Sports
Eto’o Charity Game In Turkey Suffers Postponement
Cameroon legend Samuel
Eto’o announced that a charity match at the weekend in the Turkish city of Antalya, aimed at raising money for his foundation, was postponed until further notice following an attempted coup in the country.
A number of football stars were already in Antalya to support Eto’o, who currently plays for Turkish side Antalyaspor, including Nigeria’s Kanu Nwankwo and Jay-Jay Okocha, Ghana’s Stephen Appiah and Michael Essien and Ivory Coast’s Kolo Toure.
Ghana-born Marcel Desailly, Carles Puyol, Deco and former England manager Fabio Capello were also there for the game between a World Stars side and Turkey Stars team which had been organised to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Fundación Privada Samuel Eto’o in Turkey.
Eto’o, a four-time African Footballer of the Year, took to his social media accounts to reveal the charity match had to be cancelled due to the unrest in the country.
As well as Lionel Messi and Didier Drogba, Luis Suarez, Diego Maradona, Neymar, Eden Hazard, Francesco Totti, Xavi, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Andres Iniesta, Demba Ba and Arda Turan were all expected to travel for the game.
Established ten years ago, the Fundación Privada Samuel Eto’o charity was created as a non-profit organisation striving to raise awareness of the needs of the African continent.
Its goal is the protection of children and young people, providing emergency aid and encouraging education, basic health and social inclusion for the disadvantaged in order to help them create opportunities for the future. according to its website.
Eto’o, Cameroon’s 54-goal all-time leading scorer, announced his retirement from international football in August 2014.
The former Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter, Chelsea and Everton player made his international debut in 1997 during a 5-0 defeat to Costa Rica.
He went on to become an Olympic gold medallist at Sydney 2000, scoring in the final against Spain to take the match to extra-time and also slotting home his kick in the penalty shoot-out victory.
Eto’o is the leading all-time scorer in the Nations Cup with 18 goals and he appeared at four World Cup finals – 1998, 2002, 2010 and 2014 – playing in eight matches and scoring three goals.
His last match for Cameroon was the 1-0 defeat by Mexico at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.
-
Niger Delta1 day agoWarri Airport Manager Disputes Air Peace Bird Strike Claim
-
News1 day agoNigeria Won’t Surrender Any Territory To Criminals -Tinubu
-
News1 day agoFG Begins Trial Of Over 600 Terrorism Suspects
-
Rivers1 day ago79th IAUE Inaugural Lecture: Prof Anero Advoctes Tuition-Free Education For Children
-
Politics1 day agoParties’ Deregistration: How Justice Lifu Overruled Appeal Court Justices
-
Politics1 day agoADC: Okonkwo Rejects Amaechi As Presidential Running Mate, Withdraws Support
-
Politics1 day ago
2027: Rivers PFN To Mobilise 600,000 Votes
-
Politics1 day ago2027: Tinubu’s Projects Give APC Edge In South East – Yilwatda