Sports
NFF Board Member Sees PTF AS Distraction
An executive member of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Alili Galadima has described the Presidential Task Force (PTF) set up by Federal Government to facilitate the Super Eagles qualification for the World Cup in South Africa as a huge distraction. Galadima made the assertion in a Radio programme monitored in Port Harcourt, yesterday. He said that before the inception of the PTF, the NFF had supervised the Super Eagles to six straight victories and one draw in the qualifiers, saying that the PTF would be useful after the qualification and not now that the Eagles are yet to know their fate. “I must be Frank, we were doing very well before they came up with PTF and this has put so much pressure on the NFF board, coaches and players. Aside the fact that they have been able to generate money to motivate the team, I do not really see the PTF as being necessary now,” he said. The NFF member, explained that the road results were good, we won six straight matches, because we drew against Mozambique in Maputo, the Taskforce suddenly came up. “It is like it was premeditated and we had to work in harmony for the good of the country but I think the emergence of the PTF put pressure on us and the players, and we were made to look as if we are not capable,” he stated. In the same vein, a sports analyst in Rivers State, Amadi John, observed that setting up of the PTF was a duplication of functions and there would be clash of interests, which is not good for our football. According to John, the PTF set-up by the Federal Government is indirectly telling NFF that they are not capable or that they have failed. “In my own understanding, as soon as a committee is set up against an existing body, for the same purpose, it means that the initial body has invariably failed in its task,” he said.
England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals, plus one from Kingsley Coman, helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph, is full of thanks to God after he miraculously survived another life-threatening automobile accident recent at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV.
Narrating his ordeal, the 51-year-old, who guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.
“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.
This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.
He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.
The former Nigeria international, who also kept goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.
According to him, the owner of the truck said he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.
Ex – Super Eagles of Nigeria, Okwuchukwu Waobikeze has observed that sports development in Nigeria is going down.
According to him, grassroots sports is very important, without it, the administrators cannot get it right. So everybody should key into grassroots sports development, he said.
Waobikeze said this last Wednesday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after the Port Harcourt All Stars Independence football festival (OCTOBERFEST) at the Port Harcourt club, Rivers State.
He explained that for sports administrators to get it right, grassroots development is key. “They should be organising competition at the grassroots level to fish out the young ones for different sporting activities.
“Grassroots sports is very important so the administrators have to go back to the grassroots.
” Sports Development in Nigeria is going down we need to go back to the basics.
“Look at the just concluded Paris Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal.
” Our football team did not even qualify for the Olympics. We are going down.
” If they should go back to the grassroots, they will get young ones in the games and talents will be developed.
” I started from school games, to youth games before playing for the national team. Now everybody wants to fly board to play professional football and a lot do not know the basics of the game.
” A lot of people did not know the little things about the game, they just want to play. It is not done so,” Waobikeze stated.
Kiadum Edookor