Experience, Youthfulness To Determine W/Cup Team – Lagerback

Published

15 years ago

March 29, 2010

Super Eagles Technical Adviser Lars Lagerback says a combination of experience and youthfulness will determine the choice of players for his final 23-man list for the World Cup.

The players will be chosen from his current 45 short listed players.

Lagerback told a news conference at the weekend in Abuja on the selection of the national team for the South Africa 2010 mundial that he was not foreclosing his mind on the choice of players.

The Sweden born coach was appointed on February 27 to take charge of the team for the event from June 11 to July 11.

Lagerback said the most important thing for him now was to have players who would not lose concentration and combine individual skills with team organisation.

“It is not impossible to have new and young players in the team, but we have to realise that experience will be a factor, especially in facing group opponents, Argentina.

“The 45-man team I have short listed is not closed for now, because there is still room for a few new ones who can still come up either from the domestic front or other sources.

Lagerback, who was at the news conference with his Swede assistant Roland Andersson, said he had, soon after taking up the appointment, concentrated on planning how to tackle his job.

“I have been doing this with Andersson, my Nigerian assistants, and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), and it has been a smooth relationship with lots of support and analysis.

“For example, we have analysed most of the competitive and friendly matches Nigeria played in 2009, and earlier this year, and I can see we have detailed planning to do.

“For now, we will want to see the players in action, even though we know a lot about them, but we need to see them and let them know our philosophy,’’ he said.

The technical adviser, who confirmed that he had yet to visit any of the Nigerian players in Europe, said he was still going to look at more players.

He declared: “We are still assessing them, especially some of the home-based players I saw against DR Congo during the March 3 friendly in Abuja.

“I will look at them again against Niger Republic in Kano (yesterday).”

Lagerback said he was not going to select his 23-man final team without considering the players just recovering from injuries.

“We are going to do this with an open mind, and I am not closing my door against those just returning from injuries. We will have two weeks to assess them in training and friendlies.

“The major thing is to have players with the winning mentality, who will do the job in South Africa effectively,’’ he added.

The Swede also said that he was not going to rule out any player from his team on the basis of where he was playing his football.

“We are going to work with an open mind. It won’t matter where the player is. We will value them as individuals and based on what they can do,’’ he said.

‘NFF Conducted Federation Cup Draw Fairly’

Published

7 days ago

April 21, 2025

The Tide

The Nigeria Football Federation has defended the recent quarter-finals draw for the 2025 President Federation Cup, saying it was conducted in line with best global practices.
A member of the NFF Executive Committee Board, George Aluo, stated that criticism over venues for the quarterfinals was unfortunate.
Going by the fixtures released on Saturday by the football body, Abakaliki FC will take on Nasarawa United in Benin, Wikki Tourists will clash with Ikorodu City in Bwari, Abuja, Akwa United and Kwara United will fight it out in Enugu, just as Area 3, Abuja, will host the encounter between Rangers International and Plateau United. All matches are scheduled for May 3rd for the emergence of semifinalists in a leg affair.
However, there have been criticisms over the Ikorodu United vs Wikki Tourist tie billed for Abuja, with a section of the press saying the venue is skewed in favour of the Bauchi team.
Aluo, also the Chairman of the Nigeria National League (NNL), said: “Some of our media men need better education, and newsmen should not be like the fans out there on the streets. In the English FA Cup, it is always a one-legged pairing that can see a club like Arsenal host Manchester United at home”.

Sports

Act Sports Signs New Teqball Specialist Contract In Nigeria

Published

7 days ago

April 21, 2025

The Tide

A new contract that will see Act Sports Di Oyibo Limited managing the career of Nigerian teqball specialist, Victor Oyemade, has been signed in Lagos.
The deal gives exclusive rights to Act Sports to manage, and exercise power of attorney over issues relating to the player’s welfare as it concerns his transactions, engagement for professional, promotional, sponsorships, endorsements, and exhibition purposes.
In signing the document, both parties also agreed that proper safeguards would be put in place to protect and promote the player’s interest at all times.
Director of Act Sports, Di Oyibo Limited, Pastor Samuel Robinson Oyibo, excited about the deal, said it would benefit both parties in the area of spreading the message of the sport, as well as laying a firm foundation for his new client’s future.
“Teqball is one of the world’s fastest-growing ball sports, and Victor Oyemade is the face of the sport here in Nigeria and Africa. That is why we are excited about this partnership that gives Act Sports official authorisation to manage his career, just as it will lay the foundation for its rapid growth in our country,” Pastor Oyibo said.
Oyemade was no less excited about the deal, saying it would help his growth in the sport.

Sports

Nigeria Name Handball Squads For Zonal Champs

Published

7 days ago

April 21, 2025

The Tide

Coaches of Nigeria’s U-18 and U-20 women’s handball teams have released their final lists of 14 players ahead of the IHF Women’s Trophy Zonal Phase, which will be held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, that commenced yesterday to end 24th of this month.
The two teams have been training at the Rowe Park Sports Centre, Yaba, Lagos, for close to two weeks and departed for the competition on Thursday.
Coach John Uzor of the national U-18 team has included Omole Joy of Defender Babes and her sister Omole Shola alongside Ojie Princess of Funad Academy alongside right back Faisat Balogun in the mix while Success Duru, Chetachi Ngaodurubie of COAS Babes and Sharon Okonkwo make the cut, amongst other players.
In the U-20 team, Coach Shittu Agboola has largely stuck with the players he has been grooming since their U-18 days. The team is led by Captain Chidera Ogbusimba alongside, her Rima Queens teammates the Samuel Sisters, Amina Mohammed and Joy Peters.
Israel-based Rahima Bello, Kehinde Babatunde of ASPAC HBC of Benin Republic and Esther Mathew, who is also based in Benin Republic, keep their places.
Coach Shittu believes his team will make Nigeria proud just as they did previously at the U-18 level.
“I am really upset that Taiwo Babatunde will not be part of the team for this competition as her school, Yaba College of Technology, insisted that they will not release her for national service because of examinations.
“We did everything humanly possible to secure her release and they didn’t care that it is a national service for the interest of Nigeria and the growth of sports. We have other players who are also students and they got a release from their schools but for no tangible reason, Yabatech refused to release Taiwo despite the fact that we did everything possible to secure her release. It’s sad and I hope the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Sports Commission will work in tandem so that schools will support our goal in making Nigeria proud in sporting events”.