Sports
AFCON 2019: Yobo Wants Rohr To Start Musa, Ighalo
Former Nigeria captain, Joseph Yobo, has said that Ahmed Musa and Odion Ighalo, should have been included in the starting XI against Burundi on Saturday.
The introduction of the two players by Gernot Rohr in the second half proved to be a masterstroke, as the Super Eagles went on to win 1-0 in Alexandria.
With the score tied at 0-0, Musa was introduced for captain John Obi Mikel in the 58th minute, while Ighalo replaced Paul Onuachu in the 73rd minute.
Four minutes after his introduction, Ighalo netted the winner.
In his reaction to the result, Yobo identified Musa and Ighalo as important players in Gernot Rohr’s squad, who would have given the team a strong start in the first half.
“The two players who came on [in the second half] should have started the game because they have the experience, Ighalo and Musa. Ighalo with his experience at the World Cup and everything.
“These are new players coming in, sometimes they don’t have the structure. The structure that is there when you take out two of the most important players in the team. Musa is important and Ighalo is the main man that everything has to go around with his performance in the qualifiers.
“Sometimes when you see these players not started, it takes time for the team to get used to a new pattern of play and that’s what we saw in the first half.
“The second half, when the changes were made, we got better. It doesn’t mean those that started the game are not very good as well but sometimes coming into the AFCON, you’re building a new team.
“They haven’t been with the team for a while, as much as they are good, it might take them some time so it is safe when your strong players, players that can win you games when they are ready, it is always good to throw them in. It gives you a better chance,” Yobo told Tidesports source.
Nigeria are top of Group B after gathering three points in their opening match. They will take on Guinea in their next group fixture on Wednesday.
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.
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