Sports
S’Eagles: Ebola, Kidnapping Fears Stop Gullit
Tidesports can again report that former Dutch super star Ruud Gullit has rejected a chance to coach Nigeria because of the Ebola disease and fears he could be kidnapped in the country.
Several top sources have confirmed this to Tidesports since it was first broken the that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had mandated a contact in Holland to sound out the former Chelsea coach.
Nigeria plans to hire a foreign coach immediately after the country’s two 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo and South Africa next month, which will be handled by caretaker coach Shuaibu Amodu after Stephen Keshi was not given a new contract.
But one of Gullit’s representatives first told Tidesports source he will not be interested in taking up the job because it is “high risk”, while listing out the outbreak of Ebola and security fears in Nigeria particularly as the country is gearing up to conduct a general election next year.
“Gullit is not interested in coaching Nigeria,” the source informed Tidesports soon after he had spoken to the ex-Dutch skipper’s agent.
“His agent told me the job is high risk. She spoke about Ebola and fears about terrorism in Nigeria and she said for those reasons, her client will not be keen.”
Yet another source confirmed these same fears and added that most top Dutch coaches who may now be approached may equally opt out because of the same reasons.
“The fear of Ebola in Nigeria is still very real even though the Nigerian government has announced it has successfully tackled the disease there,” this source disclosed.
“Also, Gullit is a top personality and he told the person who spoke directly to him on Monday that he fears he may be kidnapped in Nigeria.”
The source further added: “What is clear is that these fears may not be only limited to Gullit. Most other top Dutch coaches will also stay away because of these should they be approached for the job.”
Nigeria’s most successful periods at full international levels were supervised by Dutch coaches Clemens Westerhof and Jo Bonfrere.
Westerhof led Nigeria to win a second Africa Cup of Nations in 1994 and qualified the country to the World Cup for the very first time that same year.
His long-time assistant Bonfrere will then lead the country to win an historic Olympic gold in 1996 in Atlanta, United State of America.
Sharks’ Christian Pyagbara (10) on duty for Nigeira
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.