PAGE 44
PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012
Cooreman blames players for Warri Wolves’ Confederation Cup exit
B
elgian coach, Maurice Cooreman, has angrily tore into his players for failing to put up a fight against South African club, Black Leopards last weekend. Warri Wolves were bundled out of the CAF Confederation Cup on away goals’ rule following a 0-2 loss in the second leg against the PSL team. Cooreman’s men had won the first leg in Warri 3-1 in April before they lost in the reverse match. The Warri Wolves’ manager is now livid that his players did not turn up against the Polokwane-based team in the reverse fixture. “It was a disgraceful performance from my players. We won the first leg 3-1 and we just needed to play well and score at least a goal but my players didn’t do that,” said Cooreman to SuperSport.com. “Some of our players are in the national team and this result is just unacceptable. The national team players (in the Wolves’ team) disappointed me the most, but that is football.” The former Kaduna United manager now wants his team to focus on the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) and salvage their season by fighting to finish among the top three. “Now we have to go back and work hard and make sure we finish in the top three. That’s the only way we can win a place back to continental club football,” a disappointed Cooreman remarked. Warri Wolves are in 14th position in the Premier League standings on 30 points from 22 games and are 13 points behind Maurice Cooreman leaders, Enugu Rangers.
T
he Nigeria Premier League (NPL) has promised to organise regular workshops and seminars for elite clubs coaches with a view to deepening their technical grasp off the game. The NPL’s Acting Executive Secretary, Tunji Babalola, said that the body has resolved to provide these training programmes to shore up teams’ technical competence continental competitions. Babalola debunked the notion that the country’s club sides, that recently got eliminated from the ongoing CAF Champions League and the Confederation Cup were humiliated, noting that their coaches just needed to strengthen their depth. “What the clubs needed to do in subsequent editions of the continental competitions was for them to reinforce their teams with quality and experienced players. “On the part of the NPL we are trying to support them in terms of logistics, for instance we make sure their domestic league competition does not clash with their departure dates for
Gatlin wins again, clocks 9.93 secs, Jeter also
RESULTS
A
merican sprinter Justin Gatlin continued his recent resurgence ahead of the London Olympics with victory in the men’s 100 metres at the IAAF World Challenge meeting yesterday. The gold medallist from the 2004 Athens Games won in 9.93 seconds ahead of compatriot Michael Rodgers (10.06) and Jamaica’s Jacques Harvey (10.16). Gatlin, the world indoor 60 metre champion who has enjoyed a revival of late after his four-year ban for doping ended in 2010, followed up his success in the Diamond League meeting in Doha on Saturday, where he beat Jamaica’s Asafa Powell. In the women’s 100, Carmelita Jeter sprinted to victory in 11.11 seconds to finish ahead of Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare (11.21) and Aleen Bailey of Jamaica (11.34). Jeter, who won the world title on the same track last year, was short of her season best of 10.81 but the American still extended her winning streak in finals to 10 races. Another world champion who enjoyed a happy return to Daegu was Grenada’s Kirani James, who won the men’s 400 metres. James finished almost a second ahead of Renny Quow of Trinidad & Tobago to claim victory in his first race of the season. There was also success for America’s world indoor 60 metre hurdles champion Aries Merritt (13.21), who pipped compatriot David Oliver (13.22) to win the men’s 110 metres hurdles, while Ethiopia’s indoor 800 world champion Mohammed Aman proved too strong over the distance to edge Kenya’s Leonard Kirwa Kosencha. Jamaican sprinter Sherone Simpson was disqualified in the women’s 200 allowing American LaShauntea Moore to claim victory in 22.71, just ahead of her compatriot ChaRonda Williams. Men’s javelin world champion Matthias de Zordo of Germany only managed 79.39 metres in his season opener to finish a disappointing fourth in the event, which was won by Russia’s Dmitri Tarabin with an 82.75 effort. De Zordo will be among those athletes heading to Shanghai for this Saturday’s second Diamond League meeting of the year.
Justin Gatlin
Kirani James
NPL to organise regular training workshop for coaches continental assignments. “Its quite unfortunate that we are out, but we still need to appreciate the fact that they tried their best, they were not disgraced; no matter the level of preparation a team must win and a team must lose.” Babalola said. When asked whether the elimination of Dolphins FC of Port Harcourt the defending of the NPL does not question the authenticity of their status as defending champion, he said the question was out of place. “You can’t conclude based on this, for instance Chelsea did not perform well at their domestic league, but they have performed well at the Champion’s League which brings me back to the luck factor. “The absence of the Spanish La liga clubs in the finals of the forthcoming UEFA Champions League, does it mean their league is bad,” he said. He added that current developments in football had made it mandatory for coaches to develop
CHANGE OF NAME I, FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS AISHATU S. ALIYU, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS SADDIYA A. IBRAHIM. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. P.H.C. DARAZO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND GENERAL HOSPITAL JAKUSKO AND GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.
themselves, in order to keep abreast with the contemporary demands of the game. “As a coach, there is the need to constantly update yourself with the current trends of the game, because football is dynamic. If you are not current with the trends as a coach you will not be able to pass these new skills to your players,” he said. Babalola applauded the
recent training programme organised by FIFA and CAF, for NPL coaches to enhance the quality of the game, he called for more of such training. “I appreciate the fact that FIFA and CAF are trying to upgrade coaches, because if such training are periodically done it would surely affect the quality of play. Refresher courses are compulsory for quality football,” he said.
