Sports

NFF Warns Sharks, Defends Denial Of Ticket CAF Confed Cup

Published

17 years ago

July 27, 2009

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF has issued a thinly disguised threat to Sharks, as the Port Harcourt club continue to press their claims for a place in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Warri Wolves, who finished fourth in the League, were awarded the ticket at the expense of Federation Cup finalists Sharks, and the Garden City club are refusing to roll over.

Sharks and the Rivers State Football Association have argued, citing CAF Regulations and precedence that they should have been rightfully awarded the slot, but NFF Secretary General Bolaji Ojo-Oba disagrees and issued a subtle threat in the process.

“We are surprised at the attitude of the Rivers State Football Association and their agents, who have been employing inelegant language in their correspondence with the Nigeria Football Federation. The football world has order and structure; it is not an animal kingdom.

“While the fellows have been arguing that the CAF Confederation Cup regulation did not expressly make mention of a fourth–placed team in the League, they have also failed to show us where the regulation expressly made mention of a second–placed team in the Federation Cup.

“Their argument has been desperate and porous, their inferences have been poor and irrelevant, and the instances they have been drawing up do not match. We will not exchange gutter language with them, but they should be very careful at this stage,” Ojo-Oba was quoted as saying in a press statement released by the NFF Media Officer Ademola Olajire.

Ojo-Oba went on to argue that the decision by the Federation to award the 2010 CAF Confederation Cup second slot to Warri Wolves FC was in the best interest of the nation.

“If we didn’t pick the Cup winner, Enyimba FC, we would have had only one slot for the CAF Confederation Cup, meaning that we would have on our own forfeited one slot as a result of not entering the Cup winner.

“CAF made it clear that the Cup winner must have a slot in the Confederation Cup, and failing which any country which hitherto had two slots would only be able to register one team. What we have done is in the best interest of the nation and we have explained the position to all reasonable stakeholders.”

Sports

Rivers-born Chess Player Clinches Third Position At World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship

Published

2 days ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

A veteran Rivers State chess player, Apollos Akomaka, has finished in joint 3rd place at the just-concluded World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship held in Abuja.

Akomaka, who is the director of physiotherapy at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, overcame a shaky start to secure a podium finish in the 11-round rapid event that began on August 2.

The tournament featured top chess players from several countries.

After losing his opening game, the defining moment for Akomaka came between Rounds 7 and 11.

He raised his game and began defeating some of the top-ranked players in the event.

The Rivers-born player ended the championship tied for 3rd place in the U2000 category with 6.5 points out of 11, alongside Cameroon’s national champion, Noumbo Vidal.

His final game was against Vidal, with the Nigerian playing the black pieces.

Vidal opened with a queen’s gambit but quickly transposed into an English opening with a double fianchetto attack.

Akomaka responded sharply with a king’s Indian defense and soon launched a kingside attack from a defensive position.

The pressure paid off, resulting in an immediate material gain, a knight for a rook, and leaving Akomaka with a strong attacking advantage.

Vidal fought hard to avoid mate and managed to steer the game into an endgame, where he found some respect. At that point, the Cameroon champion offered a draw, which Akomaka accepted.

Speaking after the event, Akomaka said that he is resilient and determined after the poor start but happy that he finished on the podium.

He expressed optimism that in subsequent competitions he will make Rivers State proud and Nigeria at large.

Akomaka has won both local and national chess championships in recent times.

He is passionate about chess; besides, he has equally sponsored several national chess tournaments in Nigeria.

The World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship concluded with Akomaka of Rivers State,

Nigeria, battling back from an early loss to end among the top three in his category

Tonye Orabere/Kiadum Edookor

Sports

Team Nigeria Secures Women’s 4x100m, 4x400m Finals at World U20 Championships

Published

2 days ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

Team Nigeria continued its impressive showing at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, securing places in both the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay finals after strong performances in the heats.

The Nigerian quartet of Becky Ebiyadi, Jecinta Lawrence, Tejiri Praise Ugoh and Faith Ezechukwu booked their place in the women’s 4x400m final after clocking a season’s best of 3:35.28.

Nigeria finished third in the heat behind Italy and Great Britain, doing enough to advance to the final and remain firmly in contention for a medal.

In the women’s 4x100m, Ugoh joined Lucy Nwankwo, Chigozie Nwankwo and Oluebube Ezechukwu as Nigeria produced another season’s best, clocking 43.65 seconds to secure an automatic ticket to the women’s 4x100m final.

The qualification was sealed by a sensational anchor leg from Ezechukwu. Receiving the baton nearly 20 metres behind the United States, the Nigerian launched a determined charge down the home straight, rapidly closing the gap before edging the Americans at the line to claim the third automatic qualifying position.

Nigeria stopped the clock at 43.65 seconds, just 0.02 seconds ahead of the United States, who finished in 43.67 seconds.

The performances mean Nigeria will now contest both women’s relay finals, further strengthening the country’s medal prospects at the championships.

In Saturday’s evening phase of the event, Success Uyibo will compete in the 200m women’s final while the 4x100m compete in the women’s final.

Sports

Poor welfare forced me to dump Delta for Enugu, says world – Nwachukwu

Published

2 days ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

World Record holder and Commonwealth Games champion, Goodness Nwachukwu, has revealed why she dumped Delta State for Enugu State.

The sudden departure of Nwachukwu, a multiple gold medallist, from Team Delta to the Coal City, Enugu , sparked controversy within the sports family, with officials of Delta State Sports Commission accusing the president of the Paralympic Committee of Nigeria, Sunday Odebode, of manipulating the system for the athlete to dump the state.

But Nwachukwu, who broke the World Record to win a gold medal for Team Nigeria in the Women’s Discus F42 event at the just-concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, has cleared the air on the circumstances that led to her movement to Enugu State.

Speaking with The Tidesports source report, shortly after winning the gold medal, Nwachukwu said: “It is not true that anybody aided my movement from Delta State to Enugu. Rather, it was Delta State that forced me to leave because of poor remuneration.