Nigeria Content Online

Lawmaker launches governorship campaign

Outspoken lawmaker and member representing
Bagwai/Shanono federal constituency in the House of Representative,
Farouk Lawan, inaugurated his gubernatorial campaign team over the
weekend in Kano with a pledge that if elected the governor of Kano
State in 2011, he will give the state a purposeful leadership.

Mr. Lawan, who addressed a crowd of supporters, said
Kano State has been misgoverned over the last seven years despite the
huge amount of money the state has collected from the federal
government coffers.

“You will agree with me that Kano is lagging behind
in terms of infrastructural development and in so many spheres of human
life. Just go to Gombe State, for instance, to see what the governor
has done or go to Lagos which is an opposition state. In just three
years, look at what the governor has done,” he said.

“There are several states like that, but for us in
Kano we are not lucky and that is why I have offered myself to give the
state a purposeful leadership. Virtually all the important areas needs
attention at the moment, the decay in education, health and many are
too much for one to just ignore.”

Qualified to lead

Mr. Lawan warned his supporters not to take the
contest as a do-or-die affair, stressing that power comes from God and
they should always look up to God in everything they do. He added that
he is qualified to take the state to the promised land, having garnered
enough experience as a federal lawmaker.

“I think I have enough experience to lead the state,
this is my eleventh year in the House and that has given me a lot of
experience that is enough to govern Kano,” he said.

The state coordinator of the Farouk Lawan gubernatorial campaign
team, Jibrin el Doguwa, called on the leaders and members of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to give Mr Lawan the chance to lead the
party in the elections. He said that the lawmaker has all the qualities
to win the gubernatorial race for the party.

Evacuation of equipment begins four years after delivery

Evacuation of equipment begins four years after delivery

The
National Independent Power Project (NIPP) has begun the evacuation of
the multi-million naira turbines and other electrical equipment from
Calabar Port to the project site at Odukpani, in Cross River State.

The evacuation
began four years after the delivery of the equipment at the port,
reports the News Agency of Nigeria. The project, expected to deliver
561 megawatts of electricity to the nation, is to be completed in the
second quarter of 2011, according to Paul Akinola, the Site Manager.

He said the
evacuation of 16 heavy equipment, which includes five turbines, five
generators, five transformers and accessories, began on Tuesday, and
would be concluded next week. The equipment, imported under the NIPP
programme, had been lying at the port due to the weak bridge serving as
a link, at Akpe Ekpong community, near the project site.

The bridge is
situated on the Calabar-Itu highway, less than 50 km to the port. Mr.
Igwe Onuoa, Vice Chairman of NIPP Technical Committee, had told members
of the NIPP Steering Committee on an inspection in April 2009, that the
bridge was “very weak”, and needed reinforcement.

However, instead of
the reinforcement, a by-pass has been constructed, which Mr. Akinola
said was considered more convenient and faster in the circumstance. He
said that construction of the by-pass, which was approved by the
Federal Ministry of Transport and executed by the NIPP, began in March
and ended mid-April.

He disclosed that
10 of the equipment were delivered at the project site as at Friday,
adding that the remaining six would be evacuated next week. Mr. Akinola
explained that although the project is 45 per cent completed,
assembling all the equipment at the site would speed up work on the
project. Marubeni Corporation of Japan is the contractor handling the
project.

EFCC invites El-Rufai for questioning

EFCC invites El-Rufai for questioning

The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) is making real its threat to arrest Nasir El-Rufai,
the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

The anti-graft agency has written Mr. El-Rufai asking him to appear before its investigators for questioning on Tuesday. Spokesperson of the anti-graft agency, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the invitation yesterday.

“The commission would not delay to
invite him to answer questions on allegations of misappropriation of
over N32 billion while he was minister of the FCT”.

The EFCC had, over the weekend,
expressed displeasure over Mr. El-Rufai’s easy entrance into the
country despite its world alert on him in 2008. The commission has been
on Mr. El-Rufai’s trail since 2008 over allegations of misappropriation
of public funds to the tune of N32 billion.

Speaking on Saturday, Mr. El-Rufai expressed his readiness to visit the offices of the EFCC in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said he will not be going to the
anti-graft agency to turn himself in but to find out if the agency is
still interested in arresting him.

Barely two hours after his arrival in
Nigeria following a two year exile, Mr. El-Rufai, in his home in Jabi,
Abuja, declared that he had returned home at this time for three
purposes. First, because of his family and friends. Second, to clear
himself of the eight-count charge, including the misuse of office,
levelled against him by the EFCC. Third for the purposes of the
upcoming 2011 elections.