He added that the NPL on its own would organise training workshop for coaches, he said the last was done during the previewing programme. “We organised training for our coaches for instance the last training we had was during our previewing of matches, we got an instructor from Holland, we are planning another workshop in July,” he said.
Liverpool ease Dalglish out of saddle
L
iverpool have adopted Aston Villa’s style by sacking its manager Kenny Dalglish in a manner that showed displeasure with his performance during the season. The 61-year-old Scot, who had returned for a second stint as manager at Anfield in January last year, paid the price for a dismal season which saw Liverpool finish 37 points behind champions Manchester City. The Merseyside club’s American owners the Fenway Sports Group had given Dalglish more than £100 million (159 million dollars) to spend in the transfer market since he took over from the sacked Roy Hodgson in 2011. But expensive signings such as Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson
and Charlie Adam have largely flopped, with Liverpool’s eighth place finish their worst season-ending position for nearly two decades. “Fenway Sports Group and Liverpool Football Club announce that Kenny Dalglish is to leave his post today as manager after having his contract terminated,” a joint statement said. “After a careful and deliberative review of the season the club came to the decision that a change was appropriate. It is not a decision that was reached lightly or hastily. The search for a new manager will begin immediately.” Although Dalglish ended Liverpool’s six-year trophy drought this season with victory in the League Cup, the club were comfortably
beaten by Chelsea in the FA Cup final earlier this month. Liverpool lifted the gloom with a 4-1 win over Chelsea in their final home game of the season, but a 14th loss against Swansea in their last game of the campaign on Sunday was the last straw. The defeat against the newly promoted Swans, whose squad cost a fraction of Liverpool’s to assemble, left Liverpool in eighth – their worst finish for 18 years, with their lowest points tally since 1953/54. British media reports have already linked several younger up-and-coming managers to the vacancy at Anfield, with Wigan’s Roberto Martinez, Swansea’s Brendan Rodgers and Norwich’s Paul Lambert all mentioned as possible candidates to succeed Dalglish.
Men’s 100m 1. Justin Gatlin (U.S.) 9.93 2. Michael Rodgers (U.S.) 10.06 3. Jacques Harvey (Jamaica) 10.16 Men’s 400m 1. Kirani James (Grenada) 44.72 2. Renny Quow (Trinidad and Tobago) 45.65 3. Calvin Smith (U.S.) 45.70 Men’s 800m 1. Mohammed Aman (Ethiopia) 1:43.51 2. Leonard Kirwa Kosencha (Kenya) 1:44.74 3. Andreas Bube (Denmark) 1:45.27 Men’s 110m Hurdles 1. Aries Merritt (U.S.) 13.21 2. David Oliver (U.S.) 13.22 3. Jason Richardson (U.S.) 13.34 Men’s 4 x 400m Relay 1. Japan 3:01.04 2. Australia 3:01.58 3. Australia B 3:07.29 Men’s High Jump 1. Trevor Barry (Bahamas) 2.25 2. Jamie Nieto (U.S.) 2.22 3. Samson Oni (Britain) 2.22 Men’s Long Jump 1. Ignisious Gaisah (Ghana) 7.99 2. Elvijs Misans (Latvia) 7.96 3. George Kitchens (U.S.) 7.92 Men’s Shot Put 1. Ryan Whiting (U.S.) 21.14 2. Dylan Armstrong (Canada) 20.72 3. Adam Nelson (U.S.) 20.34 Men’s Javelin Throw 1. Dmitri Tarabin (Russia) 85.75 2. Ari Mannio (Finland) 81.06 3. Igor Janik (Poland) 80.23 Women’s 100m 1. Carmelita Jeter (U.S.) 11.11 2. Blessing Okagbare (Nigeria) 11.21 3. Aleen Bailey (Jamaica) 11.34 Women’s 200m 1. LaShauntea Moore (U.S.) 22.71 2. ChaRonda Williams (U.S.) 22.82 3. Aleen Bailey (Jamaica) 23.15 Women’s 1500m 1. Eunice Sum (Kenya) 4:05.99 2. Meskerem Assefa (Ethiopia) 4:06.52 3. Kaila McKnight (Australia) 4:06.54 Women’s 100m Hurdles 1. Dawn Harper (U.S.) 12.65 2. Kellie Wells (U.S.) 12.66 3. Brigitte Foster-Hylton (Jamaica) 13.00 Women’s Long Jump 1. Janay DeLoach (U.S.) 6.79 2. Karin Mey Melis (Turkey) 6.48 3. Saeko Okayama (Japan) 6.45 Women’s Pole Vault 1. Anastasiya Savchenko (Russia) 4.60 2. Lacy Janson (U.S.) 4.50 3. Silke Spiegelburg (Germany) 4.45 Women’s Hammer Throw 1. Betty Heidler (Germany) 77.24 2. Tatyana Lysenko (Russia) 76.14 3. Zhang Wenxiu (China) 75.68