Kanu cherishes charity work

Super Eagles captain Nwankwo Kanu has said he has no regret not winning the Africa Nations Cup.

The Portsmouth star also said the trophy was his priority in Angola but after winning bronze medal he praised the team for not disgracing the nation at the event.

Kanu won a silver medal with Nigeria at the 2002 edition of the championship in Mali and won bronze in Tunisia 2004, Egypt 2006 and now Angola 2010.

He said, ”We went to Angola with the intention of finishing as the best team in the tournament. But we started badly against Egypt and good enough, we came back into the race and reached the semifinals. Bronze is not a bad achievement for this team.

“I had a personal target to lift the trophy in Angola but it was not met. Nigerians would have been happier to see the cup coming home, but inasmuch as we wanted to make them happy we just have to take the positive from this competition. I am disappointed as a captain of the team for not lifting the trophy but personally, I have touched people‘s lives in different ways.

“My best gold medal is the assistance I give to children with heart problems through my foundation. That is the best thing that has ever happened to me. What will I gain if I fill my shelve with trophies and medals when millions of children are sick and dying. Football gold is good but touching the less privileged people through the game gives more joy; that is the best gold medal.”

Kanu comforted his teammates, advising them to prepare for the World Cup in South Africa in June. The former Arsenal player also expressed optimism that Nigeria had good youngsters to rely on for future success.

Mikel battles for Chelsea shirt

MIKEL Obi expects a battle to win back his place in Chelsea's midfield after a month with the Nigeria team in the just concluded African Cup of Nations. Mikel has returned from Nigeria's African Nations Cup campaign in Angola.

He is now focusing on earning a place in Carlo Ancelotti's starting 11, the first opportunity being Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, which would be his 150th Chelsea appearance.

“I've kept in touch with Gary [Staker, player liaison officer] and some of the players, and I always want to know what the score is," he told chelseafc.com.

"I saw some of the games while I was in Angola, the game against Burnley and Preston in the Cup, so I've known what has been going on, and they have done really well without the African players. "It isn't going to be easy for us to walk back into the team again. We know we have to come back, work hard and support the team."

The Nigerian ace featured in all five of the Super Eagles' international games in January, including an energy-sapping quarter-final that required extra-time and penalties. However, Mikel feels he is fit enough to compete domestically.

"I feel okay, I came back on Tuesday, had some medical tests and everything went well so I'm fit and ready to go again, ready for Arsenal who are a very good team, so if I am selected I can help the team as much as I can."

Eagles still need Kanu, Yobo - Nsofor

Friday, February 5, 2010

Nigeria's participation in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will not be completed without the involvement of the old legs and experienced players in the team, according to Victor Obinna Nsofor.

" As we grow up with the team, I think we still need a few experienced players to give us the confidence. In any case, some of us can even be said to have grown in terms of experience. I made my Nations Cup debut in 2004, so after six years, I am no longer a kid. However, we still look up to people like Nwankwo Kanu,"he said.

Nsofor said he had gained much from the players since had been playing with them. "I have learnt a lot from them. Football is a learning process, and the more you play with the older players the better for your career."

On his experience at the just-concluded Nations Cup, he said: "Like every other team, we hoped to win, but as everyone could see, hard luck
cost us the game against Ghana. We enjoyed all the possession and created numerous chances but scoring was our biggest headache.

"The team has come under a lot of criticism lately and the players were not too comfortable with the uproar from football fans". Nsofor said criticism plays a major role in the game.
"Criticism is part of the game. Even when you are playing very well, people will see flaws in your game. But then, we have to admit our game hasn’t been
up to scratch in recent times. We will keep working hard and by God’s grace Nigerians would see a much improved Super Eagles at the World Cup.

Nsofor has been a great influence in the team and he did it against Tunisia on his Nations Cup debut in 2006, then against Mozambique in Abuja during the World Cup qualifiers, and now in Angola where his Man of the Match performance secured Nigeria’s seventh bronze medal in the tournament.
Endowed with a burst of pace, guile and a powerful shot, the Malaga star relives his Nations Cup experience as he looks forward to South Africa 2010.

"I thank God for my achievement, and I wish to thank my team mates for giving me the support to score. We have come a long way in this competition, and to go back home empty handed was not the best."
On the attitude of the team after the semifinal loss , he said: "We made a resolve to beat Algeria because it was the best way to pacify Nigerians who had expected something better from us, so we played to win. We knew we could have won the gold itself, but the luck wasn’t on our side.

Winning the bronze would only encourage us to work harder towards winning the gold in the next edition of the tournament.
I am still young and upcoming, so I have no problem if the coach plays me as a substitute. When it’s time for me to start playing on a regular basis, no one can stop it."

Fashola, Nwosu, Elaho, others, play for Nigeria at 47

Lagos State Gov. Babatunde Fashola, at the weekend in Lagos, proved to soccer pundits his fitness when he played for 90 minutes in a football match.

The spectators also applauded his performance at the encounter.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the goalless encounter between the Liberty Oldies of Ghana and the All Stars International of Nigeria was played at the Nigeria-French Language Village in Badagry.
The 42-year old governor thrilled the large spectators who watched the historic match to commemorate Nigeria’s 47th independence anniversary, with his agility and brilliant dribbles.

Fashola, who donned Jersey Number 12, was team mates of notable stars such as Henry Nwosu, Friday Elaho and Bright Omokaro while Odatey Lamptey of Ghana was among the stars who played for their country.
The governor, an ace footballer, played in the attacking line-up and gave a good account of himself during the match.

