when he faces the Britain’s heavyweight star in a much anticipated bout built to take place at Madison Square Garden on June 1, 2019. Ruiz Jr has been confirmed as the new opponent for Joshua’s US debut in New York after Jarrell Miller failed a drug test, meaning the 29-year-old will instead target the WBA ‘Super’, IBF and WBO titles at the famous Manhattan venue. Ruiz Jr is fresh from a destructive win over Alexander Dimitrenko , who was stopped after…
On this day April 29, 2018, Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal equals his Open-era record for most wins at the same event ( 11 Monte Carlo) with his 11th Barcelona ATP title. Nadal is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional tennis players of all time, winning numerous Grand Slam singles titles. He was born on June 3, 1986 at Manacor Spain. The top seeded 32-year- old is in action at the ongoing Barcelona Open.
Gbenga Ogunbote, coach of the Nigeria Professional Football League outfit, Rangers International Foootball club of Enugu has announced that his team is faced with the twin problems of fatigue and strings of injuries. Ogunbote made the disclosure ahead of the much anticipated NPFL clash between the Flying Antelopes and the Peoples’ Elephants, Enyimba in Aba next week. Speaking to sports journalists after his side’s qualification for the final of the Enugu State FA Cup with a 2-1 win over National League side, Lamrey United, Ogunbote confessed that injured players are now being used to prosecute matches. Ogunbote told the club’s…
Rafael Nadal has made it through to the quarter-finals of the ongoing Barcelona Open after shocking fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-3 6-3 in a match that was interrupted by heavy rain for about 45 minutes. After a shaky display in the second round against Leonardo Mayer, Nadal was far better from the outset against Ferrer and he broke his fellow compatriot in the sixth game of the match to take a 4-2 lead. Play was then halted for 45 minutes at 5-3 to Nadal due to rain but upon resumption, the top seed won the first set with a forehand…
Bendel Insurance of Benin on Thursday defeated Rangers International of Enugu 2-1 in one of the rescheduled matches of the Nigerian Professional Football League to end the latter’s 13-match unbeaten streak in the League. The match which was played at University of Benin Sports Complex saw the Flying Antelope being reduced to ten men by the centre referee in the 21st minute of the encounter after Enugu Rangers’ Seka Pascal had kicked an Insurance player. Junior Osagie gave the hosts, Bendel Insurance, the lead in the 34th minute, but Kelvin Itoya revived the hope of the ten-man Enugu Rangers four…
The Golden Eaglets were on Wednesday eliminated by their Guinean counterparts from the ongoing Under 17 Africa Cup of Nations in Tanzania. The Nigerian lads lost 9-10 to their opponents on penalty after the regulation time ended in a goalless draw. The tension soaked encounter which took place at the National Stadium, Dar es Salaam saw the Junior Sylis of Guinea progress to the final. They will know their opponents later on Thursday after the winner of the second semi-final match between Cameroon and Angola will have emerged. With the match finishing goal after 90 minutes, no extra time was…
Mixed reactions have continued to trail the Super Eagles’ chances of winning her fourth title at the 32nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations scheduled to kick off in the North African country of Egypt from 21 June to 19 July, 2019. The Super Eagles will play in Group B alongside Guinea, Burundi and Madagascar in the preliminary stage and followers of the round leather game have been speaking on the Eagles’ search for a fourth title after winning the trophy last in South African 2013. Former Super Eagles’ player, Mutiu Adepoju, said on Monday that the senior male…
Soccer wizard, Lionel Messi was the hero of the night as his side, Barcelona, edged out Manchester United in one of the Champions League second leg quarter final matches played on Tuesday. The Argentine scored twice in 16th and 20th minutes on the night at Nou Camp before the presence of thousands of Barca supporters to sail the Spanish side through to the Semi-final and send the English side parking. Fellow South American compatriot, Brazillian Phillipe Coutinho completed the rout in the 60th minute after a terrible error from David de Gea to take Barcelona’s tally to 4-0 on aggregate.…
As the draw for the extended version of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), holds on Friday, 12 April, 2019, in Cairo, Egypt, football enthusiasts as well as soccer pundits across the continent have continued to make a lot of permutations regarding which participating countries will ambush each other in the group stage of the competition which is to hold in Egypt from 21 June to 19 July, 2019. The Super Eagles of Nigeria who are three-time champions are making a return to the continental championship after missing out in the last two editions in 2015 and 2017. The Super…
