Nigeria Sports Arena

Nigerian international Olabiran Blessing Muyiwa has won the Russian Football National League (RFNL) as FC Tambov beat Zenit II 2-1 at the Spartak Stadium, today. FC Tambov needed a win to emerge as the champion of the second tier league in Russia and they did just that courtesy of a goal from Chernyshov and Obukhov while Shamkin got a consolation goal for the visitors. The Nigerian Under 23 star in an interview with nigeriasportsarena.blogspot.com expressed his  profound gratitude to God and thanked the fans of the team for the support throughout the season. "Honestly I am really excited for being part of this history. We really worked hard for it and I am happy that God crowned our effort, the gifted lift-winger told nigeriasportsarena.blogspot.com He continued “ You know we have been expecting this for a very long time and it's the first time in the history of this team so I am really really excited to be part of the history of the club.  "It's an...

NFF President Amaju Pinnick has rallied the U-23 National Team ahead of the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations starting in Senegal on Saturday, saying that finishing among the top three should be their sole focus.   Nigeria’s U-23 won Africa’s first –ever Olympics football gold at the Centennial Games in Atlanta, USA 19 years ago with aplomb, and seven years ago, a group led also by Samson Siasia earned silver after losing a final battle to Lionel Messi –inspired Argentina at the majestic Bird’s Nest in Beijing.   However, the Class of 2011 faltered in the African qualifying race, losing to host Morocco and Senegal to crash out in the group phase at the inaugural Africa U-23 Championship. Failure meant the Dream Team was not at the London Olympics the following year.   “Presently, we are on a roll of good results and we are determined that those must continue. It’s been an exciting past few months during which we have won U-17 World Cup, qualified for the U-20 Women’s World...

Nigeria’s Under-23 football team goal-machine, Junior Ajayi has promised Nigerians that the Dream Team VI will finish the unfinished business in Point Noire on August 2 in the return leg of the CAF U23 qualifying game against Congo. The Siasia tutored side gave good account of themselves on Sunday in the first leg of the qualifying match in Port Harcourt at the new Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium with a crucial 2-1 victory over the Claude Leroy lead team with Ajayi netting the two goals. Congo Under 23 had previously edged out Ghanian Under 23 from the qualifying series but the Shooting Stars goal poacher believes that the Dream Team VI will get the job done in Congo in the second leg. Junior disclosed in a chat saying " I will like to begin by saying that it's not over until we get the expected result in Congo which is outright victory. "Our performance on Sunday was due to the encouragement of the coaches and the hard work of the entire team, we really work hard before ...

Barrister Chris Green, Member of the NFF Executive Committee, will lead the U-23 National Team delegation to Saturday’s 11th All-Africa Games qualifying match against the U-23 National Team of Gabon in Libreville.   A 35-man delegation, including 19 players, will fly out from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Wednesday aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight, to arrive in Libreville by noon on Thursday.   Already, the NFF has provided all details concerning the trip to the Embassy of Nigeria in Libreville, with Mission Staff to receive the delegation on arrival on Thursday, and to mobilise the Nigerian community in Libreville to support the team during the match.   The match will be played on the natural turf of Stade Augustin Monedan a Sibang in Libreville, starting from 3.30pm Gabon time (2.30pm Nigeria time) on Saturday, 21st February.   The second leg will take place in Nigeria on 7th March, with the winner to take on the winner of the Zambia...

  Day 1: January 24:     Dolphins vs Pillars 1pm Enyimba vs Flying Eagles 3pm    Warri Wolves vs Dream Team 5pm   Day 2: Monday, January 26 Enyimba vs Warri Wolves 1pm Pillars vs Flying Eagles 3pm Dolphins vs Dream Team 5pm   Day 3: Wednesday, January 28 Flying Eagles vs Warri Wolves 1pm Pillars vs Dream Team 3pm Dolphins vs Enyimba 5pm   Day 4: Friday, January 30 Dream Team vs Enyimba 1pm Kano Pillars vs Warri Wolves 3pm Flying Eagles vs Dolphins 5pm   Day 5: Sunday February 1 Warri Wolves vs Dolphins 1pm Pillars vs Enyimba 3pm Dream Team vs Flying Eagles 5pm

  Football lovers in Kaduna are currently experiencing a high –level excitement following the arrival of the Under 20 National Team, Flying Eagles, on Sunday for a two –month camping programme for the big event coming soon.   Coach Manu Garba and wards formally kicked off preparations for the 19th African Youth Championship at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium on Monday, with the FIFA U-17 World Cup –winning Coach starting his build –up with 30 players.   The squad is loaded with sterling performers from his U-17 World Cup winners, including Captain Musa Muhammed, the talismanic goalkeeper Dele Alampasu, defenders Mustapha Abdullahi, Wilfred Ndidi, Izu Omego and Zaharadeen Bello, midfielders Alfa Abdullahi, Ifeanyi Mathew and Akinjide Idowu, and forward Bernard Bulbwa.   An exciting addition is the Enyimba FC holding midfielder Kingsley Sokari, who shone brilliantly in an international friendly between the Eagles B and Ghana’s Olympic Tea...

  2014 Federation Cup top scorer, Dolphins’ FC goal poacher, Emem Eduok will not be part of Wednesday’s screening exercise for the National U23 team in Abuja.   Eduok was listed in Batch B of a group of players to strut their stuff for places in next year’s All Africa Games and Olympic Games team but it seems that will not happen for now.   In Sunday’s Federation Cup final against Enyimba, Eduok received a knock after an Enyimba defender went hard on him in the second half.   Though he was able to complete the game, he may have to rest his legs as he left the pitch after the game limping.   “I will show myself to the coaches in Abuja as a sign of good faith so they know I want to be part of the team. I would have loved to be part of the training but I do not want to aggravate the injury which does not seem very serious right now,” Eduok said.   “I want to believe that Samson Siasia and the rest of the coa...

The Nigeria Football Federation has appointed hardworking broadcast Journalist,  former Warri Wolves, Timi Ebikagboro as the Media Officer of the U-23 National Team, otherwise known as Dream Team. Respected among his peers around the country for his energy, resourcefulness and forthrightness, Ebikagboro has worked at the Delta State Broadcasting Service, based in Warri, for the past 15 years. Ebikagboro will resume immediately with the U-23 squad that has started a screening programme at the FIFA Goal Project in Abuja under Head Coach, Samson Siasia. The team’s immediate assignment is an 11th All –Africa Games qualifying fixture against Gabon, with the first leg away in Libreville in February 2015.

Having seen a lot of games this season in the Glo Nigeria Professional Football League, Nigeria National League and a bit of Nigeria Nationwide League, the trio of Adepoju Tobi Samuel,  Alonge Akinlolu and Olawale Quadry came up with a list of players who are eligible to feature in the national Under-23 squad ( Dream Team) who  Samson Siasia, the coach of Nigeria's Under-23 national football team could consider to give a look in. The decision to pick each player is 100% based on the player performance this season. We concentrated on players plying their trade in Nigeria Apex league," Glo Nigeria Professional Football League" and "Nigeria National League", a player made the list from Atiba United who played in the Nigeria Nationwide League this season though the Oyo based team have gained promotion to the NNL. Below is a list of young players in Nigeria Football Leagues who had an outstanding season and are under twenty three years old: Goalkeepers David Obi...