Sports

Drogba Leads Gala Against Chelsea, Today

Published

12 years ago

February 26, 2014

Galatasaray’s Didier Drogba faces former club Chelsea for the first time since leaving in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Drogba is regarded as a legend by fans of the Premier League club, having clinched European glory in the competition with his final touch as a Chelsea player in the 2011-12 final against Bayern Munich.
Having scored 157 goals in 341 appearances for Chelsea, Drogba ensured a Hollywood ending at the club by converting the winning penalty against Bayern at the Allianz Arena.
However, Chelsea’s fourth all-time highest scorer will be aiming to knock his former employers out of the competition when the sides meet in the last 16 at the Turk Telekom Arena.
The Ivorian has 12 goals to his name in all competitions this season, but Chelsea qualified top of Group E with the help of one of the tightest defences in the competition.
Along with Manchester United and Atletico Madrid, Chelsea conceded just three goals in the group stage and have been breached just once in their last five Premier League outings.
Their latest victory – a 1-0 win over Everton on Saturday – maintained their lead in England’s top flight, but Samuel Eto’o is eager for his team-mates to take one game at a time in their quest to win the double in Jose Mourinho’s first season back at the club.
As well as Drogba, Galatasaray coach Roberto Mancini also has plenty of experience with Chelsea – albeit sitting in the opposition dugout.
Mancini was involved in a number of clashes with Chelsea during his time at Manchester City – winning six of nine meetings in all competitions – and the Italian has enjoyed a relatively successful tenure so far in Istanbul.
Currently sitting second in the Super Lig behind Fenerbahce, Mancini also guided his side to second in Group B after a dramatic win over Juventus in a delayed game in the Turkish capital.

Wesley Sneijder’s goal five minutes from time sent Gala through in dramatic fashion in a fixture put back a day due to snow.
Galatasaray are aiming to reach the quarter-finals of the competition for a second successive season as they compete in the Champions League last 16 for just the second time.
However, they will look to avoid a repeat of Chelsea’s only ever visit to Galatasaray, which saw the visitors pick up a 5-0 victory in 1999 courtesy of a Tore Andre Flo brace and further goals from Gianfranco Zola, Dennis Wise and Gabriele Ambrosetti.

Sports

Iwobi Optimistic On S’Eagles Qualification

Published

1 week ago

November 3, 2025

The Tide

Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi says the Super Eagles will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, declaring that Nigeria have the players and abilities to compete against any country in the world.

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.

Sports

ATLANTICBELL CEO ADVICE SPORTS WRITERS ON SPECIALIZATION

Published

1 week ago

November 3, 2025

The Tide

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.

He stated that in spite the fact that sports journalists are doing greatly in the country but hardly find any sports journalist that specializes on a particular sport reporting and become an authority, as it obtainable in advance countries.

Mr. Ogolo , who was the former Chairman of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Rivers State Chapter, said this after he received the Veteran Sports Journalist Award, during the SWAN @60 Diamond jubilee award night, in Abuja on Friday.

According to him, sports journalists have done tremendously well in sports development through effective and efficient reportage.

“SWAN has done greatly to develop sports in Nigeria, so they should be given its rightful place.

“Members should continue to do what they are doing, Nigerians are sports loving people when you give them facts and accurate reporting they will be happy, besides, sports writers have a big role to play in advancement of sports in Nigeria”, Mr. Ogolo said.

The former General Manager of Rivers State Newspaper Corporation, publishers of The TIDE Newspapers, used the opportunity to express his profound gratitude to the National Executive Council (NEC) of SWAN for the award.

He explained that the award is one of the most important and special awards he has received, hence it came from his primary constituency as a journalist.

” I am not just happy but overwhelmed. This award will spur me to contribute more in development of sports and I we equally support SWAN Rivers State Chapter in my little way” he stated.

By: Tonye Orabere

Sports

DEPUTY PRESIDENT EXPRESSES COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT SPORTS DEV, SWAN

Published

1 week ago

November 3, 2025

The Tide

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.

He stated that the sports writing fraternity is where he cannot forget as a sports journalist that starts from the grassroots.

Mr. Nyong said this while presiding over South South SWAN zonal meeting of Chairmen and Secretaries, including some elders in the zone, on Friday, in Abuja.

He explained what led to his suspension and sue unity and peace amongst members, saying that what happened should be a thing of the past, as he was actually misled and deceived.

The Deputy National President reiterated his commitment to work with Cyril Dum Wite led administration in Rivers State Chapter of SWAN, saying that SWAN is one and there should be no division of any such.

He reels out ideas that can make SWAN viable and enviable in the zone.

“I want peace and unity amongst members of the association in the zone, we are one family, let us work as family. Thank God I am back fully, members of the zone will enjoy the association”, Mr. Nyong said.

Also speaking the Vice President of SWAN south south zone, Azuka Chiemeka, thanked members that attended the meeting and also advised members to work in peace, unity and love with others members to achieve positive result.

It will be recalled Bonny Nyong was suspended in Full council meeting held in Kano following what can be described as misconduct, but was forgiven and his suspension was lifted after he apologised to Full council members in a meeting, held in Abuja, during SWAN@60 celebrations.

By: Tonye Orabere