With the Women’s World Cup a few months away, Former Super Falcons attacker Mercy Akide has called upon the Nigeria Federation to organize grade A friendly matches for the team if they are to deliver at the Mundial.
FC Ifeanyi Ubah Goalkeeper Anozie Chinedu says he’s delighted to be with the National U-23 team and believes the experience gained so far will surely make him a better football player.
Lobi stars and Nigeria U23 national team defender John Lazarus has revealed that the coach of Nigeria’s national U23 team Imama Amapakabo is passionate and worried about the fact that players will have to juggle between playing for their various clubs and returning to the national U23 team camp while he plots Nigeria’s qualification for the Africa U23 cup of nations.
Niger Tornadoes forward Bashir Isah Azado has been ruled out for two weeks and therefore will miss his team’s trip to Ilorin, where they take on Kwara United Wednesday.
The forward was said to have sustained the injury in Niger Tornadoes’s 3-2 loss to MFM in Lagos and he has been struggling to shake it off since then.
However the Ikon Allah Boys medical department has revealed theforward need rest after a successful routine treatment by the club physiotherapist.
“Azado needs some rest, for now maybe a week or two”
“We are monitoring the situation in case if there should be any treatment we need to carry out” The Club said.
The injury is a big blow to Caretaker technical adviser Hamza Abara who is struggling to turn the Club’s season around with just a win out of four matches.
Niger Tornadoes will face their former Kwara United on Wednesday in Ilorin and they will attempt to get one over their former Coach Abubakar Bala.
Remo Stars Football Club attacking midfielder Bolaji Michael is excited that his side can play in front of their home fans again after playing three matches at the Osogbo Township Stadium.
It would be recalled that Remo Stars was banished from its home ground (Gateway International Stadium Sagamu) by the League Management Company following a crowd trouble that occurred in their first home game of the season against Bendel Insurance of Benin, which left match officials injured.
While at the Osogbo Township Stadium, the Sky Blues won two games , with the only loss coming against Group A leaders MFM.
Bolaji Michael in an exclusive interview with www.brila.net’s Seyi Alao revealed that the players are delighted to be back home again and also hailed the Osogbo fans for supporting the during their stay.
“Its feels good to be back home were we know everyone are behindus , we really miss the atmosphere and I must also thank the lovely fans in Osogbo who made feel at home .“ He said.
Remo Stars are 8th on the NPFL Group A log with 7 points from 8 matches and they travel to Lobi Stars on Wednesday.
Former D’Tigers captain Olumide Oyedeji has blasted the NBBF in communication with FIBA over the way home-based players are continuously been sidelined in the Nigeria men basketball national team.
Lobi stars goalkeeper Femi Kayode has stated that the NPFL side still have very much upper most in their mind getting flying ahead of next set of matches in the NPFL.
Kayode speaking in a chat with www.brila.net said Lobi stars aren’t carried away with the lure of been active on the continent as the team is equally very concerned about ensuring a return to the continent next season by ensuring they post a good outing at the end of the current campaign starting with their own game number 4 of the season when they play host to Remo stars in one of the midweek fixtures in the league.
Meanwhile, Enyimba forward Ibrahim Mustapha has stated that the People’s Elephants will come good again this season despite the club’s unconvincing start to the current league season but with result coming their way lately which has seen them rise to third on the league table.
Mustapha speaking in a chat with www.brila.netsaid the team didn’t start well but is determined to ensure they return to the summit of the league and pick the first of the two tickets to fight for the Super 4 at the end of the season.
D’Tigers and newly contracted Rivers Hoopers player Abdul Yahaya has dismissed talks of been disappointed after his omission from the list of national team players that will prosecute the last window of the 2019 FIBA world cup qualifiers which begins on the 22nd February in Abidjan CIV.
The 2017 Silver medal winning Afrobasket participant with Nigeria’s D’Tigers said the decision on players invitation depends on who the coach wants to work with or play in his team at every point in time.
Yahaya told www.brila.net that good enough the coach eventually deemed it okay to have two home based players which doesn’t necessarily always have to be him.
He thereafter said he is sure he will still have his time and opportunity to play with the senior men national basketball team notwithstanding his omission or absence from the team at the moment.
Maurizio Sarri insists he isn’t worried about being sacked as Chelsea manager despite his troubled side’s lacklustre FA Cup surrender against Manchester United.
Sarri faces a fight to save his job after FA Cup holders Chelsea crashed to a 2-0 fifth round defeat at Stamford Bridge on Monday.
Ander Herrera headed United into the lead from Paul Pogba’s cross in the 31st minute.
France star Pogba doubled United’s advantage on the stroke of half-time when he met Marcus Rashford’s cross with a diving header.
Sarri endured chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” and “you’re getting sacked in the morning” as furious Chelsea fans showed their frustration at the club’s fifth defeat in their last 10 games.
Chelsea’s stars, publicly criticised by their manager on several occasions this term, hardly looked to be battling to keep the Italian as they failed to muster a shot on target after the 11th minute.
Sarri’s fragile relationship with his players, combined with the mutinous atmosphere among supporters, increased the feeling that the former Napoli boss might not survive until the end of his first season with Chelsea.
Demanding Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has acted quickly in the past when managers have been perceived to have lost the support of the squad.
But Sarri is adamant he isn’t concerned about his perilous position and he claimed he is solely focused on salvaging his club’s turbulent season.
Asked if he was worried Abramovich might be ready to wield the axe, Sarri said: “It’s not my problem.
“I was only worried about my position when I was in League 2 in Italy, not now.
“I am worried about the results, not about the fans. Of course I can understand the situation.
“I can understand our fans, because the result wasn’t really good. We are out of the FA Cup.”
Mfon Udoh is enjoying football again with Akwa United and is in no hurry to leave according to former Green Eagles player Friday Ekpo.
Udoh, who returned to the Promise Keepers five years after his first stint, is currently the 2019 NPFL Top scorer. The striker also played for Calabar Rovers, a team Ekpo also helped bring to limelight, but in a chat with brila.net the retired star expressed delight at the young protégé’s form with Akwa United.
‘He’ll stay at the club at least for the foreseeable future even if the team doesn’t immediate start winning silverware’s,’ Ekpo quipped.