TheNewsGuru

Tag: Lesotho

  • Lagos Govt orders restriction of movement for Super Eagles match against Lesotho

    Lagos Govt orders restriction of movement for Super Eagles match against Lesotho

    The Lagos State Sports Commission has issued a travel advisory for motorists in the State due to planned restriction of vehicular movement for the match between Nigeria and Lesotho, scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere.

    Executive Chairman, LSSC, Mr. Sola Aiyepeku, in a statement issued at the weekend, noted that there will be partial restrictions of vehicular movements in and around the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere on Tuesday from 10 am to 10 pm.

    According to him, vehicles approaching Teslim Balogun from Ojuelegba and Alaka/Eric Moore can only use the flyover, as no car will be allowed to pass in front of the National Stadium and Teslim Balogun Stadium without a special pass.

    While noting that only vehicles with VVIP stickers or Tickets can be allowed to approach the National Stadium, he maintained that vehicles with VVIP Stickers or carrying persons with VVIP Tickets will also be permitted to access the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

    “ONLY cars containing passengers with tickets can approach and enter National stadium to park. Also, pedestrians without tickets will not be allowed to come close to either of the two stadia”, he emphasised.

    The Chairman, however, appealed to Lagosians to abide by the travel advisory, regretting any inconvenience the restriction on vehicular movements may cause during the period of closure.

  • Go all out against Lesotho, Akanni urges Super Eagles

    Go all out against Lesotho, Akanni urges Super Eagles

    Waidi Akanni, an ex-international, on Monday called on the Super Eagles to go all out against Lesotho, in spite of the team’s qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations.

    Akanni, a former Chairman of the Lagos State FA, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    “Hopefully they will go all out tomorrow and win convincingly to reassure Nigerians that Super Eagles are a team to beat.

    “Winning is important but they have to play cohesively, the players need to understand one another,” Akanni said.

    Akanni, a member of the team that won bronze medal at 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship, urged Coach Gernot Rohr to give opportunities to other players in order to have a formidable team.

    “Playing Lesotho, I expect a completely new starting line up; coach Rorh also needs to use a permanent system that Nigerians like, wing play.

    “Like we all know, there are lots of talents and as such he should select those worthy,” he said.

    The 33th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to hold in January 2022; Algeria are defending champions having won in 2019.

  • JUST IN: Super Eagles arrive in Lagos after breaking 8-year jinx against Benin [PHOTOS]

    JUST IN: Super Eagles arrive in Lagos after breaking 8-year jinx against Benin [PHOTOS]

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria have arrived in Lagos State by boat after defeating the Squirrels of Benin Republic to break an 8-year jinx in an African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier match.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Paul Onuachu scored the lone goal of the game for the Super Eagles to beat the Benin Republic national football team that boast an 8-year unbeaten run in the hands of the Nigerian national football team.

    The Super Eagles arrived in Lagos, where they are bid to take on the Crocodiles of Lesotho on Tuesday.

    “The boat experience to and fro Benin was a cruise. And the win… massive! Thanks for all your support, next up is the game against Lesotho on Tuesday in Lagos,” the Super Eagles tweeted on Sunday.

    Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC) has congratulated the Super Eagles for defeating the Squirrels of Benin Republic and qualifying for 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon.

    A statement by the club’s Media Officer, Peter Ejiofor, said on Sunday that it also urged the Coach, Gernot Rohr, to maintain the team that played the last qualifier.

    According to it, this is to ensure that they defeated Lesotho on Tuesday when they play their last qualifier.

    In his reaction to the match played at Charles de Gaule Stadium in Port Novo, the National Chairman of the club, Rev. Sam Ikpea, said: “We at the Supporters Club are very proud of this present crop of super Eagles.

    “It was a fantastic outing and a welcome victory. The Squirrels of Republic of Benin perhaps never bargained for the superior power of our boys on the pitch.

    “Our boys displayed courage, raw talent and hunger for victory and their resilience brought the needed victory and pride to Nigeria.’’

    Ikpea added that: “should our boys maintain this spirit and resilience, we are sure of bringing the AFCON Cup home’’.

    Also, the Public Relations Secretary of NFSC, Dominic Ehimare, said: “It’s pertinent that Rohr maintains this current team.

