21042021

30 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2021
CAF Confederation Cup:
Relief for
Enyimba!
he Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Fed
T eral Ministry of Sports and Abia state
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu have come to the
aid of Enyimba ahead of their CAF Confederations
Cup clash against Al-Ahly Benghazi
at theBenina Martyrs Stadium now Hugo Chávez
Football Stadium.
Enyimba had been facing travelling issues ahead of the game
and were in danger of a walkover loss as they could not get a
direct flight from Nigeria to Libya due to travel restrictions.
The only connecting flight to Libya is in Europe (Spain), and that
would’ve resulted in the team missing the game today.
However, the team is now set to travel to Libya via chartered flight
after the NFF, Federal Ministry of Sports and Abia State Government
intervened.
It was gathered that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu provided the
charter flight, and Fatai Amoo’s men left for Libya yesterday
ahead of the Group A matchday five encounter holding today.
However, the match could be shifted to Thursday to allow
Enyimba get familiar with the stadium surroundings.
Enyimba currently sit second in the group with six points
from four games, but they are only two ahead of their
host.
But the People’s Elephants could seal qualification
with a win if Es Setif fail to beat Orlando Pirates in the
other group game.
NWFL Super Six: Edo Queens lose second
game, as FC Robo shock Bayelsa
One of the top contenders for
the Nigeria Women Football
League Premiership title and
ticket for the WAFU B qualifiers
for the CAF Women Champions
League, Edo Queens football club
of Benin, have lost two straight
matches in the on going Super Six,
results that narrows the team's
chances of having their dream
come true.
Edo Queens, this time in the absence
of the Deputy Governor,
Philip Shuaibu, lost Tuesday's
game, which was their second
game in the series, against Sunshine
Queens of Akure 2-1.
Edo Queens were not in their
best character in Tuesday's game
against a more resolute Sunshine
Queens.
Suliat Abideen opened scoring
for Sunshine in the 8th minute,
taking advantage of a free kick
near Edo penalty area, before Edo
Queens equalised in the 20th
minute. Sunday Abigail nailed
Edo Queens in the 22nd minute
with the winning goal, to keep the
final scores at 2-1 and a four-point
top of the table lead for Sunshine
Guardiola slams European
Super League
•Guardiola
MANCHESTER CITY boss Pep
Guardiola has blasted European
Super League plans and labelled the
competition: "Not sport."
City are one of six renegade clubs
trying to breakaway to play in the
closed shop tournament and
Guardiola is clearly not a fan and
thinks it is 'unfair'.
The announcement has been
subject to widespread outrage
across the country.
Furious fans took to stadiums
across England on
Monday to voice their
anger at the clubs'
chiefs with more protests
planned.
Liverpol supporters
also hung banners
outside Anfield aimed at
their 'money-grabbing' owners.
Queens before the kick off of the
Rivers Angels vs Delta Queens
game.
Edo Queens coach, Stanley
Osazee, expressed his disappointment
on the poor results recorded
so far by his team. He noted that ;
"The clubs' top management
members are not happy that, we
don't have any point after our second
game when the plan was to
come to Ijebu-Ode to win the title.
Anyway we still have the hope of
winning our three remaining
games and amass nine points, we
should be able to bounce back and
achieve our aim of coming to
Ijebu Ode."
The other big result of the Day
Two was the shocking result recorded
by lowly rated FC Robo of
Lagos.
The Coach Emmanuel Osahon
Girls defeated NWFL Premiership
top rated team and multiple
champions, Bayelsa Queens of
Yenagoa 2-0.
Musa opts-out of Kano Pillars
away games over unsafe roads
Kano Pillars have announced that Super
Eagles captain Ahmed Musa will miss
most of their away games when the second
stanza of the Nigeria Professional Football
League begins April 28.
This was confirmed in a statement by the
Chairman of the club, Surajo Yahaya.
Mr.Yahaya noted that Musa will be available
for every home fixtures but would only
attend away games if he could travel by
air.
The former Leicester City and CSKA
Moscow winger,
who has been a
free agent since
parting ways with
Saudi Pro League
side Al Nassr in
October, rejoined
his boyhood club
Kano Pillars for a
second stint until
the end of the season.
He is expected to
make his debut for
Pillars on May 5, when
the Sai Masu Gida
•Ahmed Musa
welcomes Enyimba.
Tokyo Olympics: Nigerian relay quartets'
qualification hangs in the balance
Nigerian relay teams could
miss out of the Tokyo 2020
Olympics if the Sports Ministry
fails to make funds available next
week for the quartets to travel to
Poland for the World Relays billed
for May 1-2 in Poland.
Nigeria is one of the countries
registered to participate in the relays
were seven finalists would
gain automatic qualification for
•Okon-George
FIFA president warns ESL
clubs of consequences
•As UK Prime Minister meets with FA, PL
FIFA president Gianni Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister
Boris Johnson met with the
Infantino "strongly disapproves"
of the breakaway European
Super League and says the League officials and fans' repre-
Football Association, Premier
12 clubs will have to "live with sentatives on Tuesday, after which
the consequences" of their decision
to join.
"whatever action necessary", in-
the government said it will take
Premier League clubs Arsenal, cluding legislative options, to ensure
the proposals were stopped.
Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester
City, Manchester United and Johnson's stance is supported
Tottenham are part of the proposed
league.
crats.
by Labour and the Liberal Demo-
"There is a lot to throw away A statement released after a
for maybe a short-term financial
gain for some," said League and the 14 clubs not in-
meeting between the Premier
Infantino.
volved said they "unanimously
"Either you are in or you are and vigorously" rejected plans for
out."
the competition.
the Tokyo 2020 Games. As at yesterday,
the Athletics Federation of
Nigeria officials were still in the
dark with regards to when funds
be released.
Meanwhile Nigeria will have
five teams men and women
4x100m, 4x400m, and mixed relay
Blessing Okagbare, Tobi
Amusan, Grace Nwaokocha, Joy-
Udo Gabriel and Tima Godless
made the squad for the women
4x100m. Divine Oduduru, Seye
Ogunlewe, Enoch Adegoke, Jerry
Japka and Usheoritse Itsekiri will
feature in the men 4x100m.
The women 4x400m will have
Imaobong Nse Uko, Patience
Okon-George, Glory
Patrick, Abasino Akpan,
Oke Opeyemi, and
Osaretin Usembo.
Bayern Munich,
PSG reject to
join ESL, stick
with UEFA
B
AYERN MUNICH and
Paris Saint-Germain have
turned down the opportunity to
join the European Super League.
The duo were the two most
notable absentees, when 12 of
Europe's biggest clubs enraged
supporters, players, managers
and pundits alike by announcing
the formation of a new European
Super League.
And while both have been invited,
neither appear likely to join
up any time soon.
Bayern, who are partially fanowned,
have instead backed
Uefa's proposed reforms to the
Champions League.
Club CEO Karl-Heinz
Rummenigge said: "FC Bayern
did not participate in the planning
of a Super League.
"We are convinced that the current
structure in football guarantees
a reliable foundation.
"FC Bayern welcomes the reforms
of the Champions League
because we believe that they are
the right step for the development
of European football.
"The modified preliminary
round will contribute to more
excitement and emotion in the
competition.
“I do not believe the Super
League will solve the financial
problems of European clubs that
were caused by the coronavirus
pandemic.
PSG chairman Nasser Al-
Khelaifi, who was yesterday reelected
to the Uefa Executive
Committee as representative of
the European Club Association,
echoed Bayern's stance.