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Adebayor Unsure Of Future With Togo

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Togo striker Emmanuel
Adebayor is unsure about his international future after he was stripped of the captaincy for their match against Liberia.
He was only told on the day of the 2017 African Cup of Nations tie that the captain’s armband had been given to Mathieu Dossevi for Sunday’s 2-1 win.
The 31-year-old scored the winner but said he was unsure if he will play against Djibouti in September.
“For now, I don’t know – I’ll be here and I’ll talk with the coach,” he said.
“I need to know whether he really needs me in the team or not.
“I have been the captain for seven or eight years and then one morning I’m told I won’t be the captain – that means that we can go to Djibouti and he will put me in the stands.
“So I’d rather quit the team than be sidelined or put in the stands there and I think this will be better for me and the team.
“We can change captains everyday if we are playing street games in Lomé, but this is a national team.
“But what is sure I am going on holidays and allow me to enjoy my holidays before I decide.”
He has said that if he decides to play again he does not want to captain the Hawks.
“From now on, I will never captain this team again,” he added.
“To tell me on the day of the match that I will not captain the team then it is very disrespectful” .
Togo’s new coach Tom Saintfiet however tried to play down the issue.
“I don’t want to talk too much about this topic because I think that Emmanuel Adebayor is a natural captain for the team,” the Belgian coach said.
“He does not necessarily need to have the captain’s armband when he plays, he is the captain and the greatest Togolese player.
“He has played today as a great captain without armband.
“For me every player is like a captain, so we have eleven captains on the pitch and every player must be responsible as a captain.
“We may have a captain but you can only win a match with eleven players.”
Saintfiet and Adebayor had also fallen out in the build-up to the match against Liberia when the striker was dropped from the squad for a friendly against Ghana.
The coach said the Tottenham player and two other players were axed as they had not attended all the training sessions nor stayed at the team hotel.
Adebayor for his part insisted that he had told the coach he would not play in the friendly in the days before the match.
Both men seemed to have made amends before the Liberia match insisting “there was  no problems at all.”
The striker has taken several breaks from playing international football in the past, including in the wake of the terrorist attack on the Togo team bus at the 2010 Nations Cup finals in Angola.

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Niger Delta

Royal Father Endorses PH Arsenal Community, Pledges To Support

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The Amanyanabo of Koniju town, in Okrika Local Government Area, Rivers State, His Royal Majesty, King Winston Odiye Alamina Oputibeya XII, has expressed satisfaction over the activities of Port Harcourt Arsenal Community.
He further said that bringing Arsenal fans together for a common purpose, which is love, unity, and peace, is commendable and pledges to support the community in his own little way.
HRM Oputibeya said this when some members of the community, led by Ugochukwu Oputa, paid him a courtesy visit in his house in Port Harcourt yesterday.
According to him, he started supporting and following Arsenal Football Club some decades back, saying that anybody who loves good football must love Arsenal because players in Arsenal play good football.
“I was longing to meet leaders of the community to also be part of it because I like their organizational structure and I love Arsenal.
“The activities of the Port Harcourt Arsenal Community for me are satisfactory; that is why I am associating with it.
“I would like members to conduct themselves in a civil manner because football fans all over are the progress of their club and love,” he said.
Earlier, the coordinator of the Port Harcourt community, Ugochukwu Oputa, thanked the royal father for accepting the community, assuring that the group will do her best to get recognition and connection with Arsenal FC in London.
Oputa narrated the activities lined up by the community on Saturday, saying that everything had been put in place for the street procession.
In his vote of thanks, a member of the Arsenal Community, Com. Tonye Orabere also thanked the Amanyanbo for his magnanimity and pledged to assist the community. He prays God to continue to bless him.
Tonye Orabere
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Sports

PH To Host 2026 NWFL Super Six

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The Nigeria Women Football League has announced Port Harcourt as the host city for the 2026 Premiership Super Six, marking the first time the season-ending tournament will be held in Rivers State.

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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Sports

Khana, Akpajo All-Stars Set For Friendly  Match ” Morrow” 

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Khana All Stars FC in the Khana Local Government Area, Rivers State, will tomorrow host Akpajo All Stars in a friendly football match at the Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, football pitch.
The return leg of the friendly game promises to be exciting and entertaining as both teams are prepared.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Tidesports yesterday in Port Harcourt, the chairman of Khana All Stars FC, Saro Tap-le, said preparations for the game are in top gear.
According to him, they will use the match to honour and decorate their patron, the Chairman of Khana LGA, Dr. Bariere Thomas.
He said the encounter won’t be an easy one, knowing that Akpaoju All Stars are coming with full force to win the match.
“We played in Akpajo before, and they hosted us well, so tomorrow is our day to host them back. We are doing everything possible to give them a good fight. All arrangements for hosting them are in top gear.
“There is no cause for alarm. We are doing our best to host them in a big way. It is an All-Stars game, so winning is not the most important thing. What matters is the relationship we will create.
“You know, in the first encounter they defeated us 2-0, so tomorrow we will do our best to ensure we repay the scoreline.
“I think my teammates are training very hard for the game. Despite the fact that it’s not all about winning, we are going to surprise them,” Saro Tap-le stated.
Kiadum Edookor
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