Sports
Rivers United Battles Against Relegation …Hosts Katsina United,Today
Today, Rivers United football Club of Port Harcourt will want to save its head from relegation problems as they host Katsina United FC, at Yakubu Gowon Stadium, in Port Harcourt.
The encounter will be one of the week 33 games in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) shifted as the Rivers United attended one of their outstanding matches against Kano Pillars last week Thursday, in Kano.
No doubt the Pride of Rivers State will take this cracker as of one the most important games in NPFL because a win will definitely save them from the threat of playing in Nigeria National League (NNL).
Both teams are not in good standing on log as Katsina United occupied 14th with 42 points while Rivers United is placed 16th with 41 points.
That is more reason why the host captain Austin Festus said his players have already talked to themselves about the importance to get the maximum three points at stake.
According to him, his players will do everything to win the game, saying that the players are mentally and psychologically balanced to overcome any team, because this is a very crucial match for them.
“We know how important this very game is, we have already talked to ourselves, so we will ensure we win this game to save team from relegation. Honestly we vowed to take the three points to go up on the log”, Festus said.
Also speaking the chairman of Rivers United supporters club, Franklin Owhor said what the team wants now is prayers, but expressed optimism that his club will win the game.
“What the club wants now is to pray for the players. We should forget about who will go and who is to stay. We want support from every sector”, Owhor said.
Meanwhile, Katsina United top striker Chinedu Udechukwu is also confidence and optimistic that the Chanji boys can overcome the odds in Port Harcourt and further misery on Rivers United when they trade tackle.
According to him the game against their opponent will be difficult but they must go with confidence and win.
“We know the will be tough but we are determine to win the game at all cost, because our position on the is also dicey”, Udechukwu said.
Tonye Orabere
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.