06112109

44 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
We missed our fans in
draw with Rivers United
– Pillars coach
Kano Pillars kicked off their campaign
for honours in the 2019/20 Nigeria
Professional Football League (NPFL)
playing at home but without their usual
boisterous fans on the stands.
The former champions are serving a ban
on fans, an outcome of a history of stadium
disturbance that reached a peak at the
Agege Stadium during the Playoffs that
brought the last season to an end.
The League Management Company
(LMC) imposed the sanction on the club
which began counting from the new
season. Their first outing in the ban
ended 0-0 against Rivers United and
Coach Ibrahim Musa amongst other
factors believed the absence of their fans
is contributory.
'If our fans were here, I think they
would have definitely made the
difference, because their support is
second to none, its one of the factors that
militated against our success, we have
learned our lesson and I hope the league
organizers (LMC) will lift the stadium ban
before our next match' remarked Musa
in a post match chat with www.npfl.ng
Musa while ruing the shared points
from the fixture, also bemoaned the lack
of effective finishing in front of goal by
his forwards.
In the game, Pillars created numerous
chances but failed to convert about eight
such glaring chances in both halves of
the game.
But Musa insists he has assembled a
competent squad of players that can
compete strongly when the attack clicks.
Admitting that the team lacked the
Olympic athlete
gets 8-year jail
term for drug
possession
Dutch Olympic athlete, Madiea
Ghafoor has been sentenced to eightand-a-half
years in jail after 2 million
pounds ($2.58 million) worth of ecstasy
tablets and crystal meth were found in the
boot of her car in Germany, DPA news
agency has reported.
Ghafoor, 27, was stopped at a border check
in Elten in June where 50kg of ecstasy, 2kg
of crystal meth and 11,950 euros in cash were
seized by police, the report said.
The athlete, who ran for the Netherlands
in the 4x400m relay at the 2016 Olympic
Games, pleaded not guilty to the charges at
Kleve District Court and said she thought
she was carrying doping materials, the
German news agency said.
•Ghafoor
•CONTEST … Ossy Martins of Rivers United (l)
controls the ball ahead of Jamil Muhammed of
Kano Pillars during their League match
needed finishing edge in the fixture,
Musa noted that they dominated play
all through the match..
'I have a good team at the moment,
but our problem is the inability to score
goals, it was noticed during our
preseason tour and the technical crew
worked to correct those lapses.
'The strikers should have taken most
of the opportunities to prove their
worth and kill the game, now see the
outcome, I am very displeased with
their performances", lamented Musa.
Two newly signed strikers were in
his starting line-up as Chijoke
Alaekwe, Bright Silas joined Nwagua
Nyima, who remains the preferred
striking options in his 4-3-3 pattern.
Other new arrivals who had their
debut where Dosso Saib and defender
Abdullahi Musa, and it looked like they
are yet to blend into an effective unit.
By Chioma Onuegbu, Uyo
Akwa Ibom State government
has declared its readiness to
host AFCON qualifier between
the Super Eagles and the
Squirrels of Benin slated for next
week at the Godswill Akpabio
International Stadium, Uyo.
The Commissioner for Sports
and Youths development Mr.
Monday Ukoh disclosed this to
newsmen yesterday during the
inauguration of 30 sports
associations in the state.
Ukoh disclosed that the Super
Eagles are expected in Uyo from
Sunday this week.
He noted that the
inauguration of the sports
associations was part of move to
improve the fortunes of the state
in next year's sports festival in
Benin.
He explained that the
appointment of the members of
the associations was based on
their passion and interest for the
different sports they were
appointed into, adding that the
state already has organisational
capacity in place for such high
profile games.
"Let me also restate that the
duty of the associations are
advisory and for supervision.
They are not to usurp the
functions of the coaches and
sports secretaries", he said.
