Sports
Inter-Ministerial Soccer Tourney Excites Rivers HOS
The Head of Service in Rivers State, Mrs Esther Anucha has expressed delight over the successes recorded by the Inter-Ministerial Football Competition tagged HOS cup in the State.
Mrs Anucha bared her mind while declaring open the 2012 edition of the competition at Sharks FC stadium, Monday as part of activities lined up for this year’s Rivers State public service week.
She remarked that the competition had proved to be a forum for physical exercise, entertainment, moral booster and building of united civil service in the state.
The Rivers HOS noted that the event which started in 2009 with 18 participating teams, increased to 28 this year, adding that the development is an indication of the acceptability of the competition.
“There is need for workers to exercise in order to stay healthy and fit to perform their duties” Mrs Anucha added.
Mrs Anucha who announced the introduction of female relay-race in the event, however, urged the teams, athletes and their supporters to exhibit high spirit of sportsmanship throughout the competition.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health FC has defeated their Works FC counterpart 4-2 through penalty shootout at the opening match of the competition last Monday.
The match which started behind schedule due to late arrival of Ministry of Works team saw their Health counterparts display soccer artistry in order to pocket the three points at stake.
But the Works FC proved to be a hard nut to be cracked, culminating to 1-1 draw at regulation time before the penalty shootout.
In an interview with sports journalists shortly after the match, Chairman of Rivers State public service week, Dr George Nwolu noted that there is no financial reward for tricycles to be won during the competition .
He also debunked the allegation of poor publicity for the event, adding that the attendance to the competition would improve as the event progresses.
Isaac Nwankwo
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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