Sports
New German Club Excites Okungbowa
Austrian-born Nigerian defensive midfielder, Osarenren Emmanuel Okungbowa, has declared that his recent move from VfB Lübeck to Offenbacher Kickers in the same German 3 Bundesliga was too good for him to reject. He is also certain the deal will add value to his playing career.
“I am very happy to be able to play at such an emotional club. This is exactly my thing. After they showed me the environment and the possibilities, there was no question for me whether I would accept the offer from Kickers Offenbach.
“I want to get fully involved here and be successful with the OFC,”the 27-year-old Okungbowa, whose parents are from Nigeria, added.
Thomas Sobotzik, Managing Director of OFC Kickers, was so emphatic on the reasons the club signed Okungbowa, noting that, “due to his technical, strategic and physical abilities, Osa can be used very flexibly both in the defensive midfield and in the back row.
As a so-called ‘late starter,’ the former top talent of the Rapid Wien talent factory made his breakthrough in professional football in the past two seasons.
“We hope and count on Osa to be able to confirm and further expand these achievements at OFC,” added Sobotzik.
It woyld be recalled thatvOkungbowa played 31 league games for VfB Lübeck last season.
Tidesports source gathered that previously, the 1.89-meter-tall left footer was under contract with Rapid Wien of Austria and Floridsdorfer AC, among others. Born in the Austrian capital Vienna, he played a total of 28 games in the Austrian Bundesliga and the second division for both clubs.
Okungbowa joined Rapid Wien in 2010 from the amateur club Donaufeld. He made his professional debut for Rapid Wien in a 2–1 loss against Sturm Graz on 27 November 2016.
On 18 January 2019, he signed for the rest of the season with Floridsdorfer AC. He signed for German third division side VfB Lübeck on a one-year contract in July 2020.
Also known as Kickers Offenbach, Offenbacher Kickers, were founded in 1901 and last featured in the German first division in the 1983/84 season.
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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