Sports
Africans Go Goal-Wire In Europe
With three hattricks by Ivory Coast’s Wilfried Bony in
Holland Algeria’s Sarber Khalifa in France, and Nigeria’s Derrick Ogbu in
Belgium and braces from Guinea Bissau’s Ivanildo Cassama in Portugal and
Algeria’s El-Arbi Soudani, African strikers painted European leagues with goals
at the weekend. In
France
Gabon striker, Pierre Aubameyang continued his fine form for
Saint Etienne by scoring another goal at the weekend in his side’s 4-0 win over
10-man Nancy.
He is now the league’s joint-third highest goal scorer with
five goals. Nigeria’s Simon Zenke was sent-off in the 68th minute for Nancy,
who have lost seven out of their eight games so far this season.
Despite leading at half-time, reigning champions Montpellier
lost 3-2 to Evian, with Tunisia striker Saber Khalifa scored a hat-trick
including an 89th minute winner.
Khalifa has also scored five league goals this season.
Senegal striker Souleymane Camara was on target with his fourth of the campaign
scoring Montpellier’s second.
Cape Verde striker Ryan Mendes was on the score sheet for
the first time in Lille’s 2-0 home win over Ajaccio.
Valenciennes lost a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 away at
Toulouse with the Algeria midfielder Foued Kadir scoring the opening goal for
the visitors in the 12th minute.
Mali’s Cheick Diabate scored for the second weekend in a row
with his 68th minute equaliser for Bordeaux who drew 1-1 at Brest.
England
Youssouf Mulumbu helped heap the pressure on QPR manager
Mark Hughes. The DR Congo international scored the third for West Bromwich
Albion in their 3-2 win over the struggling London club. Morocco’s Adel Taarabt
had earlier given QPR some hope with his second goal in as many games.
Arouna Kone set Wigan on their way to a surprise point at
home to in-form Everton. The Ivorian, who has now scored three Premier League
goals, gave his side the lead with a header. The match ended 2-2.
Mohamed Diame scored his first goal for West Ham as they
stole the lead at home to Arsenal. The Senegalese was booked for his goal
celebration and was then lucky to escape a second booking moments later with a
reckless challenge on Mikel Arteta. Arsenal responded to win 3-1.
The Netherlands
Wilfried Bony grabbed a hat-trick for Vitesse Arnhem as they
drew 3-3 with Heerenveen, including a 79th minute penalty to salvage the point
for his side. The goals mean the Ivory Coast forwars is the joint highest
marksman with eight goals so far.
His compatriot Sekou Cisse put Feyenoord ahead in the ninth
minute as his side drew 2-2 at Groningen.
Spain
Although Getafe played out the last six minutes without
their top striker Abdelaziz Barrada, who was sent off, his side managed to
secure all the points with a 1-0 win away at Real Zaragoza. Zaragoza’s Ivory
Coast midfielder Romaric Ndric had been sent off after just nine minutes as his
side finished the match with nine men.
Another Moroccan Youssef El Arabi scored from the penalty
spot to give Granada the lead in their 2-1 away win at Real Mallorca.
Nigeria’s Obafemi Martins played the entire game and scored
the only goal of the match in the 22nd minute for Levante who edged out
Valencia.
Germany
DR Congo’s Cedric Makiadi put Freiburg in front in the 36th
minute as his side defeated Nuremburg 3-0 at home, to help lift his side to
11th in the league, with their first win in four games.
Senegal striker Mame Birmam Diouf, helped Hannover 96
salvage a point at home in a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund. He came on as a
substitute in the 67th minute to equalise with four minutes remaining with his
first goal of the season.
Belgium
Mali midfielder Mamoutou Ndiaye fired home for Gent in added
time at the end of the first-half to give them the lead away at Beerschot. But
the home side equalised in the 60th minute through Senegal striker Elimane
Coulibaly. The game finished 2-2 as both sides grabbed goals in the last 10
minutes.
Nigeria striker Derick Ogbu ended his goal drought with his
first goals of the season scoring a hat-trick for Leuven who beat Charleroi
4-0. Gambia’s Ebrahima Sawaneh scored the other goal for Leuven, to take him to
eight goals for the season.
Central African Republic striker Mouhamadou Habib Habibou
scored for the second weekend in a row to help his side Zulte-Waregem beat
Cercle Bruges 3-1, despite playing the last 20 minutes with 10 men.
There was anguish for Senegal defender Ibrahima Gueye whose
last-minute own goal meant his Lokeren side had to share the points in a 2-2
draw with Lierse. Earlier South Africa midfielder Ayanda Patosi had scored to
give Lokeren a two-goal lead before half-time.
