Sports

More Nigerians Call For Rohr’s Sack

Published

3 years ago

November 27, 2020

The National Vice President (North) of the Super Eagles Supporter’s Club, Hon. Godwin Solomon Bamola, has joined the growing long list of Nigerian soccer fans calling for the immediate sack of Coach Gernot Rohr. This follows his technical and tactical deficiency that made the Eagles team wobble against the visiting Leon Stars of Sierra Leone in the back to back Nations Cup qualifiers held in Benin City and Freetown respectively.
Expressing his displeasure while fielding questions, from our reporter in Port Harcourt recently, Hon. Bamola maintained that Rohr was not the suitable and competent soccer tactician that can guide the Eagles team to win the Nations Cup in Cameroon even if Nigeria happened to qualify at the group stage.
According to Bamola, “Rohr has been given every necessary support, including financial assistance to raise a formidable team that can make Nigeria proud at the international level, yet, nothing much has been achieved to justify the huge amount of money invested in the team”.
“In fact, it is high time every Nigerian soccer fan should come out with strong voice to get the wrongs rightly done well, noting that what we are experiencing now is the worst that has happened to Nigerian Football that has multi-talented home-based players who are rearing to go”.
“Worst still was the inability of the Super Eagles team to beat the less fancied visiting Sierra Leone side at home, when we (Nigeria) are called the Giant of Africa”.
“I think it is high time the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, should wade in by ensuring that talented home-based players from our local league are selected with the proper guidance of an indigenous seasoned soccer coach, be employed to raise a team that can make the country proud instead of over reliance on foreign players and coaches who have not given us the desired results”.
“Jokes apart, Nigeria needs an indigenous coach, who knows our terrain very well, eat and drink Nigerian food and water and understand Nigerian football technicalities well, instead of going for somebody who has little or no knowledge of game, coming to impact a strange tactics that will not yield positive result at the end of the day”.
“Honestly, I don’t believe in Coach Gernot Rohr and NFF boss, Amaju Pinnick to return Nigerian national senior team back to winning ways again. They should be shown the exit door now that the ovation is loudest because I don’t know where the present crop of players recruited is taking us to, with their kind of less serious football approach”.
“Believe me, if a seasoned indigenous soccer coach is engaged today and charged to build a formidable home-based Eagles with enabling environment provided, no doubt, Nigerians would be rest assured to see a good team capable to give her a qualification ticket for Nations Cup without banking or permutation or praying for another country to draw or lose their game”.
The tall athletic-built Bamola, who has travelled far and wide with the game of round leather object nevertheless called on Nigerian Soccer fans to continueto keep faith in Eagles team and be cheering the boys to victory since we don’t have any other option than to identify with the team which is solely our own.
You may wish to know that the Eagles team, after the four rounds of matches played so far, has 8 points, close on the heels of the team are Squirrels of Benin Republic with 7 points, Leon Stars of Sierra Leone has 3 points at third position while Lesotho takes the rear with paltry two points.

Sports

Expert Wants Parents To Enroll Children In Vector Programme

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2024

The Tide

In a bid to have more young talented Nigerians to play professional football abroad, Johnny Ogbah, a sports lawyer and football intermediary, has called on parents to enroll their children in Vector Programme.
He stated that the programme is in conjunction with Conventry Football Club in United Kingdom (UK), saying that the programme includes academics where a child can acquire a degree.
Ogbah, made the call while addressing sports journalists recently in Port Harcourt, as the programme will admit students into Brooke College between the age of 11 and 18 Football Academy.
The major objective of Vector Programme is to give the young ones a career through sports and good education. The programme does not train people on football only but also other things that is related to sporting environment, he said.
According to him, more than 20 Nigerians have benefited from the programme on scholarship and most of them are now playing football in top clubs in Europe.
“Vector programme was poised to create an avenue to give people to play football to the highest level.
Apart from football the child can also have quality education. It will interest you to know that those in Vector programme play friendly games that attracts scouts from different countries and football clubs.
The programme doesn’t train you on only football but also train people on everything that is associated to sports”, Ogbah said.
The former Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) player further disclosed Vector programme pathways provides the practice opportunities that players need if they are to successfully graduate as a professional player.

By: Tonye Orabere

Sports

NLO: Khana FC Coach Blames Players For Missing Chances

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2024

The Tide

The Head Coach of Khana FC in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, Sam Ledor, has blamed his players as they were unable to convert scoring chances.
According to him, if those chances created in their opening match against Jet Bomber FC at the ongoing Nation wide League One (NLO), in Omoku centre were converted, it would have given them victory.
Ledor, said this on Saturday in a chat with Tidesports shortly after they played goalless draw against Jet Bomber FC in their opening match in 2024 NLO Division in Omoku, Rivers State.
“ We created a lot of scoring chances but could not find the net”, he said.
He explained that playing goalless draw is not a bad result in football but in a competition like this, they need to score goals and win matches.
“ My brother, we missed a lot of scoring chances which is not good. I trainned my players on how to create chances and to convert them.
“ What is important in a competition is winning but as we did not lose the game, we will look forward for our next game.
“We will go back to the drawing board and correct the grey areas in our game and ensure we get better results in our next outing.
“Today’s game is gone, what we need to do is to make sure we win our next game,” he stated.
He pointed out that no game comes easy but the effort you put in will give good result. They tried their best today and the result was good for both teams but we need to win our next game.
“My opponents were also a good side; they tried all what they could but didn’t score also. It was a good game but my team needs to win games,” he added.

By: Kiadum Edookor

Sports

Wilkins Backs Rivers Hoopers To Spring Surprises At 2024 BAL

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2024

The Tide

A French-American, John Walter Wilkins is confident Rivers Hoopers can make it to the playoff round of the 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Wilkins, who is the son of former NBA player Jeff Wilkins, linked up with his Hoopers teammates at the team’s training camp in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, ahead of the 2024 BAL Savannah Conference games, which tip off on Saturday, 4th May, 2024, in Dakar, Senegal.
Wilkins is no stranger to African basketball, having played for Moroccan sides AS Salé (2015-2016) and Ittihad Tanger (2017-2019), before leading Stade Malien to a third-place finish at BAL 2023.
Looking ahead to the 2024 BAL, Wilkins says the quality of basketball across Africa has improved, with the BAL requiring a high level of competitiveness, but backed Rivers Hoopers to spring a surprise at the tournament.
“It’s a really high level, a great competition; [it’s] one of the best I’ve played in since I’ve been in Africa. But we don’t need to be scared. We need to just attack the moment, be there, be present, and I think if we are confident in our abilities, we can surprise people,” he said.
Since its inaugural season in 2021, Nigerian teams have appeared twice at the BAL, with Rivers Hoopers playing in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2021 and Kwara Falcons featuring at BAL 2023.
Despite failing to reach the playoffs on both previous occasions, Wilkins is optimistic that with the quality of players in the Hoopers squad as well as the recruitment done ahead of the BAL, Rivers Hoopers will be more competitive in this season’s BAL.
“I’m really optimistic. I know that those past years the teams from Nigeria didn’t do well, but I think with me, Kelvin [Amayo], Will [Perry], and the other guys, I think we can show the way, have some wins, and be more competitive,” he stated.
The Nigerian Champions were drawn in the Savannah Conference alongside former BAL Champions US Monastir (Tunisia), last year’s runners-up AS Douanes (Senegal), and APR (Rwanda).