The former minister said that he is fully prepared for whatever challenges his homecoming may present.

“Before I came, I said, okay, what is
the worse thing that can happen to me. I had accepted that and I
planned to live with it,” he said.

El-Rufai’s homecoming

As of Friday night,
it was not yet clear what events would follow his arrival. Speculations
were rife that the former minister would be arrested at the airport by
the EFCC. In fact, the EFCC had on Friday, declared their eagerness to
prosecute Mr. El-Rufai as soon as he returned to the country.

But in the wee
hours of Saturday when Mr. El-Rufai arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, Abuja, aboard a British Airways flight, the
former minister faced neither resistance nor harassment but was quickly
cleared by airport officials within 18 minutes.

On hand to receive him were about 100 family members and friends. Some had kept vigil at the airport to receive him.

“I got to the
airport last night at about 11pm. There were many of us, about 50 of us
here,” Darlington Kenubia, who described himself as Mr. El-Rufai’s fan,
said to NEXT. Mr. Kenubia said that he missed his night’s sleep because
of his admiration for the former minister.

A family friend,
Saidu Hassan Yakubu, said he left his home at 4.30 am to head for the
airport to welcome the former FCT minister. Mr. Yakubu, too late to
meet the welcome party at the airport, headed for Mr. El-Rufai’s home
in Jabi, Abuja.

“I went because I
wanted to be sure that he was coming. We were also curious about what
would happen to him on his arrival,” Mr. Yakubu said.

Back in Mr.
El-Rufai’s home, the mood was joyous. On arrival, however, the former
minister retreated to a prayer arena to say his prayers.

Home for good

At about 6.30am,
Mr. El-Rufai, who is widely praised and criticised for his actions
during his tenure as the FCT’s minister, relaxed in his living room
swamped by journalists and visitors to speak about his return to
Nigeria.

“I believe in
Nigeria. I believe in Nigeria’s future and potentials. I believe that
our young people that account for nearly 80 percent of the population
deserve a better future,” he declared.

While conceding
that he has deep interests in the upcoming 2011 elections, Mr. El-Rufai
declined to state whether or not he will be running for a public office.

“Absolutely, I have
absolute, total interests and commitment to ensuring that the 2011
elections produce better governance than what we’ve had and I’m working
with a group of many like minded people for this. The country really
needs better leadership and I’m looking forward to being part of a
movement to produce that leadership but not necessarily running for
office myself. Of course, I’m not ruling anything out,” he said.

Mr. El-Rufai said
he missed the love and affection, as well as the zest for life of the
Nigerian people adding that he has returned home to stay. First on his
itinerary is to clear his name at the EFCC.

“I will go to the EFCC office and ask them whether they are still looking for me.

“Tuesday, 10 O’clock, I’ll be there,” he said.

According to him, he has recruited for himself “a very strong legal team” within and outside the country.

Marriage of inconvenience

Marriage of inconvenience

For 38-year-old
Blessing Aseroma, being married to an abusive husband has being a
nightmare best imagined. In her over 12 year’s relationship with
Frederick Aseroma, 40, a popular Nigerian actor, the psychological,
physical, emotional, and financial scars she bears are a clear reminder
of the prevalent violence committed against women.

Despite unpaid
school fees, accommodation difficulties and an ongoing divorce process,
the mother of three still manages to smile as she chats with NEXT.

With support from
friends and Project Alert, a women’s rights non-governmental
organisation, she has moved into a two-bedroom apartment, and reopened
the child care centre which her husband allegedly despised.

The 1998 University
of Lagos graduate said her husband refused her to work, instead
insisting she ‘takes care of the home front’. She had become dependent
on him for her, and her children’s, every need.

“If I mention
there’s a job somewhere, he would say no, that the job is too demeaning
for a man of his personality. He did not allow me to do anything other
than raising babies. The only time I worked was for six months in 2004,
when he moved out with another woman,” said the Faculty of Education
graduate.

Mrs. Aseroma was
then nursing her last child. She relocated from Surulere to Ojodu, both
places in Lagos State, and got a job as a research editor in a
marketing company. Her husband later returned, seemingly apologetic,
and prevailed on her to quit the job.

“When he came back,
my son had gastro arthritis. He said because of stress I should stop
work until when the baby is one year old. That is how I stayed doing
nothing for five years till he went abroad,” Mrs. Aseroma said.

