Sports
NNL: Insurance FC Targets NPFL Promotion – Spokesman
Spokesman of Insurance FC of Benin, Kehinde Osagiede, says securing promotion to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) is a top priority of the club this season.
Osagiede made the remarks in an interview with newsmen in Benin yesterday.
He said that the club was prepared for the kick-off of the Nigeria National League (NNL) on February 14.
As part of efforts to secure promotion to the NPFL, the spokesman said that the club had made an overhaul of its squad.
He said that 15 players, from the last session squad, were retained while no fewer than 20 more were recruited to prosecute matches for the club this season.
“While we fortified the squad with some of the best legs in the country, we also picked some performers from the club’s feeder team,’’ the spokesman said.
Osagiede further remarked that apart from the total overhaul of the team, the club has also played series of friendly matches to fine tune the team into a formidable one.
He said that the team members have trained hard for this season.
“We have also played good friendly matches ahead of the league session.
“With the friendly matches, we were able to ascertain areas where we need to work on and where our strength lies.
“Today, being Thursday, we have a friendly match scheduled for 4.00 p.m. while the club still has two other outstanding matches to fine tune the team.
“The club is ready, not only to face clubs in the NNL, but any others across the country, including the NPFL.’’
Tidesports source reports that the club will kick-start the season by playing host to the visiting Lagos based Joy Comet FC.
The NNL, earlier scheduled to kick-off on February 4, was postponed to February 14.
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