Sports
Flying Eagles: Obuh Optimistic Despite Defeat
Flying Eagles coach, John Obuh has pledged that his team would live up to expectations at the 2013 AYC after the team lost 2-1 to Esperance in a warm-up match.
Obuh made the remarks in a statement signed by the team’s Media Officer, Samm Audu in Abuja.
The team had lost its first game to its Tunisian U20 counterparts 2-0 last Thursday.
“The result was again not what we expected, but the performance of the team has reassured us we will be the team to beat in Algeria.
“It was a good game but we have to work on our goal scoring ability, and I expect the players not to lose their composure even after the referee made some bad calls.
“All the same, I believe in this team, we have worked very hard, and we will continue to work even harder to ensure the best for Nigeria,” it said..
The statement noted that the Flying Eagles created the best chances in a goalless first half, and would again have to blame their finishing for not going ahead in this test game.
It said that Christian Pyabara had an effort blocked by goalkeeper Wassim Naouara from inside the box after 27 minutes and in the 35th minute.
It said that skipper Abduljaleel Ajagun failed to make the most of a free header right inside the box.
“The biggest chance of the first period fell to Pyabara, but he somehow shot over the bar after a great work from the left by Alhaji Gero.
“Esperance took the lead in the 50th minute after goalkeeper Jonah Usman failed to clear the ball and in the ensuing melee Lampjed Chehoudi fired home.’’
It added that the Tunisian champions doubled their advantage two minutes later when Kingsley Madu committed a foul inside the penalty box.
According to the statement, Nigeria’s midfielder Moses Orkuma was sent off for retaliation in the 59th minute.
However, substitute Umar Aminu pulled a goal back for the African youth champions in the 67th minute after a flowing team play.
It said that the Flying Eagles finished stronger as they continued to fight for the equaliser, but Esperance held out to barely shade a hard-fought encounter.
The Tide source reports that the Flying Eagles are slated to play two more friendly matches before hitting Algeria for the 2013 AYC in Algeria.
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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