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Recent pictures of the stadium. Source https://www.nairaland.com/5203787/see-new-look-reconstruction-upgrade

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Ambode Winds Up Official Duties, Unveils Onikan Stadium


Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, will inaugurate a newly constructed Onikan Stadium, an ultra-modern sports facility with 5,100-seating capacity specifically redesigned in conformity to international standard.


As shown on the manifest of the state government, Ambode will wind up official activities of his administration with the inauguration of the sports facility constructed to house at least 9000 fans during concert and entertainment and that of Lagos Theatre, Badagry on Monday.

Also, the inauguration will bring to a close the unveiling of different strategic projects (christened legacy projects) the Ambode administration had initiated after the 50th anniversary of the state.

The legacy projects include Oshodi transport interchange, Institute of Maternal and Child Health (a.k.a Ayinke House), Oshodi-Murtala Muhammed International Airport road and Lagos Theatre, Oregun which President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated on April 24.

After unveiling the ultra-modern theatre in Epe on Friday, the governor said he was fulfilled, citing different people-focused projects his administration had projects within the ancient town and its adjoining communities.

Ambode, whose tenure ends on Tuesday, said he was able to implement a number of projects which changed the outlook of the town and made life further comfortable for the people, as well as improve the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of the state.

He said, “This is more or less a fulfilling day for me. If there is anything for me to say, it is the fact that I am fulfilled that a day like this can come in Epe. In four years, we have turned things around. God has given us that grace that we can come back here and actually spend my last weekend here with my people.


“We are very delighted that among the Art Theatres that we have established, we have the opportunity to come and commission the one in Epe. President Buhari unveiled the first one – the Lagos Theatre, Oregun and then followed by the one in Igando.

“That of Badagry will be commissioned tomorrow making four out of the six that we had actually planned. Two to go and believing strongly that the vision to actually bring out the best of the talents of our younger ones is part of this structure that you are seeing here.”

He said the initiative to construct the theatres across the state was borne out of the vision to create a framework to bring out the creativity and innovative skills of talented youths, as well as serving as a platform to scale up communal bonding among the people.

Ambode said, “We are also renovating Glover Memorial Hall. It has been fully paid for. In another few months, they should be able to commission it also so that we can have top class tourist attractions in all these locations. People can decide to come and watch a play in Epe and then drive back to Lagos.
“In totality, beyond bringing out the talent of our youths, the ultimate goal is to increase the GDP of Lagos because, in the services provided here and other things that would be done in other locations, you have more people that will be earning income.


“You would have more people that would be paying taxes; you have more people that you can generate income from which you can now use back to improve on a lot of Lagos residents,” the governor said. He, therefore, thanked the people of Epe Division for standing by him during the bad and good times, thereby urging them “to support the incoming administration of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu to further develop the state.”

http://aitonline.tv/post-ambode_winds_up_official_duties__unveils_onikan_stadium


Picture 1) Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

2) Proposed design of the new Onikan Stadium.

3 and 4) The old Onikan Stadium

9 forwards and 5 defenders?

That might not tell the whole story. The truth is that there are several players in that list that are utility players, that is, they can play in several positions. For example, Rasheedat Ajibade is listed as a forward, but she can also play as a midfielder and Evelyn Nwabuokwu is listed as a midfielder, but she can also play as a defender (in fact, she played as a defender at the WAFU Cup).

yummy001:
naptu2, kudos to you for a job well done.

I have been a long time enthusiast of female football right from the days of Ismaila Mabo and the first Nations' cup in Abeokuta. But of recent, I've not been impressed with the evolution of female football in Nigeria over the years. We seem to be taking 2 steps forward and 4 steps backward, forget our dominance on the African scene.

I am not a natural pessimist, but I don't see us going past our traditional position of group stage at the mundial as usual. This is no thanks to our oyinbo coach who seems to lack the knowledge of African female football. As crude as Ismaila Mabo coaching techniques looked like, he had one thing going for him. He understood the nitty-gritty of African female football. Apart from discovering most of the girls of his era, he knew them in and out. He really understood their strengths and weaknesses. He knew who to play in what position, and who and who to combine together. He really brought out the best in those girls.

I believe with patience, time, and the right international grade A coaching exposure, not forgetting non-stop quality friendly matches every now and then, Florence Omagbemi would not only have equalled Mabo's records but surpassed them in flying colours. It still beats me till date how an Omagbemi could be dropped for a Dennerby despite winning her first Nation's cup in style. I guess it is down to our worship of anything foreign at the expense of ours irrespective of the quality.

