Sports
Nigeria, Gambia To Partner On Sports Dev
The Gambia is desirous of gaining from Nigerian sports in areas of personnel development, infrastructure, technical assistance and grass-roots development, the country’s Youth and Sports Minister Alieu Jammeh has said.
Jammeh, who stated this during a visit to the Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, yesterday in Abuja, said his country was seeking Nigeria’s assistance to enhance its sports development.
“We have always known that you have so much that we can gain from, and we hope to strengthen our relationship by securing your assistance to develop in various areas of sports, such as football, basketball and volleyball,” he said.
The minister, accompanied by the country’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mrs Angela Iheme, and two other officials, said the Gambia had only minimal success and development in football to boast about.
“Over the years, we have only been able to do something in football to the detriment of other sports. Even then, things have dropped for us in football and we realised that certain things are not going on fine.
“We also realised that we can’t do it by ourselves, as we are a small country of limited resources and our government has other commitments,” he said.
Jammeh listed as critical, the training of coaches and administrators, as well as the grass-roots development of sports through schools to sustain and improve on what is available.
He said sports infrastructure was another area in which the Gambia would be looking for help, saying the country had only one national stadium which was built about 30 years ago.
“Our infrastructure is also a big issue, as we have only one national stadium. I was very much impressed with your Abuja National Stadium when I came in here yesterday.
“We have a problem of even maintaining the one we have in spite of the fact that we have big ideas of hosting big competitions like the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
“But we do know you can’t do that without infrastructure, and that is why we will be needing technical assistance and structures from you,” the minister said.
He, however, congratulated Nigeria on its AFCON 2013 victory, saying his country’s President, Yahya Jammeh, was very much elated over Nigeria’s success.
The minister also said the victory excited him much more with the fact that it was achieved by a team led by an indigenous coach.
“We in the Gambia, and me especially, were happy that it was achieved through a local coach and it tells much about what Africans can do if given the chance,” he said.
Responding, Abdullahi praised the minister’s commitment and desire, pointing out that it all started during their meeting at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
“This is a demonstration of your commitment to your assignment as minister, as you have indicated interest in this partnership since our meeting in London, and I am therefore not surprised that you are now here,” he said.
Abdullahi, who is also Chairman of the National Sports Commission, gave the assurance that Nigeria would share its experiences and resources with the Gambia.
“Our victory in South Africa was a West African thing as seven of the eight quarter-finalists were from West Africa and four of them were in the semi-finals.
“It does show that West Africa is a powerhouse in African football, but we don’t want it to be about football alone but sports as a whole.
“This must be so because the 2012 London Games was a sad commentary on our sports as no West African country won a gold medal, and to correct that, we must share our experiences and resources to develop,’’ he said.
The minister said West African countries needed to take more interest in the ECOWAS Games, saying the third edition scheduled for Cote D’Ivoire in 2014 should be better than others before it.
“It will be a great opportunity for us to further develop. Only few countries were there in 2012 at the second edition in Ghana, but we should know it provides us a great opportunity to share.
“After the London Games, a lot of questions came up, and for us in Nigeria it was a very difficult moment. It however presented us with an opportunity to reflect and plan for a better future.
“Our President was very much involved in our Presidential Sports Retreat and from there we have put in place a lot of reforms which have been yielding fruits.
“So, we will be happy to share with the Gambia what we have, and we also know that we can learn from you too because we all know there are differences in our contexts,” he said.
The Gambian minister had on his entourage, the country’s Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, retired Brig.-Gen. Ebrima Bah, and the Youth and Sports Ministry’s Deputy Permanent Secretary, Malong Jassy.
Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has said that criticism that he and other players chased money by moving to Saudi Arabia is wide of the mark.
The 33-year-old left Chelsea for Al-Ahli in a £16m ($21.4m) deal in 2023, and in May the Africa Cup of Nations winner helped his Saudi club win the Asian Champions League, making him one of the few players to win both that competition and its European equivalent.
