Sports
UCL: Pogba, Messi Set For Supremacy Battle
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has predicted that the Champions League quarter-final tie between Manchester United and Barcelona tonight will be decided by either Paul Pogba or Lionel Messi.
The two clubs will meet at Old Trafford in the first leg of their last-eight clash, with the return fixture scheduled to take place next week.
Barcelona is favourites to progress to the semi-finals as they chase a treble come June, while the competition represents United’s last hope of silverware this term.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men knocked Paris Saint-Germain out in the round of 16 after a stunning comeback at the Parc des Princes, while Barca thrashed Lyon at Camp Nou to progress.
Messi has spearheaded the Spanish champions’ trophy assault once again, scoring over 40 goals across all competitions this season.
Pogba, meanwhile, has been a fixture in the Red Devils’ starting line-up and, despite a recent loss of form, his overall record for the campaign so far reads 14 goals and 10 assists from 39 appearances.
Ibrahimovic, who spent two years on Barcelona’s books between 2009 and 2011, while also enjoying a two-year spell at United from 2016 to 2018, has highlighted the influence of the mercurial pair ahead of kick-off in Manchester.
“Two big teams, two big clubs playing against each other,” the Swedish striker told Barca’s official website. “Two clubs with great history and it will be exciting to see.
“Obviously, Messi makes the difference in each game he plays, it’s no secret.
“I think for United, you have Pogba making the difference there. It will be more of a battle between Messi and Pogba, even if it’s a collective sport.”
Solskjaer’s men head into the match off the back of three defeats in their last four outings, having most recently suffered a 2-1 loss in the Premier League at Wolves on April 2.
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.