Sports

Hoopers Return To Conference Summit With Impressive Win

Published

8 years ago

July 17, 2017

Rivers Hoopers leapfrogged Kwara Falcons back to the top of the Atlantic Conference log after a dominant 87-72 win over a difficult Hoops & Read side in Port Harcourt at the weekend.
Benjamin Ikechukwu had 18 points, Emmanuel Balogun scored 15 points and 3 rebounds while Somtochukwu Managor added 11 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals in a game the Hoopers had answers to every question posed by the opposition.
The Kingsmen had dropped to second spot in the conference after a loss to Falcons late June but Saturday’s victory, coupled with Kwara Falcons’ loss at Nigeria Customs returned the Ogoh Odaudu men to their rightful position.
Ikechukwu continued from where he left off in the last game proving unstable recording 3 of 4 of his shots from the arc but could not replicate same number of points or more against NAF Rockets on Thursday.
It took the former Lagos Warriors guard the second quarter to get into his rhythm. Although, Hoopers had the spark of Balogun with his dribbling skills, recording 3 of his 6 shots from the 3 point line and making 100 per cent of his free throws in the game. He was the only player with double figures at the end of the second quarter (10).
Hoops & Read were led by Kemionbo Victor with a game high 20 points and 3 steals, Oyebanji Mustapha recorded 12 points while Ogunsemore Babajide had 10 points and 5 rebounds.
Most notably with 6 seconds left on the clock, Chinedu Chimbuo failed to capitalise on a turned over ball on centre court by Anyebe Ujoh missing the layup before the buzzer going to the half time break.
Despite the composed display, Hoopers still could not hold their own in the third quarter like they have usually done this season losing it 21-25 but Ikechukwu’s 3-0 run late in the third, ensured the Port Harcourt side got into the fourth quarter domineering and eventually sealed the win limiting the visitors to just 17 points in the final quarter.
Hoops & Read coach, Charles Osho admitted that his team had a terrible game against Hoopers.
“It was a nice game for Hoopers we had a bad day, terribly bad day,” he stressed.
“There was no organised play, we struggled from the beginning, we were not composed and it took me a while for me to decide on what to do. As you can see we came with less than 12 players for this road trip. It was a good game but we had a bad day,” Osho emphasised.
On his part, Hoopers head coach Ogoh Odaudu thinks his side has improved overtime on their third quarter.
“We came out with a resolution, if we don’t score, they won’t score. We played better defence and we were executing a lot more. You look at the beginning of the season and look at the way we have played now, you can tell that there is a considerable improvement in our third quarter performance,” said Odaudu.
”We are still a work in progress, hopefully before we get to the play offs, we would have rectified anything that needs to be rectified, “Odaudu submitted
Rivers Hoopers will be up against Delta Force on Thursday and Nigeria Customs on Saturday this week in Port Harcourt.

Sports

Kenya Keeper Under Investigation For Match-Fixing

Published

3 weeks ago

March 28, 2025

The Tide

The Kenya Football Federation (FKF) has launched an investigation into allegations that goalkeeper Patrick Matasi has been involved in match manipulation.
The 37-year-old, who plays for Kenyan Premier League club Kakamega Homeboyz, has won over 30 international caps.
His most recent appearance for the Harambee Stars came in October last year, in a qualifier for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
An undated video posted online appears to show Matasi agreeing a deal to influence the outcome of a league game.
“I have spoken to him. He was also shocked at what he was seeing in the video and he told me he doesn’t know about match-fixing,” Homeboyz owner Cleophas Shimanyula told Tidesports source .
The FKF said it would work with world governing body Fifa, the Confederation of African Football and other “relevant authorities” during its investigation.
“We reaffirm our zero-tolerance policy on match manipulation and are committed to safeguarding the credibility of our competitions,” a statement added.
“This investigation will adhere to FKF’s anti-match manipulation regulations and Fifa guidelines, ensuring a fair, transparent, and thorough process.
“The rights of the player and his club will be respected, and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings.”
Shimanyula backed Matasi, pointing to the fact the veteran has kept three clean sheets in as many games since joining the club a month ago.
“When we watched this video, we found that Matasi has not wronged the club,” he said.
“In a video there can misinterpretations and false narratives and we cannot trust everything.
“He will keep playing for us because there’s no wrongdoing on his part as far as we are concerned – unless there’s evidence or the FKF writes to us to say they are suspecting the player of some wrongdoing.
“He is innocent until proven guilty and then we will act.”
The FKF has called on anyone with credible information to assist its investigation, with any reports to be handled with strict confidentiality.
Shimanyula also challenged the Kenyan footballing community to provide evidence against Matasi.
“Kakamega Homeboyz is against any form of match manipulation,” he said.

Sports

UEFA Probes Real Players Over Indecent Conduct

Published

3 weeks ago

March 28, 2025

The Tide

Uefa has opened an investigation into allegations of indecent conduct by four Real Madrid players during their Champions League last-16 win against Atletico Madrid.
Antonio Rudiger, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Dani Ceballos allegedly made gestures towards the home fans after Real Madrid beat their city rivals on penalties to book their place in the quarter-finals.
TV pictures showed German defender Rudiger appearing to make a throat-slitting motion, apparently towards the crowd after the shootout victory, while Mbappe was shown seemingly making a crotch-grabbing gesture.
Spanish media said Atletico reported the actions to Uefa last week.
The players could be at risk of suspension but there is no guarantee the case will be heard before their quarter-final with Arsenal. The first leg for that tie is at Emirates Stadium on 8 April and the return leg a week later.
In a statement, Uefa said: “[An] ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to investigate allegations of indecent conduct” made by the four Real Madrid players.
“Further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course.”

Sports

EPL To Have Two Transfer Windows

Published

3 weeks ago

March 28, 2025

The Tide

The Premier League has announced it will have two transfer windows this summer to allow Manchester City and Chelsea to sign players before the Club World Cup.
The window will open between Sunday, 1 June and Tuesday, 10 June, then close for five days before running again from Monday, 16 June until Monday, 1 September.
This summer features the first expanded Fifa Club World Cup, which involves 32 teams and adopts the format of the regular World Cup of the past few years.
Chelsea and Manchester City are the Premier League teams in the tournament which takes place in the United States from Sunday, 15 June.
But the Premier League can only have 12 weeks of a summer window – hence the five-day break in order to run it until 1 September.
Fifa has allowed new players to be registered for the Club World Cup from 1-10 June, and again from 27 June-3 July for the knockout stage.
This is happening firstly, to bring order to the global registration system, world governing body Fifa only permits the transfer window in any individual country to be open for 16 weeks in any calendar year.
In Europe, precedent dictates four of those weeks are for the winter window, leaving 12 in the summer. In 2024, the Premier League transfer window opened on 14 June and closed on 30 August.