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League Round Up: Nigeria Premier Football League Facts and Stats

Imhons Erons — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 08:59:00 +0000

The Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, has been on a three-week break, giving fans, players and clubs the chance to savour the many beautiful moments the 10-match old league has thrown up.

With League duties set to resume on June 14 with Match Day 11 games, we take a look at some of the fascinating facts, figures and stats that’s making the NPFL the toasts of local and international observers.

196 goals have been scored in 97 Glo NPFL matches so far, averaging 2.02 goals per game.

The biggest away win in this season’s Glo NPFL is Sunshine Stars’ 3-0 success at Heartland on Match Day 7. Tunde Adeniji scored a brace & Prince Aggreh got the third goal.

Abia Warriors & Heartland suffered the most defeats at home this season. They have lost twice each on their grounds in the Glo NPFL

Lobi Stars & Sharks are the Glo NPFL clubs with least number of wins (1 apiece) so far this season.

Abdulrahman Bashir’s goal ended Lobi Stars winless streak in the Glo NPFL which lasted for 900 minutes.

Akwa Utd & Warri Wolves are the only clubs yet to score on the road in the Glo NPFL this season.

Akwa Utd have scored the least number of goals (5) this season in the Glo NPFL. Mgbem Chukwujike, Ini Akpan, Nnamso Edo & Aniekpeno Udoh (two) are the scorers of the 5 goals

Akwa Utd have the longest run of 450 minutes on the road without scoring this season in the Glo NPFL. The Promise Keepers will be away to Nasarawa Utd on Match Day 11 (June 14).

Six-time champions Enyimba have taken the highest number of points (7) on the road this season in the Glo NPFL

Did you know that Enyimba hold the longest unbeaten run in the premier league era of the Glo NPFL? The Peoples Elephant went 13 games unbeaten in a single season between 12th February & 15th March in 2005.

Giwa FC & Warri Wolves share the honour of the best defending teams in the Glo NPFL after Match Day 10. They have both conceded 6 goals apiece with Giwa FC shipping in 3 goals when they lost 3-0 at Wolves on Match Day 2.

Did you know that Giwa FC have suffered the least defeat, being ONE, in this season’s Glo NPFL? Warri Wolves are the only to have beaten Giwa FC (3-0) this term

Giwa FC have the longest unbeaten streak this season. They have not been beaten in 8 Glo NPFL matches since a 3-0 loss at Warri Wolves on March 18

Giwa FC striker Ibrahim Shuaibu is the only player to have scored in 4 successive Glo NPFL matches this season against Bayelsa Utd, Lobi Stars, Akwa Utd & Rangers.

Despite an impressive start at the outset of the Glo NPFL this season, FC Taraba have faltered at their Jolly Nyame Stadium, leaving them as the club with the least number of points (6) amassed at home.

Gabros FC remain the only club yet to concede a goal at home in this season’s Glo NPFL after 450 minutes of football at home.

Former Glo NPFL champions Enyimba have the most points (7) on the road this season after winning 2 away matches, drawing 1 & losing 2.

It will be exactly 12 years in a couple of weeks when Glo Premier League champions, Kano Pillars, suffered their last defeat at home in a top division game, a 1-2 loss to a Fatai Amao-tutored Julius Berger FC on June 21, 2003.

All facts, stats and images are provided by the League Management Company of the NPFL.

#SoccerNet Football Facts: The Nigeria Premier Football League

Imhons Erons — Thu, 21 May 2015 13:03:00 +0000

1. Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan, founded in 1950, is the oldest football club in the current Nigeria top league. History.

2. With the season barely 6 weeks old, 7 away victories have already been recorded. Heartland FC accounts for two of those. Boost.

