Sports
Sharks, Dolphins Target Federation Cup Glory
As Rivers State’s clubsides, Sharks and Dolphins FCs take to the pitch today for their respective quarter-finals matches in the 2011 Federation Cup competition in Uyo and Ilorin, expectations are high among football fans in the state, that both teams could end up playing each other in the final match of this years edition of the competition.
Thus, the two clubs which received pep talks from the new commissioner for Sports in the state, Hon Mbombo Igwe are expected to scale the quarter-finals hurdles against potentially difficult opponents.
Sharks FC will take on Ocean Boys of Bayelsa State at the Uyo Township stadium in Akwa Ibom State , while Dolphins lock horns with Heartland FC in Ilorin.
Dolphins who are currently leading the Nigeria Premier League have vowed to win and secure one of the semi-final tickets available and march on to ultimate glory.
The league leaders reached this stage after beating Akwa United 2-0, drew goalless with Gombe United and played out a 1-1 with Enyimba, while Sharks FC defeated Bayelsa United 1-0, Sunshine FC, 2-0 to qualify after the fourth side, Kaduna United, failed to show up.
Before the two teams left Port Harcourt on Monday, the Commissioner for Sports urged the players and management of both teams to put in their best and ensure they brought home trophies this season.
According to him, the only way to win their matches is to be focused and determined.
Meanwhile, Technical Adviser of Dolphins FC, Stanley Eguma, expressed optimisim over the match saying that they were going to Ilorin to get victory.
“I know that the match against Heartland would not be an easy game. It will be a very crucial one, but I am optimistic that we are going to get victory”, Eguma said.
Eguma stated that his players’ technical ability is sound and that they trained well for the match.
“As am talking to you now, the spirit of my players is very high because they have been assured of payment of their outstanding sign-on fees before the end of the month”, he added.
Tonye Orabere
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.