Nigeria Premier League

Rangers Kick Off Open Screening For Youth Team

Over 200 young football talents turned up for the open screening exercise organized by Rangers International F.C. to discover quality talents to fill its U-13, U-15, and U-17 teams.

The exercise which took place at the Rangers Training Pitch, Liberty Estate, Independence Layout, Enugu, Tuesday, January 30, 2024, was supervised by FIFA World Cup star, Ejike Uzoenyi (MON) as well as former captains of the side, Okey Odita and Chibuzor Madu, club legend, Coach John Edeh, coach Basil Obeta and other personnel from the management.

At the end of the opening day’ session, a highly elated G.M/CEO of Rangers, Barrister Amobi Ezeaku, congratulated the large number of footballers that showed up for the exercise while thanking parents and guardians for allowing the young ones to come out for the screening exercise to showcase their God-given talents.

“I am here to assure all of you that we will do everything, humanly possible to ensure that the right persons are selected in this exercise. I am thrilled to see your faces. In Rangers, we don’t believe in age cheats. What we want to do with the youth system in Rangers is to gradually integrate you into our playing style and culture for you to take over from the aging players,” he stated.

Ejike Uzoenyi who supervised the exercise on behalf of other coaches, said after the program, “This is the way to go. This is how it is done in most countries I have played the game of football and thanks to the management of Rangers for thinking along this line. We have been able to spot some talents and hopefully by the next session, more would be spotted before the ultimate exercise that will make any of them to be called a Rangers player. It has been fun seeing the large number that turned up.”

The exercise will resume on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, to give opportunities to the remaining footballers who came but could not be accessed due to time factors and will commence at 10:00 A.M.

Nigeria Premier League

Ogunmodede reflects on Emo Stars’ win over Abia Warriors

Emo Stars technical adviser Daniel Ogunmodede admitted his side was fortunate to secure a 3-2 victory over Abia Warriors in Ikenne on Wednesday.

Abia Warriors took a 2-0 lead in the first half, with goals from Ayodele Eziekel and Anthony Ijoma. However, Emo Stars responded with three goals from Olamilekan Adebayo, Jabbar Malik, and Franck Mawuena to clinch the win.

Ogunmodede acknowledged that his team had underestimated their opponents but managed to turn things around. “The game was tense and shocking in the first half on our home ground. Not every time you will be lucky against a great team we played against,” he said in the post-match interview.

“We underestimated the qualities of our opponent, and we were punished for it. But luckily, we identified the problem and readjusted to get the victory.”

Emo Stars will now aim to build on this win as they continue their campaign

Nigeria Premier League

Kano Pillars eye maximum points in midweek showdown with Ikorodu City

Kano Pillars are determined to secure all three points in their upcoming fixture against Ikorodu City in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

The Sai Masu Gida will face Ikorodu City at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos on Wednesday.

Usman Abdallah’s side is upbeat and focused ahead of the match, with the players in high spirits.

“Done and dusted with the shake-ups ahead of our NPFL25 Matchday 21 clash against Ikorodu City this Wednesday at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos,” Kano Pillars wrote on X.

“The boys are in high spirits and determined to secure maximum points as we aim to continue our impressive run this season.”

Kano Pillars currently sit in eighth place on the league table with 28 points.

Nigeria Premier League

Brown Ideye criticizes NPFL standards, calls for major improvements

Enyimba striker Brown Ideye has expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), stating that significant improvements are needed to elevate its standard.

Ideye, who rejoined the league in December 2024 after signing for Enyimba, has made appearances in both NPFL and CAF Confederation Cup matches, scoring two goals so far.

Sharing his thoughts following Enyimba’s 2-0 defeat to Kwara United in a rescheduled matchday 16 fixture in Ilorin, Ideye voiced concerns about the league’s challenges.

“The system is getting worse; the league is not improving. I feel like we have a long way to go,” Ideye remarked during an interview.

Despite enjoying his time at Enyimba, the former West Brom striker emphasized that much remains to be addressed in the league.

“My time at Enyimba has been wonderful, but there are a lot of things in the league that need improvement and haven’t changed yet,” he added.

On the poor performances of Nigerian clubs in CAF competitions, Ideye highlighted critical areas requiring attention.

“In terms of traveling, feeding, hotel accommodations, and player relaxation — it’s all bad. Nigerians are not ready for continental competitions. We need to put our house in order before going there, instead of embarrassing ourselves.”