NPFL Challenge: Pillars to win battle of CCL ‘dropouts’

The Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano will this Sunday be the cynosure as current Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) champions Kano Pillars go head-to-head with their perennial foes, Enyimba.

And there’s no better time to start TheCable’s improved version of a unique preview of the Nigerian league matches – the NPFL Challenge.

In the NPFL Challenge, Victor Akhidenor, our in-house expert, will be making a prediction of all the weekend games in the league this season against a variety of guests who, in addition, give their views on the games.

This maiden edition is with a seasoned sports journalist Sab Osuji who you can call the voice of the Nigerian league.

But then, he has his own voice.

“I write sports for Complete Sports newspaper based in Lagos. It all started in year 2000 when I joined the group and we were known as Sports Souvenir before it was merged with Complete Sports in 2004. Since then, it has been league, league all the way for me. I really enjoy covering the league and it has been fun doing it.”

Welcome to NPFL Challenge!

KANO PILLARS V ENYIMBA

Sab: These are the two best teams you can talk of in Nigeria today and there’s no argument about that. In the past three, four seasons they have finished in first and second positions. Pillars have won the league three consecutive seasons, but Enyimba are a household name in the country as well. They hold the best record by any Nigerian team in the CAF Champions League (CCL) after winning the trophy in 2003 and 2004. At the moment though, there is a shift in power and Pillars are the top dog in Nigeria football. Unfortunately, Pillars have not been able to replicate their domestic dominance on the continent. In six appearances in the CCL, their best achievement is a semi-final place in 2009 where they lost to fellow Nigerian side, Heartland, home and away. Coming back to this fixture, the two teams are still nursing the pain of their ouster from the CCL at the same stage; in fact, the same weekend. The game can go either way. But don’t forget the fact that Pillars have never lost any home match in the league for 11 years now. And that might come into play. When you talk of quality of players in the two teams, Enyimba are as blessed as Pillars but you can’t ignore the role the 12th player will have on the game.

Victor: The referee?

Sab: No, the fans. Kano always records the largest turnout of fans in the league. I think that will come in handy for them. All the same, it’s difficult to predict the scoreline.

Sab’s prediction: 1-0

Victor’s prediction: 2-1 

BAYELSA UNITED V FC TARABA

Sab: Incidentally, Taraba started the season on a high and have not lost any game. The match may likely hold at Oghara in Delta state going by the League Management Company (LMC) directives so, it’s a neutral ground for both teams. Bayelsa are under a very nice and experienced coach, Solomon Ogbeide while Taraba are under a young man known as Tony Ogharanduku, a former player with Plateau United. Luckily, so far in the season the win-at-all-cost syndrome is yet to surface. And if that is a factor, then I won’t be surprised to see Bayelsa losing this match. Before they wake up from their slumber of not starting the season well, Bayelsa might lose this game. But then, I predict a score draw.

Sab’s prediction: 1-1

Victor’s prediction: 2-0

KWARA UNITED V HEARTLAND

It will be a very massive game. Kwara United have not lost any game despite being newly promoted to the elite division. Heartland, on the other hand, are loaded with experience, but funding has really been their undoing. Last season, they barely managed to survive relegation and it was due to poor funding of the club. But surprisingly, they have started the season on a high which is a departure from previous experience where they start poorly and only manage to scrape through. They have won their first two games recording a 2-1 victory over Shooting Stars in Ibadan and pummelling Nasarawa United 5-2. They have a game in hand against champions Kano Pillars. So, I am expecting a cracking match which is only behind the Pillars v Enyimba game as the match of the week. Anything can happen in Ilorin in this match. I don’t foresee too many goals in the game.

Sab’s prediction: 1-0

Victor’s prediction: 2-1

LOBI STARS V SHARKS

Justin Tenger is now back in his home-town club, Lobi. He has coached almost all the teams in the league whether dead or alive but now, he’s back to base – the club he played for. Sharks are not in the right frame. In fact, this is the best time to play them. Beyond funding, the Port Harcourt side have not found their rhythm in the three games they have played so far. Lobi can leverage on that and post a win.

