20022021 - INSECURITY Give us state police now - Govs

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-0 in 1978
School Awka and the
Government Trade Center
(GTC) Awka. I also played
for Awka Iron Founders
Football Club. Upon leaving
GTC Awka, I was gainfully
employed by the Nigerian
Construction and Furniture
Company (NCFC) Enugu. I
was part of the company’s
football team, Dragons.
In 1973, I joined Vasco Da
Gama, Enugu briefly before
I was recruited by Enugu
Rangers where I ended my
career.
My post secondary
education was at Alabama A
and M University and the
University of Alabama in
Huntsville, USA. I qualified
as an engineer.
At GTC, we won the All
GTC Cup in the then East
Central State of Nigeria and
the Ejidike Cup in the early
1970s. I also played for the
University of Alabama in
Huntsville (alongside
Ndubuisi Luis Isima and
Idika Aku). We did not win
any national trophy but we
left indelible marks within
•Alaba
SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 20, 2021 — 31
Alaba ‘ll be EPL’s best-paid
player if Chelsea sign him
DAVID ALABA will
become the best-paid
player in the Premier League
should he join Chelsea this
summer.
The Austrian star, 28, has
confirmed he will quit Bayern
Munich at the end of the
season.
Alaba is out of contract at the
Allianz Arena and has turned
down a number of extension
offers, believing the club to be
undervaluing him.
It’s claimed the versatile
defender is chasing wages of
£400,000 a week - with Bayern
unwilling to go that high.
Chelsea and Real Madrid
appear to be locked in a
straight shootout to sign Alaba.
And while £400,000 a week
would be an astronomical paypacket,
signing him for
UCL net bursters:
Obafemi Martins makes top 5 level of most UCL goals before 21st birthday
•Obafemi
NCAA.
You sacrificed so much for
Rangers and were unable to
attend your dad, Ichie
Johnson Nwofor Onyeaka’s
burial.
We, the players appreciate
what Ndigbo did for us. It
was an honour to play for
Enugu Rangers and I am
ready to do it all over again
if old age should allow me.
What about your children,
are they interested in
soccer?
None of my siblings or any
of my sons was interested in
playing football. In America,
football ( soccer) was not a
popular game among the
youth, so my kids were
interested in Basketball and
American football.
I met my wife (Cathy) in
Nigeria as I was
approaching retirement. We
have four boys : Benjamin
Nweze, Samuel Jr., Kenneth
and Kevin.
Europa Cup:
Iheanacho to miss Slavia Prague return fixture
Leicester City will be without
Kelechi Iheanacho for the
return fixture of their Uefa
Europa League Round of 32
clash with Slavia Prague after
the Super Eagles striker was
shown a yellow card in the
competition on Thursday.
Just after he replaced Jamie
Vardy in their goalless draw in
Prague, Iheanacho received a
yellow card in the 64th minute
which increased his bookings
to three yellow cards this
campaign and he will
consequently serve a onegame
suspension.
The Super Eagles forward has
been impressive in the Europa
League so far with three goals
to his name after seven
matches, and his absence
might be a concern for the
Foxes who are aiming for a win
against Slavia Prague at the
King Power Stadium next
Thursday.
Nigeria midfield dynamo
Wilfred Ndidi also received a
yellow card in the encounter,
but Brendan Rodgers has rued
the bookings handed to the
Super Eagles duo and he
summed up the officiating as
“really poor”.
“I thought the officials were
really poor, I’ve got to say,”
Rodgers was quoted as saying
by Leicestershire Live.
•Iheanacho
Europe’s football governing
body,
UEFA has published the players
with the most Champions
League goals before the age of
21, with a Nigeria
international making the cut.
Former Monaco striker
now at Paris Saint-
Germain, Kylian
Mbappe is the top
scoring player with
nineteen goals to his
name, followed by
Borussia Dortmund’s
Aussie Open: Medvedev confronts
Djokovic in men’s final
Daniil Medvedev will face
Novak Djokovic in the
Australian Open 2021 final,
after beating Stefanos
Tsitsipas in straight sets! The
men’s final comes up
tomorrow 8.30 am(Nigerian
time)
Medvedev extended his
winning streak to 20 matches
on Friday, as he advanced to
the Australian Open final for
the first time with a dominant
6-4, 6-2, 7-5 victory against
Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Aside from a late third-set
comeback attempt from
extraordinary talent Erling Braut
Haaland with eighteen goals.
In third place is Real Marid’s
Karim Benzema who racked up
twelve goals before his 21st
birthday while ex-Ajax
Amsterdam star Patrick Kluivert
comes in fourth with nine goals.
