Sports
Argungu Polo Tourney: IGP Strikers Performance Impresses Captain
Vice-Captain of IGP Strikers, Haruna Shagari, on Tuesday said his team’s performance at the just-concluded Argungu Polo Tournament was expected as they were always the team to beat.
The Tidesports source reports that the four-day tournament which was organised by the Patron of NSK Farms, Nura Kangiwa, ended on Sunday.
Shagari, also the team’s Vice-President, told newsmen that in spite of finishing as runners-up in the Umaru Shinkafi Cup, the IGP Strikers were always a team to beat in any tournament.
“IGP Strikers is an old polo team which has been in existence even before I joined the Nigeria Police Force.
“It has been headed by some senior officers back in the 70s and 80s, like the late Umaru Shinkafi, Bello Abdullahi, a retired AIG, and Keifas Silas, to mention a few.
“These were great polo players back in the days. So, we were and up till now a team to beat because in all the tournaments of the Nigeria Polo Federation (NPF) we have participated in, we usually finish as winners or at the very least as runners up,” he said.
Shagari however noted that in spite of all the team’s achievements, the major challenge hampering their performance in recent times was the quality of their ponies.
“We have done very well under the leadership of Aliyu Abubakar who is the President and Captain of the IGP Strikers.
“But our major challenge now is with our ponies. They are very old and worn out as these were the same ponies we have been using back in the days for our tournaments.
“So, that is our challenge now. Nevertheless, we have very good and experienced players, some of whom are young and more skillful. Even the few old hands are still very active.
“Some of these old hands are Abubakar (+1), my self (+1), Usman Abdullahi (-1), Abubakar Awwal (-2), Abdulrahaman Mohammed (+2), Ibrahim Dantala (+2), Lado Aliyu (+2), Babawo Lawal (+1) and Nda Bala (-1),” he said.
Shagari however explained that the team’s handicap had gone up, which was a major constraint, since they lacked the quality of ponies to compete at that level.
“We are always placed at the high goal category in any tournament we enter for due to our team’s handicap.
“Unfortunately, our ponies are very weak and cannot compete at the level which we are currently.
“We often times have no choice but to settle for lesser Cups since we cannot meet up with the standard and quality of ponies required at the high goal.
“In the past, we played in the low goal, which was perfect for our ponies at that time. But how can we compete with Argentine ponies now?
“So, even though our handicaps have placed us in the high goal, our local bred ponies are no match for the Argentine ponies,” he said.
The Police Superintendent said the locally-bred ponies were small in size and slow compared to the Argentine ponies which were much bigger, faster and more expensive.
“An Argentine pony can go for as high as N2 million to N5 million and some of our competitors have between 15 and 30 of them in their arsenal.
“So, how can you compete? You are not even allowed to play a local pony with an Argentine pony.
“It is said, and polo players admit, that the pony can account for as much as 85 per cent of their overall performance.
“So, this is a big challenge for us. We love to play polo and every other team in our category know we are a team to beat. But we don’t have the ponies to play,” he said.
Shagari therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police, Commissioners of Police of the various State Commands, philanthropists as well as corporate organisations to assist the team in purchasing better ponies.
He said this would enable them compete favourably with their peers.(NAN)
Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has said that criticism that he and other players chased money by moving to Saudi Arabia is wide of the mark.
The 33-year-old left Chelsea for Al-Ahli in a £16m ($21.4m) deal in 2023, and in May the Africa Cup of Nations winner helped his Saudi club win the Asian Champions League, making him one of the few players to win both that competition and its European equivalent.
But, like many others, Mendy has been criticised for playing for money rather than prestige in the lucrative Saudi Pro League.
When asked about such criticism, Mendy told a Tidesports source, “Al-Ahli’s project came along and they made me feel I had a big role to play.
“Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. So yes, that validates my choice. And I hope the coming years will validate it even more.”
He added: “Some people will quickly jump to conclusions and say the only reason is money. From the start, I always said that when I left Chelsea, I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything , which was no longer the case at Chelsea.”
The Blues have since won the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition, under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
But it comes after the regime’s trophyless first two years, a period which has frustrated some supporters after the success enjoyed under Roman Abramovich’s stewardship in the previous 19 years.
Mendy has also been celebrating what he describes as a historical win with Senegal against England at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, but days earlier he had been in Dakar delivering a different kind of win.
He is the sponsor of Yakaar, a school in Keur Massar, which seeks to improve funding and access to digital learning tools for local children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Famously, as Mendy grew up in France, he was unemployed, aged 22, while struggling to find a club, with members of his family still living on the outskirts of Dakar.
That is why Yakaar, a word meaning “hope”, was chosen, a word Mendy has carried with him in his career.
“Hope is what kept me going. When I was without a club, it was the hope of getting that first professional contract.
“Then the hope of playing for the national team. The hope of making my family proud by doing the job I had always dreamed of.
“Indeed, hope is the best word to describe my career.”
Mendy was also asked whether the responsibility of being an African goalkeeper had weighed heavily on him.
“Of course. When I was in England, there weren’t many African goalkeepers in top clubs,” he admitted.
“Whether nationally or internationally, I had that responsibility. It’s the same for other African goalkeepers like Andre Onana [Manchester United] or Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal).”
The entire refereeing committee has been fired by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), with structural reforms soon set to follow.
According to sources, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has dismissed the entire refereeing committee in response to mounting pressure from clubs demanding structural reform. A major shake-up aimed at modernising Spanish refereeing from top to bottom has now been set in motion.
Head of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Luis Medina Cantalejo and Head of VAR, Carlos Clos Gomez, have been removed from their positions. They are joined by several senior officials, including Antonio Rubinos Perez and three vice presidents, who are also stepping down. A new leadership model will be introduced, led by a CEO and a sporting director, aiming to overhaul how refereeing is managed covering assessments, promotions, and daily operations. While the leadership changes are sweeping, the current pool of referees in La Liga and the second tier will remain, ensuring continuity on the field during the transition.
Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nassr that means he will stay with the Saudi Pro League club until beyond his 42nd birthday.
The Portugal captain, 40, joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United in acrimonious circumstances, having criticised the club and said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr deal had been due to expire at the end of June and there was speculation he could leave, but that has now been quashed.
In a post on X, Ronaldo wrote: “A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together.”
Although Al-Nassr have not added to their nine domestic titles during Ronaldo’s time at the club, they have benefited from a flood of goals from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo scored 35 times in 41 matches across all competitions last term and was the league’s top scorer for a second consecutive season.
He has managed 99 goals in appearances overall for Al-Nassr and is well on his way to reaching 1,000 senior goals in his career, with a current tally of 938 for club and country.
Having helped Portugal win the Uefa Nations League a little over two weeks ago, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Sporting and Juventus forward will almost certainly now be targeting a sixth World Cup appearance next summer.
Only a month ago, Ronaldo posted on social media to say “the chapter is over”.
That came after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al-Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.
The comment fuelled rumours that Ronaldo was ready to leave the league where he reportedly became the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m when he joined.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved in the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the extended tournament which is being held in the United States.
Ronaldo said he had received offers from participating teams but had turned them down.
The decision to stay until at least 2027, which is certain to be highly lucrative, appears to rule out any future prospect of Ronaldo returning to play at the highest level in Europe.