Sports
ENUSG Lauds Rangers For Winning NPFL Title
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, has congratulated Rangers International Football Club of Enugu for winning the 2023/24 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) title with a game to spare.
The congratulatory message followed the team’s 2-0 victory over Bendel Insurance Football Club at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, on Sunday.
A 33rd-minute goal by Kenechukwu Agu and 65th-minute goal by Chidiebere Nwobodo, handed the Fidelis Ilechukwu-tutored lads their eighth league title and their second since 2016.
Their closest rivals, Remo Stars and Enyimba Football Club lost their match-day 37 fixtures 1-2 each against Sunshine Stars and Sporting Lagos.
This left the Flying Antelopes with a 67-point lead with a game to go.
Reacting to the development, Mbah said Rangers’ title win and display on the pitch were clear exciting reenactment of the greatness Enugu State was known for.
He assured that his government would commit more resources toward sports development in the state.
“I can tell you that the government and people of Enugu State are very excited. What we have witnessed here this evening is the reenactment of the greatness that Enugu is known for.
“Part of what I said to the players before the match started was that they had the weight of history on their shoulders because they were walking the path legends had walked and that it was incumbent on them to deliver.
“I’m so excited again that this has happened.
“Indeed, our tomorrow is here. It is again part of connecting the dots in the sports sector. As you already know, we want to be the number one in everything we do.
“So, we have zero tolerance for failure or mediocrity and our work ethic is impeccable,” Mbah said.
He said the state would continue on that trajectory, making sure that they had a good reward system, motivate the players to go all out and bring back the trophy.
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