Sir, please I have 2 questions for you:

(I) Don't you think stripping a veteran like Onome Ebi of the captain's armband and giving it to Oparanozie could affect the morale, bonding and spirit of the team ahead of the world cup? Personally, I think this singular action tells negatively on the man-management skill of the coach. It would have been understandable if Onome was incompetent or indisciplined. To make matters worse, she even stood out as the best player in the mediocre squad that won the last Awcon unconvincingly.

(II) I have been following you on Nairaland for a very long time. Looking at the quality of your posts, especially when reporting female football, are you a professional sport journalist or just a female football enthusiast?

Keep up the good work sir.

Sorry it took so long for me to respond. Yesterday was quite a hectic day.


I have always said that the biggest problem with Nigerian football is not the players or the coaches, but the administration. Poor administration is the biggest thing that has held Nigerian football back. There was absolutely no reason to frustrate Florence Omagbemi out of the job.

Florence Omagbemi was not sacked to make way for Thomas Dennerby. Rather, the NFF and the Sports Ministry failed to do their job, which was to take care of the welfare of the team that won the 2016 AWCON in Cameroon. The players consequently staged a protest in Abuja. Some NFF officials blamed her for the protest. They accused her of failing to control the players.

https://www.completesports.com/nff-dilemma-appointment-super-falcons-coach/

It is quite obvious to all sensible people that the NFF and the Sports Ministry were the cause of that protest and it makes no sense to blame Omagbemi for it. The players are adults and they know when they are being maltreated.

https://guardian.ng/sport/omagbemi-celebrated-by-fifa-rejected-by-nff/

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/10/laloko-blasts-nff-omagbemis-sacking/

The NFF subsequently frustrated her out of the job. They had promised to renew her contract if she won the 2016 AWCON, but they allowed the contract to lapse. In fact, they were owing her and her assistants a lot of money in unpaid salaries and allowances. Many months later, they asked her and other coaches to reapply for the job and they used this to frustrate her out of the job.

Contrast Omagbemi's situation with the case of Desiree Ellis. She played for Banyana Banyana at about the same time that Omagbemi played for the Super Falcons. They both met again (this time as coaches) when the Super Falcons beat South Africa in the semi-final of the 2016 AWCON. Since then the NFF has frustrated Omagbemi out of the job, while SAFA and SASOL (Banyana Banyana's sponsor) have given Ellis everything that she needs to succeed and she has become the first coach to qualify Banyana Banyana for the World Cup.

The NFF was divided over whether to appoint Edwin Okon (who was coach of the team at the 2015 World Cup) or to appoint a foreigner as coach after Omagbemi had been forced out of the job.

Like I said earlier, Omagbemi was not sacked to make way for Dennerby. In fact, the NFF announced Randy Waldrum as coach of the Falcons in 2017. However, the poor administration that I spoke about earlier wrecked that deal.

The NFF announced Waldrum as the new coach without reaching any agreement with him. They merely spoke to him on the phone and then they did not contact him for 3 months after that telephone conversation and so Waldrum abandoned the Super Falcons job and took up a position as coach of the University of Pittsburgh.

https://www.thecable.ng/nff-randy-waldrum-super-falcons

The NFF eventually hired Thomas Dennerby, primarily because he had coached Sweden to the 3rd place in the 2011 Women's World Cup.


I believe that the issue with Thomas Dennerby is quite similar to the issues we had with Manfred Horner in 1988 and Philippe Trousier in 1997. You can have a good foreign coach, but the issue is, will the coach understand our style of football? Will the players understand the way that the coach wants them to play?

I won't take the 2018 AWCON into account because we had a terrible preparation for the tournament. However, for once, the NFF has got it right with the preparation for this World Cup. The Falcons beat Slovakia 4-3, lost to Belgium 0-1, lost to Austria 1-4 and beat Thailand 3-0 at the Cyprus Cup. They lost to China 0-3 and beat Romania 4-1 at the China Invitational Tournament. Then they lost 1-2 to Canada and beat Selfoss (an Icelandic club) 6-1.

They are currently at a two weeks closed camp and they will play more friendlies while in camp. The big question is, will this time together enable the players to understand how the coach wants them to play??


Regarding the situation with the captainship, luckily the two players involved, Onome Ebi and Rita Chikwelu, are very mature players. I don't think that they will create any problems (remember how well they handled the issue of being co-captains). I'm not sure how other players will react to the situation.

Thomas Dennerby strikes me as a logic machine.He has made two decisions that I won't have made, but I can understand why he made them.

