Sports
Board Plans Workshop For Club Officials
A workshop for club officials in the Nigeria National League (NNL) would soon be organised to improve the league, the NNL board chairman said on Saturday in Abuja.
The board chairman, Chief Emeka Inyama, told newsmen in an interview that the workshop would be targeted at improving the officials’ administrative skills.
“Since our board came in late last month, we have identified the need to improve the state of the competition, and in doing this we discovered that we have to be operating on the same level with our club officials.
“This is because they are the frontline men in our quest to chart a new course for the competition, since they deal directly with the players and fans, as well as other stakeholders in the league.
“The workshop will deal with all issues militating against the league, and the club officials will share experiences which we will all use in charting a way forward for the competition,’’ he said.
Inyama, also a member of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) board by virtue of his headship of the NNL board, said capacity-building was essential for the league’s improvement.
“It is very essential that this is done regularly, because it is the key to making the league as highly competitive as it needs to be, and there will also be seminars for coaches and players too as time goes on,’’ he said.
Tidesports source reports that the NNL is the second tier of the Nigerian league, a step below the Premier League, with 32 clubs grouped into two.
Inyama whose board was elected on Jan. 29 in Abuja for a three-year tenure said the board has marshalled out plans to ensure success in its quest.
“We have highlighted all we need to do into immediate, medium and long-term plans, and we will be tackling issues as they come.
“However, we are going to immediately tackle the task of ensuring that we make the league attractive by engendering stiffer competition, giving it more media coverage, improving officiating and funding,’’ he said.
The chairman of Umuahia-based Abia Warriors Football club said his league board was already planning to make it compulsory for the participating clubs to have verifiable addresses.
“We are going to make it compulsory for all our clubs to have verifiable addresses and identifiable offices, where they can be contacted at all times.
“All of them will also be encouraged to have websites and e-mail addresses for ease of communication as well as good information flow. All this is to assist in making the league more prominent,’’ he said.
Inyama stressed the need for the league to get more prominence for it to attract more spectators and sponsors.
“Just as we have plans to raise the bars of officiating in the league and re-creating the league’s identity, we also need to make the competition and its clubs attractive to marketers.
“By creating awareness in and about the league, spectators will increase and there will be more sponsors, and this can be done with the help of marketers,’’ he said.
Sports
Galaxy Win Sixth MLS Title
LA Galaxy won a record-extending sixth MLS Cup title as they beat New York Red Bulls to delight a home crowd at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The MLS Cup is the showpiece match at the end of the US season, pitching the champions of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference finals together.
This was the first MLS Cup between two sides from the largest cities in the United States, Los Angeles and New York, and it produced a hectic opening with all three goals scored in the first half-hour.
Red Bulls were the lowest seed to ever reach the final after finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, and their underdog status initially showed as Galaxy dominated the 29th MLS Cup early on.
Galaxy led after nine minutes when Joseph Paintsil squeezed his shot under goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, and it was 2-0 soon after as Dejan Joveljic ran through the Red Bulls defence and finished with the outside of his boot.
Both men celebrated by holding up the shirt of team-mate Riqui Puig, the former Barcelona player who ruptured his ACL in the Western Conference Final which Galaxy won to reach this championship game.
Galaxy threatened to overwhelm their opponents as Sean Nealis headed a free-kick against his own crossbar.
But Red Bulls centre-back Nealis pulled his team back into the game after 28 minutes when he chested down and volleyed in from 15 yards when Galaxy players failed to clear a corner.
Both sides hit the woodwork in the second half: Galaxy right-back Miki Yamane struck the outside of the post, before Emil Forsberg curled an effort off the upright for Red Bulls.
But Galaxy, who had home advantage because of their better record in the regular season, held on to win their first MLS Cup since 2014.
Red Bulls remain without an MLS Cup title in their history after losing on what was their second appearance in the championship game.
Sports
Bayern Extend Bundesliga Lead To Six Points
Bayern Munich continued their unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season with a 4-2 win against Heidenheim.
A double from Jamal Musiala and goals from Dayot Upamecano and Leon Goretzka saw Bayern extend their lead at the top of the table to six points as closest challengers Eintracht Frankfurt were held to a 2-2 draw by Augsburg.
Vincent Kompany was without the injured Harry Kane, Manuel Neuer, Mathys Tel and Serge Gnabry, with Musiala starting on the bench.
Leroy Sane spurned two excellent early chances from close range before Upamecano headed the hosts in front from a Joshua Kimmich corner.
Bayern enjoyed 86% possession and completed 10 times as many passes (503) as the visitors (51) in the first half, yet Alphonso Davies hit the post with the only other clear chance created.
To their credit, Heidenheim didn’t wilt and drew level when Mathias Honsak rounded stand-in Bayern goalkeeper Daniel Peretz after Upamecano under-hit a backpass.
Kompany immediately introduced Musiala from the bench and was rewarded five minutes later when the 21-year-old drove into the box and beat Kevin Muller with a low strike.
Bayern looked to have secured the three points when Goretzka’s shot deflected past Muller, but the visitors halved the deficit almost immediately through a Niklas Dorsch tap-in.
Any nerves soon dissipated when Musiala ran half the length of the pitch unchallenged to slot home the fourth and final goal.
Bayern will face Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League tomorrow before returning to domestic duty away against Mainz on Saturday.
Sports
La Liga: Barca Stumble Again
Robert Lewandowski continued his superb start to the season but could not prevent Barcelona dropping points in a 2-2 draw with Real Betis.
Lewandowski scored his 16th goal of the league campaign before Ferran Torres cancelled out Giovani Lo Celso’s penalty – but Assane Diao snatched a point for Betis with a late equaliser.
Real Betis could have easily scored twice in the opening three minutes but Raphina cleared Diego Llorente’s header off the goalline before Abde Ezzalzouli – formerly of Barcelona – saw his one-on-one effort saved by Inaki Pena.
Lamine Yamal wasted a good chance to break the deadlock from close range but team-mate Lewandowski made no such mistake.
The Poland international converted Jules Kounde’s cross from close range to finish a fine team move and score for the 23rd time in 21 games in all competitions.
Betis emerged from half-time with renewed energy but spurned three more clear chances.
Sergi Altimira and Lo Celso sent headers wide of Pena’s post before the Barcelona goalkeeper was called upon to tip Chimy Avila’s snap-shot wide.
Betis finally got their just reward when Lo Celso converted from the penalty spot after Barca substitute Frenkie de Jong felled Vitor Roque – on-loan from the Catalans – as he raced into the area.
Barca pushed for a winner and found it when substitute Torres beat the offside trap to latch on to Yamal’s reverse pass and finish past Fran Vieites.
It looked like Barca would see out the win, but in the fourth minute of injury-time 19-year-old substitute Diao swept home to rescue a point for the hosts.
The draw sees Barca surrender control in the title race. Flick’s side are five points ahead of closest challengers Real Madrid but Los Blancos have played two games fewer.
Barca will be in Champions League action against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday (20:00 GMT kick-off) before facing Leganes in La Liga on Sunday, 15 December.
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