Falcons Coachs Looks Beyond Banyana

Targets five wins, trophy
By Richard JideakA, Abuja                                        

Ahead of the semifinal clash with Banyana Banyana, Super Falcons coach Kadiri Ikhana has revealed his team's resolve to win all their matches en route to retaining the African Women Championship in Equatorial Guinea.           

In a chat with Complete Sports on the phone from Malabo Ikhana said that South Africa will fall on Wednesday in the semifinals, adding that Falcons have yet to hit their best form. He posited that their best will come as the Championship progresses.

"Our plan is to win all our five games in the AWC and win the cup,” former Enyimba coach Ikhana said.  “We have won three so far and we are in the semifinals, that means we have two more victories to achieve our aim and South Africa cannot stop us from playing in the final on Sunday.     

"I must admit we are not playing the kind of football Falcons are noted for but the good thing is that we have been winning all our matches and I prefer to play horribly and win rather than entertain the fans and still lose. We are scoring goals and we have also conceded a few but will try to shut out opponents in the remaining games.  

"I think the team is well motivated by the NFF to win and we’re ready to do our best and win the championship.”

The Falcons won all their group games and topped the group with wins over Cameroun, Cote d’Ivoire and Ethiopia to set up the semi-final with South Africa, who finished second in Group A behind hosts Equatorial Guinea.

The Falcons defeated South Africa in the group stage at the last AWC in 2010 but a friendly between them finished goalless in Lagos earlier this year

Uzoenyi Doubtful For Venezuela Tie

Winger Ejike Uzoenyi is a major doubt for the Super Eagles when they take on Venezuela in an international friendly game on Wednesday November 14, in Miami, United States of America, Complete Sports can report today.

The Enugu Rangers International left-footed midfielder is yet to join up with his national team-mates at their Bolton White Apartment camp after he was understood to have embarked on a trip to Russia for trials with a yet-to-be disclosed club.

The Super Eagles opened their camp for the match against Venezuela three days ago without Uzoenyi and they are to depart the shores of the country on Sunday, November 11, for USA ahead of the match.

"The much we know is that Ejike (Uzoenyi) has traveled to Russia for trials but with which team, we do not know yet," says Rangers official, Foster Chime.

"We are neither privy to the identity of the club he went to nor the time he will return," Chime added.

Spokesman of the senior national team, Ben Alaiya, would also not want to speak on Uzoenyi's absence in the Super Eagles camp as they prepare for Wednesday's friendly match against Venezuela.

Meanwhile, Kano Pillars striker, Gambo Mohammed, was expected to be in the Eagles camp in Abuja late Tuesday night.

Mohammed was part of the league title holders squad that traveled to Niamey, Niger Republic for a four-team tournament in Niamey.

Pillars won the tournament with three victories in three games against Niger Republic league champions, their national U-20 team and an unnamed Army team with Gambo Mohammed scoring two goals in three games.

"I'm on my way to the Super Eagles camp. As I speak with you, I'm at Zuba near Abuja and in a couple of minutes, I'll be at the Eagles camp," an elated Mohammed told Complete Sports on Tuesday evening.

"I have been in touch with the Secretary of the team who has duly informed Stephen Keshi that I am on my way to the Super Eagles camp," he added.

Gambo's team-mate, defender Papa Idris, has declared that the match against Venezuela is a good preparation test for the Super Eagles ahead of the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa.

"We're looking forward to the match with nothing short of victory in our minds," Idris said.

"We're going to give it our best shot because this is a good test for us ahead of the Nations Cup," he added.

Oduamadi Set For Varese Return

Super Eagles winger Nnamdi Oduamadi who has been out for five months due to a leg injury will return to action with Varese in a fortnight after he was cleared by Milan doctors, Complete Sports can report.

Oduamadi told Complete Sports that his personal pre-season has just kick-started and he is hoping to repay the faith which the AC Milan management and fans have in him.

"I've been running for days now which to me looks like I 've just started my pre-season," the former Torino winger began.

"I am feeling better now. I will be rejoining my new team in a fortnight and hopefully I "ll get some games under my belt. I have missed the game a lot and I am very much eager to return to action."

Oduamadi who was cleared by Milan doctors to resume light training and ball work a fortnight ago in a bid to regain full fitness signed a season-long loan deal with Varese in the summer.

“Odu has been training well, everyday. With the condition he is now, it's a case of let's wait and see but if he keeps doing as well as he's doing, then obviously he'll be under consideration because he's a fantastic player, ” Team Doctor Sakari Orava was quoted as saying.

The Nigerian winger underwent a surgery on his leg at the NEO Specialist Hospital, Turku in  Finland in August, after he injured his right ligament while training with the Super Eagles in Calabar prior to the team's clash against Rwanda

Efe Ambose: I'll Give Messi Baby Blues

Efe Ambrose has vowed to prevent Lionel Messi from revealing the special goal celebration he has devised after becoming a father for the first time last week.

Messi will have a baby's dummy tucked down his sock, but Ambrose does not want to see the Argentinian dedicating a goal to his son Thiago.

Messi had the dummy tucked into his sock during Barcelona's 3-1 victory last weekend, and also wore personalised boots bearing his son's name.