Why did he make Desire Oparanozie the captain? He said that he wants a captain that will play always and that Oparanozie gets along very well with the other players.

My interpretation is this. Onome Ebi is the oldest player in the team (she's 36) and she had a long injury lay off 2 years ago. I guess that he believes that she won't have the stamina to play all the time. I don't agree with him, because she was our best player at the 2018 AWCON and I remember how she rolled back the years to mark Thembi Kgatlana (a much younger and very fast player) in the final, but I can understand where he is coming from.

It's quite similar to the issue with Courtney Dike. She's one of my favourite players, but I knew that her position in the team was shaky way back in October/November 2018. She played for Nigeria at the 2014 Under 20 World Cup and at the 2015 senior World Cup, then it seemed like she disappeared. She didn't play for Nigeria at the 2016 AWCON.

Then she reappeared and played in the friendly against France in mid-2018 and then vanished again. She was invited to the Falcons camp in Epe ahead of the 2018 AWCON, but she didn't show up in camp and no explanation was given for her absence. I had been trying to find out what clubside she was playing for since January 2018, but I couldn't find any link between her and a clubside. That's what led me to investigate her situation and I found this.

https://www.nairaland.com/4875509/courtney-dike-now-certified-public

So, apparently she now plays football part-time. I guessed that Thomas Dennerby, being a logic machine, would pick a full-time player over a part-time player and that's what he did.

@Uchenduchinaza7
@ayindecharity

@Ebere3Ngozi
@Amychris2015
@E_Nwabuoku
@superogo

@Rasheedat08 and @Rashedaatt10
@anam_imo
@Ucheofficial30
@Chinweihezuo1

@TOluehi
@JonathanAlaba
@nnadozie_chiamaka

@EBIONOME
@ikidifaith
@RKwelu
@OhaleOssy

Ann Odong is the reporter assigned to the Super Falcons by FIFA.

She's going to help us to get to know the players.



@AsisatOshoala
@oparanozie9
@OrdegaF
@NgoziOkobi

peacengine:
I heard they have 2 Captains

They had two captains. Onome Ebi was the captain (she's the oldest in the team). She got injured and Rita Chikwelu acted as the captain.

We had two captains when she came back from injury, Onome Ebi and Rita Chikwelu. They both lifted the trophy when Nigeria won the 2018 AWCON.

However, almost two weeks ago, Thomas Dennerby made Desire Oparanozie the sole captain.

The controversy in Cameroon is due to the selection of Gaelle Enganamouit.

Enganamouit is the 2015 African player of the year. She was also the highest goal scorer in the Swedish league in 2015 and she is the first African woman to score a hat-trick at the World Cup.


She was also nominated for the 2015 BBC Women's Player of the Year and she scored one of the fastest goals in women's football history when she was playing in the Serbian league.

Unfortunately she suffered an ACL injury at the beginning of the 2016 season and that effectively ruled her out for the rest of the season.


However, Cameroon hosted the 2016 African Women's Nations Cup and the Cameroonians were desperate to get their star back in time for the competition.


Enganamouit did not score a single goal at the 2016 Nations Cup (though she did act as a decoy for other players because defenders paid close attention to her).

She was signed by Dalian for the 2017 season, along with Asisat Oshoala.

While Oshoala enjoyed a great season with Dalian and became the highest goal scorer in the Chinese league, Enganamouit spent more time on the doctor's table than on the pitch. She eventually left Dalian at the end of the 2017 season, without scoring a single goal and moved to Norway.


She scored 4 goals in the 2018 Norwegian season and also scored a goal at the 2018 African Women's Nations Cup. Unfortunately she missed a penalty in the semi-final against Nigeria and Cameroonian fans vandalised her house.

She moved to Malaga in Spain in 2019, but she also had injury problems there and ended up leaving the club after a few months. She is currently clubless and some Cameroonians wonder if it was a wise decision to include her in the World Cup team. The highest goal scorer in the Cameroonian league was dropped from the team.

There's always criticism when the final list of players that will play at a tournament is released. Fans always want their favourite player to be on the team and some players believe that the coach hates them and that's why they were not selected.


The truth is that only 23 players can be selected and other players must be dropped.


In Nigeria we have too many very good forward players and the coach would always have been criticised, no matter who was dropped.

And that's why some fans are complaining that their favourite players (Courtney Dike, Ini Umotong, Sophia Omidiji, etc.) were dropped.


This is also the case in South Africa. Many people, including former Banyana Banyana player Amanda Dlamini, are upset that Nyandeni Mpumi was dropped from the team. You can see the reaction of Mpumi in the fourth screenshot.

