Sports
Rangers Set To Redeem Image Against FC Nouadhibou
With a solitary point from possible nine points in the Total/CAF Confederation Cup 2019/2020 competition, Nigeria’s Rangers International FC has vowed to annex all three points at stake as they set to redeem their image when Mauritanian league champions, F.C Nouadhibou come visiting to ‘The Cathedral’, Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium, Enugu, this weekend.
The coach Salisu Yusuf tutored side is fired up for the match day 4, Group A fixture after been held to a scoreless draw in Nouakchott, a fortnight ago by the coach Santiago Martinez wards.
Midfield maestro, Chiamaka Madu, who missed mid-week’ NPFL win over F.C Ifeanyiubah through injury, in an exclusive chat said, “We appreciate the task before us in the continent and we have tasked ourselves to ensure we get all three points in this encounter against Nouadhibou in Enugu.
“With the level of preparation we have put into the coming game, I believe we will make our fans happy at the end of the match.”
Captain of the ‘Flying Antelopes’, Temitope Olusesi said of the encounter, “Our continental match will be tough but we shall come out with the needed victory to put us back on track for a quarterfinal place. “No doubt, we have not started the group stage as we wished but we have come through the bad patch and focused for better things to come both in the domestic league and continental stage.”
Coach Salisu Yusuf on his part said, “Since my coming into the team, we are gradually and steadily getting to play some good football but very unlucky in front of goals.
“Nonetheless, we are working on this and I believe that we shall get it right against the Mauritanians as we have started getting our confidence back with the win last Wednesday in the NPFL”
10-man Rangers squad lost its first group stage match to Pyramids of Egypt 1-3 which was followed by a 4-2 loss to Al-Masry in Egypt on match day 2 before being held to a 0-0 draw by F.C Nouadhibou on match day 3 in Nouakchott.
The visitors (32-man delegation) who flew into Nigeria, Tuesday and connected to the Coal city, Wednesday, have not done too well in the competition they are featuring for the first time since its formation in 1999, losing twice and earning a draw in one.
Competition organiser, CAF has fixed the match day four encounter to kickoff by 5.00pm (17.00 hours) and will be handled by referees from Benin Republic led by FIFA badge referee, Adissa Abdul Raphiou Ligali.
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.