Photo Credit: Futaa

3. Of Heartland’s three league wins, two have come away from home. Comfort.

4. The seven goal thriller witnessed in Heartland’s 5-2 defeat of Nasarawa is the highest scoring match so far this campaign. Exciting

5. Lobi Stars is the only club after round 6 matches that are yet to win a game (D5, L1). Slow

6. Incidentally, Abia Warriors FC‘s only away victory has come against Heartland, the away-win specialist. Sucker-punch

7. Taraba FC and Enugu Rangers are the only clubs to have suffered 3 consecutive losses. While Heartland joins Giwa FC has the only clubs to record three straight wins so far. Form

8. In 2012 the NPFL was ranked as the best in Africa and 24th best in the world by the IFFHS, the rating puts it a spot above the Scottish Premier League for the year. Wonder

9. The team that emerges winners of the Nigerian Premier Football League, will be N80 million (more than $400,000) richer cummulative, according to the League Management Company (LMC). The winners of the league on final day of action will pocket N30 million.

10. In the 2013-14 season for instance, League Winners Kano Pillars were awarded Fifteen Million Naira while second placed Enyimba FC got Eleven Million, two hundred and fifty thousand Naira.

11. The first winners of the Nigerian Premer League was Mighty Jets of Jos. They won the title in 1972.

12. Rangers International of Enugu won three of first six titles contested for in 1974, 75 and 77.

13. In the 2010–11 season Jude Aneke of Kaduna United became the first player to score 20 goals in a season. The present best ever, though, is 2014 top scorer, Mfon Udoh of Enyimba with 23 goals.

#SoccerNet Football Fact: The stolen World Cup Trophy

Biyi Akangbe — Tue, 19 May 2015 11:17:00 +0000

In 1966 the World Cup trophy was stolen and later found by a dog days before the tournament began.
The Jules Rimet trophy, which is made of solid gold and valued at 30,000 euro, was swiped while on display at Central Hall in Westminster, London. The trophy is named after a French lawyer who began the World Cup soccer tournament in 1929. The thieves also left behind postage stamps worth 3 million euro!
Several days after the theft, a dog named Pickles found the cup in south London while on a walk with his owner! England ended up winning the tournament and the recovered trophy, but in 1970 Brazil was permitted to keep the trophy forever after winning their third title. Thirteen years later, the cup was stolen again in Rio de Janeiro – it has never been recovered.

#SoccerNet Football Fact: Football in Space

Biyi Akangbe — Fri, 15 May 2015 11:35:00 +0000

Neil Armstrong originally wanted to take a football to the moon, but NASA deemed it to be un-American.

#SoccerNet Football Fact: Mysterious Lighting

Biyi Akangbe — Wed, 13 May 2015 11:30:00 +0000

In October of 1998 a bolt of lightning killed an entire 11-man soccer team from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The opposing team was completely unharmed. Thirty more people had burn injuries.
Some people thought the team had been cursed and that was what caused the lightning to strike them. The game was a draw at 1-1 when the lightning struck the visiting team in the province of Kasai in the eastern region of the DRC.
Incidentally, a similar situation happened the following weekend in Johannesburg, South Africa. A Premier League soccer match was suddenly stopped when lightning struck the field.
Half of the players from both teams, the Jomo Cosmos and the Moroka Swallows, fell to the ground. Several of the players writhed on the ground holding their ears and eyes in pain. Luckily, no one was killed in that incident.

#SoccerNet Football Fact: Babayaro’s debut goal injury

Biyi Akangbe — Mon, 11 May 2015 11:22:00 +0000

Former Chelsea player, Celestine Babayaro injured his legs while celebrating his debut goal in a pre-season match.
The Nigerian born player broke his leg doing one of his trademark somersault goal celebrations on his debut at a pre-season game against Stevenage.

#SoccerNet Football Fact: World’s First Football Club

Biyi Akangbe — Sat, 09 May 2015 13:11:00 +0000

The World’s First Football Club was the English Sheffield Football Club. It was founded in 1857 by Colonel Nathaniel Cresswick and Major William Priest, two British Army officers.

