Sports
Malawi Returns To Kamuzu Stadium
Fifa has given Malawi the all-clear to play their forthcoming 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Namibia and Kenya at the Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.
The Football Association of Malawi (Fam) were given the go ahead to use the venue by Fifa following a visit by an inspection team last week.
The government closed the stadium last August due to safety and security fears.
Repairs have since been carried out at the stadium and it has hosted several club matches.
Malawi’s interim coach Edington Ng’onamo had suggested that Fam ask Fifa if the Kamuzu Stadium could be re-opened for international games.
“In recent years Malawi has done well using the artificial turf at Kamuzu stadium and so we feel Malawi stand a better chance of winning against Namibia and Kenya in June if the games are played in Blantyre,” he explained.
“Our players are more used to the artificial turf than any other pitch in the country and at the same time our opponents struggle at the Kamuzu Stadium due to the nature of the pitch.
“Technically I noted that Malawi struggled in their last home match in October last year at Civo Stadium against Ghana during the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations final qualification match. No wonder the Black Stars won the game.”
Fam general secretary, Suzgo Nyirenda explained the issues which forced the closure of the stadium had been taken care of by the Malawi government, which has cordoned off the affected stands and reduced its capacity further.
“Our top local sides Big Bullets and Mighty Wanderers have played at the Kamuzu Stadium since it reopened with no incidents,” he explained.
“All we need now is to tighten safety and security during matches”.
Of the 15 matches Malawi have played at Kamuzu Stadium since 2008, they have won 11 drawn twice and lost just twice.
The Flames, who only trail Nigeria on goal difference in Group F of the World Cup qualifiers, host Namibia on 5 June before taking on Kenya a week later in the race to reach Brazil in 2014.
Fam has also announced that Malawi will tune up for those World Cup qualifiers with a friendly against Zimbabwe at the Kamuzu Stadium on 25 May.
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