Sports
Genk Striker Restates Commitment To Nigeria
Genk striker Cyriel Dessers has denied claims of his interest to represent Belgium and reiterated his commitment to the Nigeria national team.
The forward was born to a Belgian father and Nigerian mother and pledged his allegiance to the West Africans in December 2019.
The striker was subsequently handed his first call-up by Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sierra Leone in March.
The outbreak of coronavirus has, however, delayed his debut for the three-time African champions, as the game was postponed indefinitely.
A report recently quoted the striker stating he is still open to representing Belgium but the highly-rated forward has now refuted the claims.
“They made a story from nothing. I didn’t even talk with Belgium and then they make a story.
“I said I hoped for a call [from Nigeria] in September, but that’s not even sure. That’s the coach who decides, it’s not in my hands. It’s just the click-bait sites who take things out of context and make juicy titles,” Dessers told Tidesports source.
Dessers delivered eye-catching performances during his one-year stay with Heracles Almelo, scoring 18 goals across all competitions to emerge as the club’s top scorer.
The forward’s 15 goals in the 2019–20 Dutch Eredivisie season ensured he also won the league’s joint-top scorer award along with Steven Berghuis.
Vice president of the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), Chief Solomon Ogba, foremost Sports Marketer and founder of Okpekpe Road Race, Mike Itemuagbor and top Sports Journalist and Media Strategist, Mitchel Obi have lent their voices in support of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF).
The personalities with backgrounds in sports administration, marketing and media spoke separately in commendation of the festival, an initiative of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) with Dunamis Icon as consultants.
“This is a positive addition to the evolving sports business ecosystem because it is not just a springboard for identifying talents, it also offers a platform to truly hone the skills of those already discovered”, remarked Obi, who served as Special Advisor to a former Sports Minister, late Anthony Ikhazabor.
He said the festival will be a flagship event in the region that would trigger interest in sports among the youths and people of the region.
Edo State-born Itemuagbor commended the NDDC for the decision to add sports in the list of their intervention projects in the region, adding that: “This speaks directly to the problem of youth restiveness which is of great concern to our people.”
Raphael Onyedika has now emerged as a major doubt for the Super Eagles’ must-win 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe later this month.
The midfielder was forced out early from last week’s league game against Standard Liege.
He has not recovered from the injury and so will miss today’s league match against Gent and may also miss a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash against Aston Villa yesterday.
The Super Eagles take on Rwanda in Kigali on March 21, before they face Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later in crucial World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Al-Khalood defender, William Troost-Ekong, has shared his experience on the difficulties of winning the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) while describing it a must win trophy.
The former Watford FC defender has competed in the tournament three times but has yet to lift the trophy.
“I’ve been there three times now, bronze medal, silver medal, but I haven’t had the chance to win it. That remains my ultimate goal,” he told Tidesports source.
“It means so much to me and all the kids growing up in Africa and Nigeria.”