Category: Sports

President of the Nigerian Golf Federation and former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola will be honoured with a day Kitty at the IBB International Golf and Country Club on Sunday to celebrate his being called to bar as a lawyer.

“We his friends decided to honour him with this kitty coming up on Sunday at the IBB International Golf and Country Club to celebrate his being called to the bar because now he is a Barrister-at-law,” said the Chief Executive Officer of ULO Consultant Limited, Uche Okpuno.

The celebrant, Oyinlola who spoke to SportingLife in Abuja yesterday gave thanks to the Almighty God for all He had done for him. “One must be grateful to God that one is endowed with some good friends who are ready to associate with one’s success in life. I want to give glory to the Almighty God that having been a successful military officer and a very successful politician, it has pleased God for me to belong to that noble profession called the ‘learned people’ so I will always glorify God till the end of my life”, he disclosed.

Oyinlola, who is also the Executive Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, disclosed his passion for golf despite being very good in other sports. “Let me tell you I play virtually all other games. Till I left the Army, I was Army No. 2 in lawn tennis and Armed Forces No. 4. I also played polo and squash for the Army.

I was the Army Champion in billiards and snooker for several years. But I tell you the only game that at one particular moment will exercise every part of your body is golf, right from your thinking faculty down to your toe is golf. It is one game that you are not competing with anybody but the course layout so you can come and play this game on your own. At a certain stage you will drop your tennis racket and not be strong to play other sports, but it is this golf that you can play till any age. So, you can play this game at age 100 years and above in the morning and in the evening pack your load and go and meet your creator”, Oyinlola summed up.

Representatives of Kenneth Omeruo have told MTNFootball.com that the Nigeria defender is “95% close to joining up with Chelsea”.

Omeruo has made the final 23-man Nigeria squad for this month’s Africa Cup of Nations after he only made his full international debut against Catalonia this month.

“Chelsea want the player to end his loan spell at ADO Den Haag and we are going to have several meetings in this respect. Right now there are discussions to have a meeting in South Africa during the Nations Cup,” one of the representatives of the defender informed.

One of the issues that need to be ironed out is whether he should move to Stamford Bridge immediately during this winter transfer or wait till the closed season in the summer. He has signed an initial 18-month loan deal at Den Haag, which will be up at the end of this season.

MTNFootball.com has specially gathered that top officials of Chelsea have already booked into the Nelspruit base of the Eagles. Mikel Obi and Victor Moses are the other Chelsea players on the Eagles squad to the Nations Cup.

Nineteen-year-old Omeruo, who has been capped by Nigeria at U17 and U20 levels, is in his second season on loan with Den Haag from Chelsea. A central defender, he has established himself at right back at Den Haag.

In the summer, he missed out on going on pre-season training tour of the United States of America because he could not process his entry visas in time.

This month, he made two assured appearances for the Eagles both as a substitute against Catalonia and Cape Verde. He would now push for a first-team place ahead of Celtic ace Efe Ambrose.

Christian Chukwu, a former Super Eagles Head Coach, has described the inclusion of six domestic league players in Stephen Keshi’s AFCON squad as a commendable act.

Chukwu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos that the players must have proved their worth during the trial sessions.

“It’s a good thing that our own home-based players made the list, our domestic players can now have it at the back of their mind that if they perform well someone is watching. I know these guys were not selected on the basis of sentiments, nobody did them a favour. They merited it. They were called up because they are good and they were finally selected in the squad because they must have proved that they are not flukes,’’ Chukwu said.

In the same vein, Okey Emordi, the Head Coach of Enugu Rangers, also described the list as a wake-up call to all league players to step up their performances. He said Keshi had been able to boost the morale of league players, which would improve the standard of the league.

“Keshi has really given these players hope and he will forever be remembered for being bold enough to take this step that previous coaches shied from. It is now left for our home-based players to get their acts together and improve their style of play. It is now evident that with hard work and dedication they can get into the national team,’’ Emordi added.

