Sports
Acheru And Sports Dev In Nigeria
It is not in contention that to develop a country is not the sole responsibility of the government.Often times, government calls for Private Public Partnership (PPP) to execute a particular project or programme.
You will also agree with me that to develop a given sector does not only depend on the sophisticated facilities provided but equally requires a thorough breed professionals that have the capacity to train competent manpower to complement the developmental plan in that particular sector.
Thus, in the area of sports development, sports are key because sports writing is a highly professional and skilled job which conventional journalists cannot effectively do. The professional sports writers are almost as good as the coach in a given sport because they have in-depth knowledge of the game.
This is so because constructive criticism and analysis during and after the game has grossly contributed towards the development of sports. The mistakes spotted out by sports writers often assist the coaches and athletes to correct their errors.
In Nigeria , China Acheru popularly known as “IKWERREMAN”, born into the family of Mr and Mrs Acheru in Ogbakiri community in Emohua Local Government Area, Rivers State, is one of the best professional sports presenters Nigeria has ever produced who has developed sports in all ramifications.
Acheru attended University of Port Harcourt Demonstration Secondary School, Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State. It is incredible that he read Geology, in University of Port Harcourt, but his desire to be a journalist was intense. Shortly after his graduation, he worked as a sports reporter for the then South South Express newspaper under the tutelage of late Mazi Njoku.
Apart from that, Acheru has been a strong voice of sports from Rivers State and Nigeria for the past 25 years. Within these years of sports reporting and development, he worked for CTL Cable TV in 2002, in the same year November, he joined Silverbird Rhythm 93.7 FM as sports reporter and producer. In 2006, he left the State and joined Goal Newspaper in Lagos, one of the leading sports papers then in Nigeria, as sub editor, later he moved to kickoffnigeria.com as a senior journalist.
As he returned home, he joined Cool/Wazobia FM in 2010 as Head of Sports, later left for Today FM in 2013. It will interest you to know that Acheru runs one of the Nigeria’s biggest football blogs. Besides, he was the media manager of Dolphins Football Club of Port Harcourt for 12 years and currently the chairman of Nigeria Professional League Clubs Media Managers’ Association. Before then, he had been the financial secretary of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Rivers State chapter.
What makes him more unique is that he does not only present sports programmes but also writes sports effectively and efficiently. In addition, he has also trained many professional sports presenters and writers in Nigeria.
According to one of the celebrated sports journalists in Nigeria, Arafat Aliu, Acheru is a professional to the core, he never jokes with his job.
“When he was the media officer of the Dolphins FC of Port Harcourt, he was always handy to give you the correct report with regard to the team. He never shied away from interviews and was ready to clarify any issue”, Aliu said.
He equally described Acheru as one of the finest broadcast journalists that has been able to combine well in print and broadcasting.
“Having worked with him at Rythm 93.7, Port Harcourt, I can say that he is always ready to beat deadlines. Besides, he is a Liverpool fan that never wants to work alone.
I dare say that he counts as one of Nigeria’s finest broadcast journalists that have been able to combine well in print and broadcasting”, he stated.
One of Nigeria’s best broadcast journalists in Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) based in Abuja, Tamara Ebiowei, also described China Acheru as a good trainer that has groomed many sports journalists in the country.
She explains that Acheru is always willing to teach and by teaching, he is developing the human capacity which in turn develops the sports.
“China is a jovial person who can be described as one of the best in sports journalism. His willingness to correct one’s errors amazes me, a testimony of so many he has groomed in the sports journalism profession, Ebiowei said
According to her, outside the job he exhibits the best interpersonal relationships with his colleagues and others, besides, he is transparent, humble and cares for his colleagues wanting to know how they are faring.
In her account, the media officer of Rivers Hoopers basketball club, in Port Harcourt and one of the female sports journalists and broadcaster, Queen John, says why Acheru is unique in sports journalism is that he does not want to know the job alone.
Noting that as a good teacher he does not settle for laziness and failure, because as he is teaching you, he will make sure you understand the job effectively.
“China Acheru is a father, brother and a friend you can confide in. He hates laziness and hard work, dedication is his watch word”, John said.
According to her, he does not discriminate anybody that comes his way and is always ready to teach.
China Acheru states that professionalism on the job is the key, being number one in the business is what drives him to success, saying that his lifestyle is actually influenced by the broadcasting greats such as Mitchel Obi, late Mazi Njoku and Yinka Craig
The belief of Acheru is that if you do not develop manpower, it will be difficult for a sector to develop, because it is the human being that will initiate the developmental ideas.
According to him, what makes him happy most is to share his experience on the job with his colleagues, saying that as you teach you gain more experience.
“We need to teach and train the upcoming sports journalists so that they will also train others coming behind them”, he stated.
He advised the upcoming sports journalists to be committed and dedicated to their primary assignment by doing that, success will be easily achieved.
Tonye Orabere
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.