Sports
Four-Year-Old Dandyson Aspires To Become Professional Golfer
Four-year-old Lewis Dandyson says he aims to become one held Nigeria’s all-time great golfers having won his first major golf tournament at the one day golf championships in Port Harcourt last Wednesday.
Tidesports source gathered gathered that Olypmpafrica UNIPORT Centre Sports Institute, University of Port Harcourt, hosted the one-day golf tournament at the Port Harcourt Club Golf 1928.
The tournament had different categories for the boys and girls, however, little Dandyson defeated older golfers in the 6 to 8 years category though not up to that age.
Tidesports gathered that little Dandyson made his unexpected entry into the golf championships last year at the age of three years, six months old at the Awa Ibrahim Junior Golf Open Championships, held at Ikeja Golf Club.
There, the young golfer accompanied by his mum to the Ikeja Golf Club venue of the championship, left many who gave him no chance of any performing astonished.
Aspiring Dandyson, however, played 64 in 4 holes to the surprise of the spectators.
Relishing his experience at the Port Harcourt tournament, Dandyson told newsmen yesterday that he was well prepared to take up the challenge of becoming a star by registering for it.
Apparently, considering his age, the organisers asked him to play one hole because they never believed he could play four holes.
Dandyson, a first year pupil of Navy Primary School, Rumouorlumeni, Port Harcourt, to the surprise of many, won his category with 19 in a hole and was presented with a certificate.
Seeing his doggedness in golf, one of the dignitaries at the event Justice Dezen Okocha, said: “He is a champion of all champions because of his boldness.
“I doubted if he could play, but he proved himself,’’ he said.
En route his interest in golf, Dandyson’s mum, Noble, told newsmen that he took interest in golf while accompanying his father who is also a golfer to the golf course.
“His dad take him to the golf course and that is where he took the interest from seeing that he is much interested by trying to hold the golf stick, we decided to encourage him.
“From there, we began to give him light training and tutorials on golf and he was picking fast. He is a fast learner.
“Last year, he was there just as a participant but seeing that he is ready for major, we registered him for the competition and he did not disappoint.
“I think he is ready to play golf to any level; he is cool and focuses on golf,’’ she said.
Explaining further on how little Dandyson could realise the dream of becoming one of the great golf exports from Nigeria, his mother said that they (parents) were ready to support him.
“We are ready to support him to any level; we are also ready to sponsor him to tournaments both within and outside the country.
“Seeing Dandyson play golf is an inspiration to us, that is what he like doing next to his studies. He loves golf and that was written all over him.
“Lewis is a boy who we notice that he does any task given to him satisfactorily. He plays golf with joy not minding the time he is called upon.
“If you call him out anytime his enthusiasm will surprise you. He can play for hours in spite of his age,’’ she said.
The first price for the U-12 girls’ category was carted away by Favour Nonso of Government Girls Secondary School Ngboshimini.
Henry Harry from Navy Primary School, Pathfinder beat other golfers to in the U-10 boys to emerge champion and also as the best player of the tournament.
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.