Thompson Oliha, a member of the victorious 1994 Super Eagles squad that won the AFCON in Tunisia, also described Keshi’s list as “okay’’. “I think it’s’ okay having six players from the domestic league we should not base everything on foreign-based players. It is a beacon of hope to our domestic players,’’ Oliha said.

Meanwhile, Taribo West, a former Super Eagles and Inter Milan FC of Italy defence strongman, described the selection of domestic players as a “breath of fresh air’’.

“Since they have been doing well this is a good way to motivate them, it is necessary. Keshi has really tried, I pray his effort brings in the much needed result,’’ West said.

Reacting to the development, Tunji Babalola, the Secretary of the Nigeria Premier League’s (NPL) Interim Board, lauded the players for making the league proud. He added that for some foreign-based players to have been dropped to accommodate them, showed that they were world-class players in the making.

“They have made us proud and we are happy. It’s a welcome development and we are hopeful that this is just the beginning of new and good things to come. For some foreign-based players to be dropped shows they have what it takes and we want them to comport themselves in manners worthy of emulation when they get to South Africa. It will encourage our players to do better, we are grateful to the Technical Committee for giving league players this opportunity because many were called but few are chosen,’’ Babalola added.

NAN reports that the Super Eagles will play in the Group C alongside the Stallions of Burkina Faso, the Chipolopolo of Zambia and the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia.

ThankGod Ike claims Nigeria Premier League club Warri Wolves have turned down an undisclosed bid from rivals Heartland for his services as it failed to meet his valuation.

Allnigeriasoccer.com previously reported that a plethora of domestic clubs led by Heartland, Lobi Stars and Rangers had been keeping tabs on the transfer situation of the fringe Super Eagles center back. ”I was supposed to join Heartland for the coming season. But they said Warri Wolves called big money for them as my transfer fee. For now, I will remain with Warri Wolves and my target is to win the championship at the end of the season,” ThankGod Ike told allnigeriasoccer.com.

The goalscoring central defender is being paid N220, 000 (approximately 1,000 euros) a month at Warri Wolves.

Dynamo Kiev president Igor Surkis is ready to allow Nigeria international Ayila Yussuf and two other players leave the club as free agents provided they get decent offers.

Football.ua with reference to Sport Express Ukraine quoted Surkis as saying: ”It is about Badr El Kaddouri, Stanislav Bohush and Ayila Yussuf. I will not take a penny for them: these guys at one time have done a lot for our club. But if they don’t find clubs, they will stay in Kiev before the end of their contract, and if they are satisfied with that fate, will play for Dynamo-2 and youth team, as paradoxical as it may sound.”

Ayila Yussuf, 28, has spent ten seasons with the Ukrainian vice – champions. For the past few seasons, the Nigeria international has seen his first team opportunities limited at the capital club.

Developing a comprehensive design for the needed change in sport requires a lot of hard work and commitment on the part of the reformers however one critical piece which I hope to dwell on today is the aspect of applying the science of research and proper documentation as well as utilizing the various research findings for the general good of sport development in Nigeria. It is expedient to note that for a very long time we have been complaining about sport development not going the way we all desire it to go but my big question today is “HAVE WE EVER THOUGHT OF ADOPTING THE INSTRUMENTALITY OF EMPERICAL RESEARCH IN SOLVING OUR PERCIEVED PROBLEMS” honestly I don’t need a prophet to tell me the answer which is a big NO.

When I listen to some sport enthusiast talk about how to solve this or that problem I tend to wonder from where they get their inference basically I wonder if their speeches or comments are research oriented or a mere talk oriented. On what do we advance the argument of the various changes that we are desirous of witnessing in our sport. Do we for once imagine that we can simply solve the problems of sport without a consideration of digging deep into the factors militating against our steady progress and sustained desired of sport greatness in Africa.

How much funding is committed into research and development in sport? Do we have professionals that are competent to embark on certain researches that will eventually help in the turnaround of our sport or are we just as is presumed working with so-called experience which overtime has taken us no where than where we started from?

