Sports
Athletes Hail AFN Over Payment Of Entitlements
Some track and field ath
letes have expressed gratitude to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) for the payment of their outstanding Golden League prize money.
The athletes threatened to boycott the third leg of the league held in Akure on May 10.
The athletes, who made the threat, said they were owed prize money for the two previous editions held in Abuja and Ilorin.
Some of them who spoke with newsmen said the payment would serve as motivation for their participation in the next leg of the league.
Precious Okoronkwo, winner of the long jump at the Abuja leg of the league, said the payment of the money had gladdened her heart.
“I went to Akure with misgivings and bad mood due to persuasion of my coach.
“He urged me to attend but I was gladdened when the prize money was paid after the Akure edition,” she said.
Nkem Eziala, third place winner in the 100m in Abuja and Ilorin events, said that with the payment the athletes would perform better in the next leg.
“With the commencement of the payment, the next league will witness a better performance by the athletes,” Eziala said.
According to the 17-year-old sprinter, the Akure leg witnessed a low turnout of athletes unlike the previous editions because of the outstanding of prize money owed by the federation.
She said that with the payment the athletes would turnout in large numbers for the next competition in Akure on May 26.
“The more the athletes, the better for the league for it will bring about stiff competition which makes for better evaluation of athletes,” Eziala said.
Mercy Abiere, a long jumper said that with the payment, athletes would be more focused to meet the national standard ahead of the All Nigeria Athletics Championships in Calabar in June.
Another jumper, Ruth Usoro, however, tasked the AFN to promptly pay athletes at the end of any competition.
The AFN’s league is organised every two weeks in different states to harness talents for national assignments.
The winner of the first position is to earn N40, 000, second place N30, 000, while the third and fourth positions are to get N20, 000 and N15, 000 respectively.
The fifth placed athlete is to earn N10,000 and the sixth to get N5,000, while the first place winners in relay are to get N30,000, second N25, 000 and third N20,000 respectively.
The next leg of the league which was initially billed to hold in Kaduna will now take place in Akure.
Athletes and official rejected the choice of Kaduna as the host due to the security situation in the state.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.
-
Niger Delta2 days agoWarri Airport Manager Disputes Air Peace Bird Strike Claim
-
News2 days agoNigeria Won’t Surrender Any Territory To Criminals -Tinubu
-
News2 days agoFG Begins Trial Of Over 600 Terrorism Suspects
-
Rivers2 days ago79th IAUE Inaugural Lecture: Prof Anero Advoctes Tuition-Free Education For Children
-
Politics2 days agoParties’ Deregistration: How Justice Lifu Overruled Appeal Court Justices
-
News2 days agoRivers Judges Commence Annual Vacation, July 20
-
Politics2 days agoADC: Okonkwo Rejects Amaechi As Presidential Running Mate, Withdraws Support
-
Politics2 days ago2027: Tinubu’s Projects Give APC Edge In South East – Yilwatda