Sports
GWAFA To Organise Peace Development Football Tourney
All is now set for the kick-off of this year’s edition of Peace and Development Football Tournament (PDFT) in Gwara Community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Speaking with sports journalists on Sunday at a pre – tournament briefing at Gwara Community the chairman of Gwara Football Association (GWAFA), Comrade Stephen Degbara said that GWAFA in conjunction with the leadership of the community has concluded plans on how to have an all inclusive football competition.
He stated that the competition would foster the existing peace and unity in the area , also create harmonious living environment with her neighbours, adding that will further give way to sustainable development in the area.
“As part of the activities to light up the area this end-of-year, the there is also plans to host a Peace Marathon for boys and girls on Saturday, Dec 30th 2023 where various prizes would be won to in different categories” Degbara said.
He disclosed that other activities within the period include the compilation and launching of a comprehensive bulletin that would chronicle the little strides of GWAFA, in the last three years.
According to him, the opening game of the football competition will be between Atlantic FC, who are the defending champions and CFC Jnr FC on Sunday, December 17, 2023 at Bie-Nama Secondary School Field.
The draws of the competition have been held and it was conducted under the supervision of the secretary of GWAFA, Chief Engr. Lesor Lah, who expressed appreciation to all the patrons, coaches and players of the participating teams
He appeal to all registered clubs of the competition to obey agreed set aside rules of the competition.
By: Kiadum Edookor
England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals, plus one from Kingsley Coman, helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph, is full of thanks to God after he miraculously survived another life-threatening automobile accident recent at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV.
Narrating his ordeal, the 51-year-old, who guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.
“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.
This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.
He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.
The former Nigeria international, who also kept goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.
According to him, the owner of the truck said he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.
Ex – Super Eagles of Nigeria, Okwuchukwu Waobikeze has observed that sports development in Nigeria is going down.
According to him, grassroots sports is very important, without it, the administrators cannot get it right. So everybody should key into grassroots sports development, he said.
Waobikeze said this last Wednesday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after the Port Harcourt All Stars Independence football festival (OCTOBERFEST) at the Port Harcourt club, Rivers State.
He explained that for sports administrators to get it right, grassroots development is key. “They should be organising competition at the grassroots level to fish out the young ones for different sporting activities.
“Grassroots sports is very important so the administrators have to go back to the grassroots.
” Sports Development in Nigeria is going down we need to go back to the basics.
“Look at the just concluded Paris Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal.
” Our football team did not even qualify for the Olympics. We are going down.
” If they should go back to the grassroots, they will get young ones in the games and talents will be developed.
” I started from school games, to youth games before playing for the national team. Now everybody wants to fly board to play professional football and a lot do not know the basics of the game.
” A lot of people did not know the little things about the game, they just want to play. It is not done so,” Waobikeze stated.
Kiadum Edookor