Recently, I was informed that the German Football League has awarded Opta Sport Daten and Heco Trac a four-year contract to collate the official match data for the Bundesliga and you may want to ask what they intend to do with such data after collation or better put why such a contract. But honestly, their reason is not farfetched and in fact it is very simple they believe in scientific approach to sport planning despite the fact that they have good experience as an advantage they still believe that an independent analytical research compilation and data processing will better improve the German Bundesliga.

I remember an empirical research which I conducted on the “Administrative Sport Policy Changes as Predictors of Sport Economy in Nigeria” one of the issue’s I looked at was the effect of constant changes of Sport Ministers in Nigeria viz-a-viz its consequences on administrative sport policy because each minister comes with a different administrative style and also before his style is comprehended to be appreciated he is removed and another minister comes into the ministry with yet another administrative policy this of course have got its attendant negative effect on the overall development of sport in Nigeria.

Not to mention the characterized inconsistencies in general administrative set up of the Highest sport governing body in Nigeria as enunciated in part of the National Sports Policy 2009;

“The promulgation of Decree 34 of 1971 formalized and legalized the National Sports Commission (NSC) as the apex Federal Government agency to control, regulate and organize sports in Nigeria. In 1975, the National Sports Commission was elevated to the status of a Ministry with a Cabinet Minister. However, the promulgation of Decree 7 of 1991 saw the re-emergence of the National Sports Commission as a Parastatal under the Ministry of Youth and Sport. In 1995, the National Sports Commission was scrapped and the administration of sports was once again transferred to the Ministry. By December 2006, the Obasanjo Administration reverted the then Federal Ministry of Sports and Social Development (FMSSD) to the National Sports Commission. Prior to this development, the then Ministry had recognized 34 National Sports Federations. The oscillation of the administration of sports between the Federal Ministry of Sports and the National Sports Commission was a major factor militating against the desired growth and development of Sports in Nigeria. Sports management structure suffered some setbacks as a result of poor or non-implementation of the 1989 National Sports Policy, which was Nigeria’s first Sports Policy”.

Coming back to the main discuss which is the need for the use of empirical research in solving sport related challenges I am of the very strong view that adopting this method will go a long way in resolving the various challenges militating against our sport advancement. The very simple way of doing this is by engaging seasoned sport scholars who abound in our various tertiary institutions specifically speaking at the departments of human kinetics and health education we have renowned scholars in sports whose research interest cuts across the various perceived challenges been faced by our sport but without a connecting synergy between the sport authorities and these scholars then we may not be able to get the desired result that we look forward to achieving through our involvement in sport.

We need to look beyond the four walls of those currently in the system and approach clear minds and seasoned professionals in sport science and management who through research will be able to tell us how best to overcome whatever challenges we are facing today in Nigeria. It should also be mentioned that because sport is universal the language is one hence through research we will be able to see how and what some other sport prospering countries did to get to where they are because knowledge abounds only waiting to be discovered and since the findings when made would have been tested it can then be trusted to be adopted as a policy direction for Nigerian Sport.

We need the various professionals in our Universities to assist in charting a new course for sport development in Nigeria the earlier we solicit for their professional assistance the better for the entire sport sector. God bless Nigeria.

Emmanuel Adebayor is set to refuse to play in the Africa Cup of Nations after a fresh bust-up with the Togolese Football Federation.

The Tottenham striker was fully expected to play in South Africa – but Sportsmail has learned that another row with his country’s football chiefs looks set to keep him out of the squad.

It is unclear what has sparked the latest disagreement, but the Spurs striker had initially decided against playing in the tournament due to rows over bonus payments and security issues.

However, Adebayor looked set to play for Togo in the tournament after making a U-turn – but his participation is doubt yet again. However, negotiations are ongoing as both parties seek to find a resolution.

Sportsmail also understands the unrest may extend to other members of the squad.

Adebayor was not going to play in the tournament, which starts in South Africa on January 19, due to fears of another attack like the one on the Togo team bus at the 2010 Cup of Nations and a row over unpaid bonuses.

Adebayor was on board when gunmen opened fire as they headed to their African Cup of Nations base in Angola in 2010. Three people died in the incident – the bus driver, an assistant coach and a press officer.

