Amodu Shuaibu: The Legacy of an Hero

Shuaibu Amodu was a former Nigerian football player who played as a forward and later coach the national team.

He was born on 18th of April, 1958 in Edo state, Nigeria. And he died on the 10th of June 2016 - three days after the death of another football icon Stephen Keshi - in Benin city at the age of 58.

Sadly both Shuaibu and Keshi worked together as national team coaches, guiding Nigeria to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan only to be dropped from leading the team to the tournament finals.

Teams he played for

He played for Dumez FC from 1976 to 1978, and Niger Tornadoes from 1978 to 1981, but his playing career came into an abrupt end when he broke his leg.

Club Management 

BCC Lions of Gboko

He came into limelight in 1989, when he guided BCC Lions to break a 36 years jinx that afflicted Northern Nigerian teams at the then Challenge Cup (now AITEO Cup).

His BCC Lions team against all hurdles defeated the rave of the moment, Iwunayanwu Nationale to win the cup. It was the first time since Kano's victory of 1953.

In achieving the feat at  age 29, Shuaibu became the youngest coach to win the Challenge Cup.

He also led BCC Lions to win the Africa Winners' Cup in 1990 and getting the runners- up position in 1991.

El-Kanemi 

He won Cup Champion in 1989,1992, 1993, and 1994, winning the league and cup double in that final year.

He also managed Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Orlando pirates of South Africa.

National team assignment 

He was a recurring decimal in the technical crew of the Super Eagles having been appointed a record five times (1994 -1995, 1996 -1997, 2001 - 2002, 2008 - 2010 and 2014 - 2015 on interim basis).

He qualified the Super Eagles for the FIFA world Cup twice ( Korea/Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010), and also qualified Nigeria to the Beach Soccer World Cup in Brazil (2006) but he was sacked on those occasions.

In May 2013, he was appointed technical director of Nigeria's national team.

He is one of the most successful indigenous coaches Nigeria ever produce.

Stats 

In his five Stints as Nigeria national team manager, he won 26 games out of a total of 53 games, drew 15, and lost 12.

Africa Nations Cup Bronze medal (Ghana 2008)

It is now 4 years that he left to the world beyond, may his soul continue to rest in peace

When will Nigeria find a successor of this rare gem?

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst 

2019/20 EPL Statistics as it stands

2019/2020 season is the 28th season of the Premier League since the name change in 1992 that earmarked a new era of the way football is being done as a business entity.

Just before the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to the global way of living and sporting activities in general, Liverpool were on course to win their first ever title in 30years. And as we countdown to project restart we want to take a look at the statistics of the 2019/20 season so far...

Games played - 288 games

Total number of goals scored - 784 goals

Highest goalscorer

Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) - 19 goals

Most Assists

Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) - 16 assists

Biggest Home win

Man City 8-0 Watford (21 September, 2019).

Biggest Away win

Southampton 0-9 Leicester city (25 October, 2019).

Highest scoring game

Southampton 0-9 Leicester city (25 October, 2019).

Longest winning run -18 games (Liverpool).

Longest unbeaten run - 27 games (Liverpool).

Longest winless run - 11 games (Watford).

Longest losing run - 5 games (Bournemouth)

Highest attendance - 73,737

Man Utd 1-1 Liverpool

Lowest attendance - 10,020

Bournemouth 0-1 Burnley

Total aggregate attendance - 13,322,096.

Most clean sheets

Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope with 11.

Player with most yellow cards 

Jorginho of Chelsea with 10 cards

Player who received most red card 

Watford's Christian Kabasele with 2 cards

Most yellow carded team - 2

Arsenal and Tottenham  with 63 apiece.

Most red carded team - 8

Arsenal, Bournemouth, Everton, Man City, Newcastle, Southampton, Tottenham, Watford - 

with 3 red cards apiece.

7 managers have been sacked.

8 players have scored hat-trick.

92 more matches are left to be play to round up this season as the EPL is scheduled to resume on June 17th 2020.

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst 

Soccer's Most Wanted Teenager

Erling Braut Haaland is a Norwegian professional footballer. The striker was born on the 21st of July 2000 in Leeds, United Kingdom.

Haaland comes from a sporting family. His father, Alf-Inge Haaland was a defender who played for Manchester City and Leeds United during his active days on the pitch, while his mother was a national champion in heptathlon.

Haaland started his career at his hometown club Bryne in 2016, and moved to Molde the next year where he spent two years.

In January 2019, Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg signed him on a five-year contract where he became a blooming light and after several debates on where to go next, he moved on to the German league to join Borussia Dortmund in January 2020 for €20m.

He is recognized for his explosive acceleration and pace, athleticism, strength and precise off the ball movement.

This teenager burst onto the scene after scoring 9 goals in a  single match for Norway during the 2019 U-20 FIFA World Cup against Honduras with the match ending 12-nil.

Since the start of that U-20 World Cup, Haaland has played in 40 games for club and country amassing a total of 50 goals so far.

He maintained better than a goal per game ratio - he had 28 goals in 22 appearances for Salzburg, and he has scored 13 goals in 13 games for Dortmund.

