Sports
CHAN: S’Eagles’ Comeback Thrills Nigerians
Nigerian football enthusi
asts at the weekend reacted with ecstacy to Super Eagles’ 4-3 defeat of the Atlas Lions of Morocco to qualify for the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN) semi-finals.
In separate interviews they hailed the team’s “unexpected victory’’ saying “the team virtually came back from the dead’’.
The Super Eagles had rallied from a 0-3 deficit at half-time to defeat Morocco 4-3 in extra time in their quarter-final match in Cape Town, South Africa.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, Rivers State football Head coach, Tony Chuku described the performance as remarkable. He said that the Eagles demonstrated unremarkable spirit worthy of emulation and urged other Nigerian sportsmen to borrow a leaf from them.
In Lagos, a former Chief Coach of the Super Eagles,Paul Hamilton, said the team’s comeback into the game was simply “intriguing”.
“They started on a low note, but ended up well. I thank God they improved and won the match.
“They are now in a crucial stage and must be ruthless and tactical in the remaining matches. I commend the boys for their determination in not losing concentration when they were down,’’ he said.
Hamilton however called for more work to be done on the team’s goalkeeper, Chigozie Agbim.
In Akure, the Director of Ondo State Football Agency, Mike Idoko, said the Eagles showed they have the character to win the championship.
The director said the match could be one of the best matches played in CHAN history.
“The game was one of the best games I have watched in CHAN so far.
“When the Eagles were three goals down, they never lost their cool, but continued to play with great determination to eventually win,’’ he said.
On his part, an ex-Eagles player, Mutiu Adepoju, said: “We could have lost the match. But I thank God that the boys were able to come back.’’
He, however, warned the team not to take such chances in future matches.
“Coach Stephen Keshi should not relent now. He needs to psyche up the boys, as they have entered a more crucial stage of the competition,’’ Adepoju said.
The Technical Adviser of Crown FC of Ogbomosho, Lawrence Akpokona, described the match as a nice performance.
“It was the raw test of a team’s strength and their ability to recover when they are down.
“The defence in the first half allowed the Atlas Lions space to operate, which gave them the edge in that half.
“But in their next match, I do know that the technical crew will improve on the lapses noticed today (Saturday). All in all, it was a good outing. Kudos to the team,’’ he said.
In Enugu, the Co-ordinator of the Enugu Pepsi Academy, Edwin Eze, said the victory was well-deserved.
“The boys used the first half to size up themselves and in the process made mistakes which they eventually corrected,’’ he said.
Eze, who is also the Director of Information, Enugu State Sports Ministry, said he was happy that one of his boys, Ejike Uzoenyi, made an impressive mark in the team.
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria ( SWAN) Rivers State Chapter has set up five standing working committees on Tuesday, in its general congress.
At the playoff held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, the team of Canice Abua, Michael Emmanuel, Daniel Adeleye, and Abubakar Yusuf was majestic as they restored Nigeria’s hope in a sport that once gave the country so much joy.
Speaking after the final game, Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) President, Victor Ochei, said the Davis Cup feat is the stepping stone to better days in the sport, adding that the federation has set up programmes that will help the budding talents across the country play at the same level as their counterparts in other tennis-developed countries.
Ochei said: “The whole aim of having this new board is to lift the sport to the level we used to be. I tell you, tennis is taking a new shape in Nigeria. We are putting everything and anything to make that work happen.”
Ochei said that the NTF has looked at sponsorships and how to get the emerging players compete at the same level with their peers elsewhere, adding that the federation is working on organising local competitions and helping the players to compete in international championships.
“We believe that with what we are doing now, sponsors will come to us to organise new competitions. But beyond that, there’s a strategic growth development plan, a 10-year development plan, which the board is working on.
“The programme will ensure that we catch them young. This is because we believe that to create champions, we must start grooming them early. The champions you are seeing today were those groomed yesterday.”
“The process of building new champions will include building the coaches, the players, the infrastructure and sensitising the parents so that we can start catching them as young as age five to six.
“By the time that we groom them through 10 years of training, at age 15, 16, you will see fantastic professional players.”
To achieve the federation’s plans, Ochei admits that the NTF needs a lot of investment, adding that the board is working at realising the funds quietly and tenaciously.
The NTF president acknowledged the contributions of former international stars like Nduka Odizor and Sadiq Abdullahi to the bid to rejuvenate Nigerian tennis, adding that NTF is open to collaborating with former players who know what it takes to play at the highest level of the sport.
He said, “Nduka Odizor is around as one of our VIP personalities. He has been psyching up the boys in the battle with Uzbekistan. He will not enter the court to play, but his mere presence is enough motivation to the boys, who will want to be like him in the future.
“You see, the type of support the Odizors, the Imonities and the Abdullahis got in their time is no longer there, but we are revamping it with the support of our stakeholders in the Diaspora.
“It will appear to take us some time, but I can tell you that the Diaspora support is massive.”
In its bid to get good results in this year’s Commonwealth Games, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has disbursed N200 million as training grants to 26 athletes.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.
The NSC stated that the grants were disbursed through its Elite and Podium Board, noting that N200 million was allocated to select top-performing athletes.
The beneficiaries are both foreign-based and home-based, the NSC said, adding that it will cater for their training and preparation expenses.
According to the NSC, the recipients span several sports, including athletics, wrestling, weightlifting, and para-sports, in line with the Commission’s mandate to prioritise athletes’ welfare and high-performance development.
The Commission added that the disbursement follows the establishment of the Elite and Podium Board, created to implement a scientific and institutionalised support system aimed at sustaining peak performances by Nigerian athletes at major international competitions.
NSC Director General, Bukola Olopade, said the Commission, under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was established to restore confidence and provide renewed hope for Nigerian sportsmen and women by placing strong emphasis on athlete welfare.
“The training grants disbursed to 26 athletes across different sports followed a careful and professional selection process by the Yusuf Ali-led Elite and Podium Board. This is our way of reassuring our athletes that their welfare remains our utmost priority,” he said.
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