Sports
Lagos-Based American Hospital Establishes Table Tennis Club
Lagos-based American Hospital, Lekki, has formed a table tennis club to ensure that the talents of an orphan and two other young table tennis players were adequately honed in sports and education.
The players are Michael Obayomi, a student of Estate Senior Grammar School, Oshodi, Mustapha Bello, a second year student of Yaba College of Technology and Akabom Eyo, who hopes to gain admission into a higher institution of learning.
Michael Odegbami, the club’s Team Coordinator and Head of Logistics of the hospital which has its headquarters in the U.S., disclosed the club’s formation to newsmen yesterday in Lagos.
Odegbami said that forming of the club was borne out of the hospital’s Managing Director, Dr Richard Afonja’s passion for table tennis, adding that he loved youths to be educated.
“Obayomi’s story actually spurred the formation of the club. He’s a very talented player but an orphan, so he’s having challenges concentrating and balancing his education with sports.
“Afonja and I and every other person involved in forming and managing the club had at one time or the other in our lives played table tennis.
“We are investing in both their sports career and education. We have followed their skills’ development for a while before signing them.
“The plan is to give them a good life. We consulted their guardians and parents and we got their consent.
“We want a good future for them in both sports and education, and we will ensure that it is achieved,’’ he said.
The club’s coordinator added that the three players have been put on monthly salary at the hospital.
“They are being given N25, 000 monthly for their up keep and day to day sustainability,’’ he said.
He added that the hospital was working on the players attending some international competitions for exposure to enhance their skills.
“There is work in progress for them to have education scholarships and study in Bayeux, France. They will also attend the California Open Table Tennis Championsips,’’ he said.
Obayomi, 15, said that he’s thankful to God to have been signed by the American Hospital, adding that life hadn’t been easy for him as an orphan.
“I thank American Hospital for this gesture offered to me and I appreciate and promise to give a good account of myself.
“My mother died in 2011 and my father in 2013, life hasn’t been easy at all. Because of the situation I found myself, I’m attending a public school and staying with my brother’s friend.
“My brother doesn’t reside in Lagos, so I have to stay with his friend because Lagos is a good place for my sports career and education,’’ he said.
Also, Bello said that his parents were joyous about his signing by American Hospital Table Tennis Club.
He said that he was happy joining the club because it had plans to make them successful table tennis players.
“I’m impressed with all that they have for us. They are not just particular about table tennis but also about our education.
“I am grateful to them because they are balancing us in both,’’ Bello said.
For Eyo who has been playing table tennis all his life without anything to show for it, joining the club will help him achieve something in table tennis.
“I have an aim in table tennis and joining American Table Tennis Club will make me to achieve my target.
“Actually, my number one priority is education followed by sports and I promise to make myself and American Hospital Table Tennis Club proud,’’ he said.
Sporting have not received an offer for striker Viktor Gyokeres and there is no gentleman’s agreement for him to leave for £59million, says club president Frederico Varandas.
Sweden international Gyokeres, 27, has been heavily linked with Manchester United and Arsenal after scoring 97 goals in 102 matches during two seasons in Portugal.
He has a 100m euro (£85m) release clause in his contract.
It has been widely reported that, after staying at Sporting last summer, Gyokeres and Sporting agreed he could leave for 70m euros (£59m) this summer.
However, Varandas said the club’s only promise to Gyokeres was that they would not demand his full release clause.
“I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for 60m euros plus 10m euros because I never promised that,” Varandas said.
“To this day Sporting has not had an offer for Gyokeres, neither today nor last season.”
Gyokeres spent three seasons with Coventry City in the Championship before joining Sporting under Ruben Amorim.
Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana was sporting director at Sporting last summer, when Gyokeres’ agent sought assurances about his leaving if a suitable offer arrived.
“One of the agent’s biggest concerns was whether we would demand the termination clause,” said Varandas.
“He wanted to guarantee certain things. And what was agreed? That Sporting would not demand a release clause now.
“For one reason: he was going to be 27 years old and no player leaves Portugal at 27 for 100m eurors or 90m euros.
“In that same meeting the agent wanted to anchor the exit to a value. I said this sentence: ‘It’s not worth us setting a value because I don’t know what will happen in a year’s time. I don’t know if it will be 40m euros, 60m euros or 80m euros. What I can guarantee is that I will not demand 100 million euros.’”
Concacaf President Victor Montagliani has criticised a proposal to expand the 2030 men’s World Cup to 64 teams.
The plans, put forward by South American governing body Conmebol, have also drawn opposition from Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The tournament will be hosted by Spain, Morocco and Portugal, after the opening matches are held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The 2026 World Cup, which will take place across the United States, Mexico and Canada, has already been expanded from 32 to 48 teams.
But Conmebol said it wanted to add more participants to mark the competition’s 100-year anniversary.
“I don’t believe expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams is the right move for the tournament itself and the broader football ecosystem, from national teams to club competitions, leagues, and players,” Montagliani told Tidesports source
“We haven’t even kicked off the new 48-team World Cup yet, so personally, I don’t think that expanding to 64 teams should even be on the table.”
Concacaf is the governing body of football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The decision to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams was taken in 2017 following a unanimous vote at a Fifa congress.
Fifa’s 75th congress will be held in Paraguay on 15 May, when Conmebol’s proposal could be discussed.
If the proposal is accepted, the 2030 edition would consist of 128 matches, double the number played under the 64-game format used from 1998 and 2022.
In March, Ceferin described the proposal as a “bad idea” while AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa said it would cause “chaos”.
“If the issue remains open to change, then the door will not only be open to expanding the tournament to 64 teams,” said Salman.
“But someone might come along and demand raising the number to 132 teams. Where would we end up then? It would become chaos.”
Brazil qualified for the 2026 World Cup this week with a 1-0 win against Paraguay in South American qualifying to give Carlo Ancelotti his first win as manager.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jnr scored from close range in the second half, finishing after fine work from Manchester United-bound playmaker Matheus Cunha.
The victory, Ancelotti’s first after a 0-0 draw against Ecuador on his debut last week, means Brazil has now qualified for every edition of the World Cup.
“We needed to win and qualify for the World Cup,” said Vinicius Jr.
“Now the coach will have more time to work. Of course today wasn’t one of our best performances, but the important thing is always to win.
“Now it’s time to celebrate qualifying.”
Elsewhere, World Cup holders Argentina played out an entertaining 1-1 draw with Colombia in Buenos Aires.
Liverpool winger Luis Diaz opened the scoring with a fine individual goal, dancing through three defenders before finishing past Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Argentina was reduced to 10 men with 20 minutes remaining when Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off for a high-boot challenge on Colombia’s Kevin Castano.
But Lionel Messi’s side found an equaliser nine minutes from the end through Lyon’s Thiago Almada, leaving Colombia four points clear of seventh-placed Venezuela.
Ecuador, Argentina’s nearest challengers, booked their spot at next summer’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States after a 0-0 draw away at Peru.