Sports
Banned Tennis Player Begs For Forgiveness
A table tennis player Fatimo Bello, banned from the game for three years at the 2012 18th National Sports Festival in Lagos has again pleaded for the sanction to be lifted.
Bello, 16, a Lagos State Table Tennis Association (LSTTA) player, was found to have violated the games’ rules by having double registration with Lagos and Delta.
The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), organisers of the event at the festival, following a petition by the Delta State Sports Commission that she was a Delta athlete, investigated Bello.
The jury found that Bello was initially registered by Lagos State but was engaged later by Delta, a situation that made her to be paid salaries by both states.
The finding left the NTTF with no option than to impose the sanction which implied that she would not play in any competition or train in any facility in the state.
Consequently, the body announced her ban in statement jointly signed by the NTTF President and Secretary, Kayode Abdulwahab-Omotose and Segun Oguntade, respectively.
Bello had early in January pleaded with the NTTF to forgive her as the punishment affected her career but the game’s governing body had yet to reply her.
She told Tidesports that the NTTF should not turn a deaf ear to her plea.
“I am once again begging the NTTF to reconsider my apology and give me another chance so that I can return to the game I am talented in.
“The ping-pong game requires constant practice for one to develop his or her skills ahead of competitions, the ban is really affecting my swiftness, ambition and career,’’ Bello said.
She expressed sadness over the ban which also restricted her from training in any table tennis hall in Lagos, saying she had not trained in the past two months.
Bello said that her desire was to represent the country in major international competitions.
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Sports
PH To Host 2026 NWFL Super Six
In a statement released by the league, the competition is scheduled to take place from Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 14, 2026, with six clubs set to battle for the league title at the end of the 2025/26 season.
NWFL Chief Operating Officer, Modupe Shabi, said the choice of Port Harcourt reflects the Rivers State Government’s continued support for women’s football and its successful hosting of the league’s Annual General Assembly last year.
The Super Six tournament will feature the top three teams from Group A and Group B of the regular season competing in a round-robin format, with each club playing five matches over nine days.
Qualified teams for the competition include defending champions Bayelsa Queens, Edo Queens, Rivers Angels, Robo Queens, Nasarawa Amazons, and debutants Abia Angels.
The NWFL Premiership has produced four different winners in the last five editions, with Rivers Angels winning in 2021, Bayelsa Queens claiming the title in 2022 and 2025, Delta Queens triumphing in 2023, and Edo Queens emerging champions in 2024.
The league also urged participating clubs to comply with all competition regulations and directives ahead of the championship. The Super Six will determine Nigeria’s representative for the WAFU-B qualifiers for a place at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League and ultimately the 2027 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.
Teams are expected to arrive on Friday, June 5, when the draw ceremony and pre-match meeting will also take place. Matchdays are scheduled for June 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14, with rest days in between before the tournament concludes with the trophy presentation ceremony.
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