However, he failed to score and the next opportunity to reveal the celebration will be against Celtic in the Champions League tonight.

Instead, Ambrose has his own special goal celebrations planned.He performed an elaborate somersault after scoring against St Mirren earlier this season, and now has something more grand in mind should he score against Barcelona.

Since the Spanish side are vulnerable at set-pieces, the defender is confident of at least being on the end of a goal-scoring opportunity.

"First of all I will tell Lionel Messi congratulations," Ambrose said. "It's a great thing to become a father, but I believe we are going to ruin his party here in Glasgow.

"When I have a moment of celebration I just come out with something unique.

"If I score against Barcelona I cannot tell you exactly what I will do. It will be a surprise. But it will be something fantastic."

Celtic conceded the decisive goal in time added on when the two sides met at the Camp Nou two weeks ago, and a very late equaliser to Dundee United last weekend.

That vulnerability in the closing stages of games is such a concern to Neil Lennon and his defenders that they have been trying to address it in training. But Ambrose is adamant that Celtic will be more adventurous than the display in Spain.

“It's very worrying that we've lost our concentration so late in these matches," the defender said.

"We've talked about it with the manager and we know what we need to do.

"We need to be more focused and keep our concentration until the very end.

“The manager has told us what to do on the pitch so that they can't break us apart.

"But we are not going to just defend. We are going to attack too.”

Sports Minister, Keshi Meet Over 2013 AFCO

Maigari Also In Attendance

Sports minister and Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Bolaji Abdullahi, yesterday met with the Nigeria Football Federation hierarchy and all the members of the technical crew of the Super Eagles for several hours to deliberate on how to win the Africa Cup of Nations next year in South Africa.

The NFF team led by President Aminu Maigari also included the chairman of the technical committee, Chris Green, and General Secretary Musa Amadu; while Stephen Keshi led the technical crew that included Daniel Amokachi, Sylvanus Okpala, Ike Shorunmu and Houandinou Valere.

Top on the agenda for the meeting was how to raise money for the preparation and participation of  the Super Eagles at South Africa 2013 and how to off-set the four-month salaries owed the coaches. A source who attended the meeting expressed satisfaction with what was discussed, saying that all parties agreed that they should appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan to bail out the football house with an intervention fund to start the team's full preparation.

"The truth is that both the NFF and the NSC after putting their cards on the table realised that there was no money to fund the preparation and participation of the national team to the Nations Cup in January next year, and that the only way out is to make a special appeal to Mr President for the release of funds to save the team from total embarrassment in South Africa," our source who craved for anonymity revealed.

Complete Sports gathered further that the ministry and the NFF confessed that they are broke and cannot raise
enough funds to even off-set the coaches’ salaries for three months, not to talk of raising enough money to fund the Eagles camping outside the country and participation in the championship next year.

Aside from that, the NFF is still battling how to meet the obligation of providing a decent private accommodation and an official car for the head coach of the Super Eagles almost one year after he was engaged to tinker the  team.

The sports minister also charged the Eagles coaches not to be discouraged by the situation on the ground and promised to let President Jonathan know the position of things and the way out.

Joel Obi Doubtful For Partizan Belgrade Trip

For Europa League Tie

Nigeria midfielder, Joel Obi is doubtful for tomorrow's Europa League Matchday 4 game between his club,Inter Milan of Italy and their host,Partizan Belgrade at the Stadion Partizana in Belgrade.

The Nigerian is down with a quad strain which he copped in Inter's 2-0 defeat of Catania in a Serie A game on October 21.

He missed the reverse fixture of this tie on October 25 at the San Siro in Milan as well as three Serie A games including the big win over league leaders,Juventus last weekend.

Obi is back in training but not with the main squad as he trained separately yesterday at the club's Centro Sportivo Angelo Moratti training ground as he works his way back to full fitness.
 

Banyana Star Eyes Falcons Upset

Banyana Banyana hat-trick hero Andisiwe Mgcoyi is confident that they can beat Nigeria for the first time when the two sides meet in the semi-final of the 2012 African Women's Championship in Bata today.

Mgcoyi believes her side can shock the reigning champions by playing as a team and making full use of their chances having drawn their last two friendly games.

"We've never beaten Nigeria, the best we have done has been a draw but we are determined to change this," said Mgcoyi.

"We have to forget about the past and look at this game as an opportunity to make history."

Mgcoyi has spearheaded the South Africans attack - scoring four goals in the last two matches, including a hat-trick in the 4-1 win over DR Congo, but she believes the good form shown by the likes of Sannah Mollo and Nothando Vilakazi and the experience of players like Portia Modise, Janine van Wyk and captain Amanda Dlamini makes them a strong side.

"I strongly believe that we have a team that is capable of standing up to Nigeria and get that win we need to go through to the finals," she said.

"We have quick and skilful attacking players, our defence is looking solid and the spirit in the camp is very high.”
"We know that it's going to be a difficult game, but we're ready for the Falcons and we'll try fight from the start to the end of the game."

 The Nigerians qualified as the best team in Group B after winning all their three matches, while the South Africans were the second best side in Group A behind hosts Equatorial Guinea.