Sports
Rivers Utd’s Boss Bemoans Fixture Congestion
Rivers United coach Stanley Eguma says playing three matches in a week in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) and the Aiteo Cup is taking a toll on his team, following their 2-1 win against Warri Wolves in Port Harcourt on Sunday.
Winger Godwin Aguda scored a brace either side of halftime to render Emmanuel Ihezuo’s 4th-minute opener for Wolves a mere consolation, as Eguma’s men claimed all three points, and moved to 3rd spot on the NPFL standings, with 55 points from 32 matches.
The Pride of Rivers have played five matches in the last 14 days, including a 2-1 win against Sokoto United in Lafia in the Aiteo Cup Round of 32. They are also billed to face Heartland in an Aiteo Cup last 16 tie in Aba on Wednesday, before returning to Port Harcourt to face league leaders Akwa United on Sunday.
Speaking after his side’s hard-fought win against relegation-threatened Warri Wolves, the long-serving tactician said the fixture congestion affected his team’s performance in the encounter, but however, added that he would rotate the squad to adjust to the inevitable situation.
“You could see that our performance today (Sunday) was just average,” he said, after the win against Wolves. “I think that it was as a result of the journeys we made within this week. It was very difficult, and I believe that we played under fatigue today (Sunday).
“But you know the fixtures have put it that way. We’ll try and make adjustments in our selection and ensure that we work against fatigue. If not, it won’t be good for us, because the fixtures are very congested – the Aiteo Cup and the league.
“After every 48 hours, we are playing a game. And not only playing a game but making very long distant journeys. The wear and tear of those journeys affect the players and affect their performance. And it also affects the results.”
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.