Sports
Henderson Is My Role Model-Gerrard
Steven Gerrard has hailed “role model” Jordan Henderson for his part in organising a charity fund to help health services in the United Kingdom during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Liverpool captain has been widely credited for taking a lead role in launching the #PlayersTogether initiative that will see Premier League players donate funds to NHS charities.
Henderson’s leadership qualities have also been clear to see on the field since succeeding Gerrard as skipper in 2015, none more so than this term prior to the coronavirus-enforced shutdown.
And Gerrard, who played alongside Henderson for four seasons, has praised the 29-year-old for growing in stature during his time at Anfield.
“I remember he came into Liverpool as a shy lad from Sunderland and his family asked me to keep an eye on him and look after him,” he told Tidesports source.
“He’s a very selfless person, on and off the pitch. He was a dream to play with because of his energy. I’m certainly one who’s always sung his praises because I appreciate the job he did in the team.
“I think he’s got better and better from a football point of view but, as a person, I think what he’s done over the last couple of weeks sums the human being up.
“He’s a fantastic man and he’s become a top-class midfielder. Everything he earns in the game and every accolade he gets he absolutely deserves it. He’s a role model to a lot of young kids.”
Henderson lifted the Champions League trophy last season and has helped Liverpool to open up a 25-point lead at the top of the Premier League this term.
Iconic midfielder Gerrard puts his former club’s recent success down to their mental strength and has backed them to continue winning silverware.
“They’ve been phenomenal for a few years now. I thought they were very unlucky last year not to be champions, that was down to how good Manchester City were,” he said.
“They just seem to be getting better and stronger every single year. The one key thing that’s blown me away from when I played is their mental strength across the board.
“We used to have some really good professionals and mentally strong players in our squad, but it seems like from number one in the squad to number 26 they’re all monsters and all on the same page.
“To have a squad that all has that mentality, I’m really excited to watch them in the coming years as well because they’ve got a fantastic opportunity to become a very successful Liverpool team.”
Nigeria has won the bid to host the next edition of the prestigious All Africa Challenge Trophy in 2026.
The AACT is a biennial continental ladies’ golf championship in Africa that had its inaugural edition in May 1992 in Zimbabwe.
Nigeria hosted the AACT in 1996 at the Ikoyi Club 1938, while in 2010, the AACT was played at the IBB International Golf and Country Club, in Abuja.
This would be the third time Nigeria will be hosting the championship.
Interestingly, the West and Central Africa Challenge Trophy (a regional version of the championship) was held for the first time in Nigeria at the Lakowe Lakes Golf Estates and Resort, Lagos, in 2023.
Evelyn Oyome, the President of the Ladies Golf Association of Nigeria, who was the leader of the Nigerian delegation to the championship’s 16th edition in Morocco, said Nigeria emerged winner amongst the 20 countries that took part in the bidding process.
“Nigeria had earlier hosted the West, Central Africa Challenge Trophy in October last year at the Lakowe Lakes Golf Estate and Resort in Lagos, showcasing its outstanding golfing facilities, with no fewer than 10 countries participating.
“So, hosting that championship successfully last year gave us the edge amongst so many other countries that also bidded and winning was a huge victory for Nigeria,” she said.
Oyome revealed that the Federal Capital Territory would be the host city for the AACT 2026 edition, with no fewer than 30 countries expected to participate in the championship.
Super Eagles B co-handler Fidelis Ilechukwu has revealed that Kano Pillars duo Ahmed Musa and Shehu Abdullahi were initially listed in the 30-man squad for the 2024 CHAN qualifiers double header clash against Ghana, but were dropped over their ineligibility.
Musa and Shehu, who made sensational returns to Kano Pillars this season, were conspicuously missing when the Nigeria Football Federation revealed the names of 30 Nigeria Premier Football League stars for the assignment.
The CHAN Eagles are currently camping in Ikenne, Ogun State. They will play the first leg of their encounter in Accra on Sunday, December 22 before returning to Uyo for the return leg on Saturday, December 28.
“I was told he (Musa) didn’t meet up with the conditions of playing in the CHAN tournament or qualifiers,” Ilechukwu told our correspondent.
“Ahmed Musa was on our list, there is no way we wouldn’t have included him in the list with his performances in the league but they told us to replace him due to eligibility.
When asked if the same applied to Shehu, the coach replied in the affirmative.
According to CAF regulations, only footballers playing in their country of birth are eligible.
While the above rule favours both Musa and Shehu, their participation was perhaps made difficult by another CAF regulation which says, “Only players with a permanent contract registered in a local club affiliated to their national association are eligible to participate in the African Nations Championship” – as both players are in the NPFL under the Elite Player Scheme.
According to section 9.91 of the NPFL Framework and Rules, “There shall be an Elite Player Scheme wherein each Club shall be allowed to register a maximum of two players who in the opinion of the NPFL will add value to the league.”
The Federal Capital Territory is set to host the 2024 Annual General Assembly (AGA) of the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
In a statement released yesterday, the Chief Operating Officer, Modupe Shabi, confirmed that all arrangements have been finalised for the AGA, which will take place at Fabino by Toprank Hotels, Abuja.
The AGA meeting promises to be a significant gathering in charting a way forward for the women’s football rising agenda and the women’s football leagues in Nigeria.
Key stakeholders, including board members and representatives of Premiership and Championship clubs, will review the successes and challenges of the outgone 2023/2024 season.
Notably, Edo Queens emerged champions of the NWFL Premiership for the first time, while Honey Badgers and Ibom Angels secured promotion to the Premiership from the NWFL Championship.
The AGM will also focus on sustaining the league’s growing credibility and improving operations while setting the calendar and start date for the 2024/2025 NWFL Premiership and Championship campaigns.
This pivotal meeting aims to further strengthen women’s football in Nigeria and lay the groundwork for the league’s continued growth.
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