GLO NPFL Round 8: Facts and Stats

Imhons Erons — Sat, 09 May 2015 06:50:00 +0000

GLO NPFL Round 8: Facts and Stats

The Glo NPFL managed by the League Management Company LMC have turned up several mouth-watering clashes, a few surprising results and so many interesting facts and stats.

Here are some of the finest stats about the clubs and players in the 8th week old Nigerian Premier Football League.

1. Think him dirty or unlucky? Ayobami Asekunowo of Dolphins is the man who got the 130th yellow card this season Glo NPFL

2. Home advantage does count well or are they stronger in farmiliar terrain? Gabros FC, El-Kanemi Warriors, Kano Pillars & Sunshine Stars are the only teams with 100% home record in the Glo NPFL

3. Spot-kicks come in droves! A total of 18 penalties have been awarded this season in the Glo NPFL

4. A total of 15 penalties have been converted out of the total number of penalties awarded this season. Goal keepers have had a nightmare against spot kick takers.

5. After amassing twelve goals in only seven games, Wikki Tourists have scored the most number of goals, in the Glo NPFL

6. Rangers, however, have the leakiest defence having conceded the most goals (11) this season

7. Rangers have also racked up the highest number of yellow cards (10) in the Glo NPFL so far, earning the tag of the league’s dirtiest team.

8. Rangers have conceded the highest number of goals (9) in away matches in the Glo NPFL

9. Eight red cards have been issued by referees so far in the Glo NPFL

10. Glo NPFL table-toppers Giwa FC hold the longest unbeaten streak (5) this season. They travel to Enyimba this Sunday.

11. Five is the highest number of draws by any team this term. Lobi Stars hold that honour in the Glo NPFL.

12. Giwa FC striker, Ibrahim Shuaibu, is the Glo NPFL top scorer with 5 goals after Match Day 7.

Photo Credit: LMC

13. Only 7 teams, Heartland, Giwa FC, Sunshine Stars, FC Taraba, Enyimba, Abia Warriors and Wikki Tourists, have won away matches so far

14. FC Taraba have been awarded the most number of spot kicks (3) this season & they have converted all three

15. Akwa Utd have the highest number of expulsions (3 red cards) so far

16. Heartland have won more Glo NPFL matches on the road, being 2, than any other club.

17. Sunday Adetunji of El-Kanemi holds the record for the fastest goal scorer this season so far. He scored in the 1st minute against Akwa Utd on Match Day 7

18. For Shooting Stars, they are not to field Ajani Ibrahim who is yet to be fully cleared to leave Sunshine Stars, their opponents on Sunday in Akure.

19. Enyimba International are billed to play Giwa FC in Aba on Sunday but Ifeanyi Anaemena John Momoh registered to play with Enyimba with a provisional clearance from the Jos side is therefore not eligible to play in the tie.

20. Bobby Clement, Osadebamwen Okoro and Okagbue Orji Kalu will also not be with Rangers when they play Heartland of Owerri as the three Heartland players have only received provisional clearance to join Rangers.

All Facts are provided by the LMC.

#SoccerNet Football Fact: Highest number of Goals scored in a match by a player

Biyi Akangbe — Thu, 07 May 2015 12:58:00 +0000

Photo: MensXP
The highest number of goals scored by one player in a single Football match is 16. It was scored by Stephan Stanis (France) playing for Racing Club de Lens in December 1942.
He scored all 16 goals during a cup match and his team Racing Club De Lens won the game by 16 goals. Amazing right?

#SoccerNet Football Fact: Nigeria has the best Youth team in the World

Biyi Akangbe — Tue, 05 May 2015 11:02:00 +0000

Photo: Wikipedia
The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria has the best performance in history of the FIFA under-17 World Cup and have won it more times than any other country.
The team won the maiden edition of FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1985, 1993, 2007 and 2013; making them the first team ever to win the junior world cup four times. The Golden Eaglets also won the African Under-17 Championship in 2001 and 2007, and were runners-up in 1995.