Sports
RSG To Replicate Sharks, Dolphins Jerseys For Fans
Rivers State Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Fred Igwe has said that plans are in top gear to replicate Sharks and Dolphins FC’s jerseys for fans to buy.
Hon. Igwe made this known when supporters clubs of both teams paid him a courtesy visit recently in his office.
According to him, the objective is to ensure that the clubs are well advertised and know the extent of followership they have in the state and beyond.
“We need to discuss with the producers of your jerseys to produce the replica into the market for fans to buy. “It is good, whenever Sharks or Dolphins are playing their fans wear their jersey that will also attract fans to match venues and advertise the clubs more”, Igwe said.
The commissioner also revealed that arrangements have been concluded to relocate Sharks to a new camp. He said, the move is due to the deplorable condition of the club’s present camp and the incessant harassment of players by some unidentified persons in the state.
“I heard that the players used to be harassed by “some boys at that area. So, we need to relocate the camp to another site, because we want the players to concentrate,” he said.
Earlier, the chairman of Sharks Supporters Club, Minaiyo Igani had appealed to the Commissioner to prevail on the coaches to consider indigenes who have the skills to play during recruitment exercise next season.
He noted that some of the Rivers State indigenes are more skillful and competent than the players the coaches recruit from other states of the federation.
“Hon. Commissioner, I am constrained to say that in Sharks and Dolphins about 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the players are no qualified and productive.
Let us recruit only players that are useful, besides, we have indigenes that are better than most of them,” he added.
Tonye Orabere
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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