Sports
Ex-Youth International Warns Eagles Over Sudan’s Kareka
Ex-Nigeria U23 striker
Francis Ikechukwu has sounded a note of warning to Nigeria – Sudan star forward Mudathir El Tahir aka “Kareka” could single-handedly wreck a team if given the space.
Sudan welcomes the African champions to Omdurman on Saturday in continuation of the qualifying tournament for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations with the reverse clash in Abuja on October 15.
And ASO chief of Algeria striker Ikechukwu, who played in Sudan for many years, said the man to watch out for is El Tahir.
“Their number 10, Muhannad El Tahir, is a very good, lef- footed forward. He plays from the midfield, shoots well and can hold the ball very well. If this man is marked out, Sudan is crippled,” Ikechukwu stated.
The Al Hilal star, who plays behind the top striker, has scored over a dozen goals for his country having been an international since 2008.
Ikechukwu, who himself was close to playing for Sudan in 2012, further said that Nigeria must go for broke in Sudan if they are to win on Saturday.
“I have played with and against every player in the Sudan national team. I know their weak points. The goalkeeper was the one I scored against in every game I faced him, while I was in Sudan for three seasons,” he said.
“All Eagles need to do is to attack them because their defence can’t withstand pressure, they break down when they are attacked again and again.”
The last time Nigeria visited Sudan was in July 2001 in a decisive 2002 World Cup qualifier and they ran away 4-0 winners with goals from ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, Julius Aghahowa and Yakubu Aiyegbeni, who grabbed a brace.
Sudan is yet to record a point in the 2015 AFCON qualifiers with Nigeria in third place on a point.
Congo are top of Group A with six points from two matches, while South Africa have four points.
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.