Category: Sports

The Consul-General of Nigeria’s Mission to South Africa, Mr Okey Emuchay, has vowed that Nigeria will not lose hope in its effort at improving its image that has been dented abroad.

Emuchay said this on Monday in Johannesburg while receiving members of the Nigeria Football and Other Sports Supporters Club, led by its President-General, Dr Rafiu Oladipo.

No fewer than 500 members of the club have converged in South Africa to cheer the Super Eagles to victory at the ongoing 29th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The consul-general noted that Nigeria had been facing image problems in South Africa and indeed other countries in southern Africa because of changes in the political leaderships in the countries in the region.

“The older generations of politicians in Southern Africa, who knew Nigeria’s contributions toward their struggle for emancipation from colonialism are leaving the stage for the younger ones. The likes of Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki who struggled for freedom are leaving the stage for the younger ones, who do not know much about the role of Nigeria during their struggles,’’ he said.

He, however, pointed out that it was ironical that it was mainly the black South Africans that had been painting Nigeria black, stressing that the white South Africans had been busy establishing businesses both home and abroad.

“The majority of South Africans on business missions to Nigeria were mainly white South Africans. The white South Africans are making more money in Nigeria through establishing of businesses,’’ he said.

According to him, the issue of image laundering is a collective effort, stressing that it behooves every Nigerian to continue to project the image of the country positively to the outside world. Emuchay said that Nigeria’s image problem had nothing to do with its population, but strictly a leadership problem.

He commended the club in its efforts at rebuilding the good image of the country, saying Nigerians were aware of the positive roles being played by the club.

The consul-general urged Oladipo not to be intimidated by the negative image being projected of the country at present, saying that the club should continue to create a positive image for the country at home and abroad.

Earlier, Oladipo said that the country was facing infrastructure problems at home, saying that something concrete needed to be done to improve the situation.

Oladipo said that Nigerians were known to be hardworking and patriotic but that only a collective and effort of leaders as well as followers would help to re-build the nation.

Ghana players have been paid US$ 35,000 each for advancing to the last eight of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Black Stars booked their berth as Group B leaders after a comprehensive 3-0 win over Niger on Thursday night in Port Elizabeth.

“The bonuses were paid at 10:30 pm last night and you can see that is why the players are happy,” Ghana FA spokesperson Ibrahim Daara-Sannie confirmed at Tuesday’s press conference.

Ghana FA Executive Committee member Emmanuel Kyeremeh further explained the mechanism for paying bonuses.

“The budget management submitted to the Ministry was approved and we also agreed the qualifying bonus with the players. We actually didn’t base it on matches. If we had not qualified yesterday, then we were not going to pay any bonus,” Kyeremeh said.

Ghana finished with 7 points, three more than second-placed Mali and set-up a showdown with high-flying Cape Verde. The Black Stars beat the the Blue Sharks 1-0 in an international friendly in Portugal two months ago.

Mali’s qualification for the quarter-finals of the ongoing 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa may have seemed perfunctory to football fans elsewhere.

But the team’s players and officials are viewing it as a source of much-needed succour for their beleaguered people back home. Mali is in the throes of conflict as armed Islamist groups have seized the northern part of the country and inflicted untold hardship on the people, forcing many to flee to neighbouring countries and many more to be displaced internally.

As the Nations Cup tournament continues in South Africa, international forces are assisting the West African nation to regain sovereignty over its whole territory and help it restore normalcy to what was once a shinning example of democracy in Africa.

After Mali’s 1-1 draw against DR Congo propelled the team to the last eight on Monday, team captain Seydou Keita struck the right note when he said: “This means a lot for Mali. This qualification will give hope to Mali people, you all know what is happening in our country.

I’m very happy.’’

Team coach Claude Le Roy echoed the same sentiments: “’I want to congratulate Mali. I know that this win means a lot for the people of Mali. I know that Mali is going through a difficult moment right now, but they are not alone, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we have many internal problems and people have died.’’

The players and officials will be hoping to go further in the tournament to bring more joy to their compatriots back home at a difficult moment in time.

Industrial And General Insurance Plc (IGI) has congratulated Nigerians and the Super Eagles on their victory in the match against Ethiopia which they won 2-0 to qualify for the quarter-final stage of the Nations Cup competition.

In a statement in Lagos, the insurance company, which is the official insurer of all the national football teams, applauded the resilience of the Eagles and the unshaken support of their teeming supporters, which it said contributed largely to the outcome of the tension-soaked match.

IGI, however, stressed the need for the Eagles to step up their game and get their acts together to ensure they sail through the knock-out stage. Urging Nigerians to keep their faith alive and keep supporting the team, the company reaffirmed its confidence in the ability of the national side to lift the trophy.