Sports
Federation Seeks Inclusion Of Para-Soccer In NSF
The President of Nigeria Para-Soccer Federation (NPF), Misbahu Didi, has appealed to the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to include the sport in the 2020 National Sports Festival (NSF).
Didi told newsmen yesterday in Abuja that including the para-soccer sport in the 20th NSF billed for Edo would tremendously help it to develop.
“We are appealing to the ministry to include para-soccer in the list of events to feature at the NSF.
“We need to encourage people with disability who are committed to the game and also want to promote the image of this country through sports activities.
“We want to encourage people with disability to enjoy the privilege of being part of the NSF.
“So, we pray and ask the ministry to please include para-soccer in the NSF,” he said.
Didi also praised the teams participating in the ongoing eighth edition of the National Para-Soccer League, which kicked off on Wednesday in Abuja and would end on Sunday.
“We thank God that the eighth edition of the Polio Day/National Para-Soccer Championship kicked off on Wednesday at the Old Parade Ground in Abuja.
“We have teams from eight of the states which indicated interest to participate in the championship. Initially, they were 12 and we put it in our plan.
“However, things have gone this way because of the challenges of the states and the issues of protesters across the country. Now we are here, and it will be a peaceful event.
“But we must appreciate the teams which are around for the event and their owners/state governments for showing interest and making sacrifice.
“We are grateful that they made the resources available for their participation,” he said.
The NPF president also expressed the gratitude of the federation to its sponsors and the media.
“We thank the media for their support and commitment in ensuring that our needs and programmes are publicised,” he added.
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