Speaking, Chairman of the
Team Nigeria to camp
in Kisarazu for 2020
Olympics Games
The Ministry of Youth and Sports
Development yesterday signed a
Memorandum of Understanding
with Kisarazu City, Japan for Team
Nigeria to camp in the organic city
ahead of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
The Minister of Youth and Sports
Development, Sunday Dare who
jointly signed the MoU with the
Mayor of Kisarazu City, Yoshikuni
Watanabe, noted that the
development tallies with the new
direction of early preparation for
tournaments.
He said, "about three weeks ago,
Nigeria started in earnest its
Olympics preparations. We had
waited for the completion of the
Doha Athletics Championship
before starting officially our
preparations. We have less than 9
months and where the pre-games
camping will take place is critical to
our preparations for Tokyo 2020".
"I'm glad that this morning we are
able to follow up on initiatives of
previous Ministers and
Ambassadors who have acted rightly
on behalf of this country", he added.
The Minister also expressed
gratitude to the Mayor for keeping
faith with the proposal initiated
under the previous administration,
adding that Nigeria with the rest
A-Ibom declares readiness to host AFCON qualifier
Scrabble Association and
commissioner for
Science and Technology,
Dr Iniobong Essien
called for improved
funding to other sports
besides football.
Essien regretted that
the poor attention given
to non football sports
have continued to rob the
state of medals and
discouraged the
development of talent in
such sports.
Some of the sport
associations inaugurated
includes Rugby, Kick
Boxing, Kung Fu, Karate,
Baseball, Gymnastics,
Aqautic Sports, Scrabble
and Golf.
Allegri 'IDEAL' Man Utd
manager — Lippi
Marcello Lippi would be delighted to see Massimiliano
Allegri take over as Manchester United manager in the
near future.
After stepping down as Juventus boss in the summer, Allegri
is currently on the look out for another managerial job. United
are toiling under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and are 10 points off
the top four after Saturday's miserable 1-0 loss at Bournemouth.
The Italian has been suggested as someone who could galvanise
Old Trafford and has also been linked with Bayern Munich,
after they sacked Niko Kovac on Sunday. Lippi, who lifted the
World Cup as Italy manager in 2006, believes Allegri would be
a huge success at United as they look to cut the gap with fierce
rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
Speaking, Lippi said: 'Allegri would be good everywhere and
as a great admirer of the English club I would be happy to see
him take over.
'Manchester United is the history of English football. There
have been dark years but the club is fantastic, from the backroom
to the players, everyone can say what it means to play at Old
Trafford.'
Lippi added: 'First of all, I think Solskjaer was an exceptional
striker and a good coach. For Allegri, I consider him an
exemplary professional who has the style of Juventus in his
blood.
of the world looks forward to Tokyo
2020.
Highlighting the importance of the
visit, Mr. Dare said, "this meeting
offers us an opportunity to formalize
the pre-games camping with the city
of Kisarazu, so even after the MOU,
there are still a couple of issues we
have to work on together, but the
MOU establishes an understanding
with the City and also the country of
Nigeria. I have read the MOU, it is
in good faith and we trust that that
good faith will pervade the entire
period that that would be engaged".
"We are still coming up with a list
of sports that would be camped in
Kisarazu, so we will provide needed
information going forward, and we
should perhaps from now on a
weekly basis try to maintain the
feedback so as to be on the same
page", he urged.
The Minister praised Japan for the
country's preparedness to host the
world, saying though he has not been
to Japan, everyone who visited
brought back nice words about the
beauty of the country and it's
preparedness to host the Olympics
and the world, and that the Ministry
looks forward to a successful pregames
camping and also a very
successful Olympics itself.
•Sports Minister, Sunday Dare (M) signing an MoU with
Kisarazu City, Japan for Team Nigeria to camp ahead of
the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo
Gomes discharged
from hospital
Everton midfielder Andre
Gomes has been
discharged from hospital
following successful surgery
on the horrific ankle injury he
suffered against Tottenham.
The former Barcelona star
had a procedure to repair the
fracture dislocation he
sustained after a challenge
from Son Heung-min sent
him crashing into Serge
Aurier in the 78th minute of
Sunday's 1-1 draw at
Goodison Park.
•Gomez