Strapped for cash
and unable to pay her children’s school fees, Mrs. Aseroma said she had
to concede to her husband’s demand for her to sign the divorce papers
because he was “under the threat of deportation” and the “only option
available for him to remain in the United Kingdom is get married to a
resident.”

Her turning point
came in January 2009 when a friend who owned a crèche needed a manager
to run the place. She took up the offer to the displeasure of her
husband. By March when the owner was relocating to Lekki and wanted to
close the crèche, the children’s parents pleaded with her to open her
own crèche.

“I wanted to use my
house but my husband refused. But by April, he called that he won’t be
having upkeep money to send to me, so I can start the crèche to cater
for myself and the children. That’s how I started Bloom Babies Crèche
on June 1, 2009,” Mrs. Aseroma said.

But by March 26,
2010, when Mr. Aseroma was arrested and detained at the Ojodu-Abiodun
Police Division, Ogun State Command, over allegations of wife battery,
she took a decision to break the abuse cycle.

“After Fred and his
younger brother beat me and I reported to Project Alert and the Police,
I had to abandon everything. I left my house that I part paid the rent,
took my children, and ran for my life. I only just reopened this
crèche, playgroup and after school with the help from the NGO and the
parents of the kids, who rallied round, and helped pay some of the
rent,” Mrs. Aseroma said.

Project Alert’s
executive director, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, said under the
organisation’s support services Programme, legal aid, Police
involvement and financial assistance was given to Mrs. Aseroma to
enable her regain some control of her life after years of physical and
psychological abuse.

The NGO gave her
N100,000 towards getting a new accommodation to reopen the crèche, has
taken up the divorce case at the Lagos High Court in Ikeja, and has
involved the police to ensure Mrs. Aseroma is protected from further
violence from her husband.

“She is a graduate
but he didn’t allow her to work. Even the little crèche she tried to
run to raise some income for herself, he tried to deny her that.
Presently, he has changed the keys to their home and denied her access
to items that would ensure her economic independence,” Mrs.
Effah-Chukwuma said.

Thankful to Project
Alert, whom she described as “the family I don’t have”, Mrs. Aseroma,
an orphan and only child to parents who died while she was in secondary
school, however worries over how she’ll pay a house rent balance of
N300,000 and an outstanding school fees debt of about N150,000 for her
three children, aged six, eight and ten years.

“My landlady heard my plight and allowed me to pay half of the two
years rent. I am meant to balance her by April ending. My children’s
school have been supportive because they know my situation. But for how
long? My passion for children is in this crèche. If I lose this
accommodation, I lose the crèche, my children will stop going to
school. Where do I then go ?” Mrs. Aseroma asked with tears in her eyes.

Soaring Atletico eye trip to Neptune

Soaring Atletico eye trip to Neptune

High-flying
Atletico Madrid fancy a champagne-splashed trip to Neptune after the
small matter of cup finals in Hamburg on May 12 and Barcelona on May 19.

Atletico’s teenage
goalkeeper David De Gea has never had the chance to celebrate at the
Neptune fountain where the club’s fans traditionally gather to party
after a title triumph.

After the La Liga
side ousted Liverpool in their Europa League semi-final on Thursday,
and with a King’s Cup final to come, the 19-year-old could well get to
do it twice.

“I have never been
to Neptune to celebrate and I rather fancy it,” De Gea told reporters
after Diego Forlan’s strike in added time at Anfield set up a final
against Fulham.

When Quique Sanchez
Flores replaced Abel Resino as Atletico coach last October the club
were in disarray in 15th place in La Liga. They had also just been
hammered 4-0 at Chelsea in the Champions League.

Six months on and
the former Real Madrid and Valencia defender has lifted the club into
the final of both the Europa League and the domestic cup.

They could even eclipse La Liga giants Real and Barcelona as Spain’s most successful side of the season.

Atletico’s
heart-stopping semi-final success against Liverpool sparked wild
celebrations in the Spanish capital into the early hours of Friday
morning, with flag-waving and horn-blaring fans driving triumphantly
through the city.

Several hundred
gathered at the Neptune fountain near the Prado museum, traditional
site of Atletico’s title celebrations down the years.

Trophy drought

They last won a
trophy in 1996 when they claimed a Spanish league and King’s Cup
double. They take on Sevilla in the King’s Cup final.

