Sports
Football Director Unveils Rivers Blue United FC
The Director of Rivers Blue United Football Club of Rivers State, Reward Amadi has stated that one of the driving forces which propelled him to venture into floating a youthful football club was to use the club to engage the youths meaningfully so that they will be taken away from the street.
Speaking exclusively to Tidesports source recently at the club’s training ground, inside Macdonald Institute football pitch, when quizzed about the prospect of the two months old club, Amadi said that it was his burning desire to come out to encourage young talented football players who have shown much zeal and eager to make a living through the beautiful round leather game, having seen the abundant skills God has deposited in them to excel through the game of football.
“Though, the team is barely two months old, but I can beat my chest to say that the players’ cohesive pattern of play and commitment at the training is something worthy of commendation and I have no doubt that the boys will go places if they sustain the good tempo.
“Interestingly, the young soccer outfit-Rivers Blue United FC is fast growing from all ramifications as some foreign scout from Portugal have been to our training ground and had succeeded in penciling down some names that caught their fancy which has also been my dream in ensuring that the players were assisted to secure a bigger club sides outside the shore of the country.
“On a serious note, we have gotten a slot to play in the Nigeria Amateur Football League and by God grace, we are looking forward to spring up from there to hit it big in near future” said he.
Continuing, the visibly elated football director further affirmed confidence in the ability and capacity of the club management team ranging from the General Manager to the technical crew to tinker the young club to greater heights given their pedigree and vast wealth of experience in the game of football.
The bulky dark complexioned football administrator however assured teeming Rivers State soccer fans to be on watch out and see the kind of fluid football pattern the Rivers Blue United FC will introduce in the state that would earn them the recognition to represent local government, state and Nigeria at large in international games.
Sports
CAA Wants Ghana To Host 2026 Athletics Champions
The Confederation of African Athletics has invited Ghana to bid for the hosting rights of the 2026 African Athletics Championships, following a successful athletics event at the just concluded 2023 African Games.
President of Ghana Athletics, Bawa Fuseini, stated this and expressed confidence in the transformative potential of the Legon Stadium for athletes and Ghana’s bid to host international competitions.
With a capacity of 11,000, the Legon Stadium played a pivotal role in the recent African Games, hosting both the opening and closing ceremonies as well as various sporting events including athletics, football, and rugby.
Fuseini highlighted the success of the athletics events held at the stadium, which contributed to Ghana winning six medals.
“We have already started getting requests from the Confederation of African Athletics to bid for the 2026 African Athletics Championships.
“When they came and saw what we have put in place and the level of organisation, they told me that for the last 20 years, they’ve never seen any organisation like this before. We did three official courses. And the last one, we had 110, all of them passed. We had a lot of officials and equipment.”
Since its establishment in 1979, Ghana has never hosted the African Athletics Championships, with Nigeria being the host country twice, in 1989 and 2018.
This year, Cameroon will take the reins as the host nation, with the event set to be held at the Olembe Stadium.
Sports
‘I’m Not Under Pressure To Coach Eagles’
Finidi George, head coach of the Nigeria Premier Football Leagues side, Enyimba, has stated that he is not losing any sleep over getting the Super Eagles job on a permanent basis.
Early this month, the Nigeria Football Federation declared the position of the Super Eagles’ head coach vacant, following the exit of Portuguese Jose Peseiro, who led the side to a second-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup Nations in Ivory Coast in February.
In an advertisement on its website calling for applications with a March 13 deadline, the football governing body stated that the prospective Eagles coach “must have proven experience at the elite level of football.”
The former Ajax man, who also applied for the job, was appointed Eagles interim coach for the international window with the former winger picking a win and suffering a defeat.
In an interview with Tidesports source, the 52-year-old tactician said he was not desperate for the job permanently.
“I felt really good when I was told to take charge of the team. I have been with the team for almost two years, I know all the players, their strengths, and their weaknesses but I am only here to serve Nigeria the way I know how to do stuff.
“I will just take these two games and go back to my club. Whatever the decision is taken after, so be it. I’m not under pressure to say I must get the role permanently.”
Sports
‘Reasons Why Eagles Lost To Mali’
The friendly games against Ghana and Mali were to serve as an audition for George Finidi, who was in charge of the team on an interim basis, but the Eagles’ lacklustre display in those friendlies has called for his further evaluation.
Finidi kept faith with ex-coach Jose Peseiro’s defensive formation against Mali on the back of his first win (against Ghana) in charge of the team four days earlier.
But this time, his defence was punished following a combination of defensive errors and poor passes.
The Eagles struggled to play out of defence due to the high pressing of the Malians and it was no surprise that the first goal by Les Aigles was a direct result of their aggression.
Chidozie Awaziem, who started on the right of the back three alongside Kenneth Omeruo and Semi Ajayi, lacked composure and was pressured into making a pass across his box straight at Bilal Toure, who made no mistake in getting the ball past Stanley Nwabali. They missed the calming presence of injured William Troost-Ekong.
Vice captain, Kenneth Omeruo, was also culpable of misplaced passes and was beaten for pace when Kamory Doumbia ran past him to seal Mali’s first win in over four decades, firing his shot past a helpless Nwabali, who stood no chance.
Eagles wing backs, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Jamilu Collins also did not do enough to support the team in attack when they had the chance to.
Lack of creativity
Finidi paired Raphael Onyedika and Wilfred Ndidi in a double pivot in midfield. Both players are naturally anchor men and neither is a box-to-box midfielder.
They both do not possess the offensive capability to drive the team’s attack forward, which left the Eagles once again craving for a natural creative midfielder.
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