Niger Tornadoes F.C.

Niger Tornadoes

Full name	Niger Tornadoes Football Club
Nickname(s)	Ikon Allah
Founded	1977
Ground	Bako Kontagora Stadium Minna, Nigeria
Capacity	5,000
Chairman	Hon. Adamu Aliyu Mohammed
Manager	Hamza Abara
League	Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL)
Home colours

Niger Tornadoes Football Club is a soccer club based in Minna, Nigeria. They currently play in the Nigerian Professional Football League. Their home stadium is Bako Kontagora Stadium and have also played home game at Confluence Stadium in Lokoja.

History[]

In 2005 they finished in the lower half of the Nigerian Premier League but avoided relegation by three points. The club has suffered financial difficulties, with players complaining of unpaid salaries and bonuses.

After an 0–3 start to the 2008–09 season the entire management was sacked. The replacements at chairman (David Suleiman) and manager (Danladi Nasidi) had the same positions at the club from 2004–05 when they finished 13th and 14th in the Premier League. On November 15, the team hired Justin Tenger as technical adviser, a role he had until 2004.

They were relegated from the Premier League in 2012 on goal difference after scoring 38 goals in 36 games. Thirteen of the goals were scored by Sibi Gwar who was the league's top scorer. They won promotion again in 2015 after winning the Nigeria National League.

Niger Tornadoes were promoted back to the top division in 2015. Coach Abdullahi Biffo led them to a promotion spot which they clinched after defeating Mighty Jets F.C. 2–0.^[1]

Niger Tornadoes were runners up in the Nigerian FA Cup in 2017 after losing on penalties to Akwa United.^[2]

The club was fined N1 million in 2019 for crowd troubles in a game against Bendel Insurance.^[3]

Achievements[]

• Nigerian FA Cup: 1

2000

• National Second Division: 2

1996, 2015

Performance in CAF competitions[]

• CAF Cup Winners' Cup: 1 appearance

2001 – Quarter-finals

• WAFU Club Championship: 1 appearance

2010 – Quarter-finals

Current team[]

As of 11 February 2019

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  NGA Ndem Innocent 2  NGA James Martins Iko 3 FW  NGA Anthony Onyebuchi Onyeakazi 4  NGA Moses Ugwu 5 DF  NGA Sunday Akinmoladun 6 DF  NGA Sarki Ismaila 7 MF  NGA Tanko Awwal 8 MF  NGA Adetola Ayo 10 MF  NGA Ahmed Liman 11  GHA Eric Frimpong 13  NGA Peter Abashiya 14 MF  NGA Obinna Jacob

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 DF  NGA Ibrahim Babawo Abubakar 20 FW  NGA Mustapha Jibrin 21 AMF  NGA Miazina Nwimueyii 22 FW  NGA Osondu Jonathan 23 FW  NGA Udeh Clement 27  NGA Atsen Emmanuel 28  NGA Iorliam Gwaza 30 GK  NGA Mustapha Salihu Aliko 32  NGA Mohammed Aliyu 33  NGA Wakili Musa Abdullahi 34  NGA Mushinu Attairu 35 MF  NGA Abiodun Afolabi 36  NGA Mohammed Abubakar 38  NGA Bashar Usman

References[]