“Who would have
though it (six) months ago,” captain Antonio Lopez added. “It’s for all
the Atletico fans, the families and the club.” Atletico’s spectacular
turnaround under Sanchez Flores will have been bittersweet for
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, who moved from boyhood club Atletico
in 2007 seeking silverware.

The 26-year-old,
sidelined with a knee injury but hoping to be fit for the World Cup,
watched from the stands as his beloved former club dashed Liverpool’s
last chance of a trophy this campaign.

Sanchez Flores said
his players were giddy after Uruguay striker Forlan snatched the
crucial away goal to send Atletico into the final after a 2-2 draw on
aggregate.

“I can’t describe
what the dressing room was like after the match,” the former Valencia
and Benfica coach told a news conference.

“They were like
school kids and it’s great to see them so happy.” La Liga leaders Barca
or second-placed Real could be left watching Atletico’s progress with
envy after a trophy-less season following elimination from the
Champions League and the cup.

“Atletico is poised
to clinch an unforgettable double and become the big winners of the
season — and at the expense of their wealthy neighbours to boot,”
Marca sports daily trumpeted in an editorial on Friday.

“Reaching two finals could have enormous significance for the club.
It should give them a base which will consolidate them among the elite
and prevent them slipping back into their bad old ways ever again.”

Sports

Chelsea cannot afford any mistakes

Chelsea cannot afford any mistakes

Chelsea are on the
verge of wresting back the title from Alex Ferguson and Manchester
United, but the Blues must ensure that they get a victory over
Liverpool today at Anfield.

Liverpool’s season
should not be defined at this point in time because it will seem very
demeaning for a 19-time English league winner, 5-time Champions League
winner, and numerous FA Cups – in short, the most decorated club side
are in danger of missing out on playing in the Champions League for the
first time in six years and that has all been under the watch of Rafael
Benitez.

The Spaniard is
rumoured to be on the way to Juventus; how the Bianconneri can even
think of Benitez’s name as a likely coach for them is bizarre to say
the least, but we have to put that aside.

Chelsea would have
eased a sigh of relief and contentment when the Reds were taken into
extra time in their Europa League match against Atletico Madrid on
Thursday night and their eventual loss on aggregate. If that has not
drained the last powers of this great team, then nothing else will.

Chelsea will also
be banking on the fact that Liverpool will do all in their power to
disallow Manchester United, their arch enemies from winning a 19th
title thereby usurping their record as joint top winners with the Red
Devils on 18 victories, and the small fact that Ferguson wants to win a
fourth consecutive title, a new record that is unlikely to ever be
broken in a hurry.

Liverpool will be
without a player feared by John Terry and the other defenders, Fernando
Torres. Steven Gerrard is also not in his best form, but these are not
guarantees. If Carlo Ancelotti is to win his first English league
title, then he, and his team must take nothing for granted.

In the first leg, a
cagey match was settled by second half goals from Nicolas Anelka and
Florent Malouda. Anelka, a former Liverpool player scored first in the
60th minute when he finished off a sublime low cross from Didier Drogba
as Chelsea defied their critics with a performance of grit and quality.
Substitute Malouda sealed the win in injury-time when he slid home
another low cross from Drogba.

While Chelsea have
scored for fun and amassed an amazing 93 goals, Liverpool have managed
61, which incidentally is Chelsea’s goal difference.

Matches between
these two teams have been tactical ones with the superior on the night
cancelling out the other. In the days of Jose Mourinho as coach of
Chelsea, the likely score line would have been 1-1. In these climes,
with a victory the only result that will lead to a league win, today’s
match may see both teams opening up attacking wise and that will make
it a great spectacle to watch.

Liverpool still
have a mathematical chance of sneaking that lucrative fourth UEFA
Champions League spot but that is only if Aston Villa, Tottenham and
Manchester City all contrive to lose their matches.

Unfortunately
these three will face off in the last two weeks so a bad result for one
will mean a positive one for the other but Liverpool still have a
mathematical chance so then they will not turn the other cheek when
they are slapped on the other.

Battles to watch: Didier Drogba vs. Jaime Carragher

The Ivorien is
stuck on 25 goals, one behind Wayne Rooney, who is out injured. What
better place to score the goals that will most likely win Chelsea the
Premiership and the individual accolade as the league’s highest goal
scorer than at Anfield?

Meanwhile
liverpulldian, Carragher is a hard as nails defender who doesn’t give a
quarter. It does not matter to him, whether they are out of the league
race or in it, he will face the obstacle the same way, preventing the
opposing striker from scoring. It is always a physical duel between
both.

