Sports
National Stadium, Lagos To Be Ready, August – Sports Minister
Minister of Sports and Youths Development, Sunday Dare, yesterday disclosed that the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos will be ready for use in August, after 19 years of abandonment.
The minister who disclosed this yesterday, when he paid a courtesy call on the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, in Abeokuta, said the stadium was rehabilitated through the adopt-a-stadium initiative by his ministry.
He explained that the National Stadium, Lagos, which was built in 1973 fell into state of disrepair almost 20 years ago due to neglect and total abandonment by successive administrations in the country.
The minister, however, said his ministry’s initiative of partnering private individuals in the country to adopt a stadium for rehabilitation, had helped in rebuilding the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Abuja and the National Stadium, Lagos.
According to him, an industrialist, Aliko Dangote had been approached to adopt the Abuja Stadium, disclosing the stadium had been fitted with a new football pitch, world class tartan tracks and latest version of scoreboard.
On the National Stadium, Lagos, Dare disclosed that a business mogul, Kessington Adebutu adopted it, noting rehabilitation work at the stadium had reached 75 percent.
The minister, therefore, called on Governor Abiodun to key into a adopt-an-athlete initiative of his ministry, to nurture, develop and encourage Nigerian athletes wherever they are in the world.
Dare, who informed the governor that he was in the state for the final of the Super Six Female Soccer Tournament in Ijebu Ode, however, urged the governor to adopt an indigene of the state, Tobi Amusan, a 24 year old 100 metre hurdle athlete.
He hinted that the Ijebu Ode born but Texas, USA based hurdle star was one of medal hopeful of the country at the Tokyo Olympics.
“One of the first things I did when I became the Minister was to initiate adopt-a-stadium and adopt-an-athlete to bridge the infrastructural deficit in our major stadia, and to help and nurture Nigerian sports talents. When I approached Alhaji Aliko Dangote with this idea, he agreed and adopted the MKO International Stadium, Abuja. That stadium is being rebuilt and fitted with world standard football pitch, tartan tracks and latest scoreboard.
“As for the Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, another business mogul, Chief Kessington Adebutu, has adopted it. Work is about 75 percent done and that stadium will be opened for use again by August, after 19 solid years”.
“Your Excellency, there is an indigene of your state, Tobi Amusan, who is doing well in 100 metre hurdle. In fact, she is one of our medal hopeful at the forthcoming Tokyo Olympics, not only in hurdle but in relay event as well. Therefore, I want to request that you adopt her in line with our initiative. For a Nigerian based athlete that is adopted, a sum of $10,000 will provided for him or her directly, while $20,000 is provided in a similar manner, to any adopted foreign based athlete. This is to nurture, encourage and develop them to compete and win laurels for the country at global stage”. The minister stated.
He further commended the Ogun state governor for his administration’s youth empowerment programmes, particularly in the areas of ICT and agribusiness.
Responding, Abiodun who said youths empowerment and job creation was one of the five cardinal pillars of his administration, disclosed that the ICT TechHub was deliberately conceptualised to convert youths of the state from ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’ to more profitable ICT ventures.
While commending the Minister for his ministry’s initiative on rehabilitation the country stadia and nurturing sports talents, the governor, announced the immediate adoption of Tobi Amusan.
He also urged the him to help Ogun identify her sports talents, expressing his administration’s readiness to help them nurture their skills in order to make them world champions.
Andrea Cambiaso scored at both ends during the first half of Saturday’s Derby d’Italia, before Pierre Kalulu’s red card forced Juventus to play the entire second half a man light.
Substitute Francesco Pio Esposito got Inter back in front with a bullet header, then Manuel Locatelli’s pinpoint finish looked to have salvaged a point for the Bianconeri, before Zielinski struck on the cusp of stoppage time.
Juventus made the brighter start, but they were masters of their own downfall in the 17th minute, when Cambiaso deflected Luis Henrique’s cross beyond Michele Di Gregorio.
Cambiaso atoned within nine minutes, catching Henrique on his heels when Weston McKennie’s cross squirmed through to the back post and applying a side-footed finish.
But after Bremer cleared Zielinski’s dinked effort off the line, Juve’s hopes were damaged when Kalulu received his second yellow card for a 42nd-minute pull on Alessandro Bastoni, though the Inter centre-back appeared to go down theatrically.
