Category: Sports

Chieftains of the Nigeria football Federation (NFF) have secretly written letters which they plan to send to the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) eggheads stopping any European club that keeps any of the invited Super Eagles players with them after January 4.

Disclosing this exclusively to SportingLife on telephone Thursday night, NFF’s Technical Committee chairman barrister Chris Green stated that: “We are ready to do battle with any European club that withholds any Super Eagles players to play their matches in January. We are looking at what is happening in Manchester City in England, where they are plotting to keep the Toure brothers (Kolo and Yaya).

“We know that some of these European clubs will try to keep our players. We have told everyone in his letter of invitation that we will report anyone not in the team’s camp in Faro, Portugal by midnight January 4 to FIFA. We will invoke the relevant statutes on the issue of releasing players for international competitions. I think it gives us the right to ask for the release of our players at least 14 days before the commencement of the competitions, in this case the Africa Cup of Nations.

“We won’t take chances especially as Mr. President has challenged us to do everything humanly possible to lift the cup of Nations. In fact, any player who has injuries must report to the camp for the team’s doctors to see the magnitude of such injuries,” Green said.

Interestingly, Chelsea’s pair of John Mikel Obi and Victor Moses will not be compelled to participate in the January 2 international friendly match against Catalonia at Estadi Cornellà El Prat, home ground of Spanish side Espanyol.

Green, who was on his way to Bamako in Mali, stated that the NFF is favourably disposed to allow the trio play for their English sides in that weekend’s matches and have asked them to ensure that they report to the team’s training camp in Faro, Portugal on January 4.

Green disclosed further that home-based players would commence camping on December 17 whilst the Europe-based stars are expected in camp before midnight on January 4.

Nigeria have lined up an international friendly match against Catalonia in preparation for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Catalonia, like other Spanish regions such as the Basque Country, compete in friendlies against international teams but are not permitted to play in official competitions is being coached by Dutch legend Johan Cruyff.

It will be the second meeting between the West Africans and Catalonia. The first match, in December 1998, ended in an emphatic 5-0 defeat for Nigeria. And the Catalans may be looking to achieve a similar result to provide a fitting send-off for Cruyff, whose tenure as coach comes to an end after this match.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), though, is delighted with another “high-profile” friendly for the Super Eagles.

Sweepers of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) have appealed to participants and spectators to adopt best hygienic practices at the various venues of the ongoing 18th National Sports Festival.

The sweepers who disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday complained about the indiscriminate dumping and littering of refuse by participants and spectators at the various venues of the 14-day fiesta.

They said that their workload had doubled since the commencement of the festival on Nov. 27 and appealed for appropriate disposal of refuse in the refuse bins provided by LAWMA at various venues, to reduce their workload.

Folasade Ogundipe, one of the sweepers who volunteered an interview with NAN said that each venue was provided with refuse bins located at appreciable distances from each other.

She added that most of the users of the public conveniences in and around the various venues were not also putting the facilities to good use.

“The public conveniences at the various venues are in good condition, with running water, but most of the users find it difficult to flush the toilets after using them. The water closets are very neat, prepared to make people comfortable whenever they have need to make use of them, but they are not being well handled.

“It is very annoying for an adult to make use of the toilet where water is provided, yet he or she would just walk away, without keeping it neat for other users,’’ she said.

A LAWMA official who, however, declined to be identified, also condemned the indiscriminate littering of the sporting environment with empty pure water sachets, empty pet bottles, sweets and chewing gum wrappers and used recharge cards.

The official said that waste baskets were provided at convenient spots at the various sports arenas for people to deposit their waste and for them to assist in keeping the venues clean.

“The waste baskets are not there for decoration but were provided for people to dump their waste, but they are not complying,’’ the official said.

Some spectators, however, applauded the LAWMA officials for their routine checks to ensure a dirt-free environment at the various venues.

Kwara is not under any pressure to surpass the record it created at the last National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt at the ongoing 18th edition of the festival in Lagos.

Hajia Rahmat Adesina-Abaya, the state’s Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, disclosed this to journalists on Friday in Ilorin.

The commissioner, who was redeployed from the Ministry of Social Development, Culture and Tourism two weeks ago, added that she was also not under any pressure to deliver in her first major assignment in sports.

“I believe that everything is in the hands of God as the state’s athletes and their officials have worked hard enough to make an impact at the Games. I have to commend the athletes and the officials for maintaining high level of discipline so far and I also assured them of the state government’s support to deliver at the festival,’’ she said.