Florent Malouda vs. Glen Johnson

The England hopeful
versus the Frenchman, who won March’s player of the month could decide
the outcome of this match. One of the reasons Chelsea are where they
are is because of the form shown by Malouda. His contribution has been
goals, assists and defence.

Glen Johnson was
shown off on slack defending against Atletico Madrid when his tame
header, intended for Reina turned into the away goal that knocked his
team out of the Europa Cup. He will need to focus more on defending
against the duo of Ashley Cole and Malouda. Reckon that this is where
the match will be won and lost.

Steven Gerrard vs. Frank Lampard

England buddies,
but that is where the similarity ends. Lampard has scored 20 goals
again this season to make it five seasons consecutively that he has
netted 20 goals and above. Gerrard, long the saviour of Liverpool seems
to be waning in pulling the chestnut out of the fire these days. He has
also not been able to feature alongside Fernando Torres for long
periods during the season and that may have contributed tellingly to
the dismal outing of Liverpool in the league.

Today, Gerrard has another chance of showing that he still is one of
the finest midfield players in the world. Expect to see tackles fly
between these ones.

Sports

Putting Nigeria’s semi final dream at risk

Putting Nigeria’s semi final dream at risk

Diego Maradona
admitted during the week that he was having problems selecting his
World Cup squad from the array of talents that constantly churn out
promising performances for their respective clubs around the world.

In a team where
Inter Milan trio of captain Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso, and big
striker, Gabriel Milito, are still looking up to the heavens to
convince the Argentine coach they are good enough to be in his squad
for South Africa, it would certainly be easy to agree Maradona has a
big problem on his hands. The three players were critically involved
for their Italian club as the Nerrazuri earned a berth in the final of
the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 38 years.

As part of the
efforts to prepare his team for their World Cup campaign, South Korea’s
coach, Huh Jung-moo, is already considering the use of oxygen tents to
aid their acclimatisation for the challenge in South Africa, after
learning they will be playing their second group game against Argentina
in Johannesburg, which is around 1,700 metres above sea level. That is
outside the fact that they still have Ecuador, Japan, Belarus, and
Spain to play between May 16 and June 3.

Both Japan and
Spain will also be playing at the World Cup and consequently, it makes
an interesting plan for the Koreans who had also played Zambia and Cote
D’Ivoire to test their might against African opposition. Nigeria’s
third group opponents, Greece, still have two build up games against
another two teams campaigning in the competition, Korea DPR and
Paraguay. Such is the importance some of our opponents have attached to
the global competition.

Different fate

But the same cannot
be said of Lars Lagerback, the Super Eagles coach, who surprisingly
named a squad of 44 players – including six home-based players, whom he
would only have the opportunity of meeting for the first time on May
20, barely 21 days to the kick off in Johannesburg. The rationale
behind the number of invitees were questionable abinitio, considering
some of the names who found themselves on the list. Granted that
Lagerback will need to rely on experienced players after being given a
mandate to guide the Eagles to the semi finals of the first Mundial to
be hosted on Africa soil, but even the veterans may lack match fitness
as over 50 percent of our top players are not seeing regular action for
their respective European clubs.

The Nigeria
Football Federation may not have a say on the fate of our players at
their clubs, but it has certainly thrown spanners into Lagerback’s
preparation by failing to organise friendly matches to help the Swede
decide on who merits to be in the final squad. Interestingly, the
Eagles coach will only meet his players eight days after the FIFA
deadline for the submission of 30-man provisional list for the World
Cup.

Greed or shrewdness?

The scheduled
friendly against Colombia will only come up on May 30, and there are
still issues concerning the venue as well as appearance fees. The snag
is partly because of the demand of the NFF as hinted by its spokeman,
Demola Olajire.

FIFA gave $1million
dollar for each of the 32 participating countries to support their
preparation, and they will also receive $8million for playing in the
group stage of the competition. Yet, the NFF is waiting for other
countries to make lucrative offers to play our Eagles. Reported
proposals from countries like Paraguay, Ecuador, and North Korea have
suffered futility. China backed out of a friendly with South Africa,
but the host announced Jamaica replaced China barely 48 hours later,
and they won the fixture 2-0 at Kickers Offenbach Stadium, last
Wednesday.

