Sports
Keves Football Competition Has Discovered New Talents – Coach
The Head Coach of Vandyke FC of Port Harcourt, Stanley Basi, has said that the ongoing Rivers State Keves Football Competition, (RSKFC), will assist the youth in the state to rediscover their talents.
He also stated that the competition has engaged many youth into meaningful activities, instead of going into nefarious acts.
Basi said this on Monday in an exclusive interview with Tidesports shortly after his boys (players) played goalless draw against Rivers United Feeder team in their third match in the tournament at the Sharks football stadium in Port Harcourt.
The Vandyke FC Coach explained that the competition is a good one and gave kudos to the Rivers State Football Association (RSFA).
“The state FA has done so well with this competition; the youth will channel their energy toward the round leather game.
We are just a new team in the state.
This is our first time playing in the FA organised competition.
For the game my players try their best.
We didn’t prepare well for the tournament but since we have registered we will do our best to ensure we achieve something out of the competition.
We plan for each game has it comes, today’s game is over our next plan is to see how we can do to win the next game.
It was a balance game, both teams played good football” Basi said.
He frowned at the poor officiating of the match, saying that the match Officials was biased.
“The officiating was too poor we were denied penalty in the first half, it was because of that I called the attention of the referee”
Also speaking the Head Coach of Rivers United Feeder, Ken Chukwu, said playing draw against a team that lost 5-0 in their second match is not a bad result, adding that they were trying to redeem their image.
“Our opponents were trying to redeem their image because they needed a win but they were unable to keep the tempo.
Just that we could not convert our chances in the first half but the draw is not a bad result,” Chukwu said.
By: Kiadum Edookor
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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