Sports
Visa Prevents Amputee Footballers From World Cup
Nigeria amputee footballers are not participating in the ongoing Amputee World Cup in Argentina because they could not secure visa from the country’s embassy.
The Tidesports source reports that more than 30 countries are featuring in the competition which began on October 17 and will end on October 27 in Buenos Aires.
The players, under the aegis of Amputee Football Federation of Nigeria (AFFN), told newsmen that the embassy’s attitude was “frustrating’’ and had wasted their efforts to be part of the event.
Blessing Agu, the team’s goalkeeper, said that they contributed N10, 000 each to enable them procure the visa from the embassy since they had no sponsor.
Agu said that some of them sold their mobile telephone handsets and other personal belongings to get the amount.
He said that in their preparation for the tournament, they defeated their Ghanaian counterparts who are Africa’s number one team 6-2 in a friendly game during Nigeria’s independence anniversary.
“The Ghana team is already in Argentina and we have practically missed because we would have played our first match on Wednesday, it is really disappointing,’’ he said.
Yomi Ojeyemi, a player told newsmen that this was the second time that the Nigerian team was missing the World Cup and that the situation would not help the sport’s development.
“In 2008, we got visa to Turkey for the World Cup but could not get money for tickets and as such did not participate,’’ he said.
Ojeyemi appealed to the National Sports Commission (NSC) to come to their aid and support amputee footballers to keep off the streets and check vices among them.
Ugochukwu Obieze, another player said that the visa denial had developed a negative impact on him, adding that sports administrators in the country were not adequately supporting the physically challenged.
“It appears Nigerians are not interested in amputee football and I am pained because of the love I have for the sport and the high spirit to represent my country in Argentina,’’ he added.
Obieze recalled that God Bless Nigeria Church sponsored them to Liberia in 2008 for the qualifiers where they picked the ticket for the World Cup but the effort was wasted.
“We have always lacked sponsors and it is not good for the development of the sport and ourselves and society at large,’’ he said.
Gboyega Adenisoye, Public Relation Officer of AFFN, told Tidesports source that the invitation to participate came late from the host country and that lack of a sponsor contributed to the visa problem.
Adenisoye said that he had just returned to Lagos from the Argentina Embassy in Abuja where he was given two impossible conditions for their visa.
“The embassy officials said the visa will take not less than 30 days to be ready, while all the contingent has to appear physically before visa can be issued to them,’’ he added.
He regretted that the effort of the footballers to represent the country at the World Cup was not realised and appealed to the government to give attention to physically challenged athletes.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.