Sports
CRS Lauds Sports Commission, Pledges Support
Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River has lauded the efforts of the State’s Sports Commission to develop sports in the state.
Ayade said the state government would appreciate this wonderful gesture.
The governor gave the assurance in Calabar on Sunday at the finals of the male Under 15 football tournament for schools across the state organised in his honour by the commission at the U.J. Esuene Stadium.
Ayade, said his administration was excited by the injection of fresh approach to sports promotion and development by the commission.
Represented by his Special Adviser, Public Affairs, Tony Undiandeye, the governor commended the Orok Duke-led Commission for “using soccer to identify and groom talents at the grassroots through schools’’.
He said: “Efforts of the Sports Commission has been appreciated. The commission is doing a lot to uplift sports in Cross River.
“There are projects they (Sports Commission) are undertaking and I am excited about what they are doing right now.
“Overall, you see that there is an injection of new approach to sports promotion and development, using sports, soccer to identify and groom talents at the grassroots through schools at that level.
“We believe that when these children get back, having been here to see the facilities, a greater zeal in them to prevail will endure.
“We hope that the state government will continue to encourage what they are doing within available resources. The commission is doing well, they should be encouraged and supported,’’ the governor said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Commission, Duke, said the commission was poised to leave a legacy during his tenure.
Duke said that the tournament was organised across the three senatorial districts of the state in honour of Ayade for reactivating the commission with a mandate to re-position sports in the state.
“This tournament is a grassroots programme to encourage him to do more. We intend to capture these athletes and talents across the state and harness their immense potentials at different levels.
“We are hoping and praying that in spite of the limited resources and facilities at our disposal, we will recreate a lot in sports across the state. There is going to be no dull moments here,’’ Duke said.
He also appealed to the state government to set aside a percentage of the sports levies paid directly by students in public schools to be retained by those schools for the development of facilities.
“The commission has sports officers in all the local government areas of the state. The idea is to take sports to these people.’’ Duke said.
According to the chairman, the commission has since December 2016 incorporated the Ben Ayade United Football club, Calabar and the Canaan City Table Tennis Club.
“The Canaan City Table Tennis Club will be participating in an international tournament starting from May this year.
“We are planning a female football competition for secondary schools. We currently encourage the Pelican Stars FC to mentor female footballers by training with lots of female students,’’ he said.
Secondary School Igbeku, Yala won the first position in the maiden edition of the tournament by defeating Akim Secondary School, Calabar 2-0.
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.”