Sports
Ghana’s Boss Proud Of Black Stars
There was pride in defeat for Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac after his side’s World Cup dream was shattered by Uruguay in a penalty shoot-out at the quarterfinal stage.
The winning spot-kick was converted in audacious style by Uruguay’s Sebastian Abreu after Diego Forlan had cancelled out Sulley Muntari’s first-half opener.
“The whole of Africa supported us,” said Rajevac. “We didn’t deserve to lose this way.
“It’s difficult, but we’re proud of what we achieved”.
Ghana were bearing the hopes of a continent and the weight of a history showing that no African side has ever made it beyond the last eight of the World Cup.
Yet they twice looked poised to eclipse the achievements of Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002.
Ghana’s first glimpse of glory, which came when Muntari fired in from 35 yards in first-half injury time, was snuffed out by Forlan’s 55th-minute equaliser.
Their second came in the dying moments of extra time, when Luis Suarez handled on the line and the referee, Olegario Benquerenca awarded Ghana a penalty.
As Africa held its collective breath, Asamoah Gyan stepped up, but could only skim the crossbar with his spot-kick.
“I think we had more opportunities than our opponents, but that’s football,” added Rajevac, the wily Serbian who has sought to add European pragmatism to Ghana’s natural flair.
“We really had good support and it would have been a fairytale, but I would like to congratulate Uruguay. I’m very proud.”
Ghana defender John Pantsil warned Gyan not to let the spot-kick miss have a long-term affect on his future.
“We said to Asamoah that anyone can miss a penalty and it is part of football and it was the only mistake he made,” said the Fulham defender.
“In fact, it was not a mistake at all. It is part of football and he kicked it from his heart and we all wanted to win the game. We have been talking to him. He is feeling bad about that. It is not easy just to forget about something like that.
“As his team-mates, we have to keep him with us and talk to him about it so he can forget about it as soon as possible.
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.