A Spanish magazine recently put him on the cover as "CYBORGOL" - a half-human, half robot soccer machine - because he plays like a force of nature.

In the Bundesliga, Haaland has scored 48% of his shots with no other player in the division having scored more than 40%.

He is third in the Bundesliga in percentage of shots on goal, one of just 4 players to put more than 60% of their shots on target.

Haaland's father scored only 18 goals throughout his entire English career with Man City, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, while Haaland has scored 10 UEFA Champions League goals in his debut season (8 goals for Salzburg and 2 goals for Dortmund).

Is there anyone who can stop him from scoring goals?

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst 

Nigerian Female Athletes of all-time

Falilat Ogunkoya 

She is one of the best athlete that Nigeria has ever produced in track events.

She had a personal best of 49.10 secs in 400metres, which is currently the twelfth fastest of all-time in that event. 

Medal Records

Olympics - 1996 Atlanta (4×400 relay Silver medal) and Bronze medal in 400m.

African Championships - 4 Gold medals in 200m & 400m, 2 Silver medals in 100m & 200m.

All Africa Games - 1 Gold medal (400m in 1999), 

3 Silver medals (100m in 1987, 200m in 1987 and 400m in 1995).

Blessing Okagbare

She is a rare gem. The 31years-old sprinter days are numbered on the track and her absence will surely be felt.

It is high time for Nigeria to start searching for a successor of this great athlete to sustain our dominance in track and field events on the continent.

She holds the women's 100m Commonwealth games record for the fastest time at 10.85 secs. Her 100m best of 10.79secs made her the African record holder for the event, until it was eclipsed by Murielle Ahoure in 2016.

She was the African record holder in the 200m with her run of 22.04secs in 2018 and she was the African 100m & long jump champion in 2010.

Medal Records

Olympic games - Silver medal (2008 in Long jump).

World Championships - Silver (2013), Bronze (2013).

Commonwealth Games - 2 Gold medals (100m & 200m), 1 Silver medal and 1 Bronze medal.

All African Games - 3 Gold medals and 2 Silver medals.

African Championships - 6 Gold medals and 1 Silver medal.

IAAF world Relays - 1 Gold medal.

Continental cup - 1 Bronze medal.

Chioma Ajunwa 

The Police officer was the first Nigerian Olympic gold medalist when she won her medal at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.

Ajunwa once played for the Nigerian Women's team and she was a member of the Super Falcons squad to the 1991 Women's World Cup in China where she saw little action on the pitch

She was given a national award - Member of the Order of Niger (MON) by Nigeria former military Head of State, Late Sanni Abacha in 1996 for exploits at that year Olympics.

Although she was banned from Athletics for 4 years after failing a drug test in 1992, she came back quite strong and won many medals for her nation.

Medal Records

Atlanta '96 Olympics - Gold medal in Long jump.

Commonwealth Games ( 1990 in Auckland) - Bronze medal.

World Indoor Championships (1997 in Paris) - Silver medal.

All African Games (1991) - 1 gold medal.

Florence Ekpo-Umoh 

She is a Nigerian-German sprinter who specializes in the 400m event. She was suspended from competing for two years for doping.

Ekpo-Umoh competed for Nigeria at the 1994 World Junior Championship in Portugal and she defected to Germany in 1995 during a training camp.

Medal Records 

In Nigeria colours

She finished 8th position at the 1994 world junior championship in Portugal in 400m (53.84secs), & 14th in 4x400m relay (3:49.16).

While representing Germany

2001 world indoor championships - Bronze in 4x400m relay (3:31.00).

2001 World Championship - Silver medal in 4x400m relay (3:21.97).

2002 European Championship - Gold medal in 4x400m relay (3:25.10).

Oludamola Osayomi

She was born in June 1986 in IIesha, Osun state, and specializes in the 100m and 200m sprint. Her Personal Best for the 100m is 10.99secs set in Sao Paulo in 2011

 

Medal Records

African Championship - 4 Gold medals 

2008 Olympics - Silver medal in 4x100m relay

She also won the 100 & 200m  sprints at the 2007 All Africa games.

Mary Onyali Omagbemi

She was born on 3rd of February, 1968 and was a 5-time Olympian. 

Her consecutive Olympic appearance from 1988 to 2004 made her the first Nigerian to compete at 5 Olympics - a feat was that has since then be matched by Table Tennis players Bose Kaffo and Segun Toriola four years later in Beijing, PR China.

She married a fellow Nigerian sprinter Victor Omagbemi.

Her Personal Best(PB) reecords in Sprints are;

100m - 10.97 (1993)

200m - 22.07 (1996)

400m - 54.21 (2000)

Medal Records

1992 Olympics - 4x100m Bronze medal

1996 Olympics - 200m Bronze medal

1994 Commonwealth Games

100m Gold medal

200m Silver medal

4x100m relay Gold medal

All African Games

3 Gold medals in 100m (1991, 1995 and 2003) and Bronze medal (1987).

3 Gold medals in 200m (1987, 1995 and 2003)

World Junior Championships (1986)

200m Silver medal

4x100m relay Bronze medal

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst