Sports
Kwara Hopeful To Host Confed Cup in Ilorin
The club’s media officer Ayodeji Ismail told our correspondent on Tuesday that renovations at the stadium are progressing quickly and that the club is waiting for a formal inspection by the African football governing body.
“If things work out for us, we should be playing at home because renovation is going on massively,” Ismail explained.
“The dressing room and other facilities are being worked on, but we are waiting for the official confirmation and announcement from CAF. For now, we are hopeful we will be allowed to play in Ilorin.”
According to Ismail, the facility has not yet been inspected by CAF and the last assessment was conducted by Nigeria Football Federation officials about a month ago, just before the start of the domestic league season.
“They told us some of the things we needed to do so that the stadium can meet CAF standards.
“We immediately swung into action and corrections are ongoing. We are waiting for the next CAF visit, although we don’t know when that will be.”
Kwara United General Manager Bashir Badawiy also confirmed to our correspondent that the club is in regular contact with the NFF, stressing that the venue decision would be communicated publicly in coming days.
The uncertainty over Ilorin comes as fellow Nigerian continental representatives Remo Stars have already secured approval to play their CAF Champions League fixtures at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, with the club publicly confirming the venue on social media on Tuesday.
The Harmony Boys are reportedly linked with a move to Abeokuta after failing to get last-minute approval for their Ilorin stadium.
Tidesports previously reported that the state governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq pledged government backing to ensure the stadium in Ilorin is ready in time during a recent inspection visit and said his administration was determined to avoid the team being forced to relocate.
“The stadium is not approved yet, but we want to meet the standards before the inspection team comes from CAF.
“We are making sure that work is being done with urgency so we pass the inspection. We do not want our supporters and team playing in Lagos or Abuja,” the governor said.
Kwara United, winners of the 2025 Federation Cup, are due to face Kotoko in the first preliminary round of the Confederation Cup.
The two-legged tie rekindles one of West Africa’s fiercest rivalries. Kotoko, two-time African champions, will host the first leg in Kumasi September 21, before the return fixture in Nigeria the following week on September 28.
The winners will advance to face Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca in the next round.
Kwara United are making their third appearance in the competition and the chance to host in Ilorin would provide a significant boost both for players and supporters.
Ismail said the club would communicate transparently with fans once CAF’s final decision is known.
“If there is any report concerning where we are going to play, it is going to come from our media department. We are hopeful we will play in Ilorin, but if otherwise, we will come out openly to inform everyone,” he explained.
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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