Sports
Enyimba FC’s Early Return To Aba, No Longer Feasible – Commissioner
The Commissioner for Information in Abia, Chief John Okiyi, has said that the government’s plan for Enyimba International FC to return to Enyimba Stadium, Aba this month was no longer feasible.
Okiyi made the disclosure while speaking with newsmen on the extent of job so far done on the reconstruction of the stadium’s playing turf on Friday in Umuahia.
He said that 98 per cent of the installation of a new turf, worth 1billion euro, had been completed.
Tidesports source gathered that the contract was being handled by the Bayelsa-based Monimichelle Group.
The commissioner said that the pitch was ready but that the entire contract had only reached 80 per cent completion.
He said that the larger contract included the construction of tartan tracks and re-roofing of the stands.
Okiyi said that Enyimba would return to the stadium in September, when the entire job would have been fully completed.
“Of course, the team needs to train and practice on the new turf for at least four months before hosting their home matches at the facility.
“But if the team can be made to play closed door, I can assure you that the pitch is ready for them because the contractor has completed his job by 98 per cent.
“The remaining two per cent is for him to mount the imported goalposts and nets,” Okiyi said.
He said that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) would inspect the facility and give it’s approval before it would be open for matches.
The commissioner said that government had also constructed 32 public toilets at the facility and four additional entrance/exit gates to bring the number to 12.
He added that there was no immediate plan to expand the 20,000 sitting capacity of the stadium.
Okiyi said that the stadium would be relocated to Osisioma in the future when development had moved to the area.
“For the first time in the history of the stadium, public toilets are being provided for spectators.
“Before now, people usually littered the surroundings of the stadium with faeces, especially on match days,” he said.
Okiyi said that the frontage of the stadium would also receive a facelift.
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