Sports
Coach Ilechukwu Rates Rangers Best Team
Enugu Rangers coach Fidelis Ilechukwu has boasted that the Flying Antelopes have indeed been the best team in the 2023/24 Nigeria Premier Football League after securing their eighth title and first triumph since 2016.
Rangers emerged champions of the NPFL with one game to spare after they defeated Bendel Insurance 2-0 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium thanks to a goal in each half from Kenechukwu Agu and Chidiebere Nwobodo.
The other three contenders for the title, Remo Stars, 3SC and nine-time champions Enyimba, all dropped points in their respective matches, paving the way for the Flying Antelopes to win their eighth title.
In his first season in charge at the cathedral, Ilechukwu guided Rangers to an unassailable five-point lead with 67 points, going into their last game of the season against Gombe United at the Pantami Stadium next week.
‘The Working One’ as Ilechukwu is fondly called had previously worked with the defunct MFM FC, Heartland and Plateau United before joining Rangers at the start of the season.
“We are the best from the beginning to the end. The best technical team and best tactical team,” Ilechukwu said after the game on Sunday.
“We have worked so hard to come this far from Awka to Enugu. I have to thank so many people; governor Peter Mba, Amobi Ezeaku the general manager, all the management staff, the technical crew and the fans, the best in the world.
“I am so happy. It’s not easy to be a champion. Everything was perfect, the motivational part of football was so perfect and the technical crew were sound.”
After starting the season brightly, the Flying Antelopes’ momentum was slowed down in December after failing to win in five consecutive matches. Ilechukwu however said he was unmoved by the dip in form at the end of last year.
“Even when we were struggling, I knew we were going to do well and that was why I said people should wait till the end.”
Meanwhile, the general manager of the club Amobi Ezeaku, who doubles as one of the players is looking to get his only start of the season in the colours of the club when they face Gombe United at the Pantami Stadium on Sunday.
England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals, plus one from Kingsley Coman, helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph, is full of thanks to God after he miraculously survived another life-threatening automobile accident recent at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV.
Narrating his ordeal, the 51-year-old, who guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.
“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.
This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.
He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.
The former Nigeria international, who also kept goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.
According to him, the owner of the truck said he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.
Ex – Super Eagles of Nigeria, Okwuchukwu Waobikeze has observed that sports development in Nigeria is going down.
According to him, grassroots sports is very important, without it, the administrators cannot get it right. So everybody should key into grassroots sports development, he said.
Waobikeze said this last Wednesday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after the Port Harcourt All Stars Independence football festival (OCTOBERFEST) at the Port Harcourt club, Rivers State.
He explained that for sports administrators to get it right, grassroots development is key. “They should be organising competition at the grassroots level to fish out the young ones for different sporting activities.
“Grassroots sports is very important so the administrators have to go back to the grassroots.
” Sports Development in Nigeria is going down we need to go back to the basics.
“Look at the just concluded Paris Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal.
” Our football team did not even qualify for the Olympics. We are going down.
” If they should go back to the grassroots, they will get young ones in the games and talents will be developed.
” I started from school games, to youth games before playing for the national team. Now everybody wants to fly board to play professional football and a lot do not know the basics of the game.
” A lot of people did not know the little things about the game, they just want to play. It is not done so,” Waobikeze stated.
Kiadum Edookor