Sports
Ballon D’Or: ‘Nigerian Players Lack Discipline To Win’
Chairman, House of Reps Committee on Sports, Godfrey Gaiya, said yesterday that Nigerian footballers lacked the discipline and commitment to win the FIFA World Footballer of the Year Award.
Representative Gaiya was reacting to the 2012 FIFA Ballon d’ Or won by Barcelona/ Argentine striker, Lionel Messi, his fourth in a row. He told newsmen in Abuja that every Nigerian player was a potential winner of the award but noted that they needed to put some extra effort to measure up to Messi’s standard.
“Talent is talent; you don’t buy it with money. Everybody that can play for Nigeria is a potential world football award winner. “However, it is not enough that you play for Nigeria and for a club in Europe. You need a cutting edge talent that will put you above your peers. That doesn’t come with just a wish because it’s hard work and discipline.
“As it is, I am not convinced that we have the potential of getting there because our players lack discipline and the commitment to get there,” Gaiya said. The legislator dismissed suggestions that football administrators had not done enough to take the players to that level.
“There is no level of administrative acumen that can translate into a player being named the best in the World. “Messi is the best not because the Argentine Football Federation has done anything more than the Nigerian Football Federation has done. “Rather, Messi has excelled because he has done so much at club level, which is far from the level of government commitment, funding and encouragement,” he added.
The House member explained that former Liberian team captain, George Weah, became the only African so far to have won the award in 1995 because of hard work. He added that Weah’s football commitment manifested in Liberia, when he used his personal funds to bankroll the National team.
Sports
Rivers Referee Academy To Produce FIFA Graded Referees Soon
Sports
RSG Set To Host School Sports Competition Soon
Rivers State Government has reiterates its commitment to host schools sports competitions in August this year, to boost grassroots sports development with the view to discover hidden talents.
Sports
Chess Championship: Dan-Jumbo Emerges Best Female Player
The third edition of Naphtail Chess Open Championship which ended on Wednesday in Port Harcourt saw Rivers State born Queen Dan-Jumbo emerged best female player in the tournament following her impressive performance.
It was clash of the Titans as top Chess players in Nigeria gathered to chase honours.
The three days competition was held at Vee Hotel, Trans Amadi ,in Port Harcourt and over 80 players in Nigeria registered for the tournament this championship was recognised by International Chess Federation (FIDE).
Speaking with Tidesports in an exclusive interview on Saturday, Dan-Jumbo said her dream was to become Grand Master in Chess worldwide.
According to her, she started playing Chess at the age of 15 but went into it professionally in 2009 as she represented Rivers State in National Sports Festival (NSF) in Kaduna, the same year.
“I started playing Chess in the early 2000s. I picked the interest through my my elder brother as him and his friends always play Chess in our compound so I began to learn it.
” In 2009 I went to National Sports festival in Kaduna represented Rivers State and I won a silver medal on my board.
“In 2011 and 2012 NSFs I won two Gold medals each hosted by Rivers and Lagos States respectively. While in Edo NSF I won bronze medal” Dan-Jumbo said.
The Asari-Toru, in Rivers State born Chess player use the forum to advice upcoming Chess players to be focus, saying losing a game is part of every competition but the most important thing was that you don’t lose hope.
“My advice for upcoming chess players was that don’t lose focus. Even when you lose, find a way to adjust and get back out”, she added.
Tonye Orabere
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