Sports
‘Nigeria To Play Offensive Football In Egypt’
Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr has revealed that his side is aiming to score more goals and will play offensive football at the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
The three-time African champions have included nine forwards in their 23-man squad list for the biennial showpiece.
Changchun Yatai’s Odion Ighalo leads the frontline with Ahmed Musa, Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, Henry Onyekuru, Alex Iwobi, Samuel Kalu, Paul Onuachu and Victor Osimhen all included.
Despite settling for a goalless draw in their build-up game against Zimbabwe last Saturday, Rohr sees the available options upfront as an opportunity for the team to switch tactics during play and also give chance for fresh legs.
“We have a lot of strikers which means we want to score more goals and play offensive football, we also have good defenders,” Rohr said.
“Some of our strikers could play in the midfield or in the plan 3-5-2 on the side, so it is good to have the opportunity to change in our offensive methods.
“We have quickness and ability to change in the offensive department, We can also give them the chance to rest.”
Leicester City star Kelechi Iheanacho was a notable exclusion from the team that travelled to Egypt for the tournament.
The German tactician faulted the 22-year-old’s goal drought and lack of playing time at the King Power Stadium as reasons for his exclusion.
“It is what happened in his club, he did not play at Leicester City, only few minutes and since September he scored one goal,” Rohr continued.
“He has something missing, a little bit in confidence and also professionalism, he is a young player and can come back again but also we have better options.
“The choice was not easy but we have objectives, we do not choose the names we choose the best one.”
After yesterday’s friendly match against Senegal at Ismailia Stadium, the Super Eagles will depart for Alexandria, where they will play all their Group B games.
Nigeria will play Burundi on June 22 followed by fixtures against Guinea and Madagascar, on June 26 and June 30 respectively.
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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