Sports
WAFU Tourney: Flying Eagles On Brink Of Exit
Nigeria’s national Under 20 team, the Flying Eagles are on the brink of exit from the 2020 WAFU B U-20 Cup of Nations after they lost 1-0 to Ghana in a Group B clash at the Stade Charles de Gaulles, Porto Novo, Benin Republic on Wednesday.
Tidesports source gathered that Ladan Bosso’s side needed an outright win to advance into the semi-finals but a brilliant free kick from Precious Boah in the 82nd minute sealed a nervy win for the Black Satelites in the West African Derby.
They had earlier been held to a 1-1 draw by Ivory Coast in their opening game on Sunday.
The Flying Eagles dominated play in the opening minutes of the game and had two goals disallowed for offside as they went in search of a goal.
Bosso’s team played with a lot more urgency after the interval, but their attack was blunt with only former Golden Eaglets star Wisdom Ubani the bright spot.
At a point, the Nigerian side recorded as many as nine corners, but still could not rattle Ghana goalkeeper Ibrahim Danlad or his defence.
In stoppage time, a Ghanaian player was sent off for time wasting.
The Nigerians now have one point from two games and will hope Ghana defeats Ivory Coast by more than two goals to advance to the semi-final of the competition, which serves as qualifiers for the U-20 AFCON in Mauritania next year.
Paul Onuachu’s goalscoring form in the Belgian Jupiler League has received plaudits from ex-Super Eagles players.
The Nigeria international has been fantastic for Genk this season, scoring 14 goals in 14 games, but has failed to replicate his scoring form for the Eagles.
The 26-year-old has scored once in seven games for the three-time African champions.
“Onuachu is a good striker and his 14 goals so far in the Belgian league tells us more. I think that all he needs is confidence in the national team and Nigerians will see a great player that the Eagles have on their hands,” ex-Eagles winger Tijani Babangida said.
Victor Ikpeba, a former African Player of The Year, urged Nigerians and the Eagles coaches to be patient with Onuachu.
“It is not easy to come into the national team and make an impact,” Ikpeba said.
“Even Yekini did not make an immediate impact,” Ikpeba said.
“When you have that kind of striker, you have to give him the ball. Our wide players are not crossing the ball; they always want to dribble and come inside.
“They need to get used to him and keep trying to find him, and they need to cross the ball more to him.”
Etim Esin, a former Eagles midfielder, added, “Onuachu has done well for himself because scoring 14 goals is great. I have played in Belgium and I know what it means to score goals there.
“It would be better if the coaches and his teammates are patient with him.”
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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