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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012
NPL first stanza, rich harvests of goals, stars The first round of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) has ended and the teams are on short recess which offers them ample chance to beef up where they have noticed obvious lapse. As usual not a few teams would take advantage of the break to evaluate their performances in the first stanza and realign strategies for the second and final phase which begins on April 21. Before then though, Peoples Daily Sports and MTNFootball.com highlight some highs and lows during the first stanza and we thought our readers might be interested in some of these highlights. Statistics hough Rangers and Kano Pillars leveled on 32 points apiece by the close of the first stanza of the league, but Pillars by virtue of their superior goals difference lead the pack. Neither though would want to concede grounds even as a pack of hungry teams seek to dislodge them. In particular, defending champions Dolphins are on the prowl especially having been so early in the day edged out of the CAF Champions League race by Cotonsport of Garoua, Cameroon. Besides, if they make the most of their three outstanding matches, then Pillars may lose grip on the summit. Celebration of Goals: Nothing excites in the game of football better than goals which is why the first of the 2011/2012 season is remarkable in terms of the number of goals: 346. Unlike the immediate past season, teams no fewer than 10 goals per week. Should the teams sustain the tempo, it’s most likely that they would surpass more than six hundred goals of last season. The only goalkeeper to score in NPL so far is 3SC’s Dele Ajiboye, who scored a penalty against Dolphin in Week 6. The former Golden Eaglets and national U-23 – Olympics Eagles safe hand is one of the several foreign-based players that returned to the domestic league and whose presence have had colour and attraction to the domestic scene. The first red card of the season was issued to Lobi Stars goalkeeper John Lawrence against Wikki Tourists of Bauchi in Week 6. There have been several red cards but the Enyimba versus Dolphins game in which the Port Harcourt team got two players sent off remains one of the worst case scenario during the first stanza. The first hat-trick: Real Madrid and Barcelona aces: Cristiano Ronaldo and Leonel Messi have six and four hat-tricks between them. So it’s cheering news that a certain rave of the moment, Mustapha Babadidi leads the pack here with just one hat-trick. Mustapha, who leads the NPL goal poachers’ chart, got his treble for Gombe United in a Week 4 game against Niger Tornadoes. Rangers were almost unassailable. The Coal City squad was unbeaten in 10 matches in the first half of the season, but Pillars stamp a dent on their near seamless surge in Kano and thus nudge closer to the apex of the pack. Erasmus Onuh of ABS FC of Ilorin became the first coach to be shown the exit door in the 2011/2012 season. Well, there were others but Festus Allen’s suspension by the management of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) stands out. Warri Wolves have the highest number of draws in the first round - two home draws and four draws away from home. The Highest scoring side: For quite sometimes during the half, Gombe United led the pack but suddenly began to feel the heat of the pressure and could bear the weight. However, they had started well by scoring important goals and in good numbers. Now, it seems it may pay off well for them as the top the scoring chart with 24 goals. Pillars and ABS have each netted 23 goals. The team with the worst defensive record is Jigawa Golden Stars, who have let in 24 goals. Lowest scoring team are new comers Rising Stars with seven goals from 19 games. Warri Wolves have the best defensive record having conceded 11 goals. Hooliganism The league experienced a number of crowd troubles at some match venue and NPL sanctioned the culprits accordingly to serve as a deterrent to others who may want to tow the same line.
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Godfrey Oboabana
Mustapha Babadidi
In Kano, the fans attacked match officials and Heartland players after Pillars drew 1-1 at home. They were ordered to play their home games behind closed doors. In Ilorin, the fans of Kwara United went gaga when they hosted Sunshine Stars. The fans took the laws into their hands and their club paid for it. The match will now be replayed even though Sunshine, who were initially awarded the game, have protested this latest decision. Heartland fans were not left out of this ugly trend as a handful of them went on rampage when they lost 3-2 to regional rivals Enyimba in Enugu. Shinning stars There were a lot of players who showed class during the first round. They include Chikeluba Ofoedu (Rangers), Augustine Amutu (Warri Wolves), Sibi Gwar, Mustapha Babadidi and Sanusi Sani (Gombe United). Others were Godfrey Oboabona (Sunshine Stars), Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves), Mutiu Adegoke (3SC), Bala Mohammed (Jigawa United), Gambo Mohammed (Pillars) and Ejike Uzonyi (Rangers). Mutiu Adegoke: The 3SC experienced left back has been outstanding since he returned to Shooting Stars during the Week 9 transfer window after he was released by champions Dolphin. Apart from doing his defensive work well, the ex-ASEC Mimosa of Cote d’Ivoire ace has fired two match winners against Kwara United and Enyimba at home. Augustine Amutu: The youngster who joined Warri Wolves from Mighty Jets of Jos is proving to be a good buy for the CAF Confederation Cup campaigners as he has scored two goals coming off the bench. The youngster’s performances have warmed the heart of the Belgian tactician Maurice Cooreman, who threw him into
Azubuike Egwuekwe
the fray for the entire duration when they played a Confederation Cup tie against FC Kallon of Sierra Leone. He is one of the players to watch in only his debut season. Amutu’s physique, speed, urgency and shooting ability have unsettled opposing defenders. Sibi Gwar: The 24-year-old Niger Tornadoes striker has been consistent in front of goal. He has been the driving force for Tornadoes with seven goals so far. He is strong and difficult to defend against. Mustapha Babadidi: The striker has most certainly taken the NPL by storm. Babadidi has netted 10 goals and he may have scored more if not for a knee injury that kept him out of action for more than three weeks in the first round. It will not be long before this quick and business-like front man takes his shooting boots overseas. Azubuike Egwuekwe: The towering Warri Wolves centre half has established himself as one of the best on the domestic scene. His imposing physique is enough to put fear in opposing strikers and the Jos-born player’s performance in the league has earned him a starting place in the Super Eagles. He is fast reminding fans of the great ‘Gentle Giant’ Uche Okechukwu. Godfrey Oboabona: Sunshine Stars captain is unarguably the best right back in the country now. His ability to mark and score from the penalty spot as well as set pieces have underlined his quality. He has so far scored six goals in the NPL. Ejike Uzoenyi: The wing wizard mazy run on the left flank remind one of the days of Emmanuel Amuneke. With his performances, he may well make that position in the Eagles his own for a long time in the Eagles.
CAF kicks out Ugandan team from Champions League
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Ejike Uzoenyi
Mutui Adegoke
Gambo Mohammed
he Confederation of African Football (CAF) has disqualified Uganda Revenue Authority FC from the 2012 Orange CAF Champions League for failing to honour the second leg tie against Djoliba FC of Mali. Rogers Mulindwa, the Uganda FA spokesman told reporters in Kampala on Wednesday that CAF had sent a letter notifying URA about the disqualification. “As the Federation, we shall write CAF to explain URA’s scenario and hope that the disqualification
can be reversed,” said Mulindwa. The Ugandan champions had lost the first leg 2-0 but communicated to CAF last week that they could not travel to Bamako because of the insecurity there, following a coup. The Ugandan government last week warned URA against travelling to Mali because of security reasons, in spite of Mali’s assurance of adequate security during the match. Geoffrey Kyondo, the URA spokesman, said the club would communicate
the team’s position on the matter to CAF. Edgar Watson, Chief Executive Officer of Uganda’s FA said URA’s disqualification attracts a fine of 1,500 U.S. dollars plus a three-year ban from international competitions. Watson also said the club could pay a heavy fine, after CAF’s committee computed the profit the Mali team would have made if the game had taken place. The URA FC would have to focus on retaining the country’s premier league title.