Adesina-Abaya charged the people of the state to give their maximum support to the state contingent at the festival for their success. She also commended the state’s football team for putting up a good performance in their matches at the Lagos festival.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kwara was placed 18th at the last festival with a total of 23 medals comprising five gold, six silver and 12 bronze medals.

The Chairman, Ondo State Sports Council, Bamido Omogbehin, has announced instant cash rewards for the state’s athletes who win medals at the ongoing 18th National Sports Festival (NSF) in Lagos.

Omogbehin told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos that the personal cash gifts were borne out his desire to motivate them to perform and meet set targets.

“I personally watched the male volleyball team beat Rivers 3-0 on Thursday and I was so impressed with their performance. I believe that by motivating the athletes, it will encourage them to surmount the challenges others states may pose in the competition. It will also help them to defend the titles they won in Port Harcourt in 2011 at the 17th edition of the festival, tagged “Garden City Games,’’ he said.

According to Omogbehin, gold medalists will pocket N20, 000, while those who win silver and bronze will smile home with N10, 000 and N5,000 respectively.

NAN reports that Team Ondo has so far won a silver and two bronze medals, all from the judo event of the Games.

John Gana, National Coordinator, Traditional Wrestling, otherwise called `Dambe’, has called for the

promotion of traditional sports, to enable it to gain recognition beyond the country.

Gana spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during the Dambe event of the 18th National Sports Festival at the Hockey Pitch, National Stadium, Surulere. He said that the games in traditional sports – Dambe, Langa, abula, ayo and kokawa (traditional boxing) — had been modernised to enable them to be able to fit in as international sports.

“Dambe is a cultural game with a very long history in the northern parts of the country and it has spread across Nigeria with the effort of the Traditional Sports Federation. It is interesting and unifying and if proper attention is given to it, it will go beyond our continent to global events,’’ Gana said.

But Gambo Agbem, Head Coach, Kogi State Traditional Wrestling (Dambe) Association, expressed dissatisfaction over the slow growth of indigenous sports. Agbem attributed the development to the poor attention given to traditional sports due to lack of interest in local things by Nigerians.

“If we promote things that are ours, we are on the pathway to distinction whether in sports or any other sector,’’ he said.

NAN reports that in the matches of the day, Team Kogi defeated Plateau 17-16 and Team Kebbi defeated Lagos 18-16. Also, Kano defeated Kaduna 17-16, Jigawa defeated Delta 3-2 and Akwa Ibom defeated Edo 8-5 in the 75kg category.

Meanwhile, Team Borno knocked out their counterparts from Katsina as Gombe also did to Ogun to win the contest.

However, Dambe is still in the preliminary stages in the 55kg, 65kg and 75kg categories, while the 85kg and Super Heavy (+85kg) are slated for Dec.1.

Reacting to the defeat of Kebbi, Tosin Odumosu, the Team Lagos coach, said the officiating was bad, claiming his side was denied points.

“I feel very bad. The guy who represented the state is a champion of our time. I am not happy with the officiating at all because the officials were not sincere,’’ he said.

Odumosu, however, expressed the hope that his team would win the rest contest in the +85kg and Super Heavyweight categories. Sunday Williams, who won the 75kg for Team Borno, said that the feat was a product of experience and divine help. Williams boasted that he would win medals for his state in that category.

NAN reports that the 14-day festival which opened on Nov. 27, will round off on Dec. 9.

The Sokoto State handball team to the 18th National Sports Festival proved a force to reckon with on Friday by beating Enugu 25-22 to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the win over Enugu was the second successive victory for Sokoto following an impressive 24-21 win over Bayelsa in their first match.

In his reaction, an assistant coach of the team, Ibrahim Idris, said they deserved the wins recorded so far in the festival. Idris said they had been working hard as a team and commended the state governor, Aliu Wamakko, for his support by getting the Team Sokoto prepared for the Games.

“We are no doubt pulling the strings so far and these wins have by every standard been well deserved because we have worked so hard to get here. I also want to express my gratitude to the state government and Gov. Aliu Wamakko because it is with his support that these victories have been achieved,’’ he said.

The coach added that though they had yet to know their quarter-finals opponents, he believed that Sokoto was on the verge of winning its first medal of Eko 2012.

NAN reports that Team Sokoto is also proving an emerging force at the Games having secured another quarter-finals ticket in traditional wrestling, “Dambe”, after defeating Yobe in the 75kg category. The state has also advanced to the quarter-finals stage in table tennis after beating Bauchi state in a thrilling encounter held at the National Stadium gymnasium, Surulere.

Sokoto State did not win any medal at the “Garden City Games” in Port Harcourt in 2011 but have expressed the state’s commitment to make the medals table in Eko 2012.