Di Gregorio made a remarkable stop to thwart Hakan Calhanoglu, but as Juventus dropped ever deeper, they were punished when substitute Esposito guided Federico Dimarco’s searching cross into the far corner with 76 minutes on the clock.
It looked like Inter would have to settle for a point when Locatelli whipped a wonderful finish into the bottom-left corner in the 83rd minute, but Zielinski had the final say as his 20-yard drive fizzed through Locatelli’s legs and beat Di Gregorio.
A cloud of uncertainty has settled over Liverpool after comments from Hungary head coach Marco Rossi reignited speculation about Dominik Szoboszlai and Real Madrid.
Rossi, who has worked closely with Szoboszlai since his teenage years, revealed that the midfielder’s lifelong ambition is to play for the Spanish giants.
“Because of the very close and direct relationship I’ve had with Dominik since he was a child, Real Madrid has always been his dream,” Rossi said.
For a Liverpool side building around Szoboszlai as a centerpiece of Arne Slot’s project, those words landed hard.
Within hours of Rossi’s remarks, Szoboszlai interacted on social media with two Real Madrid players, applauding posts from Vinicius Junior and Trent Alexander-Arnold following Madrid’s win over Real Sociedad.
His reaction to Vinicius’ post drew particular attention. The exchange with Alexander-Arnold, his former Liverpool teammate, was seen as less surprising.
Still, in the hyper-connected world of elite soccer, even a digital thumbs-up can carry weight. On Merseyside, fans and pundits quickly began dissecting the meaning behind the interactions.
Szoboszlai, Hungary’s captain, has become one of Liverpool’s most influential players. That status is precisely why Rossi’s comments triggered such an intense reaction in England.
The midfielder had just delivered on the field as well, scoring in Liverpool’s 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.
After the match, Mohamed Salah heaped praise on his teammate, calling Szoboszlai “the best player in the world.” Slot struck a slightly more measured tone but echoed the sentiment.
“I think there are many elite players in the world, but I definitely agree with Mo that he is one of them,” Slot said. “He is very important for us.”
Szoboszlai is under contract at Liverpool through 2028. However, the club is reportedly eager to open extension talks in the coming months to secure his long-term future.
The player himself addressed the situation recently with notable candor.
“There’s nothing yet, to be honest. Nothing from now on. It’s not in my hands. That’s how it works,” he said. “There’s no progress, but if the right offer comes, we’ll see.”
He was equally clear about his affection for Liverpool.
“We’ll see what happens. Hopefully everyone will be happy in the end. Of course I want to stay. I like the city, I like the club, I like playing with these guys. I love Anfield, I love the fans. Let’s see what the future brings. It’s not my fault. I’d love to stay. We’ll see.”
Inter’s dramatic victory boosted their lead over rivals AC Milan to eight points, ahead of the Rossoneri hosting Como on Wednesday. Juventus, meanwhile, could drop out of the top four as Roma visited Napoli last night.
The last four Serie A matches between Inter and Juventus have produced a total of 21 goals (an average of 5.25 per game), compared to just nine in the previous six (1.5 per game).
Cambiaso became the first player in Derby d’Italia history to score and put through his own net in the same match between these old rivals, but it was Zielinski’s fifth Serie A goal of the season that proved decisive.
Inter will argue they were deserved victors after amassing 21 shots and 1.88 expected goals (xG), while Luciano Spalletti’s visitors mustered 10 shots and 0.92 xG – though the Bianconeri actually attempted six of their shots while down a man in the second half.
Premier League strugglers Wolves overcame resolute Grimsby Town in challenging conditions at Blundell Park to reach the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of the side that eliminated Manchester United in the last round.
Santiago Bueno scored from Wolves’ only shot on target with an hour played, diverting Joao Gomes’ cross past goalkeeper Jackson Smith with his thigh to end the League Two club’s resistance.
Unrelenting rainfall caused heavy ground underfoot and one penalty area in particular- that of Grimsby’s Smith in the first half – was already a quagmire before kick-off.
Charles Vernam shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box with just 43 seconds on the clock as Grimsby sought to catch their top-flight visitors cold.
Wolves had to wait until the 17th minute for their first opportunity of note, forward Tolu Arokodare firing over with a first-time attempt.
The white paint of the pitch markings soon blended and blurred with the mud as the surface rapidly deteriorated, and both sides struggled to stitch together cohesive attacks as passes travelled unpredictably across the sodden ground.