Sports
Emenike Unhappy With Keshi’s Criticisms
Nigeria striker, Emmanuel
Emenike believes caretaker coach Stephen Keshi broke one of his own rules when he criticised the striker in an interview in the local media.
Keshi has been quoted as saying he is unhappy with the Fenerbahce striker, who he dropped to the bench in last month’s 2015 Africa Cup of Nations shock defeat to Congo in Calabar.
The coach criticised Emenike for only arriving on the eve of the game and not showing him and his teammates enough respect.
But the 2013 Nations Cup top-scorer has spoken out about his manager’s comments, and believes he made a mistake.
“There are certain things you’d not expect from your coach,” Emenike told Tidesports source.
“If there’s any problem, as a player you only want to find out directly from him and not in the media, it’s something he taught us.
“I feel honoured playing for Nigeria and I respect the coach like my own father. I give my all to the team because we are like one big family any time we all come together.
“But for him to say I am creating a problem in the team and my teammates are unhappy with me is sad and unacceptable.
“It’s like sending a wrong message to the fans, but if the coach feels my invitation will not bring the needed results or peace in the team, he can leave me out.”
It is not the first time both player and manager have clashed in the media, as they were involved in a public spat in March 2013.
Emenike criticised Keshi for ignoring and abandoning him when he suffered a long-term hamstring injury during the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.
The 27-year-old has been included in the Nigeria squad for this month’s Africa Cup of Nations double-header against Sudan and it is unclear whether Emenike will refuse to join up with the Super Eagles.
Stephen Keshi has refused to make any comment on the latest incident involving his star striker and will wait until his players turn up for international duty before deciding on any action.
Keshi, who led Nigeria to their third African title in 2013 and the last 16 in Brazil, must lead his side to a recovery after their poor start to qualifying for next year’s tournament in Morocco.
Following a defeat by Congo and a draw with South Africa, the Super Eagles are third in Group A, with only the top two teams guaranteed a place at the finals.
It places extra pressure on the African champions to win their match away to Sudan, which will take place on 11 October, and the return fixture four days later in Abuja.
Emenike
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.