NFF Promise Flying Eagles Adequate Preparations…

Flying Eagles

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have promised the Flying Eagles they will be fully prepared for the 2015 African Youth Championship in Senegal.

NFF director of competitions, Sanusi Mohammed, assured the team of adequate preparations when he visited them on New Year’s day at their African Continental Hotel training camp in Kaduna.

“We plan to ensure you get top quality friendly matches before the AYC and thereafter you proceed on a training tour of a country with a similar weather condition to that of Senegal,” declared Sanusi.

“We believe in this team and are very much encouraged by the unity and sense of purpose you have displayed all this while.”

It is believed that NFF are now exploring the possibilities of getting the country’s U20 team to train for at least a month in Gambia before they hit Senegal of the AYC.

They are drawn against hosts Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Congo in Group A of the competition, which kicks off on March 8 in Dakar.

Nduka Ugbade

Ugbade – We will win AYC in style

Flying Eagles assistant coach Nduka Ugbade has predicted his team will a seventh AYC title by winning all their matches in Senegal in March.

The Nigeria U20s are pitched in Group A alongside host country Senegal, Congo and Cote d’Ivoire.

They begin their campaign on March 8 against Senegal.

“We will win all our matches in Senegal on our way to winning the AYC in style,” said Ugbade, who has represented Nigeria at U17, U20 and full international levels.

“We have quality in the team and will continue to work hard until we have achieved our targets in Senegal before we set new targets for the World Cup in New Zealand.”

The semi-finalists of the 2015 AYC will qualify to represent Africa at the 2015 FIFA U20 World Cup in New Zealand beginning in May.

1960BET ARE HEADLINE SPONSORS OF “FOOTBALL FOR HOPE” DAY IN LAGOS

Nigeria’s number one sports betting company 1960BET have been announced by the organizers of the “FOOTBALL FOR HOPE” Project as Headline Sponsors.

This was announced by the LOC for the “FOOTBALL FOR HOPE” Project earlier today in Lagos.

The organizers expressed their appreciation to 1960BET while calling on other corporate bodies to join hands to help make this event bigger and better in coming years.

1960BET is a street-credible sports betting company with over 5,000 outlets nationwide known for prompt payments and various Corporate Social Responsibility Projects.

Coincidentally, 1960BET are Headline sponsors of the darling team of Lagos Stationery Stores FC, 1960BET was also the headline sponsor of the just concluded Copa Lagos 2014 and also the League Bloggers Awards 2014 where the Nigerian Professional Football League’s Most Valuable Player was given a brand new car amongst other things.

Chief Organizer of the “FOOTBALL FOR HOPE” Project and Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Football matters Adeyinka Adeboye stated that “1960BET’s track record of identifying with laudable and life-changing programs such as the “FOOTBALL FOR HOPE” Project, made it very easy for us to partner with them on this project and we hope that subsequent editions will be bigger and better than this.

The event, is a pet project of the Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Football matters, Adeyinka Adeboye and its designed to help the less-privileged in the society with specific emphasis on Motherless Babies homes, the physically-challenged personalities and even ex-footballers who can no longer cater for themselves.

The “FOOTBALL FOR HOPE” Project event comes up this Saturday, 3rd of January 2015 at the Campos Mini Stadium, Lagos.

Two Matches will be played on the day with the first match expected to kick off at 3pm between Managers FC and Lagos SWAN.

The second match will see the Lagos state Governor, His Excellency Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola and his friends square up against Nigerian Pros (a selection of Foreign and local players Nigerian footballers) at the Campos mini Stadium, Lagos.

Taribo West, Obafemi Martins, Babatunde Michael, Rasaq Omotoyossi, Ezekiel Imoh, Austin JJ Okocha, Teslim Fatusi, Azizat Oshoala and Fatai Amoo are some of football stars, current and retired expected to play in the match.

Egypt Will Not Stop Us In Cairo, Nigeria’s Quadri Insists

With few hour into the New Year and few weeks to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Senior Championships, the rivalry between Nigeria and Egypt will again resume in Cairo come January 23 to 29 and Nigeria’s hope, Aruna Quadri has opened up on his intentions to lead the battle against the Egyptians just like he did during the 2014 ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup where he defeated Egypt’s duo of Omar Assar and El-Sayed Lashin to clinch the title.

The Portugal-based player said in this interview that he is hopeful that Nigeria will halt the North Africans dominance. However, the Oyo State-born athlete also appealed to the Director General, National Sports Commission (NSC), Gbenga Elegbeleye and Minister of Sports, Tammy Danagogo to ensure that funds are provided for the team to be part of the tournament, which also serves as qualifiers for the 2015 World Championship in China.

Quadri Aruna Team Nigeria Table Tennis Squad member at Glasgow 2014

1. What are you looking forward to in Egypt?

As a member of the Nigerian team, I am looking forward to a better outing in Cairo. Egypt has been ruling Africa for years now and our men and women’s team are looking forward to stopping the Egyptians dominance. I have never won the African championships individual event in my career and winning it will make me happy in January and I seriously believed it’s possible and God will help me as am working harder for the war in Cairo.

2. Egypt has been dominating the tournament in the last five years, do you think Nigeria can halt the reign of the Egyptians?

Yes it’s true and I seriously believe that their dominance will end this month.
It’s not going to be easy for any team to defeat them due to the quality of players their team has got but it’s very possible if our team has the needed support.
Meanwhile, Tunisians and Algerians including the Congo Brazzaville are not walk over matches but we see these teams as a lesser threat to our campaign in Cairo next year.

3. How ready are Nigerian players for the tournament?

We are all ready for the war in Cairo due to the fact that everyone knows what’s at stake and we will all fight to retain our lost glory in Africa this time. Our federation has been working hard and this is the right time to compensate the great efforts of our federation president and members.
Just like we put a smile on his face at commonwealth games, we are all working harder as a team to make him the happiest man in January in Cairo and may God help us more than our imagination.

Aruna Quadri of Nigeria in action

4. Egypt’s Lashin is the men’s single champion, are you targeting the title?

As a matter of fact, the title with Lashin is still eluding me in Africa and winning it will make me fulfilled a little bit just like the way am targeting African games title that was won by Lashin’s compatriot Omar Assar in Maputo and winning the games individual title as well this year will make me fully fulfilled in Africa and it’s very possible with hard work.

5. How prepared are you for the competition?

I think I will be well prepared for the tournament, after the ITTF Star Awards in Dubai, I am going straight to Porto to join my team mates and practice for two weeks in the same venue that I prepared for the World Cup. Presently everyone is on holidays but I am not on holidays fully as am running day after day to keep fit and I wish myself and the entire team members best of the best of luck in our careers.