Sab’s prediction: 2-0

Victor’s prediction: 2-0

AKWA UNITED V IFEANYI UBA FC

Sab: There’s a common saying in Igbo land that a new cloth worn by a woman gives her the tendency to always want to urinate just to show off the new attire. That explains how Ifeanyi Uba FC – formerly Gabros United – are at the moment. They are the new bride in the league who are well funded. Aside all that though, they have a good coach – a foreign coach – called Mitko Dobrev. He’s a Bulgarian but not new to the league. He once handled Heartland in 2007-08 season. The man knows the job. The day after he arrived in the country to pick up the Gabros job, he told me he will replicate his achievement in Heartland with Gabros. “Sab, just give me six weeks; six weeks and Gabros will change,” he said. He told me the same thing when he joined Heartland then. And from the fifth week going into the sixth, Heartland went four, five games unbeaten. And so far, the man is living according to his words. During the Nigeria National League (NNL) Super Four in Ilorin before the commencement of the league, the kind of football his team played was amazing. They not only won the tourney, they played good football in the process. And ever since, they have not looked back. It won’t be impossible for Ifeanyi Uba FC to beat Akwa, but you know how our league has not grown beyond certain things. If everything goes well in terms of officiating – though I am not saying our referees are biased or whatever – it won’t be impossible for the visitors to clinch a win in Uyo. If Akwa get a draw in this game they should celebrate! I tip Ifeanyi Uba to win, though, not with certainty based on what I said earlier. Ifeanyi Uba are just too good to lose if I may borrow the words of Deji Tinubu.

Sab’s prediction: 0-1

Victor’s prediction: 1-0

RANGERS V GIWA FC

Sab: Enugu Rangers, the darling team of the Igbo – their identity, sorry, our identity! Unfortunately, in the last 31 years they have not known where trophies are either bought or sold!

Victor: Like your English team, Arsenal.

Sab: No, no, no, Arsenal won the FA Cup last season and the Community Shield at the beginning of this term. Moreover, the Gunners waited for only eight years to win a trophy. I’m talking about 31 years! Or how many years are between 1984 and 2015? They have not laid their hands on any thing called trophy despite their huge status. The glory days seems over. But then, they have not fared badly this time around – at least after three games! And the spirit in their camp is quite high because if you talk to any of their players, they will tell you this is the time to end their trophy drought. But let’s see how it goes. Giwa are riding high as well. This is the time for them to consolidate in the premiership and so far, they have not made a mess of it. But then, Rangers are almost invincible at home in recent time. So, give it to the Flying Antelopes!

Sab’s prediction: 2-0

Victor’s prediction: 3-1

SUNSHINE STARS V DOLPHINS

Sab: Like their city neighbours Sharks, this is the best time to play Dolphins! Their coach Lawrence Eguma is a very young and vibrant coach but the issues around Dolphins are not palatable. They played five games in the Super Six scoring just one or two goals. They played the two legs of the CAF Confederation Cup scoring only a goal. Even in the league, they have failed to fly. In their first league game they played 0-0 with Kwara United, and lost the next 2-1 to Abia Warriors. The message is so clear – they have not found their scoring form. Probably because of the exit of Emem Eduok who scored 20 goals for them last season. They bought Christian Pyagbara but so far the guy has failed to step into the shoes of Eduok. Financially, Dolphins are zero. They were unable to get money on time to prosecute their continental engagement when they were walked over by Club Africain in Tunis. Their sponsor – the Rivers state government – could not bail them out. They had to run to the LMC to borrow money. They demanded 25m to execute the assignment but LMC gave them 15m and by the time they got to Tunisia, it was too late. Sunshine have quality players. The likes of Dele Olorundare and Ganiyu Ibrahim were supposed to have left the team but they were recalled from Shooting Stars. Emma Olowu who went on loan to Dolphins is back. It will be a straight win for Sunshine Stars.

Sab’s prediction: 2-1

Victor’s prediction: 2-0

ABIA WARRIORS V WIKKI TOURIST

Sab: The Umuahia Township stadium is a fortress for Abia Warriors. The magic of their coach, Ladan Bosso, is a mystery to me. Some people don’t believe he’s a quality coach but what the guy has done at Abia Warriors is commendable. He may not have a well-oiled PR “company” to help market his worth, but Bosso is one of the best and vibrant coaches we have – apologies to the old and recycled ones in the league. Warriors have been able to attract good players to their fold and they play good football. They have not done badly so far. Wikki Tourist, on the other hand, are still finding their bearing in the league. Remember they just got promoted to the elite division. They had to recall Abdul Maikaba from Sharks. He was previously with Kano Pillars then went to Enyimba before pitching his tent with Sharks. I remember spending some time with him during the Super Four in Ilorin. I appreciate his philosophy but this is a country where your philosophy plays second fiddle to the amount of money at your disposal – money to use to buy players and all of that. He also said they might not start the league well but would pick up as it progresses. This tie, though, will elude them.

Sab’s prediction: 3-1

Victor’s prediction: 1-0

NASARAWA V SHOOTING STARS

Sab: The home side will want to erase the memory of their worst defeat in the league when they lost 5-2 to Heartland. Their coach, Baba Ganaru, is highly rated. He won the league with Kano Pillars two seasons ago before leaving. But I would really love to see how they will overcome that embarrassing 5-2 defeat and post a decent result against Shooting Stars who have dropped the maximum points in their last two games. Shooting are not finding life easy in their return to the elite division. It looks highly likely that Nasarawa will beat Shooting.