Cameroon striker Ernest Nfor sealed victory for Kortrijk in
the 70th minute as they defeated 10-man Mechelen 2-0. Senegal’s Boubacar
Dialaba was sent-off in the 28th minute for Mechelen.
Another Cameroon players Aloys Nong found the back of the
net in the 59th minute to equalise for Mons who drew 2-2 with Waasland-Beveren.
DR Congo’s Dieudonne Mbokani was not so lucky as he missed a
penalty and a chance to equalise for Anderlecht who lost 2-1 to 10-man Standard
Liege in the big Belgian derby.
South Africa defender Calvin Ngongca saw only 14 minutes of
action for Genk as he was sent-off in his side’s 1-1 draw at league leaders
Club Bruges.
Turkey
Senegal’s Lamine Diarra scored the only goal of the game as
his side Antalyaspor edged out Gaziantepspor 1-0.
Sivasspor came from two goals down to force a draw at home
thanks to two goals in the last 10 minutes with the Nigeria striker Michael
Eneramo scoring the equaliser in the 87th minute.
Senegal striker Moussa Sow scored the opening goal for
Fenerbahce in their 3-0 win over arch-rivals Besiktas.
Portugal
Somali sensation Liban Abdi gave Olhanense the lead in the
2nd minute in the eight-goal thriller at Sporting Braga which finished 4-4.
Guinea Bisaau’s Ivanildo Cassama scored twice for Olhanense.
Vitoria Guimaraes came from a goal down to beat Academica
2-1 thanks to two second-half goals by Algeria striker El-Arbi Soudani.
Ukraine
There was only one African on target but in style as a
hat-trick by Mali striker Dramane Traore helped Metalurh Donetsk hammer Kryvbas
6-2.
RUSSIA
Anzhi Makhackala have moved to the top of the table for the
first time after beating Dinamo Moscow 2-0 with Samuel Eto’o sealing victory
with three minutes remaining. The Cameroon striker has taken his tally for the
season to seven goals.
Nigeria’s Ahmed Musa scored the opening goal in the Moscow
derby as his side CSKA defeated Spartak 2-0.
China
Mali captain Seydou Keita scored one of the goals while
Peter Utaka from Nigeria scored ther other two as Dalian Daerbin beat Beijing
Guoan 3-1. Utaka is the second highest scorer in China with 19 goals.
Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba was on once again on
target for Shanghai Shenhua who lost 4-2 to Guizhou Renhe.
Zambia striker James Chamanga now has 11 goals for the
serason, after scoring twice for Dalian Shide, but it was not enough as his
side lost 3-2 away at Liaoning Whowin.
His compatriot and national team captain Christopher Katongo
scored in the 71st minute for bottom of the table Henan Jianye, but his side
also lost going down 3-1 to Hangzhou.
The National Sports Commission (NSC) says it will no longer pay athletes training grants in foreign currency.
The development came after sprinter, Kayinsola Ajayi, alleged foul play regarding the disbursement of training grants by the Commission.
Head of NSC’s Elite Athletes Development and Podium Board, Yusuf Alli, told Tidesports source on Friday that it was wrong of Ajayi to rubbish the good intention of the NSC, saying: “I have been in athletics for over 40 years now, and this current NSC Board, led by Mallam Shehu Dikko and Bukola Olopade, has done what others could not do. So far, the NSC has spent over N200 million in payment of training grants for athletes ahead the 2026 Commonwealth Games and preparation for Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.”
The NSC sourced the money from the private sector. It has never happened before. “I expected the athletes to encourage the NSC so that it can do more instead of raising unnecessary alarm and making allegations that is capable of discouraging them (NSC) and even the sponsors. It takes good initiative and trust for sports administrators in Nigeria to convince sponsors to donate money for welfare of athletes,” he said.
Speaking further, Alli, whose long jump record of 8.27m set in 1989 (35 years ago) is still unbroken, said: “We have decided that henceforth, all payment of training grants will be in Naira. No more payment of grants in U.S. dollars. We are Nigerians, and everyone knows that the exchange rate is not stable. As at the time Ajayi got his money, the rate of dollars to Naira may have changed
“I expected him to make a call either to myself or anybody in the Elite Board, or even the NSC to find out what happened instead of resorting to such allegation.
“If we make payment in Naira, any athlete who wants to convert his or her money to any foreign currency can tell their people back home to do so. I am sure this will solve the problem. If anybody wants to know how much he is entitled to, he must first of all find out the category that he or she belongs to.”
