Sports
Olubayo’s Death Stuns Nigerians
Nigerians have been left stunned by the death of Super Eagles defender Adefemi Olubayo.
The 25 year-old was killed in a car crash in Greece on Monday while driving to the airport. He was on his way to Nigeria to finalise arrangements for his wedding.
Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia, who has coached the defender since his Under 20 days, was shocked into silence.
“No, it is not true,” was Siasia’s first reaction to the news after nearly a minute of silence.
Captain Joseph Yobo was equally speechless.
“I don’t know what to say except to wish his family my deepest condolences,” Yobo said. “I can’t say anything now, give me a couple of hours and maybe I will have the words to express how sad this is.”
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, in South Africa for the 17th African Youth Championship in which Nigeria defeated world champions Ghana 2-1 on Monday, was weighed down by sorrow.
“This is devastating. I was just leaving the stadium after our U-20 team’s victory over Ghana when the Acting General Secretary (Barrister Musa Amadu) called me on phone. Why? Such a young and dedicated player? Why now? Oh, I can’t say more”, said Maigari.
The Secretariat of Nigeria Football Federation was also thrown into mourning as Management and Staff tried to come to terms with the demise of the promising, effervescent and energetic player.
“We are in grief, total grief. This has come on a day that we should be celebrating the Flying Eagles’ defeat of the world champions at the African Youth Championship. But at this stage, we can only pray for a repose of his soul and that God should grant the family he has left behind and Nigeria football family the fortitude to bear the huge loss,” said NFF’s Acting General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu.
Amadu added that the NFF would stay in contact with the club and the family of late Adefemi on his body’s journey back to Nigeria and the Federation’s involvement in the burial rites.
Olubayo Adefemi was born on 13th August, 1985 and was invited by Super Eagles’ Head Coach, Samson Siasia for the team’s last 2012 Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia and the international friendly against Kenya, both at the National Stadium, Abuja.
His manager, Miguel Riera, who spoke to the NFF hierarchy on phone from Xanthi on Monday morning, said the accident occurred at about 7am Nigeria time as Olubayo attempted to make good use of the one-week break granted by his Greek top club, Xanthi Skoda to travel to Nigeria to finalise his marriage plans.
Sports
CAA Wants Ghana To Host 2026 Athletics Champions
The Confederation of African Athletics has invited Ghana to bid for the hosting rights of the 2026 African Athletics Championships, following a successful athletics event at the just concluded 2023 African Games.
President of Ghana Athletics, Bawa Fuseini, stated this and expressed confidence in the transformative potential of the Legon Stadium for athletes and Ghana’s bid to host international competitions.
With a capacity of 11,000, the Legon Stadium played a pivotal role in the recent African Games, hosting both the opening and closing ceremonies as well as various sporting events including athletics, football, and rugby.
Fuseini highlighted the success of the athletics events held at the stadium, which contributed to Ghana winning six medals.
“We have already started getting requests from the Confederation of African Athletics to bid for the 2026 African Athletics Championships.
“When they came and saw what we have put in place and the level of organisation, they told me that for the last 20 years, they’ve never seen any organisation like this before. We did three official courses. And the last one, we had 110, all of them passed. We had a lot of officials and equipment.”
Since its establishment in 1979, Ghana has never hosted the African Athletics Championships, with Nigeria being the host country twice, in 1989 and 2018.
This year, Cameroon will take the reins as the host nation, with the event set to be held at the Olembe Stadium.
Sports
‘I’m Not Under Pressure To Coach Eagles’
Finidi George, head coach of the Nigeria Premier Football Leagues side, Enyimba, has stated that he is not losing any sleep over getting the Super Eagles job on a permanent basis.
Early this month, the Nigeria Football Federation declared the position of the Super Eagles’ head coach vacant, following the exit of Portuguese Jose Peseiro, who led the side to a second-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup Nations in Ivory Coast in February.
In an advertisement on its website calling for applications with a March 13 deadline, the football governing body stated that the prospective Eagles coach “must have proven experience at the elite level of football.”
The former Ajax man, who also applied for the job, was appointed Eagles interim coach for the international window with the former winger picking a win and suffering a defeat.
In an interview with Tidesports source, the 52-year-old tactician said he was not desperate for the job permanently.
“I felt really good when I was told to take charge of the team. I have been with the team for almost two years, I know all the players, their strengths, and their weaknesses but I am only here to serve Nigeria the way I know how to do stuff.
“I will just take these two games and go back to my club. Whatever the decision is taken after, so be it. I’m not under pressure to say I must get the role permanently.”
Sports
‘Reasons Why Eagles Lost To Mali’
The friendly games against Ghana and Mali were to serve as an audition for George Finidi, who was in charge of the team on an interim basis, but the Eagles’ lacklustre display in those friendlies has called for his further evaluation.
Finidi kept faith with ex-coach Jose Peseiro’s defensive formation against Mali on the back of his first win (against Ghana) in charge of the team four days earlier.
But this time, his defence was punished following a combination of defensive errors and poor passes.
The Eagles struggled to play out of defence due to the high pressing of the Malians and it was no surprise that the first goal by Les Aigles was a direct result of their aggression.
Chidozie Awaziem, who started on the right of the back three alongside Kenneth Omeruo and Semi Ajayi, lacked composure and was pressured into making a pass across his box straight at Bilal Toure, who made no mistake in getting the ball past Stanley Nwabali. They missed the calming presence of injured William Troost-Ekong.
Vice captain, Kenneth Omeruo, was also culpable of misplaced passes and was beaten for pace when Kamory Doumbia ran past him to seal Mali’s first win in over four decades, firing his shot past a helpless Nwabali, who stood no chance.
Eagles wing backs, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Jamilu Collins also did not do enough to support the team in attack when they had the chance to.
Lack of creativity
Finidi paired Raphael Onyedika and Wilfred Ndidi in a double pivot in midfield. Both players are naturally anchor men and neither is a box-to-box midfielder.
They both do not possess the offensive capability to drive the team’s attack forward, which left the Eagles once again craving for a natural creative midfielder.
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