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| Coach Samson Siasia |
FOOTBALL:
Super Eagles Coach Samson Siasia has defended his choice of players for next year’s invitational tournament in the United States of America insisting the national team door has not been shut on any player.
Last weekend Siasia surprisingly left out the leading scorer in the Nigeria Premier League, Ukeyima Akombo, from his call-ups for the invitational tournament in what was his first squad since he was unveiled as Nigeria’s coach early this month.
Besides the shock omission of Akombo, who has scored four goals for league leaders Sunshine Stars, several other impressive players in the NPL have been left out of the United States President’s Day Celebration Soccer Invitational Tournament, the Green Soccer Bowl.
Super Eagles Coach Samson Siasia has defended his choice of players for next year’s invitational tournament in the United States of America insisting the national team door has not been shut on any player.
Last weekend Siasia surprisingly left out the leading scorer in the Nigeria Premier League, Ukeyima Akombo, from his call-ups for the invitational tournament in what was his first squad since he was unveiled as Nigeria’s coach early this month.
Besides the shock omission of Akombo, who has scored four goals for league leaders Sunshine Stars, several other impressive players in the NPL have been left out of the United States President’s Day Celebration Soccer Invitational Tournament, the Green Soccer Bowl.
Akombo, described by his coach as “wonderful”, has not only scored goals, but his pace and class have stood out so far this term.
Other notable omissions are Akombo’s teammate at Sunshine Stars Ajani Ibrahim as well as Gabriel Rueben from Kano Pillars, who is easily the best defensive midfielder in the NPL.
But Siasia has defended the list and assured Akombo,the NPL player of the month of november not to lose heart over his exclusion from the list.
Other notable omissions are Akombo’s teammate at Sunshine Stars Ajani Ibrahim as well as Gabriel Rueben from Kano Pillars, who is easily the best defensive midfielder in the NPL.
But Siasia has defended the list and assured Akombo,the NPL player of the month of november not to lose heart over his exclusion from the list.
Siasia insists the likes of Akombo and many other talents that he has identified on the domestic scene will also get their opportunity to be part of the national team
“I have followed Akombo’s performance and I know his qualities just as I have followed and I am still following many others in the league.They will get their chance because we have a very elaborate programme for these home stars.We also have a very efficient scouting system that helps us to identify these talents and monitor how consistent they are on a weekly basis.The NPL is very central to our plans and so far so good we intend to have camps regularly and play many friendly matches even if it is against good Nigeria premier league sides or some teams in this sub region.All I just need is support from everybody and for the state governments to also help us with camping because we will want to touch every part of Nigeria.So nobody should lose heart’,assured Siasia who spoke yesterday from the USA where he is holidaying with his wife.
“I have followed Akombo’s performance and I know his qualities just as I have followed and I am still following many others in the league.They will get their chance because we have a very elaborate programme for these home stars.We also have a very efficient scouting system that helps us to identify these talents and monitor how consistent they are on a weekly basis.The NPL is very central to our plans and so far so good we intend to have camps regularly and play many friendly matches even if it is against good Nigeria premier league sides or some teams in this sub region.All I just need is support from everybody and for the state governments to also help us with camping because we will want to touch every part of Nigeria.So nobody should lose heart’,assured Siasia who spoke yesterday from the USA where he is holidaying with his wife.
Glo Drags NPL To Court!
Challenges Award Of Sponsorship Title Right To MTN
Nigeria’s second national carrier in telecommunications, Globacom Nigeria Limited, has headed to court to challenge the title rights of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) handed to its rival, MTN Nigeria, few days ago after a bid process in Abuja.
The Nigerian telecommunications firm (Globacom) has opted to pursue its claim from a legal standpoint.
SuperSport.com learned that Globacom filed a suit with No.FHC/L/CS/1565/10 at a Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday through its lawyer, Professor Abiodun Adesanya, a senior advocate of Nigeria.
Globacom is challenging the bid process and the award of the title sponsorship rights of the Nigerian topflight to MTN.
The Nigerian telecommunications firm is also challenging the award of the title rights to MTN, saying that it did not take part in the bidding process.
In a suit filed by Globacom, it is also seeking that the court annul the four-year deal of the title rights awarded to MTN on the grounds that it never took part from the stage of expression to the last stage of the bid process.
The suit also claimed that only two companies — Globacom and Total Promotions Limited — participated in the bid process for the NPL title sponsorship.
Globacom also argued that it offered N3 billion in the bid process as against between N1.6 billion and N2 billion being reported.
It is understood that NPL is listed as defendant in the suit while the trio of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the NSC, also referred as the sports ministry and MTN has been joined as co-defendants.
SuperSport.com has been informed that the case will come up for hearing on December 31, 2010.
MTN was named as the new title sponsor of the Premier League in Nigeria following its N2.6 billion bid.
Globacom was the immediate past title sponsor of the NPL until it pulled out of the deal in December 2009 citing unfavourable circumstances.
The Premier League has claimed that the Nigerian telecommunications outfit still owes it around N935 million for the last year of a four-year deal that ran out last season.
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