Sports
Sports In Nigeria In 2020: A Retrospect
OTHER SPORTS
In other sports such as table tennis, Nigeria made two attempts to qualify for her maiden outing at the Olympic Games. After losing the sole continental slot to Egypt at the 2019 African Games, Nigeria competed at the World Team Qualifying Tournament in Gondomar, Portugal but narrowly lost to Poland in the second round of the tournament, leaving Egypt as the only African team competing in the team event of Tokyo Games.
The country also made impact in boxing directly and indirectly. Few weeks after Nigerian born Briton, Anthony Joshua beat Pulev to retain his world titles, a full blooded Nigerian, Ridwan Oyekola emerged the new world Boxing Federation Super Featherweight champion by beating his Argentine opponent in Ibadan, Nigeria.
SPORTS POLICIES
The year 2020 witnessed two key policies from the Federal Ministry of Sports and Social Development, which if implemented effectively, have the potential to take the sector to another level. The first is the Adoption Campaign, an initiative that is aimed at attracting more funding for the development of sports in the country. Through the “adoption campaign”, the hope is that decaying sports facilities will be revived, and athletes will be properly nurtured into world beaters.
During the launch of the ”Adopt An Athlete Initiative”, in Lagos, the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare noted that the sports sector has what it takes to massively contribute to the country’s economy.
The campaign is calling on private individuals and corporate organisations to pick an athlete or a team and sponsor them to greater heights.
“The hope of the athlete is to be at the Olympics, or the World Championship for their sport; to stand on the podium, and fly their country’s flag. They want to be the reasons why Nigeria’s flag should be hoisted and the national anthem is sung while the world watches.
“This is their reward; but it is also our honour and prestige, and pride among nations. It is this hope that drives them to invest in themselves, to work hard, to endure all odds, and try to surmount every challenge.
“The Adoption Programme is our baby, all of us. By it, we hope to change the narrative about sports in Nigeria. While what we are doing here tonight has the feel of a pilot programme to it, we are hard at work to institutionalise frameworks that will ensure that individuals and corporate organisations get value for whatever they put in sports.
Another is the 2020 National Sports Industry Policy (NSIP), which is still at the draft stage. The NSIP is aimed at leveraging Nigeria’s remarkable sporting talent, passion, interest and excellence to advance and navigate diplomatic relations, and more importantly, generate employment, create jobs, increase government revenue and bolster the economy. It has its objectives to promote national unity, ensure good governance, effective regulation and efficient administration of sports. Others include, to improve sporting officiating and participation to world class standards, institution and maintenance of efficient sport-specific dispute resolution mechanisms, promote public/Private sector engagement to engrave sports as an important driver and contributor to the national economy and to ensure utilization of ICT.
DEATHS WITHIN THE SPORTS CIRCLE
Several deaths were recorded in the country within the year under review.
Some personalities within the sports circles lost their lives and would not be around to see what this year has to offer.
Ajibade Babalade
The former Super Eagles defender died on September 4 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Babalade, 48, took ill a day before his death and was taken to the University College Hospital Ibadan where he passed away.
The hard-tackling retired defender was part of the Super Eagles squad to the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal where the national team won the bronze.
Chineme Martins
The death of the 23-year-old was quite painful as many believe it was one that was avoidable if the minimum health facilities were in place on the day of his demise at the Lafia Township Stadium.
The Nasarawa United defender died on March 8 during a Nigeria Professional Football League game.
Martins fell unconscious during the second half of Nasarawa’s league match against Katsina United.
Martins’ death was the second time fans in Lafia witnessed a tragedy in recent years.
In December 2018, Kano Pillars’ star Dominic Dukudod collapsed while warming up in a friendly against Nasarawa United.
John Felagha
The former National U17 and U20 goalkeeper died on August 30 in Senegal.
Felagha was a member of the 2009 Golden Eaglets squad though he was on the bench throughout the tournament as Nigeria won silver behind Switzerland.
He was also part of the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup but failed to make any appearance in that tournament.
The 26-year-old was said to be awaiting airlifting back to Nigeria on holidays before the unfortunate incident.
Razak Okedeyi
Okedeyi was one of the country’s fast-rising basketball referees until his death and was a key member of the Nigerian Basketball Referees Council.
He was last seen in action during 2019/2020 Total Division One League held earlier this year in Lagos.
Okedeyi was the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Lagos State Referees Council as well as the founder and head coach of Flygerian Basketball Academy.
Deborah Onu
This was another sad death that may have been avoided as the deceased for a long time was being treated for the wrong ailment.
Instead of being treated for tuberculosis of the spine, basketball prodigy, Onu at different times across different health facilities was subjected to treatment for ulcer, typhoid, and even back pain.
The 16-year-old was due to write her Senior Secondary School examination in May/June 2020 and her basketball potentials suggests she could even be on her way to the United States afterward, but what looks like a bright future was truncated by the sad death.
Michael Ojo
The Nigerian-American basketball player died after suffering a heart attack during a training session.
Ojo, who plays for Serbian team Crvena Zvezda, collapsed at the Partizan Stadium in Belgrade and was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
An invitee to the Nigeria men’s National Basketball team, D’Tigers, Ojo represented Florida State University as a college senior before heading to Serbia to pursue a professional career.
Uremu Adu
The grassroots athletics coach died on May 10 in Lagos after a brief illness.
A regular face across several sporting facilities in Lagos, Coach Adu has produced a lot of sporting talents; some of whom are already in the United States to further their education and career.
Emmanuel Ibah
The Nigeria Football Federation had its own fair of share deaths in 2020 and one of the big losses was Mr. Ibah.
He was the NFF coordinator for the South-South zone and was also the Akwa Ibom football association chairman until his death. He was 61 years of age.
Chidi Okenwa
This was another painful death in the country’s football administration circles.
Mr. Okenwa was Chairman of the Nigeria National League until his death and was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). He died on May 5 aged 50.
Musa Duhu
The NFF Exco Committee Member passed on in September 19. Until his date, the Late Duhu was also the Chairman of the Adamawa State Football Association.
Apart from the death recorded in Nigeria, there were a number of other high-profile deaths across the world including Diego Maradona, Kobe Byrant, Palo Rossi among many others.
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.