There is a four-way tie for fifth
place, with each of ex-Inter
Milan striker Obafemi Martins,
Barcelona legends Lionel Messi
and Javier Saviola, and Real
Madrid icon Raúl González
scoring eight goals.
Tsitsipas, Medvedev
neutralised his opponent’s
attacking skills and contested
the majority of the two-hour,
nine-minute encounter on his
terms inside Rod Laver
Arena.
The World No. 4 landed 46
winners, compared to just 21
unforced errors, and won 88
per cent of his first-serve
points (49/56) en route to
victory.
“It was definitely not easy,
because we saw the match
with Rafa was kind of the same
score after two sets. [In] the
Super Sunday: Milan derby headlines Serie A
...As Real, Barca battle mid-table foes in La Liga
The top-of-the-table fixture
from Serie A this weekend
sees Milan and
Internazionale meet in the
Derby della Madonnina
(Milan derby) tomorrow
afternoon. Not only is this
clash about bragging rights,
it will also be key to deciding
the Scudetto – with the teams
in a pitched battle to try and
prevent Juventus claiming a
10th straight title. The much
anticipated encounter will be
aired live on SuperSport and
GOtv Select 1.
There’s usually no shortage
of ‘edge’ in this match, but
there will be even more this
time around after their last
meeting – a 2-1 win for Inter
in the Coppa Italia in late
January – featured a verbal
bust-up between star strikers
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and
Romelu Lukaku.
Juventus complete the
round with a Monday night
clash at home to Crotone.
The round also features a
potential thriller between
Atalanta and Napoli on
Sunday evening.
Top picks from the legendary
La Liga, sees log leaders
Atletico Madrid host Levante
at Estadio Wanda
Metropolitano today.
Elsewhere, in Spain’s top
flight today, champions Real
Madrid will face Real
Valladolid at Estadio
Municipal Jose Zorrilla
Barcelona have also had
their fair share of struggles
this season, though Ronald
Koeman’s men have
improved since the turn of the
year and will be confident of
defeating Cadiz at the Camp
Nou on Sunday afternoon .
Martins scored the first of his
Champions League goals on his
starting debut in the competition
against Bayer Leverkusen on March
19, 2003 and his eighth was against
Porto in March 2005.
The Super Eagle netted just one
goal in the Champions League after
his 21st birthday and it came against
Villarreal in the quarterfinals of the
competition in March 2006.
Overall, Martins made 34
appearances in the UCL - 25 in the
colours of Inter Milan, 4 for
Wolfsburg and 5 for Rubin Kazan.
absolutely nothing would take
the edge off.
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel is
keen to add Alaba to his
defence to play on the left of
his back-three.
But, in order to bring him to
England, Chelsea will have to
pay him more than any other
player in the Premier League.
Manchester United
goalkeeper David De Gea
currently leads the league in
wages, raking in £375,000 per
week.
The Spaniard signed a new
deal with vastly improved
terms in September 2019.
More-recently, Pierre-
Emerick Aubameyang put
pen to paper on a new deal
last summer, pledging his
commitment to Arsenal for
£350,000 a week.
third set, Rafa was
dominating but didn’t
manage to win the match, so
I got a little bit scared and
tight,” said Medvedev, in an
on-court interview. “It is the
semi-final of a Slam… It was
not easy, but I am happy I
managed to switch my game
on, especially in some tight
moments on my serve and I
am really happy to be in the
final.”
•Djokovic
•Medvedev
Haaland admits,
Mbappe inspired me
ERLING HAALAND paid
tribute to Kylian Mbappe for
motivating his own fantastic
performance in the Champions
League.
After the Paris Saint-Germain
star hit a hat-trick past Barcelona
on Tuesday, Borussia Dortmund’s
Haaland struck a brace against
Sevilla a night later.
The Norwegian teed up
Mahmoud Dahoud’s powerful
equaliser in the last-16 first leg
before completing the first-half
comeback.
A devastating counter-attack
saw Jadon Sancho play a
delightful flick into Haaland for
his first before adding another
calm finish before half-time.
With Dortmund 3-2 up and in
control of the tie, he stated
afterwards that Mbappe’s Camp
Nou heroics drove him onto a
performance of his own.
Haaland told Norwegian
broadcaster Viaplay: “It was good
to score goals.
“I love the Champions League
and when I saw Mbappe score the
hat-trick yesterday I got free
motivation, so thanks to him.
“He scored some nice goals and
I got a good boost from him.”