Bonapart:
No be onome Ebi be captain? This is her fifth world cup. Desire isn't captain

Desire Oparanozie was made the captain almost 2 weeks ago.

www.nairaland.com/attachments/9458349_2019052216_25_12_jpege6793f682e11a36b0f2c57d3590f745d

Why Dennerby made me Falcons Captain – Oparanozie

Ogechukwu Ogwo

Super Falcon’s skipper, Desire Oparanozie has stated that team gaffer, Thomas Dennerby might have spotted some good leadership qualities in her, hence his decision to name her captain of the team to the 2019 Women’s world cup in France.

The Guingamp WFC of France forward stated that the appointment came to her a huge surprise but she will do her best to bring the players together.

“Super falcons captaincy came as a surprise to me because there are so many players who are older than me who had been in the squad longer than I have been who deserved the position but I really don’t know why he picked me perhaps he saw some leadership quality, who knows?”

The African champions will depart from Abuja for Austria on Monday, 20th May for the Avita Resort in Bad Tatzmannsdorf – the same facility where the Super Eagles had their final camping programme just before the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

https://www.brila.net/why-dennerby-made-me-falcons-captain-oparanozie/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Ini Umotong, Josephine Chukwunonye, Cecilia Nku and
Christy Ohaeriaku were dropped.


The complaints have started on Twitter.

"Why did they drop Umotong?"

"Why did they drop Courtney Dike?"

"Why are they taking only 5 defenders?"

The Copper Queens of Zambia wished the African representatives good luck.

South Africa

Forwards

Thembi Kgatlana
Jermaine Seoposenwe
Ode Fulutudilu
Amanda Mthandi
Rhoda Mulaudzi


Midfielders

Linda Motlhalo
Refiloe Jane
Leandra Smeda
Mamello Makhabane
Karabo Dhlamini
Busisiwe Ndimeni
Kholosa Biyana
Sibulele Holweni


Defenders

Janine van Wyk (Captain)
Nothando Vilakazi
Noko Matlou
Lebogang Ramalepe
Bambanani Mbane
Tiisetso Makhubela


Goalkeepers

Kaylin Swart
Andile Dlamini
Mapaseka Mpuru

https://mobile.twitter.com/Banyana_Banyana/status/1129694001865646080

Cameroon

Forwards :

Gaelle Deborah Enganamouit
Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene
Michaela Abam
Ngono Manie
Ajara Njoya
Takounda Engolo


Midfielders:

Raissa Feudjio
Ngo Mbeleck Genevieve
Abena Ninon Therese
Meyong Menene
Ngock Yango
Marlyse Ngo Ndoumbouk


Defenders:

Christine Manie (captain)
Meffometou Tcheno
Marie Awona
Estelle Johnson
Leuko chibosso
Sonkeng Isis
Augustine Ejangue

Goalkeepers

Annette Ngo Ndom
Adriane Mambingo
Ongmahan Marthe

https://mobile.twitter.com/AfriqueMultisp1/status/1131826573844328448

Forwards:
Desire Oparanozie (Captain)
Asisat Oshoala
Francisca Ordega
Rasheedat Ajibade
Anam Imo
Chinaza Uchendu
Uchenna Kanu
Alice Ogebe
Chinwendu Ihezuo


Midfielders:

Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene
Rita Chikwelu
Evelyn Nwabuoku
Ogonna Chukwudi
Halimatu Ayinde
Amarachi Okoronkwo


Defenders:

Onome Ebi
Ngozi Ebere
Osinachi Ohale
Faith Michael
Chidinma Okeke


Goalkeepers:
Tochukwu Oluehi
Alaba Jonathan
Chiamaka Nnadozie


https://mobile.twitter.com/thenff/status/1131992646761811968

May his soul rest in peace.

By the way, that's not Asisat in the picture. I think that's her younger sister. Asisat was still in Spain with Barcelona when the pictures were taken.

End

Even more pictures

More pictures

Asisat Oshoala Feeds The Less Privileged During Ramadan

The Asisat Oshoala Foundation is providing free meals and other items to the less privileged in this holy month of Ramadan.

The feeding project began on Sunday, May 19th and will continue until the 5th of June.

The foundation will provide free meals at the Destitutes Camp at Oko Baba in Ebute Metta and it will also feed the destitutes at Agege and Mosholashi Alhaja.

Here are pictures of the feeding programme.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxwas_-oYJn/?igshid=3o9rh7gf03un

https://mobile.twitter.com/MathewOkugbe/status/1130810440739692545