Sports
Spanish Soccer Academy Seeks RSG Partnership
In a bid to promote football in Rivers State, the Espanyol Academy in Bacelona, Spain has declared its readiness to partner with the Rivers State government.
This was made known by the Port Harcourt Director of the Espanyol Academy Stanley Wariso, over the weekend.
According to Wariso, the programme is the maiden test of the Europeans in Nigeria and the owner of Espanyol Academy in Bacelona is okay with the progress so far.
The Director boasted that the Espanyol programme was up to standard, saying that, he has never seen a football organisation more standard than the Espanyol Academy Bacalona.
Meanwhile the screening session commenced over the weekend at Port Harcourt Liberation Stadium.
The Espanyol representative, in Port Harcourt, Stanley Wariso, noted the about 40 players had already registered for the Espanyol screening session.
“The screening exercise is open for all who would want a career in football, it is an open door thing, until real business begins”, he said.
He said that the aim was to gather players, screen them, pick the best and send them to the Espanyol Academy in Bacelona after which some lucky players might make it to the Espanyol Club, Bacelona.
Warison, thus thanked the state government and Commissioner for Sports Hon. Boma Iyaye for giving them the opportunity to improve the lots of football in the state.
Also UEFA B licensed coach Christopher Nwachi advised registered players to be committed, disciplined and hardworking during the screening exercise and after.
Nwachi who is based in Bacelona and works with the Espanyol Club, maintains that hard work and commitment is the major key to success.
Captain of the Espanyol team Oye Kachi Okparaji expressed joy, and thanked God for the opportunity to be part of the academy.
He also commended the Rivers State governor Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the Commissioner for Sports Boma Iyaye for creating the environment for football to grow to its desired height and provide opportunities for young talents in the state.
“My aim is to serve my nation and make my family and coach proud, Okparaji said.
England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals, plus one from Kingsley Coman, helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph, is full of thanks to God after he miraculously survived another life-threatening automobile accident recent at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV.
Narrating his ordeal, the 51-year-old, who guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.
“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.
This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.
He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.
The former Nigeria international, who also kept goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.
According to him, the owner of the truck said he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.
Ex – Super Eagles of Nigeria, Okwuchukwu Waobikeze has observed that sports development in Nigeria is going down.
According to him, grassroots sports is very important, without it, the administrators cannot get it right. So everybody should key into grassroots sports development, he said.
Waobikeze said this last Wednesday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after the Port Harcourt All Stars Independence football festival (OCTOBERFEST) at the Port Harcourt club, Rivers State.
He explained that for sports administrators to get it right, grassroots development is key. “They should be organising competition at the grassroots level to fish out the young ones for different sporting activities.
“Grassroots sports is very important so the administrators have to go back to the grassroots.
” Sports Development in Nigeria is going down we need to go back to the basics.
“Look at the just concluded Paris Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal.
” Our football team did not even qualify for the Olympics. We are going down.
” If they should go back to the grassroots, they will get young ones in the games and talents will be developed.
” I started from school games, to youth games before playing for the national team. Now everybody wants to fly board to play professional football and a lot do not know the basics of the game.
” A lot of people did not know the little things about the game, they just want to play. It is not done so,” Waobikeze stated.
Kiadum Edookor