    “Our boys had superior midfield power though the Squirrels had an almost impregnable defence.

    “In all, it was a very tough match but the Eagles, like the colossus of Athens, bestrode the field of play and came out victorious.

    “We are carrying the AFCON Cup, I can say with all sense of clairvoyance. This is not a hollow prophecy but it’s what will come to pass.

    “I do not see any other team matching these current boys. They are fit to lift the cup.’’

    It would be recalled that NFSC had on Friday staged a walk around the sports city, Surulere, to welcome back the Super Eagles to Lagos after 20 years absence to play against Republic of Benin on Saturday in Port
    Novo and Lesotho on Tuesday in Lagos.

    The Super Eagles’ last game in Lagos was against Zambia.

    The walk which started from NFSC’s headquarters at Funso Williams Avenue, Surulere, Lagos, took the singing and dance troupe of Nigeria’s foremost football fans club to Teslim Balogun Stadium and environs.

    Ikpea explained at the event that the walk was staged ostensibly to sensitise teeming football fans and lovers of Super Eagles on the return of the team to Lagos, the acclaimed home of football.

    “We want all Nigerians to be aware of the return of our darling Super Eagles to Lagos.

    “Much more, we staged this walk to galvanise all Nigerians to support our national team in their games against their opponents, particularly, the match against Lesotho in Lagos, next week Tuesday,’’ he said.

    Ikpea enjoined Nigerians to support the Super Eagles on the match days by droning Nigeria’s national colours as a sign of patriotism.

  • BREAKING: Super Eagles break 8-year jinx with win over Benin

    BREAKING: Super Eagles break 8-year jinx with win over Benin

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria on Saturday beat the Squirrels of Benin Republic in a Group L African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2022 qualifier match to break an 8-year jinx.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Super Eagles beat Benin by a loan goal from Paul Onuachu in the 93rd minute of the game.

    Nigeria, therefore, have secured its place in the 2022 AFCON scheduled for Cameroon, ahead of their match against Lesotho on Tuesday.

    Ahead of the fixture, the Benin Republic national football team boast an 8-year unbeaten run in the hands of the Super Eagles.

    See reaction from the goal scorer below:

     

  • BREAKING: Super Eagles of Nigeria qualify for AFCON 2022

    BREAKING: Super Eagles of Nigeria qualify for AFCON 2022

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria have qualified for the 2022 edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Super Eagles qualified for the AFCON with two games to spare, becoming the 17th team to seal a place in AFCON 2022.

    The Super Eagles qualified for AFCON 2022 after the game between Lesotho and Sierra Leone ended in a 0-0 draw.

    The draw guaranteed the Super Eagles of Nigeria, three-time champions of the competition a top-two finish in Group L.

    TNG reports, however, the Super Eagles will still have to battle it out with Benin on Saturday and Lesotho on Tuesday.

    Nigeria has eight points, Benin seven, Sierra Leone four and Lesotho three.

    Benin needs just one point from the match against Nigeria to secure a place at AFCON 2022.

    The countries finishing first and second qualify for the 24-team tournament in Cameroon next January.

    Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Comoros, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia and Zimbabwe have qualified, leaving seven places to be filled.

  • BREAKING: Lagos Govt places restriction on Nigeria against Lesotho AFCON qualifier match

    BREAKING: Lagos Govt places restriction on Nigeria against Lesotho AFCON qualifier match

    The Lagos State Government has placed a restriction on the Nigeria African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier football match against Lesotho.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Sola Aiyepeku made this known on Friday in Lagos.

    Live watching of Super Eagles match with Crocodiles of Lesotho on Tuesday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, has been restricted to only a few thousands fans, Aiyepeku said.

    “The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and their counterparts from Lesotho will be played under strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols, the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) has ordered.

    “What this means is that the chance of Lagos fans watching their darling Eagles live at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere on Tuesday, March 30, is restricted to just a few thousands fans.

    “Authorising Nigeria as the first African Nation to have fans in the stadium at this time speaks volumes of CAF’s confidence in the country and our ability to cope with strict crowd control demands.

    “Lagos has made plans to abide by CAF’s guidelines by meeting all requirements,’’ he said in an interview with NAN.

    Aiyepeku noted that it was unusual for Eagles not to play before a full house.

    “We all have to make sacrifices to ensure all things work out well.

