Sports
Ebonyi Sports Ministry Faults Ogba’s Re-Election
The Ebonyi Ministry of Youth Development and Sports on Monday in Abakaliki said the state Football Association (FA) election held on Saturday was faulty.
Tidesports source reports that the election had seen the return of Sen. Obinna Ogba (PDP–Ebonyi Central) as a re-elected chairman
The furore generated by the election, especially the candidate’s emergence after a reign as chairman for more than 10 years, among other issues had led to a discontent.
This situation was in spite of the election’s conduct by officials of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Jonathan Okoronkwo, the ministry’s permanent secretary however, told newsmen on Monday that the election did not follow the stipulated guidelines for the conduct of state FA elections.
He said the ministry had sought the election’s postponement from the NFF as recommended by the review committee it set up and which he headed.
“We discovered that the electoral committee did not offer the contestants a `level-playing ground’ to contest, while the manner in which the delegates (electorate) emerged was faulty.
“The committee profiled the delegates and discovered that they are not engaged in football administration as stipulated in the guidelines and one of them belonged to a club owned by an interested party in the elections.
“There is no way such a person can be an unbiased voter and we further discovered that the electoral committee was set up in 2014.
“This electoral committee oversaw the 2015 state FA election and it is then clear that it has overstayed its required tenure of four years,” the permanent secretary said.
He further noted that the election was supposed to have been held at the Pa Ngele Oruta Stadium in Abakaliki but it was instead held inside a hotel in the town.
“The electoral guidelines stipulate that representatives of the ministry should observe and supervise the election and this fact is even contained in the programme of events for the election,’’ Okoronkwo added.
He then said the sports ministry would properly review events surrounding the conduct of the election, while advising aggrieved contestants to seek redress at the appropriate quarters.
The permanent secretary also faulted claims by NFF officials that the request for the election’s postponement amounted to interference by government, noting that such an assertion was “ill-informed’’.
“The ministry provides the logistics for the FA to operate in the state, such as office accommodation, among others, while the FA secretary is an appointee of government.
“These facts will not be seen as interference, but when the government insists that the right things be done to improve football in the state, it is termed interference” he said.
Chidi Okenwa, a member of NFF’’s Executive Committee who supervised the election, had said the federation viewed the request by the Ebonyi sports ministry as government interference.
He said it was an interference in the affairs of the FA board and congress in the state.
“The appeals committee has complied with the provisions of the Ebonyi FA statutes and guidelines for elections into the executive board and standing on this platform we are empowered to monitor this election,” Okenwa had said.
Chairman of the state FA Electoral Committee, Onyebuchi Ekuma, had said during the election that the committee was properly constituted while the elected officials satisfied all requirements to contest the election.
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.