But his country’s president Faure Gnassingbe reassured the squad over their security fears.

Heartland goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi and US-based striker Bright Dike have been placed on standby following the injury of Austin Ejide.

Goalkeeper Ejide suffered a muscle tear in Wednesday’s warm-up against Cape Verde raising a major doubt over his availability for the tournament.

Ejide himself has played down his injury, saying he would be fit to return to action by the weekend, but a scan has now revealed he suffered a muscle tear that could rule him out of the AFCON.

Experts informed MTNFootball.com that a first degree tear could sideline a player for about 10 days.

“We have got result of scan on Ejide and it revealed he had a muscle tear. A statement will be made by Stephen Keshi on him later over his availability for AFCON but two players Daniel Akpeyi and Bright Dike have been put on standby,” Eagles spokesman Ben Alaiya said.

Bright Dike of Portland Timbers in the American MLS has been a shock exclusion for the AFCON.

Ejide has not been lucky with injuries. At the 2010 Nations Cup in Angola, he was injured for most of the competition.

Officials informed MTNFootball.com that Ejide’s latest injury is a big blow for Nigeria as he has regained the No.1 shirt ahead of rival Vincent Enyeama. He was preferred to Enyeama at the 2008 Nations Cup in Ghana by German coach Berti Vogts.

Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan has revealed he will not take a penalty during normal play in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

The 27-year-old missed a spot-kick that would have put Ghana in the semi-finals of World Cup 2010 and again in the semi-finals of last year’s Nations Cup. After suffering abuse from fans, which led him to take an international break, Gyan does not want to step up again. “I have decided not to take a penalty for the national team,” he said.

“Most of the biggest players have missed penalties – Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona – all great players. On a bad day it can happen.

“But I said some months back that I wouldn’t take another penalty. Before my Mum died [in November] she told me not to take penalties any more.”

Two years ago Gyan failed to convert a penalty against Uruguay at the end of extra-time in their World Cup quarter-final, which would have won the game and made them the first African side to reach the last four in the history of the competition.

Then in February he again missed from the spot in his country’s Nations Cup semi-final against Zambia, who went on to win 1-0 and then beat Ivory Coast in the final.

Later that month Gyan said: “It’s been very hard for me mentally, to miss two important successive penalties for my country.

“I never fully recovered from the 2010 World Cup and now the 2012 [Africa Cup of Nations].”

Gyan returned from his self-imposed exile in August, and in October he was given the responsibility of replacing John Mensah as the Black Stars captain.

While he is “thrilled” to be leading from the front, he will not be at the head of the queue to take another spot-kick when the action once the tournament kicks off on 19 January.

But he hinted that would dig deep to show leadership in a penalty-shoot-out, saying “if I’ve been chosen to take one then why not.”

As for Ghana’s chances of lifting the trophy come the final on 10 February, Gyan is careful not to make any bold statements.

“It’s been over 10 years since we won a cup and sometimes it is a bit frustrating,” he said. “All the Ghanaians are expecting a cup back home and that can put a bit of pressure on the players.

“But we know how to do our job. We have played in Europe and on the biggest stages in the world. We have to focus, make sure we qualify from the group stages and then we can think about winning the cup.”

Ghana kick off their campaign against the Democratic Republic of Congo on 20 January and will also face Mali and Niger in Group B.

Nigerians will not watch the Super Eagles again until January 21 as a final warm-up game against a Dutch club will be behind closed doors.

Top officials of the team have told MTNFootball.com that Saturday’s game against FC Rotterdam in Faro, Portugal, will be closed to the public.

“The Eagles game against Rotterdam is behind closed door so there is no way Nigerians may be able to watch the game and after that game we head to South Africa later,” an official disclosed.

The Eagles have drawn both of their pre-AFCON warm-up matches, 1-1 with Catalonia and 0-0 with fellow 2013 Nations Cup finalists Cape Verde.

The Eagles will depart Portugal on January 16 and arrive South Africa the following day. They open their Group C campaign on January 21 against Burkina Faso.

Defending champions Zambia and Ethiopia are the other teams in their first round group.