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NSF: Lagos Rugby Team Rues Lack Of Training Kits

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The Lagos Rugby team yesterday lamented lack of training kits ahead of the coming National Sports Festival billed for March 20 in Benin.
Ayo Johnson, coach of the team told newsmen during their training session at the National Stadium, Lagos that some of the players had been injured due to bad pitch and lack of kits for the game.
He said that the team’s challenge had been facilities for training, adding that the few substandard facilities provided for the team were returned to those who brought them.
The coach said in spite of the setback the team was prepared for all oppositions at the games as it had been training hard with a view to challenge any state for the gold.
“We are ready for the games. We are going to give every challenger a run for their money.
“We have 35 players in camp, both male and female, but we will select the best 25 out of the number to represent the state,” he said.
According to Tidesports, one of the players, Stephen Kiki said they were training under a hash condition without the necessary facilities such as balls, tackle bags, cones, headgear, body armour, teeth guard and supplements.
“We need standard gym and proper medical care for our injuries,” he said.
David Oyekanmi, captain for the male team said if all the items mentioned were provided, especially good pitch for training, their preparation would have been much easier.
Onyekanmi said that in spite of this, they were training hard for gold.
“We are still training to get gold. The Lagos State Government promised us during qualifying stages that all we needed would be provided if we qualify.
“We want the government to keep to its promises because we have qualified for the games.
“All logistics needed should be provided. We have about 10 players with injuries due to no right facilities to train with.
“The game of rugby is a dangerous one. One could sustain a fatal injury if care is not taking,” he said.
The Captain of the female team, Halimat Tiamiyu said the camp was not easy for the ladies due to no protective facilities to train with.
She called on the state government to provide the logistics it promised the team because the players were committed to winning gold for the state.
Tidesports source reports that Ogun and Lagos States qualified in the rugby game to represent the Southwest at the 2020 National Sports Festival in Edo.

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New Coach Promises Trophies At Barça

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Hansi Flick has said that Barcelona’s desire to always win trophies is why he is at the cub during his official unveiling as the club’s new head coach.
The former Bayern Munich and Germany coach signed a two-year deal with the LaLiga giants and said: “Before signing my contract I had a dinner with the president and I felt from the first second that I was arriving at an impressive club.”
“The squad has worked very hard from the first day in training. Each player wants to give 100% to show that they can play. The quality of the 16 or 17 year olds from La Masia is incredible.”
Two of the most recent standout products from Barça’s fabled academy are Lamine Yamal and Ansu Fati, two players who find themselves in very different situations.
On his 17-year-old star man, Flick was complimentary but also had words of warning.
“In the last year he has improved a lot. What he did in the Euros was incredible,” he added.

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Chelsea Will Concede Goals This Season – Coach

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Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca says his side “are going to concede goals this season playing out from the back” after two defensive errors in a 2-2 draw with Wrexham in his first game in charge.
Midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu scored an 82nd-minute equaliser in Santa Clara, California, cancelling out two second-half strikes by the League One side.
A sharp finish in the penalty box from Christopher Nkunku opened the scoring in the 35th minute of Chelsea’s opening friendly on their pre-season tour of the United States.
But Wrexham took a surprise lead after both teams made wholesale changes at half-time with Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott scoring following mistakes.
The defensive errors were part of a weak second-half performance as Chelsea adapt to Maresca’s possession-based approach.
Wrexham impressed – adding to their 1-1 draw against Bournemouth on Saturday in a half-empty Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers.
It is the Welsh club’s second consecutive US pre-season tour, capitalising on their popularity under co-owners, Hollywood actors, Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, with Phil Parkinson’s side preparing for third tier football for the first time since 2005.
Maresca was asked about conceding goals through his playing philosophy, which included more patient build-up from back to front.

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France’s Olympics Come Alive With Les Bleus Victory

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The French starting 11 was worth more than $250 million. Their home crowd was stirring, waving flags, chanting “Allez Les Bleus.” Their fearsome front three alone had played more than 300 games in the English Premier League. They entered these 2024 Olympics as the men’s soccer gold medal favourite, and an early candidate to bring the Games to life.
And on Wednesday in Marseille, they did just that, beating the United States 3-0.
For an hour in Marseille, on opening night, a feisty American team stood up to them.
But in the 61st minute of Paris 2024’s first prime-time headliner, Alexandre Lacazette struck, and the Stade Vélodrome erupted. Kids kissed the French Football Federation badges on their shirts. Thousands of blue, white and red flags twirled.
Until that moment, the game had been somewhat dormant. And the Games, more broadly, were still waiting to awake. In Paris, many locals have escaped the craziness of the Olympics. Areas around the River Seine are all but locked down to prepare for today’s opening ceremony. Tuesday and Wednesday, in some ways, felt like normal Parisian nights, sans buzz.
The best cure for all of that was France’s most popular sport, the one that led the media’s front pages on Tuesday in a non-Olympic context, just three days before the official start of the Olympics.
This, of course, was not a full French soccer team. The Games are a mostly under-23 tournament. But it was still a French soccer team. And it was, by Olympic men’s soccer’s JV standards, stacked.
It came from Bayern Munich and Sevilla, RB Leipzig and Crystal Palace, in the German Bundesliga and throughout France’s Ligue 1. There were players valued at 25 million euros stuck on the bench. There were athletes all over the field whom, unlike many Olympians, the French public knows.
And the two biggest stars among them ignited the public. Lacazette, a veteran striker, one of three over-age picks, broke through the United States resistance.
Michael Olise, a 22-year-old creator who recently signed with Bayern, scored the second.

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