Sports
Pam, Oluwaseun Emerge Winners Of Marathon Race
Female wrestlers at tie
Iliya Pam and Lamide
Oluwaseun have emerged winners of the male and female categories of the 42-kilometre Integrity Marathon Race sponsored by Splash FM 105.5, a private radio station in Ibadan.
Tidesports source gathered that Pam, who had been an all-prize winner in the last three editions, emerged the winner of the male category after completing the race in 2 hours, 39mins and 37 seconds (2:39:37).
Pam, who hails from Nassarawa State had emerged 4th, 2nd and 4th in the fifth, sixth, and seventh edition respectively.
Oluwaseun from Lagos State emerged the winner of the female category after completing the race in 3 hours, 15 minutes and 20 seconds. (3:15:20).
According to the report Peter, Danjuma Gyan and Goar Moses came second, third and fourth in the male category of the race.
Four-time winner of the female category, Genevieve Njoku, Kistinwa Stephen and Gyan Stephen emerged second, third and fourth in the female category of the race.
Cheques of N600,000, N300,000, N150,000, N90,000, N60,000 were released for the first, second, third, fourth and fifth positions in the male category respectively.
Also, cheques of N400,000, N200,000, N100,000, N60,000 and N40,000 were given to the first, second, third, fourth and fifth position winners in the female categories respectively.
Pam, the winner of the male category, told newsmen that he was in the race to finance his education, adding that he had just secured admission into a College of Education.
He said that he had emerged the runner-up in the recently concluded Access Bank race in Lagos but was yet to receive the cash prize.
“I decided to participate in this one to make money to finance my education because the Access Bank race money is yet to be paid,” he said.
The marathon race was initiated by Splash Fm 105.5 in 2009, making this year’s edition the eighth.
In his message to the event, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Solomon Dalung, said that it was imperative that sports should be used to combat vices in the society.
Dalung, who was represented by Mr Demola Are, an official in the ministry, commended Splash FM for starting the initiative eight years ago.
He described the initiative as laudable, saying it would complement President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti- corruption campaign while promoting good governance, transparency and accountability.
The minister called on well-meaning Nigerians, government as well as Non-Governmental Organisations to assist in grassroots sports development.
Earlier in his address, Chief Adebayo Akande (MFR), the Chairman/Founder of Splash FM, said that the race was aimed at promoting values that could help the nation to tackle corruption.
“As particular to every race, strength is exerted, devotion is required, resilience is needed, tenacity is important and consistency is key.
“These principles are needed in the fight against corruption that serves as hindrance to good governance,” he said.
Akande, the Ekefa Olubadan of Ibadanland, said that the race was in support of the present government in its anti-corruption campaign.
“We understand that the level of corruption is rife in the country and there is need to jail corrupt officials.
“We must emphasise that the fight against corruption cannot be won without the cooperation of the people,” he said.
The event also featured a 5-kilometre race tagged, “Running for a Cause”, in which participants donated their cash prizes to various causes.
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.