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.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that the Premier League leaders must win trophies if they were to be remembered like the “Invincibles” side that last won the title for the Gunners in 2004.
Arsene Wenger’s side romped to the title 22 years ago without losing a single league game.
Arsenal headede into last night’s clash at home to reigning champions Liverpool with a five-point lead at the top of the table after Manchester City and Aston Villa dropped points against Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace, respectively on Wednesday.
Arteta’s men, runners-up for the past three seasons, have two more points and four more goals than Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ managed after 20 games.
But the Spaniard said those stats matter little unless Arsenal go on to win the league.
“No, because ‘the Invincibles’ won a lot,” Arteta told his pre-match press conference on whether his side can be considered better than Arsenal’s last title winners.
“They won consistently, and they created a history and a legacy, and we have to do that.”
The lone major piece of silverware won by Arsenal in six years under Arteta remains the 2020 FA Cup
“There are a lot of stats, but in the last two or three years we have managed more points and more goals than ever before. But at the end, we have to translate that to major trophies,” he added.
“Probably doing what we are doing now would have been enough (in 2004), but now it’s not, and we have to make the margins even bigger.”
Arsenal lost 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield back in August in what was billed as an early showdown between title rivals.
The defending champions headed to the Emirates 14 points off the top after a difficult second season for Arne Slot, but Arteta insisted the Reds remain a superb side.
The Gunners were without sidelined defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera but were“monitoring the load” on Kai Havertz as the Germany forward intensified his training while continuing to recover from a long-term leg injury.
Nigeria sharpshooters Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman will provide a stern test to the flawless record of Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane, a son of French football icon Zinedine Zidane, in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals in Morocco.
Zidane is the only first-choice goalkeeper amongst the eight quarter-finalists to have kept a clean sheet in all of his tournament matches so far, but the task facing him in Marrakesh tomorrow will not be easy.
Former African player of the year award-winners Osimhen and Lookman have tormented defences during the tournament, scoring three goals each.
Zidane, 27, kept clean sheets in group matches against Sudan and Burkina Faso before being rested against Equatorial Guinea.
He was recalled for a last-16 clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo and once again was unbeaten during a dramatic extra-time victory.
Former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, his Spanish wife and another son have been among the crowds in each match Luca played for the Desert Foxes.
“It is special when your family come to watch,” said Luca Zidane, who began his career with Real Madrid B in 2016 and now plays for Spanish second-tier side Granada.
Born in France, Zidane represented his country of birth at five age-limit levels. Under FIFA rules he could also play for Spain or Algeria, where his grandparents were born.
Zidane chose Algeria, debuting in a 2026 World Cup qualifying victory over Uganda last November and, when an injury ruled first choice Alexis Guendoez out of the AFCON, he was promoted.
“I am proud to represent Algeria and play in the Africa Cup of Nations. It is a great experience,” he told reporters.
“I try to be myself, to build my career on my terms, step by step,” he said.
Algeria have been an AFCON bogey team for Nigeria, winning four and drawing two of nine meetings, including a 5-1 drubbing of the Super Eagles en route to winning the 1990 tournament at home. But the current Super Eagles appear to be in the mood to get this one over the Algerians.
The Desert Foxes have put successive group-stage exits behind them under Bosnian coach Vladimir Petkovic and substitute Adil Boulbina unleashed a thunderbolt to eliminate DR Congo.
Nigeria are the 12-goal leading scorers in Morocco with Osimhen, Lookman and Akor Adams forming a potent frontline.
But coach Eric Chelle will be concerned that the three-time champions have conceded four, the most among the eight title hopefuls.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has said that the club would sell captain Marc Guehi this month if his asking price is met.
The England defender is out of contract in the summer and Manchester City have emerged as contenders to sign him during the January transfer window.
Palace blocked a proposed £35m move to Liverpool last summer but risk losing the 25-year-old for nothing at the end of the season.
City’s interest in Guehi has progressed following injuries to defenders Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias during Sunday’s draw against Chelsea.
“I’m not naive,” said Glasner, as reported by Tidesports source. “If a massive offer comes from City and Marc wants to do it, it will happen.”
Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid are among the European clubs to have shown an interest in signing Guehi on a free transfer, and he can sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club from this month.
“If you’re just valuing sports, everyone in the club will say Marc has to stay,” Glasner added. “The chairman will tell you the same. But it’s not one-dimensional. If you see the financial situation, it’s very important.
“If somebody comes, there will be a moment when the club says ‘now the financial issue is more important than the sports issue’.
“There will be a threshold where the club has to say it will happen, as long as Marc says ‘I want to leave’, because the final decision is always with the player.”
Guehi helped Palace finish 12th last season and win the FA Cup to qualify for Europe for the first time in the club’s history.
The Eagles then won the Community Shield in August, beating Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties, and are 14th in the table and through to the knockout phase play-offs in the Uefa Conference League.
“The chairman rejected many offers in the summer because we want to play a successful season and wanted to win the Community Shield,” Glasner added. “Therefore, Marc is important, and then he rejected the offer.
“The threshold at that time, the money we got offered was not above it. Maybe it was close, but it was not above.”