Sports
Amodu Hits Back At Nigerian Football Fans
Defiant Super Eagles coach Shuaibu Amodu insists that ‘genuine fans’ will continue to support the team despite their present situation, and said that those who do not come out are not wanted anyway.
An immediate rash of venom-pouring expectedly followed last month’s 2-2 draw against Tunisia, which seriously compromised Nigeria’s chances of appearing at the 2010 World Cup.
Since then, however, apathy has crept in, with many fans expressing indifference at the team, and a large number prepared to stage a sit at home protest. Amodu says the reaction is no surprise, and hit back at the fair-weather fans.
“I expected that. A good number of Nigerians pretend to know the game and support the game, but they don’t know it,” he fired back. As it is, those who will come to the stadium that day will be our genuine supporters, those who know and love football, and those are the people we want.”
As he warmed to his theme, Amodu went even further, accusing the populace of taking out their frustrations in the country’s other failing sectors on the national football team.
“Nobody should extend the disappointment in the fortunes of this country on us in football. Our teams have been playing games all over the world. That football has been played here and there means that we have been the ones carrying the banner of Nigeria all over the world.
“We don’t want to face it, but I am saying it today. The only thing that is representing Nigeria all over the world is football. The only thing we are selling to the world right now is football. And anybody who does not care about the fact that we are doing our utmost best to represent this country does not appreciate it.
“They should ask questions of other organs of this country what they are doing. Why is it only football? Nobody should take the problems of Nigeria and put it on football. In football, like other sports, you cannot get all your results overnight. Along the line you will have disappointing results, and you will also have good ones.
“That is the nature of sports. You will win some, you will lose some and you will draw some.
“This attitude of win at all cost is what we have carried into our political life. That is why when a politician loses an election, he claims it was rigged, and goes to the tribunal. But if he wins, the election was good. Then we keep on fighting ourselves everyday rather than move a step forward.”
Amodu rounded off his fiery tirade with an unflustered look at his immediate future as Eagles boss.
“I have played uncountable matches in my life; I cannot come here and be worried about the consequences of any match. We can only do the best we can and leave the rest to God.
“It is a responsibility for us all, and we are playing our own part. We will leave and other people will come in and play their own part. I think we have done so far so good.”
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.
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