Sports
Yobo Charges Onyekuru To Prove Self At Monaco
Nigeria and Everton legend Joseph Yobo has stated that Henry Onyekuru must prove his quality at new club Monaco.
The 22-year-old’s inability to secure a work permit in England cut his dream to play for the Toffees, having joined the Merseysiders in 2017.
Before teaming up with the Monegasques on a five-year deal, Onyekuru was sent on loan to Anderlecht, and then Galatasaray, where he helped the Lions win a domestic double last season.
Although Yobo feels disappointed about the young striker’s inability to represent the Goodison Park side owing to permit issues, he believes Onyekuru’s move to Monaco is a new chapter for him – and must justify his worth to show what the Premier League is missing.
“He is a fantastic talent and I would have loved to see his deal [with Everton] go through but work permit restricted him from playing in the Premier League,” Yobo told Tidesports source.
“But he has shown what he’s got at Galatasaray, very exciting to watch and he can score goals as well. I was happy seeing him play for Nigeria national team but he didn’t get that chance to play for Everton because he didn’t play more international games to give him the right.
“For me as an Evertonian, I feel he is a good prospect and would have been a great talent for Everton. He did very well at Galatasaray and was one of the fans’ favourites and if he had his way, he would have stayed to continue his progress but then, the club wanted to do a different business which was against his wish.”
After changing their managers thrice last season, Monaco were eliminated from the Champions League, the French Cup, and narrowly escaped relegation from Ligue 1.
However, Yobo thinks playing for such team is a good chance for Onyekuru to show his class like he did in Turkey.
“Monaco is a good team but haven’t done well in the past few years. Everything is now new for Henry to prove himself again,” Yobo continued.
“He would have been happy at Galatasaray and done more because he knows the club and their culture but in Monaco, he must prove himself. He is a striker, young and still learning the trade.
“I wish him all the best and hope he performs well like he did in Turkey and ultimately bring his form back to the national team.”
The forward is expected to make his debut when Monaco face Metz on Saturday. Leonardo Jardim’s men made a losing start to the season at the weekend, losing 3-0 at home to Lyon.
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.