Heartland Rap-Up Shirt
Deal with Harp Lager
Federation Cup Champions, Heartland Football Club of Owerri, on Tuesday joined four Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL), club’s to sign shirt branding contracts with Harp premium lager in Lagos.
The four other clubs are Dolphins, Lobi Stars, Rangers International and Sunshine Stars.
Harp Premium Lager is one of Guinness Nigeria PLC’s brands.
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Guinness Nigeria PLC, Sari Adetu, explained that the financial terms of the contracts stay undisclosed.
Fan Ndubuoke, Heartland General Manager in his reaction after the contract signing said: “This is unique because most times corporate bodies only identify with successful teams at the end of international competitions. But Guinness Harp has proven to be different. “We are hopeful that after this contract, we will renew it next year”, Ndubuoke stated.
It would be recalled that last year, 3SC and two time African Champions, Enyimba signed shirt branding deals with Dubi C Lager
Just on Monday, the State commissioner for Youth and Sports, Hon Kenneth Emelu while talking to the press after handing out the Key’s of the new bus donated by His Excellency Owelle Rochas Okorocha informed that in a step to help the state government in the funding of the club, he authorized the management to go into negotiations with private investors to raise funds for the club.
He further stated that the shirt contract with the Harp Guinness Lager is one of the many expected deals that the club will be getting into as the government can not carry the burden of sponsoring the club alone.
Sunshine Stars co-ordinator Mike Idoko in his own statement, called on other corporate bodies to join this trend so that it will encourage the talents in the country and it will lead to having more than six players from the league in the national team.
Three Nigerians, Six Other’s Fail CAF age test in Morocco
The CAF Under 17 Championship in Morocco has been marred by news that nine players failed an age test.
Three Nigerians, Onyinye Ndidi, Ibrahim Abdullah and Emmanuel Asadu were all declared as over aged players via a Magnetic- Resonance Imaging (MRI) test, which scans the wrist plate of players.
According to reports reaching ‘Trumpeta’ Sports desk, the other culprits are: Dagou Britto, Abdul Diarrassouba, Siriki Dembele (all Ivory Coast), Cherlevy Diabala Carim, Hardy Binguila Kangon (all Congo-Brazzaville).
The players have since been sent home from the championship.
Meanwhile, the declaration of the Nigerian trio to be over-aged, never in any way derailed their focus towards the competition.
The Goldent Eaglets on Sunday trashed their West-African counterpart’s 6-1 in the first group B game to make a bold statement concerning their intentions for the CAF U-17 Championship going on in Morocco.
Nigeria has won the CAF U-17 Championship twice and the FIFA U-17 World cup three times in 1985, 1993 and 2007. The nation have also reached the final once losing to eventual winners, Russia in 1987.
As at the time of filing this report, the Golden Eaglets were busy trading tackles with another West African side, Ivory Coast in their second group B game and a win would have assured their passage to the semifinal.
However, the two North-African teams in the competition, host, Morocco and Tunisia have qualified for the semifinal and the U-17 Fifa world cup of the CAF U-17 Championship after winning their second group A games on Tuesday night. Morocco trashed Botswana 3-0, while Tunisia humbled Gabon 4-2.
Super Eagles to Camp in Germany for
Confederation Cup World Cup qualifiers
Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) may have finally chosen the Adidas camp in Germany as the base for the Super Eagles in preparation for their glut of matches in May and June.
The Coach Stephen Keshi has invited 30 players for these assignments and the camp will be opened as from May 16, when all foreign based players are expected to report.
According to the Secretary General of NFF, Musa Amadu, Germany is a central place for all the players to gather, “we will then prosecute all our programmes from there” said Amadi.
The Eagles will start off their programme with a friendly match against the Mexican national team on May 31 in Florida, then proceed to play Kenya in Nairobi in a 2014 Fifa world cup qualifier on June 5 and then travel to windhock to play Namibia on June 12.
The team will then proceed to Brazil to attend the 2013 Fifa confederation cup that will kick off on June 17.
The Super Eagles have been paired with Tahiti, Uruguay and Spain. Their first match is against Tahiti.
It is still to be seen whether Coach Stephen Keshi will call up new players to beef up the 30-man list.
All Nigeria Milo Sec. Sch. Basketball (Equatorial-
Zonal) Conference Kicks-Off in Enugu Today
The Rochas Foundation Secondary School (Male and Female) will today know their opponents when the draws of the Milo Nigeria Secondary School Basketball (Equatorial Conference) Championship are made in Enugu today. ‘Trumpeta’ Sports desk gathered that a 40 man contingent team comprising the school’s male and female basketball players left the shores of Owerri yesterday to Enugu, venue of the Equatorial Conference. Reports also have it that among the team is the Director of School Sports (Imo State), the School’s games master and two Coache’s from the Sports Council (Basketball).
The State’s expected to also compete in the Enugu Zone (Equatorial Conference) includes, Delta, Ebonyi, Abia, Anambra, Rivers, Cross-River, Akwa Ibom and host State Enugu, totaling nine.
It would be recalled that the Rochas Foundation School Basketball team (male &female) in the Imo State final defeated Schools from Ihitte-Uboma to emerge champions.
The winners of the male and female categories in Enugu will proceed to Lagos for the finals later this year.
MIDWEEK GAMES
CAF U17 CHAMPIONSHIP
RESULTS (16/4/13)
Gabon 2 4 Tunisia
Botswana 0 3 Morocco
17/4/13
Ivory Coast 1 — 0 Nigeria
Ghana — Congo
IMO FED/GOVERNORS CUP
17/4/13
Heartland 5 — 1 Mbaise Utd
AV fc 2 — 4 Patros fc
Bussdor 4 — (Pen) 2 Campos fc
18/4/13
Police Machine — Diamond fc
EPL RESCHEDULDED RESULT
Arseal 0 0 Everton
