Enyimba, Akwa United ready to exhale
CAF Confederation Cup • Al Hilal’s Shobowale sure of success in Uyo
TWO of Nigeria’s representatives in the CAF Confederation Cup, Enyimba of Aba and Akwa United will go into today’s final leg of the preliminary round with the knowledge that they hold the key to their participation in the group stage of the competition.
Enyimba will face Bidvest Wits of South Africa in Calabar, while Akwa United will entertain Sudan’s Al Hilal in Uyo.
In the first leg of the ties last week, Enyimba held Bidvest Wits to a 1-1 draw in Johannesburg, while Akwa United lost 0-2 to Al Hilal in
Onyekuru resumes training with Everton
Omdurman. And so, Enyimba needs only a goalless draw to advance to the group stage, while Akwa United must win by at least three goals without conceding any to make it.
Enyimba’s Austin Oladapo, a midfielder, is sure his club will do the needful against the South Africans.
The silky playmaker, who has been one of the standout performers for the People’s Elephant this season, was bullish in a chat with Enyimbamedia in the build-up to the CAF Confederation Cup play-off return leg.
“I am very confident… see- ing the training all week, it has been impressive, so I am very confident that we are going to scale through,” he said.
Allied to the thorough preparation the side has undergone, Oladapo also believed that a difficult first leg, which saw the Clever Boys see more of the ball for long periods, has better prepared the team to respond in Calabar.
“Now, we feel more motivated. We already know how they play; we saw it in their home, and [yet] we were able to get an away draw there. So, we already know their tactics.”
Also sure of success today is Wednesday, April 18, 2018 Akwa United Chairman, Elder Paul Bassey, who believes the support from Akwa Ibom State government has given the team the fillip to overcome the Sudanese.
The state government has thrown the gates open for fans to come and cheer Akwa United to victory. “Wednesday is midweek, a lot of fans will either be in their offices, marketplaces and other business concerns that may punctuate their desire to come and cheer us to victory, but with this magnanimity from the governor, we expect a near capacity crowd especially from schoolchildren who are on holiday.”
Revolutionplus agrees N500m five-year deal with Access Bank Lagos City Marathon
REVOLUTIONPLUS Property Development Company yesterday became the latest heavyweight corporate organisation to pitch its tent with the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon for which it has agreed a five-year sponsorship deal worth N500 million.
The deal will see the outfit, a real estate company, spend the sum of N100 million annually for the period of five years. The agreement confers on Revolutionplus the position of title sponsor of the race, while Access Bank remains the headline sponsor.
Speaking at a ceremony held in the company’s head office in Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday, the Managing Director/chief Executive Officer, Mr. Bamidele Onalaja said Revolutionplus decided to join the marathon train as part of its social corporate responsibility to Nigerians, adding that the partnership would afford his company the opportunity to showcase its brand. “We spend so much money on radio and television advertisement on daily basis trying to showcase what we stand for as a property development company, but we see the marathon as a bigger avenue to achieve better results. One may not be able to see the profits immediately, but we believe it is a deal that is worth entering into.
“I have been following the Lagos City Marathon since its inception because I am a sports lover, especially athletics and football. The phenomenal growth of Access Bank Lagos City Marathon within a short period is one of the reasons we decided to partner with them. To have your course certified by AIMS, get an IAAF Bronze Label and have over a 100,000 starters at the third edition of the marathon, including many foreign and local elites, is not a small feat. Only a few marathon races in the world have this. Access Bank Lagos City Marathon is a global brand and we want to identify with it.”