Sports
Coach Urges Fairness In Players’ Selection, Officiating
Assistant Coach, Oyo State Handball Association, Tunde Cole, has Thursday urged the sport’s officials to ensure fairness in officiating and merit in players’ selection for the game’s growth.
Cole spoke with newsmen in Lagos, against the backdrop of the alleged use of ineligible players and poor officiating at the just-concluded 18th National Sports Festival.
He said that the development would not position the sport on the pathway of transformation if the factors that could negate progress were continued.
“What I consider the foundation of all the calamities which have befallen Nigeria’s sports was insincerity in players’ selection and bad officiating in most competitions.
“Our major concern in any competition in this part of the world is to win all tournaments at all costs. This makes us to field ineligible players who cannot last.
“I think we need to change our attitude of insincerity in the age, status and legitimacy of officials whenever there is a tournament,’’ he said.
Cole said that some states at the festival fielded players who were professionals and over-aged, which, according to him, was detrimental to the development of sports at the grassroots.
“In the guise of winning at all costs, many coaches lie over the eligibility of athletes at Games and we are killing ourselves by so doing,’’ he said.
The coach urged state governments to promote handball by providing facilities for the game in schools.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.
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