Sports
Birmingham 2022: AFN Explains Error On Kit
Less than 24 hours to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, some important members of Team Nigeria’s contingent to the Games are still in Oregon, United States, battling to secure entry visas to the United Kingdom.
Some of the athletes billed to represent Nigeria at the Games travelled to the United States for the just-concluded World Championships, where Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume won gold and silver medals, respectively.
However, while their opponents have already relocated to England, Ese Brume and her coach, Kayode Yahaya, are still in Oregon because the coach has not been granted a British visa.
Yet to secure the documents also are five athletes, including Favour Ashe, Godson Brume and Samson Nathaniel.
The Tidesports source learnt on Wednesday, that world record breaker, Amusan and other athletes will depart Oregon today for the Commonwealth Games.
Meanwhile the Athletics Federation Nigeria (AFN) has described as unfortunate the attitude of some Nigerians, who have taken to social media to dissipate energy on the rest sprinter, Favour Ofili wore during the 4x100m relay event at the just-concluded 18th World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States.
The letter ‘i’ was missing from the spelling of Nigeria on the vest and according to the AFN, instead of celebrating the unprecedented feats achieved by sprint hurdler, Amusan, who set a new world record en route to winning Nigeria’s first gold medal, and long jumper, Brume, who became the first Nigerian to win a medal in two straight World Championships, some people chose to deliberately paint the Federation in a bad light.
“It is really disheartening to know that a few Nigerians could shift their focus from the incredible feats our athletes performed in Oregon, which attracted commendation from President Muhammadu Buhari to a factory error made by giant sportswear and equipment company, Nike and which affected just the vest Ofili wore at the championships,” AFN Secretary General, Prince Adeniyi Adisa Beyioku, said on Wednesday.
Beyioku said the AFN was not distracted by the actions of the ‘idle few’ and has already shifted focus to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Also speaking on the issue, AFN’s Performance Director, Victor Okorie, explained that the wrong spelling of Nigeria on the Nike kit worn by Ofili was a factory error.
Okorie, who was Team leader in Oregon said: “Some people drew our attention to the mistake on Ofili’s kit on the final day of the 4x100m relay and I quickly reached out to Nike to know what happened. Their explanation was that it was a factory error.
“Nike said it has so much respect for Nigeria and the athletes, and there is no way it will deliberately produce a bad kit to portray Nigeria in a bad light.”
He added: “Do not forget that Nike gave Nigeria these kits free of charge for Oregon 2022 World Athletics Championship and the World U-20 Championship in Cali, Colombia.
“You can imagine how our athletes would have looked like appearing in different kits at Oregon. The AFN board really appreciated what Nike did for us. I am sure if Ofili had noticed the error, she would have pointed it out and asked for a change. Such mistakes do happen at times, and I want Nigerians to understand the situation.”
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.