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Ghana Targets AFCON Title With Incentives To Black Stars

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The Ghanaian government will reportedly offer a special financial package for the national team ahead of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in June and July.
The Black Stars are looking to win the AFCON for the first time since 1982 and it is believed that the package will provide an extra incentive for coach James Kwesi Appiah and his players.
The decision of the government to provide a financial incentive was reached after President Nana Akuffo-Addo met with team captain Asamoah Gyan and his deputy Andre Ayew a few weeks ago.
NSA Board Chairman Kwadwo Baah Agyemang confirmed the meeting in Kumasi but refused to divulge any details.
“It’s true they [Gyan and Ayew] met President Nana Addo to discuss winning bonuses and everything that would be needed to help Ghana win the AFCON,” Agyemang is quoted by The Finder.
“I wouldn’t like to put the cart before the horse so at the right time we will meet the press to make whatever decision we take public,” he noted.
The NSA boss also confirmed that Ghana will camp in Qatar for their final preparations ahead of the AFCON finals in Egypt.
The Black Stars are four-time African champions, but their last triumph was 37 years ago in the finals in Libya.
Meanwhile, former vice president of the Ghana Football Association, George Afriyie, has said that the Black Stars can win the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations without some of their “big names”.
Afriyie, who held his position in the GFA during Ghana’s 2015 AFCON campaign which saw them end as runners-up, says they failed to win the tournament in Equatorial Guinea four years ago due to bad luck.
“We came close three times in winning the trophy but we couldn’t. In 2010 and 2015, I was privileged to be at the tournament and the players did their best, but it was unfortunate we couldn’t bring the trophy home,” Afriyie told Tidesports source.
“In 2015, the players were determined to win the trophy and even in their training, you could see that the players were eyeing the ultimate, but luck was not on our side.
“For us to win this year’s tournament, the players must stay focused and work hard.
“Ivory Coast won the 2015 tournament without some of their big names and I think we can do same, but the players must work hard and improve their performance.”
Afriyie’s sentiments are echoed by Kenya FA boss, Nick Mwendwa who said ahead of the Harambee Stars’ last AFCON qualifier against Ghana that the likes of Asamoah Gyan and Andre Dede Ayew should be forgotten.
“The likes of Gyan, Ayew; to me I think the curtain is falling on their international carers, slowly by slowly,” Mwendwa told the media.
“So unless you have some fresh legs, we should be scared. If you are depending on them for AFCON, I’m sorry for you.”

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We’ll use Sports to Promote Peace, create Wealth in  Tai…Chairman.

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The Chairman of Tai Local Government Area, in Rivers State, Hon Mathew Dike has stated that his administration will invest in massively sports development with the view to empower young talented youths and promote unity in the area. 

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. 

 

 

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NBA train youths, coaches in Nigeria

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The National Basketball Association Nigeria recently hosted its first Jr. NBA clinic where it trained 100 youths (Boys and girls ages 10-17) and 50 local coaches.

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.

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 BFN Hold Clinic to Empower Coaches

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The Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) continues to push the boundaries of sports development in the country, with a clear vision toward achieving excellence and early preparation for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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.

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