Sab’s prediction: 1-0

Victor’s prediction: 1-1

A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth one point but getting the exact score earns three points.

Watch out for the league table in the next edition.

UP-CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH SAB OSUJI

 

Which team among the 20 NPFL clubs do you support?

In fairness, I find it very difficult to have a particular team. I’m from Imo state so ideally I’m expected to prefer Heartland. But it’s not so. I’m close to Rangers, I’m close to Enyimba, and I’m close to virtually all the 20 teams being a journalist. So I find it very difficult to attach myself to one team. It will affect my job and you know that the domestic league is my area of specialty in sports reporting. I criticise all the clubs when necessary and praise them when necessary as well.

Who’s your favourite current player?

Nigeria is blessed with a lot of talent in the domestic league. There are so many of them but then there are things you look out for. A player might be disciplined but doesn’t play well. A player might play well but be undisciplined. So, for you to get a player that plays well and yet is very disciplined is quite difficult. But with my long term knowledge of the Nigeria league, I will pick Chinedu Efugh of Heartland. He’s the captain of his team. He moved from Plateau United in 2004 to Rangers but now he’s with the Owerri side. He plays regularly for the team; he hardly gets sent off in a match. He was once in the home-based Super Eagles during the reign of Okey Emordi. So many clubs have come for his signature, but he remains committed to Heartland. He plays either as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder, but he’s highly disciplined. I cannot recall any time Chinedu missed a match because of suspension. It can be down to injury but not a double yellow card or an outright red. He’s a good player but, unfortunately, our league lacks statistics which could have shown how good the guy is. He will surely be among the best rated assuming we had an equivalent of an Opta Stat. Many people have not noticed how good a player he is mainly because Heartland have not won the league but when they won the FA Cup in 2011-12, the guy played a critical role in the success.

 

When did you go to your first league match?

That was in 1979 coincidentally when organised league began in Nigeria – when clubs started playing on home and away basis. It was a game between Spartans and Bendel Insurance at the Township stadium Owerri along Tetlow road. I had to climb the fence so I could gain entrance into the stadium to watch the match as the whole place was jam-packed. I was then a student of Emekuku high school. Spartans won 1-0 and it was their captain Eugene Owuanbuwa that scored the lone goal. It came from a defensive blunder.

Who was your first league hero?

No doubt it was Benjy Nzeakor of Spartans! He was one of the best right sided midfielders I ever saw. Very skilful; very intelligent; so creative. Even if he’s faced with 10 markers, Nzeakor will always find his way to goal. Dancing Benjamin Nzeakor, my God! He could make defenders pull off their jersey and leave the field. He was very very interesting to watch. He’s based in Brazil at the moment.

What was your most memorable match?

Incidentally, it wasn’t a league match. It was the 1982 WAFU Cup final match between Spartans and Sekondi Hasaacas of Ghana. The match was very tense yet interesting. But why the game still lingers in my memory is because that was the first time I saw a goal being scored directly from a corner kick. David Adiele took the kick from the right side into the top corner of the net. You might think it was a fluke, but I can tell you it wasn’t. When Adiele became a coach, he taught his players the act of taking corner kicks directly into the net. Spartans won that game 1-0 in Lagos but lost the return leg 2-0 in Ghana.

If you had a time-machine, which league player or team would you go back and see play?

No two-ways about it – its Ndidi Anumnu! Ndidi is one player that can spend 89 minutes on the pitch without any meaningful contribution to the game but when you think the match is over one moment of magic, Ndidi will turn the game on its head. He played for Iwuanyanwu Nationale and Enyimba where he won the 2003 Champions League. He was an exceptional player though he lacked speed. He made the league tick in his days but, unfortunately, he didn’t have the opportunity to play in Europe. But when he eventually had the chance, he misused it. He missed the Golden Eaglets squad in 1993 by the whiskers. He was invited late to camp alongside Nwankwo Kanu, who made the team.

Who has been the most interesting league person you have interviewed?

 

Christian Chukwu! In 1996, Chukwu was Rangers’ coach and I had the opportunity of talking to him one-on-one. Then I was working in Sportslink newspaper. I was in charge of Enugu zone comprising Enugu state, Anambra, Ebonyi and Benue states. I remember when Chukwu was a player. Then my father didn’t have a radio but any weekend they were playing a league or national team match, I will go to my neighbour’s window – even if that neighbour was not on speaking terms with my father and couldn’t go into the room – and listen to commentary usually by Ernest Okonkwo. So, when I had the opportunity to interview him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium after a league match, I was over the moon! He showed “appreciation” after the interview, but I tactically declined his offer. It wasn’t that I was well off that day, but it looked so strange for my hero to offer me something. To me, it should be the other way round. To this day, we are best of friends.

Join us next week for another exciting edition of NPFL Challenge!