Tag: MFM

  • MFM, Plateau Utd qualify for next round of CAF Champions League

    An 81st-minute goal courtesy of Chijioke Akuneto was all MFM FC needed to qualify for the next stage of African Champions League.

    The second leg of the first round of the 2018 CAF Champions League was played on Wednesday at the Agege Stadium.

    The Adekoya boys had played a draw with AS Real Bamako in the first leg played in Bamako.

    The match which had in attendance the 1st and 2nd vice-presidents of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko, saw both teams playing cautiously but the home side made efforts to score an early goal.

    The effort never paid off until nine minutes to the end of the match when Akuneto headed home the only goal of the match to put smiles on the faces of the over 5,000 spectators in the stadium.

    Speaking to Tribunesport after the match, MFM coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu, though was happy with the result said they had to work on their attack if they intended to go far in the competition.

    “The absence of my two key players affected us today and the fact that we missed so many scoring chances also means that we need to work on our attack against our future matches,” the coach said.

    Akuneto, in a chat with Tribunesport, said he dedicated the goal to the memory of his late parents and that he was highly elated to score in the match having realised that it is a long time a continental match was last played in Lagos.

    In another match involving Nigeria’s other representatives in the CAF Champions League, Plateau United defeated Eding Sport of Cameroon 1-0 to qualify for the next round on 4-0 aggregate.

    The only goal of Wednesday’s match played in Cameroon was scored by Raphael Ayagwa in the early minutes of the second half. The Nigerian league champions had earlier defeated the Cameroonians 3-0 in the first played in Jos.

  • CHAN Eagles, MFM face off in NPFL Invitational final

    African Nations Championship (CHAN) bound Super Eagles and last season’s runners-up in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) MFM FC will go toe to toe in the final game of the NPFL Invitational Tournament in Kano on Sunday.

    The Super Eagles managed by Salisu Yusuf are the only side that have won a match at the tournament since it began on 11 December at the Sani Abacha Stadium with the five other games ending in stalemates.

     

    Yusuf’s men played out a goalless draw with NPFL champions Plateau United on Day 2 of the competition before edging Enyimba 1-0 through a sumptuous Sunday Faleye finish in the first game of Day 3 on Friday to book their place in the final. The national team are also the only team yet to concede a goal.

    MFM are without a win in the tournament but have scored the most goals, being two. Both goals were scored by Adegboyega Adekunle as they were held by Akwa United and Kano Pillars in their group games by similar scoreline of 1-1.

    LOW-SCORING TOURNAMENT

    It has been a tournament with fewer goals. The two finalists have a combine of three goals between them which accounts for 43 per cent of the total goal scored. So far, seven goals have been scored in six matches averaging 1.16 goal per game.

    Despite the low-scoring stats, MFM forward Adekunle has been responsible for two of the seven goals. His tally means he has accounted for 29 per cent of the total goals netted in the tournament with Faleye, Chinedu Udeagha, Tosin Omoyele, Ajibola Otegbeye and Alassan Ibrahim scoring one each.

    HOW THEY MIGHT PLAY

    Nonetheless the low-scoring return is expected not to influence the selection of the coaches of the two teams. It is expected that MFM manager Fidelis Ilechukwu will stick to the group that played the last game against Kano Pillars.

    For the Super Eagles, Yusuf has dropped the hint that there could be a change in the goalkeeping area with Theophilus Afelokhai starting after Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Dele Ajiboye featured in the games against Plateau United and Enyimba respectively.

    The coaches will further use this game to assess their teams as they prepare for two different African competitions, the CHAN and the CAF Champions League.

  • MFM FC wins South-West Pre-Season Tourney

    Lagos-based MFM FC defeated 36 Lion of Lagos, 3-1, to emerge the champions of the 2017 edition of South-West Pre Season Football Tournament.

    The NewsGuru reports that the Premier League, National League and some invited teams based in the South-West Geo-political Zone participated in the week-long invitational tournament.

    MFM defeated 36 Lions in the final match decided at the Agege Stadium, with goals from Victor Mbaoma, Oche Salefu and Monsuru Bashiru.
    Bakare Emmanuel scored 36 Lions’ only goal of the entertaining match.

    The Chairman of the tournament, Seyi Akinwunmi, told TNG during the encounter that the competition achieved its aim of preaching unity and love to clubs in the zone.

    He said that the tourney helped in identifying talents from the zone who would be nurtured to greatness.

    “We can assure everyone that the next edition of the tourney will be better and bigger,” he said.

    The MFM FC Media Officer, Olawale Quadri, said that the team would leverage on its achievement in the competition to prepare well for the next competition.

    “MFM FC will continue their pre-season exercise with another pre-season event tagged, “Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Invitational Tournament’’ next Monday in Kano at the Sani Abacha Stadium.

    “This is a good way to prepare the team ahead of the next challenge,” he said.

  • MFM paid twice for Prayer City land, document available for all to see – Olukoya

    MFM paid twice for Prayer City land, document available for all to see – Olukoya

    Following reports in some sections of the media that the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries wrongly purchased the land that housed its Prayer City, the General Overseer of the church, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, has dismissed such reports saying the church bought the land genuinely for authorized owners.

    The camp, popularly referred to as Prayer City, is located along Lagos/Ibadan Expressway.

    Olukoya, who spoke during the December edition of the monthly ‘Power Must Change Hands’ programme of the church on Saturday, said the church had a genuine Certificate of Occupancy of the land.

    Olukoya said those fighting the church over the land ownership were not the true owner of the land.

    He said, “I want to clear the air on negative reports about the MFM that has been circulating on the social media which is that the MFM is not the rightful owner of the land on which the Prayer City is situated. The report is untrue and misleading. The MFM has many enemies and many friends. Those who like the light will like the church while those who detest truth and light will hate the church.

    “I wish to assure you that MFM has been here (at this location) for 18 years and we have a Certificate of Occupancy obtained from the government. In fact, we paid twice for the land on which the Prayer City is situated. We paid to OPIC, and then the rightful owners, which were confirmed to us by the government. So, those that are now saying they are the rightful owners are not saying the truth.”

    The GO however urged members not to be dissuaded by any false alarm as raised in the media. He said the church was fully in possession of genuine document validating its ownership of the land.