Explaining the inability of the NFF to organise any friendly match for the Eagles in an interview on BBC, Olajire said:

“We have always
received appearance fees, as well as other essential welfare packages,
so we cannot descend to a step lower. Nigeria seriously needs these
friendly games, but we cannot back down on our demands for the team.
These friendlies offer us the opportunities of preparing the Super
Eagles for the World Cup, as well exploiting the brand Nigeria, Super
Eagles, and World Cup participation.”

It is not the first
time Nigeria has appointed a new coach months before the World Cup, but
the Eagles could be having arguably the worst pre-World Cup preparation
ever.

Bora Milutinovic
took over from Phillip Troussier barely five months to the 1998
Mundial, but the team still played Holland, Yugoslavia and Germany in
build up games, albeit with some awful results. And even in February
2002, when Adegboye Onigbinde replaced Shuaibu Amodu about four months
before the Korea/Japan edition, the Eagles still played teams including
Kenya, Scotland, Paraguay, and China, with the last two taking part in
that year’s tournament.

Lagerback may not
openly express his frustration at the level of ineptitude at the NFF,
yet he would have something to allude to if he fails to lead the Eagles
past the group stage in South Africa. Besides, he would only need to
walk away with a handsome $1.3million after his World Cup adventure
with Nigeria.

Sports

Inkoom becomes a driving force for Ghana

Inkoom becomes a driving force for Ghana

Full back, Samuel
Inkoom, fled home as a teenager, helped Ghana beat Brazil in the world
under-20 final and has run the gauntlet of angry fans in his country.
Nothing worries him, apart from Swiss traffic laws.

The outgoing,
confident Inkoom, 20, joined FC Basel at the start of the season and
his only real difficulties have been with the highway code.

“The driving here
is more difficult, there are a lot of rules,” he told Reuters after a
five-minute trip in a Volkswagen Scirocco from FC Basel’s St Jakob Park
stadium to his comfortable but unassuming flat.

“They have a limit
which you are supposed to go at, if you go faster than that, they will
flash you, they fine you and you have to pay. In Ghana, you’re free,”
added Inkoom, who had to restrain himself from pulling across two lanes
of oncoming traffic, a normal manoeuvre back home, as he left the
stadium car park.

Inkoom broke into
the Ghana team last year when he played in the final match of the World
Cup qualifying campaign against Mali and was ever-present in the team
which finished runners-up to Egypt at the African Nations Cup in Angola
in January.

He played in the
team which won the under-20 world championship in Egypt last year,
beating Brazil on penalties in the final, and believes that victory
could inspire the senior side to win the tournament in South Africa;
something no African team has done.

“I believe that we
are going to live the ultimate,” he said, bristling with confidence.
“If you are determined and focused in football, I believe you can
achieve what you want.” “We are united and we have the quality. If you
see the senior and junior players, it’s amazing. Michael Essien is
great, you can ask him anything you want, anytime.

Stephen Appiah is
the same, he is a good captain, he encourages players. Milovan Rajevac
is a very good coach, he comes to you and shows you the plan, he goes
through it with you one to one, he shows you what to do, he makes us
understand football,”

Steamy port

Inkoom’s new home,
in a quiet Basel suburb, is a world away from the teeming streets of
the steamy port of Sekondi where he grew up.

Like thousands of
children across Africa, Inkoom learned his football on the streets. His
life changed when, as a teenager, he was spotted by a scout from a
football academy in the centre of the country.

“My father was a
teacher and he told me I couldn’t go, he wanted me to go to school,”
said Inkoom. “So I ran away from home. One day, I just took some things
and left. Then, my father would come and watch me play and he would
argue with my coach telling me he wanted me to come home.”

Inkoom, who says
his parents are now among his biggest fans, ended up being signed by
Ashante Kotoko, Ghana’s most popular club, where he quickly became a
firm favourite.

He was spotted by
FC Basel, joining the Swiss club at the start of the season. He does
not intend to let the opportunity slip and has shunned the lifestyle
which has sent so many players down the wrong path.

“I prefer gaining a
lot of energy for my work,” said Inkoom, who spent the interview with
one eye on his performance in a recent match against FC Luzern.
“Instead of going to a night club, I prefer to sleep and watch my
matches and the mistakes I made, to learn from them.”

Angry fans

No African country
has ever reached even the semi-finals of the World Cup, but Inkoom said
that expectations in the West African country, who reached the second
round on their first finals appearance four years ago, are high,
possibly too much so.