Alli disclosed that coaches, who train the athletes would soon get their grant. “They train the athletes, and the NSC feel is it not proper to leave them out in payment of grants. We have compiled their names, and very soon, the coaches would get their money,” Alli stated.
The chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Gbenga Elegbeleye, has directed that a minute’s silence be observed before kick-off at all Matchday 30 fixtures this weekend in honour of former Green Eagles captain Henry Nwosu, following the death of the former midfielder at the age of 62.
In a statement made available to Tidesports source on Saturday, the league body confirmed that the tribute would be held across all matches to recognise the contribution of the former international to Nigerian football.
Elegbeleye described Nwosu’s passing as both a personal loss and a painful moment for the country’s club football community.
Nwosu, who was the youngest member of Nigeria’s squad that won the 1980 African Cup of Nations, died in the early hours of Saturday at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Ikeja after a brief illness.
The former midfielder had reportedly spent several days in hospital receiving intensive care before his death.
Elegbeleye said the late footballer was more than a colleague within the sport, describing him as someone with whom he had maintained a long-standing personal relationship dating back to his time at the National Sports Commission.
He said the former national team star had remained supportive of him in various moments of his career, including when he was nominated for the Pitch Football Awards.
Reflecting on Nwosu’s legacy, the NPFL chairman said the news represented the loss of a major figure in Nigerian football, noting that the former midfielder distinguished himself not only at club level but also later contributed to the development of the domestic game as a coach.
Elegbeleye said the death of the former international was “the death of a true ambassador of the domestic and national team football because he not only made his mark as a player in league clubs, but he also coached some of the league clubs.”
He added that death remained a submission to the will of God and prayed for the repose of Nwosu’s soul while urging strength for his family as they mourn the loss of their loved one.
Earlier confirmation of the former midfielder’s death came from former Nigeria international Segun Odegbami, who revealed that Nwosu died after spending five days in hospital. Odegbami said the former player passed away at about four o’clock in the morning at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment in intensive care.
“It is with deep pain in my heart that I have to be the conveyor of the news of the death of Henry Nwosu MON,” Odegbami said.
“After five days in hospital battling for his life, the one I call ‘Youngest Millionaire’ passed on at four o’clock this morning at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, where he had been in intensive care since Wednesday. May he rest peacefully with our Creator in heaven”.
At the club level, the former international spent most of his career in Nigeria, starring for New Nigeria Bank FC of Benin City and African Continental Bank FC of Lagos during a period when both sides were among the dominant forces in domestic football. His performances later earned him moves abroad, where he also played for ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast and Racing FC Bafoussam of Cameroon.
Nigeria’s Women Basketball team, D’Tigress, is targeting victory against Philippines this Saturday in their third game at the ongoing FIBA Women’s World Cup qualification tournament holding in Lyon, France.
The Coach Rena Wakama-led D’Tigress, on Thursday, lost their second game 60-77 to South Korea, making it the first time the Nigeria senior women basketball team is losing to their Asian opponent.
After this Saturday’s game against Philippines, D’Tigress will face two European giants, France and Germany.
Both Nigeria and Germany had already qualified for the FIBA Women’s World Cup slated for September in Berlin, Germany. They are only taking part in the qualification competition in Lyon as preparatory test ahead of the World Cup.
In Thursday’s game against South Korea, the Nigerians had a closed game in the first and second quarter losing narrowly by 36-32 points but couldn’t build their usual momentum in the third and final quarter as the game slipped away from them.
Coach Rena Wakama said they learnt quickly from the loss to South Korea, and charged her girls to quickly put the defeat behind them and focus on an improved performance in their game against the Philippines.
“South Korea is a great team. We struggled today (Thursday) shooting the balls and we turned over the ball 22 times, which is not typical of our game.
“Mentality we are fine, and we are not going to over react to the loss. There are lessons in losses so we are going to take the lessons from this game and try to get better and be ready for our next game.
“The Koreans were very physical, denying our passing lanes and double up on our players. They did a great job and credit to them,” Wakama stated.
Victoria Macaulay was Nigeria’s best performer after her MVP display in the first game against Colombia, scoring 22 points and 6 rebounds.
South Korea is hoping to pick one of the two World Cup tickets in the round robin qualification tournament to join Nigeria and Germany for the FIBA Women’s World Cup in September in Berlin, Germany.
The FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament is currently taking part in four counties – France, Turkey, Puerto Rico and China as countries fight to make the World Cup.
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