Sports
NFSC Appoints Monarch Grand Patron
The Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC) says the traditional ruler of Idjerhe Kingdom in Delta State, King Monday Whiskey, has been appointed the Grand Patron of the club.
According to it, Whiskey’s appointment is based on his various unflinching support to the club.
The National Chairman of NFSC, Rev. Samuel Ikpea told newsmen in Lagos on Monday that the traditional ruler is also a revered journalist who is an asset to the nation.
“We went to the town of the traditional ruler, Jesse town, with some delegation with our traditional trademark of drumming, dancing and exhibiting skills reminiscent of what we do during national team’s support.
“The king was commended for his wealth of experience and therewith conferred the title as Grand Patron, with his certificate.
“He was also decorated with NFSC’s paraphernalia after his citation was read.
“The king has been of immense support to us, encouraging and always praying for our success during our assignments,” he said.
Justifying the appointment of the traditional ruler as the Grand Patron of the club, Ikpea said that the group got instant benefit as they were assured of more support.
“His Royal Highness has assured us of improved support home and abroad; he also promised that we should count on his support when the need arises.
“What we need is synergy. We need to synergise to ensure that in every nook and cranny of this country, we preach the gospel of oneness; we preach the gospel of sports.
“He encouraged us to assert our unblemished pedigree and ensure we use it as an instrument to reach those who need help and those who need favour. There’s a difference between help and favour.
“He also promised to heed to our call whenever the needs arises and told us not hesitate to call on him, be it within or outside Nigeria,” he explained to NAN.
Ikpea said that the NFSC had remained a unified group since its establishment and was committed to expanding to all the states of the federation and by extension, making it a global brand.
“We are the members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, and this club has been in existence since 1955.
“The club was formed by a Nigerian; in fact, he was a British citizen, Mr Deji Allen and his wife.
“The club has over 22 registered chapters in Nigeria. We have chapters virtually in all over Africa, in Europe and indeed, the whole world.
“It is the only supporters club with this type of culture. Even in Brazil, when they play football, they don’t have this kind of supporters club,’’ he said.
Ikpea said the club had won both the FIFA and CAF “Best Behaved and Entertaining Supporters Club Awards’’ respectively.
“In all our existence, one would not hear that there had been anywhere it members had been to and were bad ambassadors of the country.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.