Sports
2015 AFCON Qualifier: Nigeria In Must-Win Clash In Sudan
Nigeria must beat Sudan
in Omdurman tomorrow to be back in contention for a place at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The African champions are third in Group A with a point from two games and behind Congo and South Africa, who have recorded six and four points, respectively.
The African champions therefore find themselves in a must-win situation in their next qualifying game tomorrow in Sudan.
The Eagles will be without Stoke City forward Victor Moses, who has suffered a recurrence of a thigh problem at his English Premier League club, and Ukraine-based winger Babatunde Michael, who is nursing a knee injury.
Questions rather than praise have greeted Keshi’s invitation for several uncapped players including China-based striker Aaron Samuel and Reading midfielder Hope Akpan.
Skipper Vincent Enyeama has however rejoined the squad after he stayed away to attend to what team officials said were “pressing personal problems”.
Nigeria will also have to cope with boiling temperatures and a late switch for the game to be played on an artificial pitch in Sudan.
”Personally, I prefer playing on natural grass pitch, but we just have to adjust, be smarter and work on our timing when we play on astro turf and we will be okay,” said Monaco defender Elderson Echiejile, who will be visiting Sudan for the first time.
”And as for the weather, we are first and foremost Nigerians and born in Africa and so we should also be able to cope on the day.”
Middlesbrough defender Kenneth Omeruo said there will be no margin for error against Sudan in both games.
“We are aware of the task ahead and so we have resolved to work hard to pick the available 12 points in our remaining qualifiers,” said Omeruo.
”The response of the players from the first day of training speaks loud of our intention ahead of the games. All we ask of Nigerians is their support.
“We also know there are no minnows anymore in African football.”
Both countries have clashed 11 times and Nigeria have won six of these meetings, drawn four times and lost once to the Sudanese.
The only Nigeria loss to Sudan was in 1963, when they fell 4-0 in a 1964 Nations Cup qualifier, while the last meeting was in a friendly in 2008 which Nigeria won 2-0.
Nigeria ran away 4-0 winners on their last visit to Sudan in a 2002 World Cup qualifier 13 years ago with Yakubu Aiyegbeni grabbing a brace.
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.