Nigeria Content Online

After three days of
exciting football artistry, the Super four competition taking place in
Ijebu-Ode will be rounded off today at the Gateway International
Stadium.

At stake are a prestigious trophy and the sum of five million naira for the team which will emerge as champion.

The Super Four
competition, showcasing the best four teams in the country, has helped
bring to the limelight some outstanding players with the best clubs in
land. For some of the teams, the tournament also avails them the needed
opportunity to test new buys while others give some of the fringe
players a chance to prove their worth before going into the new season.

However, a major
worry at the competition was the absence of national team coaches at
the onset, though players still hope they will be on hand today to
witness the final matches that will be played, with a view to seeing
some good players that could be handed invitations to the national
teams.

Charged for the title

As expected,
Enyimba International of Aba will attempt to maintain its dominance on
the home front by adding the Super Four title to its cabinet already
overflowing with silverware. Enyimba beat Kwara United 2-1 on Friday,
to remain on top of the table with six points. The ‘People’s Elephants’
as the team is known by its fans, will be playing against arch rivals,
Kano Pillars, in the final fixture of the competition. Pillars lost by
a lone goal to Sunshine Stars of Akure in its second match played on
Friday, to leave it with just the one point it garnered from its 0-0
with Kwara United on the opening day of the competition.

For Enyimba, who
were recently crowned as Champions of the Nigerian Premier League, the
match will be a testy one, as the Pillars have a knack for raising
their game whenever they confront the Aba side. An added reason for
Pillars to fire full throttle is the fact that Enyimba beat them to the
league title on the last day of the league, with a 2-1 in Aba.

Okey Emordi,
Enyimba head coach, says his team has what it takes to repeat the form
which won it the league title during the regular season.

“Enyimba is not a
small team and one thing that we know how to do is to win trophies. We
are here in Ijebu-Ode to confirm our supremacy and win the trophy,”
boasted the 2005 best coach in Africa.

The Super Four
competition, which is strictly for the first four finishers in the
regular league season, is in its third season, with Enyimba also the
defending champions.

The Aba Elephants
who were recently eliminated from the CAF Confederations Cup are also
in the finals of the Federations Cup which will be played in Lagos
later in the month.

Already, the team’s captain Okey Odita, says his hands are already itching to lift another trophy with his team.

“It has been a
tough season for us both on the local scene and on the continent but
one thing that keeps us going is the thought of lifting trophies,” he
said.

His teammate,
Atanda Sakibu, is also brimming with confidence. Sakibu opened the goal
scoring account for Enyimba in this tournament after his lone strike
shot Enyimba to the top of proceedings on the first day against
Sunshine Stars, and he is already looking forward to scoring more goals
in today’s game.

“They are all good
teams but they cannot stop us. We want to appeal to all our fans to
come out en-masse to support us on Sunday and we promise we won’t
disappoint them,” he said However, Pillars coach, Salisu Yusuf, says he
is not fazed by the antecedents of Enyimba, while also pointing out
that he has more than revenge in his mind going into today’s game after
being denied the league title by his opponents in the just concluded
season. “It was a painful loss to Enyimba last time out, no doubt, but
that is gone; our focus is strictly on winning today’s match and not
talking about revenge or no revenge,” the ex-international said.

Kano Pillars are
playing the Super 4 competition without their hit man, Ahmed Musa, who
is currently on national assignment and who will also be heading for
the Dutch League next season to play for VVV Venlo.

The other match

In the other match
of the day, Sunshine Stars of Akure, which shocked Pillars on Friday by
running away with a 1-0 victory, will come up against Kwara United.

Kwara United, which
recently appointed Kadiri Ikhana to tinker the team after the sack of
Justin Tenger, will be hoping to improve its fortunes with their new
soccer tactician who is acclaimed as one of the best coaches in the
land.

The team, which finished fourth on the league standings, will be making its debut in the CAF Confederations Cup next season.

A good tournament

Assessing the
tournament, Davidson Owumi, chairman of the NPL board, says the quality
of football in the competition has been high, adding that it can only
get better in subsequent editions.

“I believe the
tournament has been a success; the teams have demonstrated a high level
of professionalism in their approach to the games, and any team that
emerges as winner will know it truly deserves it,” he said. Owumi, who
was himself a product of the local league, commended the Ogun State
government and people for the support rendered towards making the
season’s tournament a reality.

“I must register
our profound gratitude to the government and people of Ogun State for
being good hosts; the excellent facility they have availed us is really
commendable and appreciated,” he said. Meanwhile, the congress of the
Nigeria Premier League was held yesterday where members deliberated on
the new road map for the local league.

Top on the agenda
was the welfare of players and coaches of the different clubs taking
part in the League. The new board stated its intention to protect both
the players and coaches’ interests in the upcoming season, as no club
will be registered without providing a clear contractual agreement
between it and its players and coaches. Other issues discussed include:
providing good playing surfaces, which will give the league a better
outlook on television, as well as the need to impose stiffer
punishments on teams that foment trouble in the new season.

A tentative date of September 25 has been fixed for the commencement of the 2010/2011 season.