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.
Sports
Inter Best Juventus To Maintain Serie A Lead
Andrea Cambiaso scored at both ends during the first half of Saturday’s Derby d’Italia, before Pierre Kalulu’s red card forced Juventus to play the entire second half a man light.
Substitute Francesco Pio Esposito got Inter back in front with a bullet header, then Manuel Locatelli’s pinpoint finish looked to have salvaged a point for the Bianconeri, before Zielinski struck on the cusp of stoppage time.
Juventus made the brighter start, but they were masters of their own downfall in the 17th minute, when Cambiaso deflected Luis Henrique’s cross beyond Michele Di Gregorio.
Cambiaso atoned within nine minutes, catching Henrique on his heels when Weston McKennie’s cross squirmed through to the back post and applying a side-footed finish.
But after Bremer cleared Zielinski’s dinked effort off the line, Juve’s hopes were damaged when Kalulu received his second yellow card for a 42nd-minute pull on Alessandro Bastoni, though the Inter centre-back appeared to go down theatrically.
Di Gregorio made a remarkable stop to thwart Hakan Calhanoglu, but as Juventus dropped ever deeper, they were punished when substitute Esposito guided Federico Dimarco’s searching cross into the far corner with 76 minutes on the clock.
It looked like Inter would have to settle for a point when Locatelli whipped a wonderful finish into the bottom-left corner in the 83rd minute, but Zielinski had the final say as his 20-yard drive fizzed through Locatelli’s legs and beat Di Gregorio.
Sports
Szoboszlai’s Real Madrid Dream Sparks Concern At Liverpool
A cloud of uncertainty has settled over Liverpool after comments from Hungary head coach Marco Rossi reignited speculation about Dominik Szoboszlai and Real Madrid.
Rossi, who has worked closely with Szoboszlai since his teenage years, revealed that the midfielder’s lifelong ambition is to play for the Spanish giants.
“Because of the very close and direct relationship I’ve had with Dominik since he was a child, Real Madrid has always been his dream,” Rossi said.
For a Liverpool side building around Szoboszlai as a centerpiece of Arne Slot’s project, those words landed hard.
Within hours of Rossi’s remarks, Szoboszlai interacted on social media with two Real Madrid players, applauding posts from Vinicius Junior and Trent Alexander-Arnold following Madrid’s win over Real Sociedad.
His reaction to Vinicius’ post drew particular attention. The exchange with Alexander-Arnold, his former Liverpool teammate, was seen as less surprising.
Still, in the hyper-connected world of elite soccer, even a digital thumbs-up can carry weight. On Merseyside, fans and pundits quickly began dissecting the meaning behind the interactions.
Szoboszlai, Hungary’s captain, has become one of Liverpool’s most influential players. That status is precisely why Rossi’s comments triggered such an intense reaction in England.
The midfielder had just delivered on the field as well, scoring in Liverpool’s 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.
After the match, Mohamed Salah heaped praise on his teammate, calling Szoboszlai “the best player in the world.” Slot struck a slightly more measured tone but echoed the sentiment.
“I think there are many elite players in the world, but I definitely agree with Mo that he is one of them,” Slot said. “He is very important for us.”
Szoboszlai is under contract at Liverpool through 2028. However, the club is reportedly eager to open extension talks in the coming months to secure his long-term future.
The player himself addressed the situation recently with notable candor.
“There’s nothing yet, to be honest. Nothing from now on. It’s not in my hands. That’s how it works,” he said. “There’s no progress, but if the right offer comes, we’ll see.”
He was equally clear about his affection for Liverpool.
“We’ll see what happens. Hopefully everyone will be happy in the end. Of course I want to stay. I like the city, I like the club, I like playing with these guys. I love Anfield, I love the fans. Let’s see what the future brings. It’s not my fault. I’d love to stay. We’ll see.”
Inter’s dramatic victory boosted their lead over rivals AC Milan to eight points, ahead of the Rossoneri hosting Como on Wednesday. Juventus, meanwhile, could drop out of the top four as Roma visited Napoli last night.
The last four Serie A matches between Inter and Juventus have produced a total of 21 goals (an average of 5.25 per game), compared to just nine in the previous six (1.5 per game).
Cambiaso became the first player in Derby d’Italia history to score and put through his own net in the same match between these old rivals, but it was Zielinski’s fifth Serie A goal of the season that proved decisive.
Inter will argue they were deserved victors after amassing 21 shots and 1.88 expected goals (xG), while Luciano Spalletti’s visitors mustered 10 shots and 0.92 xG – though the Bianconeri actually attempted six of their shots while down a man in the second half.
Sports
Wolves Beat Man Utd Conquerors
Premier League strugglers Wolves overcame resolute Grimsby Town in challenging conditions at Blundell Park to reach the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of the side that eliminated Manchester United in the last round.
Santiago Bueno scored from Wolves’ only shot on target with an hour played, diverting Joao Gomes’ cross past goalkeeper Jackson Smith with his thigh to end the League Two club’s resistance.
Unrelenting rainfall caused heavy ground underfoot and one penalty area in particular- that of Grimsby’s Smith in the first half – was already a quagmire before kick-off.
Charles Vernam shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box with just 43 seconds on the clock as Grimsby sought to catch their top-flight visitors cold.
Wolves had to wait until the 17th minute for their first opportunity of note, forward Tolu Arokodare firing over with a first-time attempt.
The white paint of the pitch markings soon blended and blurred with the mud as the surface rapidly deteriorated, and both sides struggled to stitch together cohesive attacks as passes travelled unpredictably across the sodden ground.
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