    “This is for our long-term good, bearing in mind the situation in which COVID-19 has put the entire globe.

    “On this note, we will strictly abide by CAF’s decisions on the need for fans control as it is a necessary decision for public safety.

    “CAF has uniquely given us permission to have a very limited crowd in the stadium for the game because of COVID-19 restrictions in the interest of public safety,” he said.

    The LSSC boss also told NAN that match tickets were not open to the general public.

    “We are working with the Nigeria Football Federation on a strict selection process for the few fans that will be in the stands.”

    He said that fans without valid tickets would be turned back at the entrance of the stadium, adding that security checks had been put in place for the encounter.

    He also said that COVID-19 protocols would be strictly observed.

    “We know most people in Lagos really want to see the Super Eagles, and we are hopeful that as we all continue to do our parts in the effort to fight this pandemic, very soon, Super Eagles will be able to play in Lagos before a full capacity crowd.

    “The state government is working hard to successfully host the match as all hands are on deck to ensure both Super Eagles and Lesotho contingents enjoy Lagos hospitality throughout their stay in the state,’’ he said.

    Aiyepeku also said that fans would not be allowed to watch the Super Eagles train at the stadium, in accordance with the CAF rules.

    “In the same vein, football fans are not allowed to watch Super Eagles training sessions ahead of the Lesotho game coming up on Tuesday.

    “Our fans can follow live telecast of the match at home,” he said.

  • Lesotho’s First Lady charged with murder

    The First Lady of Lesotho was charged with murder and remanded on Wednesday over the fatal shooting of her husband’s previous wife in 2017.

    Maesaiah Thabane, who was married to Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, had been in hiding since mid-January after police called her in for questioning over the killing of Lipolelo Thabane.

    On Tuesday, Thabane turned herself in and appeared in court on Wednesday in handcuffs and under heavy police guard.

    The court said she has a right to apply for bail, but deputy police commissioner Paseka Mokete said the police would object to any bail application because she had fled the country.

    The prime minister’s previous wife was killed in June 2017. Maesaiah married the prime minister shortly after the death of Lipolelo, and right before he began his second term in office in the small African kingdom that is completely surrounded by South Africa.

    The prime minister and Lipolelo had been in a drawn-out divorce battle while he was already in a relationship with Maesaiah.

    The two women battled each other in court over who should be the legitimate first lady, with the judge ruling in favour of Lipolelo.

    Maesaiah has also been charged with the attempted murder of the woman who was travelling with Lipolelo when she was shot dead.

  • Thabane sworn-in as Lesotho PM two days after wife’s murder

    Lesotho’s new prime minister took office on Friday at the head of a coalition government, three years after he was targeted in a coup and two days after the murder of his estranged wife.

    Thomas Thabane’s All Basotho Convention (ABC) party won snap elections on June 3 but failed to get an outright majority, leading it to negotiate joint rule with the Alliance of Democrats (AD), Basotho National Party (BNP) and Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL).

    But his inauguration was marred by the murder of his estranged wife Lipolelo, 58, who was gunned down on Wednesday night in a village near the capital Maseru.

    Thabane’s new coalition government comes into office with the hope of ending the political uncertainty of party splits and fragile coalitions that have long dogged the mountain kingdom.

    He said it was disturbing that Lesotho was increasingly becoming notorious for its failed governments and that it was time to change.

    “I sincerely hope that political reforms will bring stability in Lesotho and ensure that Lesotho governments last for a normal five-year term,” he said in his inaugural speech.

    The new alliance replaces the government of Pakalitha Mosisili, a seven-party coalition plagued by infighting and corruption.

     

    At the ceremony, which was held inside a stadium in Maseru, Thabane thanked his predecessor “for facilitating the smooth transfer of power” and said the two would “remain friends forever.”

    Thabane, 78, previously served as premier of Lesotho. However, the left the country of two million people after the 2012 elections but was forced to flee to South Africa following an attempted military coup two years later.

    In his speech, Thabane commented for the first time on the killing of his estranged wife.

    “I am mourning her death and (the) senseless killing of people like this… is one of many challenges that I am faced with as a new prime minister,” he said.

    The gunning down of Thabane’s wife just two days before he took office created a sense of confusion in the tiny poverty-stricken country which is completely surrounded by South Africa.