“There is a lot of
pressure on the national team; everybody wants you to do something for
the country,” said Inkoom, who felt the fans’ wrath after a 2-2 draw
with Mali. “But you will not find it easy, they will assault you, they
will go to your family… everybody knows where you live and they will
go straight to your house.

“They follow the team with their hearts, sometimes they don’t have
money and fight to get money to buy tickets to come to watch you…so
they get angry if you lose. I believe it’s part of football. If they
insult me, it doesn’t bother me.”

Sports

Nobody wants to play South Africa, complains coach

Nobody wants to play South Africa, complains coach

South Africa coach,
Carlos Alberto Parreira, struggling to prevent an ignominious early
exit by the World Cup hosts, expressed frustration on Friday at the
difficulty of setting up strong pre-tournament friendlies.

Stymied by the bad
planning of the South African federation and the final stage of
European competitions, the hosts returned on Friday from a training
camp in Germany still short of the challenging preparation games they
need to improve.

“I tell you the
real truth, we worked very hard in Germany to get one single first
division team to play with us. Even the reserve team for Bayern Munich.
But nobody wants to play with us,” the Brazilian coach told a news
conference.

The Icelandic
volcanic ash cloud that severely disrupted global air travel added to
Parreira’s problems with both China and Estonia pulling out of
friendlies in Germany.

South Africa have
played North Korea and Jamaica in the last week, managing only a
goalless draw with the former which pushed them down to 90th in the
FIFA world rankings.

They beat
79th-ranked Jamaica 2-0, but Bafana Bafana (the Boys) still looked
unconvincing, especially in goal-scoring power. The Jamaican game was
their third victory in 16 matches.

The camp included
only players from the domestic league, but Parreira’s problems are
compounded by the fact that most European-based South African players
spend the majority of their time on the bench for their clubs and lack
match fitness.

Local excitement

FIFA and local
organising committee officials have expressed concern that a poor
performance by South Africa and an exit after the group stage would
undermine vital local excitement for the June 11-July 11 tournament.
They would be the first World Cup hosts not to make the knockout second
round of the finals if this happens.

Parreira asked
people to “be realistic” about the home team’s chances. South Africa
“should not put pressure on our boys. We have to give our best and
fight for the country”.

Hundreds of fans blowing vuvuzela trumpets welcomed the team when they landed back in Johannesburg on Friday.

Orlando Pirates
midfielder Teko Modise told reporters the team were playing well, but
needed to break the goal drought. “I think the one thing we are lacking
now is scoring goals. Scoring goals will bring us more confidence,” he
said.

Kaizer Chiefs’
midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala agreed, “As a team we’ve being doing well
defending and keeping shape but I think we need to start going more
forward and scoring goals,” he said.

South Africa hope
to play friendlies against Bulgaria, Colombia and Denmark in May and
early June ahead of the June 11 opening match of the tournament against
Mexico.

Parreira named a
provisional 29-man World Cup squad on Friday. One notable absentee is
Spanish-based defender Nasief Morris, left out just before last year’s
Confederation Cup for disciplinary reasons and still not rehabilitated
despite efforts at a reconciliation.

First choice
defender Morgan Gould, who underwent ankle surgery in February but is
attempting to work his way back to fitness, was also excluded.

Sports

Eagles’ must show desire against a flat back four

Eagles’ must show desire against a flat back four

All the advantage
the Eagles may have in the coming world cup may well hinge on the fact
that they will be playing on African soil.

It has been an
eventful period for the team in the last four months. An uninspiring
performance in Angola led to calls that saw Coach Shaibu Amodu relieved
of his duties, denying him for a second time the chance of leading the
team to the World Cup finals. Former Sweden coach, Lars Lagerback
signed on as new coach on February 27, 2010 and was been given a
mandate to lead the Eagles to the semi finals of the World Cup.

On April 18, he
released a tentative list of 44 players from which he is supposed to
pick his final 23 players for the Mundial in South Africa. The list
itself had one or two surprises and if there is a level playing ground
in the training camp then maybe some unheralded players may just make
the cut.

While Nigeria’s
list is still provisional, Argentina have gone ahead to name a starting
eleven barring injuries, who will face Nigeria in their opening match
on June 12.

The players named
by Argentina coach, Diego Maradona, include: Sergio Romero; Nicolas
Otamendi, Martin Demichelis, Walter Samuel, Gabriel Heinze; Jonas
Guiterrez, Juan Veron, Javier Mascherano, Angel Di Maria; Lionel Messi,
Gonzalo Higuain or Carlos Tevez.

