Sports
Africa Best Xi Of The Year 2020
Many African players thrived across the world in 2020 and African Football.com created the best team made of footballers from the continent.
Andrea Onana – Goalkeeper
The Cameroon interna-tional has established himself as one of the best upcoming goalkeepers in world football and he remains a reliable first-choice goalkeeper at the biggest club in the Netherlands, Ajax Amsterdam.
Achraf Hakimi – Right-Back
The flying Moroccan right-back is one of the brightest young pros-pects in football and the 22-year-old has quickly become as one of the key defenders for Inter Milan after joining the Italian giants from Spanish champions Real Madrid.
Ramy Bensebaini – Left-Back
The Algerian defender, who can also operate as a centre-back, has slowly established himself as one of the best African left-backs and he is a key member of the defence for ambitious German side Borussia Monchengladbach.
Kalidou Koulibaly – Centre Back
The Senegal captain is undoubtedly one of the best defenders in world football at present and he has been very influential at Italian giants SSC Napoli, where he is the third captain.
Joel Matip – Centre Back
The former Cameroon international had a successful 2020 as he established himself as one of the top centre-backs in the English Premier League which he won with his club, Liverpool FC.
Thomas Partey – Defensive Midfielder
The Ghana vice-captain is widely considered to be one of the most accomplished defensive midfielders around in world football and he secured a big-money move from Spain’s Atletico Madrid to English giants Arsenal in October 2020.
Hakim Ziyech – Central Attacking Midfielder
The Algerian genius has been one of the most exciting attacking mid-fielders in the world for the past couple of years and he hit the ground running in England after joining Chelsea from Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam.
Riyad Mahrez – Central Attacking Midfielder
The Algeria captain remains one of the best wingers in the English Premier League where he has sparkled for Man-chester City and his versatility enables him to operate in several attack-ing positions including as an attacking midfielder.
Sadio Mane – Left Forward
The Senegalese winger, who is the reigning CAF African Footballer of the Year, is one of the most dangerous wide for-wards in world football and he is one of the reasons why Liverpool FC won the 2019/20 English Premier League title.
Mohamed Salah – Right Forward
The Egyptian super-star is one of the most potent wingers in the world at present and he was an integral part of the Liverpool FC side which clinched the 2019/20 English Premier League title and has broken a number of records in 2020.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Centre Forward
The Gabon captain remains one of the most lethal centre forwards in the world and he played an instrumental role in helping English giants Arsenal clinch the 2020 FA Cup as the team captain.
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.