Sports
Nigerian Referees Deserve Commendations – Wigodo
A renowned retired grade one football referee in Rivers State, Barrister Innocent Wigodo has dismissed insinuations that referees kill joy in Nigerian football.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Tidesports in Port Harcourt, Wigodo said that Nigerian football referees deserve to be commended for doing their best in ensuring that the game is played according to the rules. He however noted that soccer fans were misconstruing them as being biased in their officiating during matches.
“It is high time people understand that referees are human beings and are prone to mistakes, and should not be crucified for being unable to oversee every infringement during the course of a game,” he said.
Speaking on the poor turnout of soccer fans to the stadium, the one time treasurer to the Rivers State Referees Council attributed it to poor quality of play exhibited by players in most matches.
“Honestly, I can assure you that most Nigerian soccer fans often prefer staying on Television than going to the stadium to watch Nigerian league that could not boast of quality stars” he remarked.
He stated that the chances of the Super Eagles to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, were huge.
The Eagles, according to him, would qualify for the mundial considering the new spirit in the team and the array of tested players in the squad.
“The Eagle players would not like the episode of 2006 to repeat itself. They know how important the World Cup is to Nigeria and would be the greatest beneficiaries if at the end of the day Nigeria qualifies for the mundial in South Africa.
The retired referee would not be surprised the Eagles throw everything they have into the remaining matches to ensure that they overhaul Tunisia and grab the sole World Cup ticket available in Group B.
Wigodo advised the national team to be cautious in their approach to the home match against Tunisia and away to Kenya.
He called on Nigerian soccer lovers to remain steadfast in their support of the Super Eagles and continue to check them despite the shaky note on which they started the final World Cup qualifying campaign.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.
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