He said in an
interview on an Argentine radio station: “”I have tried many
full-backs, I had Emiliano Papa and Javier Zanetti but I have now
settled for playing four centre-backs in defence. I’m very happy with
Nicolas Otamendi, Martin Demichelis, Walter Samuel and Gabriel Heinze.
The performance against Germany showed how good this group are
together. There will be alternatives in the squad however such as
Clemente Rodriguez.” He justified the line up with this comment: “The
attitude of the boys in the last game showed the spirit that we have in
this team, it is a spirit that you’ll always find in Argentine
football. In fact we went to Uruguay and won, we kept [Diego] Forlan
very quiet that night.” History with Argentina Qualification for the
World Cup was fortuitous to say the least. It was a topsy turvy
campaign and at the last, our destiny was in the hands of Mozambique
and Tunisia. We could say it was not easy qualifying for South Africa.
But we qualified because Tunisia faltered on the last day by losing in
Maputo; the Eagles played their part in beating Kenya in Nairobi 3-2
with an Obafemi Martins’ goal nine minutes from time.

We are now here and
Argentina will be our first foes in Johannesburg. In Nigeria’s history
against Argentina, there has only been one occasion that Nigeria got
the better of the Argentines and this was at the U23 at the 1996
Olympics, where a Daniel Amokachi inspired side came from behind to
beat the South Africans 3-2. Daniel is now an assistant coach to the
Eagles and he will need to inspire this team to such great heights.

Where everybody
fears or respects Lionel Messi in unequal measures for his prowess on
the ball and it is understandable, Nigeria has a chance like every team
to the World Cup if it can just get its act together.

The centre backs
against the Eagles Playing a defence of only centre backs and the names
mentioned by Maradona brings up opportunities that the Eagles should
exploit. First of all, the average age of that defence is 29 and added
is the fact that they have had long and strenuous league campaigns.
That itself is an advantage in disguise – they can be exploited with
explosive pace and passes in the gaps that will be created by reduced
agility. Yes, age in defence leads to a lot of experience but pace is
the name of the game in today’s football.

Can Lagerback
devise a method to exploit these? Their full backs will not be doing a
lot of over-lapping, that is for sure. That can also be exploited if
our full backs can push forward at every opportunity if the attackers
are keeping the defenders busy in the middle of the pitch. As it showed
in their friendly match against Germany early this year, the times that
the Germans tried to stretch the play by going through the wings,
Maradona’s men had challenges but unfortunately, the Germans do not
have the pace that Nigeria can boast of in the attack. This is one of
the reasons why it has been suggested that Nigeria may have to play
with a two-man sitting defensive midfielder system.

This ultimately
means that the Eagles must come up with a plan to narrow their play and
make it expansive at the same time; then they will have a chance
against the genius, Lionel Messi and his cohorts. We know from
experience that even very good defences are troubled when you stretch
them.

The oldest lesson
in sport is – put genius in a foot race with desire, and desire will
win every time. The Eagles must be desirous of victory over Argentina
but more importantly, that desire must be shown by their actions on the
pitch and in this, Lagerback has to get his selection right, choosing
the right players with the right desires to prosecute the World Cup. If
he does this, he will have achieved something greater than his
predecessor. He must recognise that a footballer who consistently turns
in eight out of 10 performances is far better than one who gets full
marks one week and half marks the next.

Finally Maradona
suffered a dog bite recently and he told www.goal.com: “The dog bite
was my fault.” If Nigeria beats Argentina on June 12, it will be his
greater fault.

They say once
bitten, twice shy, will Nigeria be able to bite the Argentine legend in
Johannesburg on June 12 where it hurts most? – His ego! It is possible
because there is one thing that Nigeria can arguably boast of, a better
coach in Lars Lagerback. They also say that the World Cup is about
coaches because the best teams will be represented with the best
players in the world. Will Lagerback prove a better coach than Maradona?

– It is all to play for in South Africa.

The cry of
Nigerians over the charade at the Nations Cup in Angola was that the
team was totally bereft of guile and had more of brawn. West Africans
are known to be physically gifted, but lacking in technical quality.
Lars Lagerback can add that bit of guile that will make the physical
nature to become intimidating. The Eagles as presently constituted are
still good enough to scrap for at least a second round appearance but
that is only if we will use all our opponents’ defects to our own
advantage.

So maybe a shake-up
in the Eagles team will be good and lead to a wake -up; or maybe the
shake-up will be just that – a shake-up.