By Wale Mustapha
Coach Mohammed Magin of Niger Tornadoes has attributed his team’s recent struggles in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) to injuries and the absence of key players on national duty.
The Ikon Allah Boys have been without key players Ismail Sarki and Joseph Godstime due to injuries. Additionally, Sabiu Ibrahim and Rickson Mendos are unavailable due to their commitments with the Flying Eagles.
Magin acknowledged that these absences have affected the team’s performance but remains hopeful of finding solutions.
“We’ve battled injury crises and players out on national assignments since the second half of the season began. The situation has affected us, but we’ll keep pushing to find a way out,” Magin told Niger Tornadoes’ media team.
Despite these challenges, Magin is determined to turn the team’s fortunes around. Niger Tornadoes will face Akwa United in their next NPFL fixture at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Thursday.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