Speaking to journalists after the match, Fashola used the occasion to express felicitations to Nigerians on the attainment of 47 years of nationhood.
He said the country had great potentials in sports and only needed to harness its resources.

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Germany win World Cup without conceding a goal

A ruthlessly efficient Germany tamed Brazil Sunday to win the World Cup final 2-0 with goals from Birgit Prinz and Simone Laudehr making them the first nation to successfully defend their title.

The Germans also owed a huge debt to unbeatable goalkeeper Nadine Angerer who saved a second-half penalty from World Player of the Year Marta, leaving the Brazilians numb. The result meant Germany’s watertight defence went through the entire tournament without conceding a goal. Captain Prinz got the breakthough in front of a packed Hongkou Football Stadium after 52 minutes when the veteran Frankfurt forward found herself in acres of space when fed the ball by Sandra Smisek.

She thundered a shot on the turn from inside the box and it slid under the diving Andreia, who should have done better.

Brazil came back with a vengeance but no matter what they threw at impregnable Germany they couldn’t find the equaliser, and Laudehr’s bullet header four minutes from time put the game beyond their reach.
“I had a lot of confidence in my team and they worked very hard for each other. It was a great team performance,” said ecstatic German coach Silvia Neid. “After the penalty save I felt it was meant to be our night.”

She heaped praise on her defence, in particular, for keeping the dangerous Marta at bay.
“It was important to close down Marta and we did a very good job there.”

Angerer added that “we were nervous but we felt we had the right to be world champions.”
The Brazilians were chanting and singing before the start of the match to fire themselves up and Marta had the first chance of the game with her long range drive easily gathered by Angerer in the fourth minute.
Seconds later the action switched to the other end when Kerstin Garefrekes was set free on the right only to slice her shot into the side netting.

Brazil almost penetrated the German defense in the eighth minute when Angerer failed to collect Daniela’s free kick. The ball bounced out to Formiga but she was unable to put the ball in the net.
The physically stronger Germans threw their weight around but the nimble Brazilians gave as good as they got, with the powerful Prinz unceremoniously barged off the ball at one point.

Both sides were creating chances and Daniela was desperately unlucky not to score when she clattered a left foot volley onto the post with Angerer beaten on 23 minutes.

Brazil had most of the possession and could sense they were getting the upper hand with Marta skipping through two defenders and into the box soon after only to lose control of the ball before she could unleash a shot.
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Obaseki remains banned as League kicks off

After a meeting with Chief Oyuiki Obaseki, chairman of Nigeria Football League, yesterday, the NFA chairman, Sani Lulu, maintained that Chief Obaseki remained banned for now.

The NFA last Sunday suspended key officers of the league ranging from two years to three following the postponement of the league by the NFL over who controls referees.

The matter had become controversial and FIFA later confirmed that the control of referees lies with the FA. But when NFL failed to kick off the league as agreed by the Annual General Congress, the NFA felt that it had exceeded bounds and suspended their chairman for three years, the scribe, Salihu Abubakar, the vice chairman and Isaac Ibhafidon for two years.The two bodies were invited by the Senate Wednesday.

The Senate Committee on Sports met with them and initiated the meeting Obaseki held with the NFA yesterday. Chief Obaseki and Lulu agreed that the league will now commence on September 23. But that did not mean the end of the crisis as the NFA had formally written the league board, directing that their most senior officers ensure the smooth take off of the league. He said that the board’s key officers remained banned for now.

Chief Obaseki had petitioned to the Senate about the problems he had been having with the NFA and informed the lawmakers that Dr. Amos Adamu, who is a CAF and FIFA executive member, had taken side and has not helped Nigerian football through his actions.

We gathered that it was based on this that Adamu stepped aside on the matter. But before now, he had clearly backed the FA and even helped rescue Lulu from an impeachment in the last Annual General Meeting of the FA. Obaseki was said to be part of the campaign to impeach Lulu who also fell out with some members of his board. Adamu played a role in reconciling them just as he played the major role in their membership of the board.

NFA and NFL will hold another meeting next week with the Senate but we gathered that the NFA will take care of referees indemnities for now until their relationship with the league board is normalised.

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Nigerian Wins Miss Black Britain

A 19-YEAR-OLD Nigerian law student, Hannah Osunsina, has been crowned the most beautiful black girl in Britain.
The University of Bedfordshire student defeated 16 other finalists to win the coveted crown at Old Trafford, Manchester, last Saturday.
Osunsina, from Peckham, Southeast London, had 10 GCSE A- Levels and will now be groomed to be a voice and face for the black community in the UK.
A combination of brain and beauty, the teenager is already looking ahead and hopes to become a barrister, specialising in civil law, after her graduation.
After her coronation, Osunsina said: "I am so happy and proud to have won Miss Black Britain. It is a very big opportunity for me to be in a position now to help and support young black girls who have got on the wrong side of life and have problems."
She disclosed that her aim, in taking part in the competition, was two-fold, "I entered this competition to be able to model, whilst helping others that are less fortunate."
Organiser of Miss Black Britain, Aneka Johnson, said: "We are so pleased for Hannah as she projects beauty with intelligence. But more importantly, the black community in this country has a beauty role model to represent them and Hannah will be ideal to send out positive messages and be a new face to the model world.
"Miss Black Britain is not just a beauty contest, but also a stage to give the black people a spokesperson and mentor."
Speaking after her coronation, Osunsina said: "I am so happy and proud to have won Miss Black Britain. It is a very big opportunity for me to be in a position now to help and support young black girls who have got on the wrong side of life and have problems."
She disclosed that her aim, in taking part in the competition, was two-fold, "I entered this competition to be able to model, whilst helping others that are less fortunate."