Sports
Ajax, Pirates To Face Charges Over Kit
Orlando Pirates, Ajax Cape Town and Witbank Spurs will appear in front of the PSL DC next week to face charges to do with their playing kit.
Orlando Pirates will appear in front of the PSL DC next week to face two charges, one being a failure to produce an alternative kit against Bidvest Wits at the weekend.
The second charge is for failing to change their outfit when the referee asked them to.
Pirates were requested to change their shorts and socks from black to another colour, because the home team, Wits, were wearing navy shorts and socks.
Both requests are part of rule 12.2 and 12.3 of the PSL kit manual.
Ajax Cape Town are also being changed by the PSL DC, for failing to put a sponsor logo on the right side of their jersey.
In their match against SuperSport United on November 18, Brent Carelse wore a jersey that did not have a sponsor [Absa] logo on the right-arm sleeve, contravening rule 9.1 of the kit manual.
hird, Witbank Spurs failed to produce a team jersey at the pre-match meeting ahead of their match against Chippa United on November 18, contravening section 4.2 of the kit manual. This is classed as ‘misconduct’ in the compliance manual.
Ngcongca Escapes UEFA Punishment
SPORTS;
Bafana Bafana right-back Anele Ngcongca sat out last night’s UEFA Champions League clash with Valencia after yet again arriving home late from international duty … but is probably happy he did!
Genk were thumped 7-0 by the Spanish La Liga side and Ngcongca never made it onto the pitch after coach Mario Been left him out as punishment for his repeated late arrivals back in Belgium from South Africa.
The result confirmed that Genk would finish bottom of Group E, which means they will not drop down to the UEFA Europa League either. The team that finishes third in the pool goes into Europe’s second club competition.
Ngcongca and his teammates could still have a major say in who does finish in the top two though, with Bayer Leverkusen currently on top with nine points, followed by Chelsea and Valencia, who each have eight.
Genk will host Leverkusen in their final pool match on December 6 and if they eke out a win over the German Bundesliga side, it would mean that a draw between Chelsea and Valencia at Stamford Bridge would leave all three top sides on nine points.
Meanwhile, the debacle in Valencia is likely to see Ngcongca restored to the Genk starting line-up for the Jupiler League clash with high-flying Gent yesterday.
South Africa’s other UEFA Champions League representative, Thulani Serero, also did not make it off the bench for Ajax Amsterdam as they drew away in Lyon last Tuesday.
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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