But, like many others, Mendy has been criticised for playing for money rather than prestige in the lucrative Saudi Pro League.
When asked about such criticism, Mendy told a Tidesports source, “Al-Ahli’s project came along and they made me feel I had a big role to play.
“Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. So yes, that validates my choice. And I hope the coming years will validate it even more.”
He added: “Some people will quickly jump to conclusions and say the only reason is money. From the start, I always said that when I left Chelsea, I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything , which was no longer the case at Chelsea.”
The Blues have since won the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition, under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
But it comes after the regime’s trophyless first two years, a period which has frustrated some supporters after the success enjoyed under Roman Abramovich’s stewardship in the previous 19 years.
Mendy has also been celebrating what he describes as a historical win with Senegal against England at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, but days earlier he had been in Dakar delivering a different kind of win.
He is the sponsor of Yakaar, a school in Keur Massar, which seeks to improve funding and access to digital learning tools for local children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Famously, as Mendy grew up in France, he was unemployed, aged 22, while struggling to find a club, with members of his family still living on the outskirts of Dakar.
That is why Yakaar, a word meaning “hope”, was chosen, a word Mendy has carried with him in his career.
“Hope is what kept me going. When I was without a club, it was the hope of getting that first professional contract.
“Then the hope of playing for the national team. The hope of making my family proud by doing the job I had always dreamed of.
“Indeed, hope is the best word to describe my career.”
Mendy was also asked whether the responsibility of being an African goalkeeper had weighed heavily on him.
“Of course. When I was in England, there weren’t many African goalkeepers in top clubs,” he admitted.
“Whether nationally or internationally, I had that responsibility. It’s the same for other African goalkeepers like Andre Onana [Manchester United] or Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal).”
The entire refereeing committee has been fired by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), with structural reforms soon set to follow.
According to sources, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has dismissed the entire refereeing committee in response to mounting pressure from clubs demanding structural reform. A major shake-up aimed at modernising Spanish refereeing from top to bottom has now been set in motion.
Head of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Luis Medina Cantalejo and Head of VAR, Carlos Clos Gomez, have been removed from their positions. They are joined by several senior officials, including Antonio Rubinos Perez and three vice presidents, who are also stepping down. A new leadership model will be introduced, led by a CEO and a sporting director, aiming to overhaul how refereeing is managed covering assessments, promotions, and daily operations. While the leadership changes are sweeping, the current pool of referees in La Liga and the second tier will remain, ensuring continuity on the field during the transition.
Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nassr that means he will stay with the Saudi Pro League club until beyond his 42nd birthday.
The Portugal captain, 40, joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United in acrimonious circumstances, having criticised the club and said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr deal had been due to expire at the end of June and there was speculation he could leave, but that has now been quashed.
In a post on X, Ronaldo wrote: “A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together.”
Although Al-Nassr have not added to their nine domestic titles during Ronaldo’s time at the club, they have benefited from a flood of goals from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo scored 35 times in 41 matches across all competitions last term and was the league’s top scorer for a second consecutive season.
He has managed 99 goals in appearances overall for Al-Nassr and is well on his way to reaching 1,000 senior goals in his career, with a current tally of 938 for club and country.
Having helped Portugal win the Uefa Nations League a little over two weeks ago, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Sporting and Juventus forward will almost certainly now be targeting a sixth World Cup appearance next summer.
Only a month ago, Ronaldo posted on social media to say “the chapter is over”.
That came after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al-Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.
The comment fuelled rumours that Ronaldo was ready to leave the league where he reportedly became the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m when he joined.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved in the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the extended tournament which is being held in the United States.
Ronaldo said he had received offers from participating teams but had turned them down.
The decision to stay until at least 2027, which is certain to be highly lucrative, appears to rule out any future prospect of Ronaldo returning to play at the highest level in Europe.