Sports
Heartland Striker Eyes double Victory Over Mazembe
Heartland striker Uche Agba is angling to see his side inflict home and away defeats on TP Mazembe in the two-legged CAF Champions League Final, starting with the first leg this weekend at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri.
The 23-year-old has scored six goals so far, and cracked home the winner when Heartland thumped Kano Pillars in the second leg of the semifinal in Kano.
He remains confident he will add to his tally and equal Pillars Victor Namo’s seven goals before the competition rounds up.
“I’m praying for two things, one is that we’ll beat Mazembe home and away and the second thing is that I will be among those to score,” he said.
Acknowledging that Mazembe are no push-over’s, the left-footed player said Heartland are the tougher of the two sides.
“They (Mazembe) are strong and that can account for why they are in the finals. But, you see apart from the government motivation, we the players have decided we want to win the trophy. That is very important. We need that trophy and we praying to God to grant our request.”
Heartland are now back to their ‘miracle’ camp at Nnewi hoping to return as always a formidable force before their opponents this weekend.
The team brushed over their Nigerian counterparts Kano Pillars with a 5-0 aggregate in the semifinal two weeks ago.
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.
-
Business1 day ago
NIGCOMSAT Seeks Policy To Harness AI Potentials
-
Sports2 days ago
NOVELTY MATCH: IKWERRE LAWYERS BEAT MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS 3-0
-
Niger Delta2 days ago
Stakeholders Caution Delta Over Propose Mangrove Forest Sale
-
Rivers1 day ago
Group Urges Consistency, Diligence In Nigerian Youths
-
Niger Delta2 days ago
NEMA Distributes Relief Materials To Flood Victims In A’Ibom
-
Sports2 days ago
President lauds CG, CDS for Training sponsorship
-
Rivers1 day ago
Emulate Fubara’s Transformation Agenda, LG Boss Urges S’South Leaders … Calls For Investment In N’Delta
-
Niger Delta2 days ago
Foundation Leads Campaign Against Genetically Modified Foods In Edo