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Open Championship: Group Partners ODSG To Scout For Talented Youth

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The Cyclox Technology Nigeria Ltd. is to partner with the Ondo State Government in its bid to discover talented youths ahead of the International Marathon Race slated for April 2018.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr Adelekun David of the group, made this disclosure on Monday in Akure during a courtesy visit to the Ministry of Sports and Youths Development.
The CEO, who said that his company had concluded plans to host the 2018 marathon race in the state, called on organisations within and outside the country to support the Marathon Race.
“All over the state, we have youths with talents, who are hidden and whose talents are not recognised. We want to use this open championship to bring them out;
“And we believe it is going to boost business activities as well as promote the image of the state.
“We are expecting not less than 2,000 participants, whose age should be between 18 and 35 years, for the international race, which will take off from Idanre Hills down to the stadium in Akure,” he said.
Also, David said that his group was warming up to sponsor the December Open Athletic championship in the state and called for the people’ support for the event.
According to him, the partnership with the state will help the state in scouting for those who are very good in athletic games across the state.
Adelekun explained that the December open athletics competition would include all track events, field events and other sporting activities, saying that the competition would last for one week.
He stated that a website had been opened for assessment and registration of athletes, adding that sponsors could make their intentions known from the website.
Responding, the Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Mr Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, appreciated the management of the group, saying its plan to partner with the state would move sports forward.
Yusuf-Ogunleye promised that government would give the group all the necessary support to make the stay of the athletes safe, crisis-free as well as ensure the success of the project.
“We all know that government alone cannot sponsor or finance sports in the state, and even the country at large, without sponsorship from corporate bodies and individuals.
“And we must not concentrate on football alone while swimming, table tennis, wrestling, marathon race are being abandoned.
“I think the most important thing is for us to ensure that other sporting activities are not neglected,” the commissioner said.
According to him, sport, today, is already a career and youths will gain a lot from the championship event when it kicks off this month.
He, therefore, called on individuals, businessmen and women, corporate bodies, union and organisations in the state to support the sporting activities by sponsoring some of the events.
“We have no doubt in our mind that when this sporting event kicks off it will serve as an advantage to our  youths and sports lovers to showcase their talents and the stuff they are made of,” he said.

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I Joined Saudi League To Win Titles – Senegal Keeper

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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).”

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Spanish Football Fires Entire Refereeing Committee

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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.

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Ronaldo Renews Stay With Saudi Pro League

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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.

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