Sports
Colombia 2011: Eagles, Others Set To Rumble For Glory
The 2011 edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship WTC, for Under-20 players will commence today in Colombia as Nigeria’s Flying Eagles and other U-20 teams of the world chase glory. It is indeed a stage for the future stars of FIFA World Cup and opportunity for the players to showcase themselves for a possible fast track to professional success at different clubsides.
For the coach John Obuh tutore team, who will be aiming to rewrite their unimpressive preparation for the tournament with a good outing, it is pertinent that they begin their race brightly against Guatamela tomorrow.
The players themselves will also want to use the tournament as stepping stone to secure career-defining opportunities.
The competition’s various coaches will frame their team talks accordingly, though their personal goals can hardly be said to differ. They too harbour dreams of emerging triumphant while wanting to prepare their charges for a future in the game. “It will be an unforgettable event for my players,” Croatian tactician, Ivan Grnja told Tidesports’ source a few months ago. “They’ll gain experience which will be very useful for them for the rest of their careers. This tournament will be a springboard for each and every one.” Croatian legends Robert Prosinecki, Davor Suker and Zvonimir Boban, all former FIFA U-20 World Cup protagonists, would no doubt concur.
“This World Cup could be a turning point in their careers,” said Austria coach, Andreas Heraf. “It’s without a doubt the most important competition in the world after the senior World Cup. The media interest around it will be huge. It’s very important for youngsters at this age to participate in big international events. Some of them will perhaps never have this chance again. It’s a superb occasion to make a name for yourself.”
That is exactly what concerns Nigeria’s manager, John Obuh, however. “A few players intend to take advantage of this World Cup to awaken the interest of big European clubs and obtain lucrative contracts,” said the Flying Eagles coach, whose squad draws heavily from the exciting generation that finished runners-up at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2009. “Above all, they don’t want to stay in Nigeria. I never stop telling my players that they need to learn to take care of things in their proper order. Right now, they have to focus all their attention on this competition. There’ll be time later to negotiate contracts overseas.”
Several of the young talents due to appear on Colombian soil have already found homes at leading European sides, though, with a few agreeing deals this summer. Argentinian duo, Erik Lamela and Juan Iturbe recently clinched respective moves to Roma and Porto, for example, while Uruguay’s set-piece specialist Adrian Luna has signed with Espanyol.
Even for these players, however, the FIFA U-20 World Cup represents a chance to improve further and use their skills to steer their nations towards glory. “I know what I have to offer to Uruguay”, said La Celeste’s Luna. “We want to make history, just like we did in the South American Championship. Uruguay have never won an U-20 World Cup and we’d love to do it.”
Having plenty to live up to since Uruguay’s senior team recently ended a 16-year Copa America title wait, Luna has every reason to aim high, however, the goalscoring dreamer’s thirst for victory is shared by all 503 of his peers. “We’ll be playing this World Cup to go all the way,” explained Joel Campbell, whose Costa Rica side by no means feature among the favourites. His thoughts are echoed by Mexico’s Ulises Davila, who hopes he and his team-mates can match their world champion U-17 counterparts: “Our goal is to go down in history and make everyone in Mexico immensely happy.” Over in the Argentinian camp, Iturbe is no less ambitious: “Our objective is to have a great tournament and fight for the world title. Argentina are potential winners of every competition we enter.” As for France, Antoine Griezmann has spoken of wanting to “win the World Cup and show the whole of France that the young players are there to take over in the coming years”.
While Brazil’s Casemiro and Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Otayf all have a similar tale, some coaches have been outlining a wider range of targets. Few possess as far-reaching ambitions as Ever Almeida, for example, with the man holding the reins for Guatemala, bent on effecting a complete cultural shift among the country’s national teams.
Former Nigeria international goalkeeper, Peterside Idah says next month’s Rivers International Marathon will be used to celebrate the one year anniversary of His Excellency, Siminalayi Fubara as the Executive Governor of Rivers State. Idah, who is the race’s head of media and communications said the event could not have been better timed and organizers have keyed it into the one year celebration of Governor Fubara’s tenure. “We want to use this race to celebrate the one year anniversary of our Governor, Fubara who is the main reason Rivers State has been officially termed as the sports hub of the nation by John Enoh, the Minister of Sports Development,” Ida said. Continuing, Idah revealed that the Rivers International Marathon has received massive backing from Governor Fubara as well as corporate Nigeria. “Governor Fubara is the biggest supporter of the race and we are determined to organise a race befitting the status of Rivers state as the new destination of sort for sports in Nigeria,” Idah stated, adding two financial institutions have thrown their weight behind the race. “Globus and Zenith bank are backing us as partners and this shows that corporate Nigeria is appreciating the giant strides we have taken in terms of sports development and the many benefits that come with organizing a road race.
Nigeria’s representatives at the 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL), Rivers Hoopers on Sunday landed in Kigali, Rwanda ahead of the competition which dunks off on May 24th .
The Tidesports source hinted: “The KingsMen have arrived in Kigali, Rwanda for the Playoffs. Dakar was good, Kigali be great.”
The KingsMen will face AS Douanes of Senegal in one of the four seeding games in the playoffs in Kigali on May 24th.
The two teams played against each other twice in the Sahara Conference that ended last week in Dakar, Senegal with each winning one game apiece.
The winner between Hoopers and AS Douanes (Game 40) will play against the winner between Petro de Luanda (Angola) and US Monastir of Tunisia (Game 39) in the semi-final, while the loser of the tie will square up against the loser of Game 39 in the quarter final.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s hip-hop star, Adekunle Kosoko aka Adekunle Gold and AG Baby, are among the list of top celebrities who will perform at the 2024 African Basketball League playoffs in Kigali.
The finals usually attract top celebrities from both the sports and music community And this time around, BAL 4 playoffs will feature performances by local and international acts, including the likes of Nigeria’s Adekunle Gold and Rwanda’s very own The Ben, Chris Eazy, Ish Kevin, Kevin Kade, Ariel Wayz, Kivumbi King, Bwiza, Ishami Talent, Inganzi Ngari cultural troupe and Kenny Sol.
The selected artists will perform during the halftime shows of the finals. Globally with special performances to spice up the halftime show atmosphere.
Golden Eaglets head coach, Manu Garba, is leaving no margin for errors in ensuring the team beat Togo today in their second Group B match of the WAFU Zone B U-17 Cup of Nations in Ghana.The record five-time world champions made a stuttering start to their campaign with a barren draw against Burkina Faso at the University of Ghana on Thursday, but boosted their title defence with a 1-0 win over Niger Republic on Sunday at same venue, with Raphael Adams’ 31st-minute strike separating both sides.
Nigeria are second in the group with four points, the same as Burkina Faso, who have their nose in front on a superior goal difference. Garba looks to finish at the top of the pile and has declared their last group game against the young Hawks another must-win.
“The Golden Eaglets will have to beat Togo on today. The Togo U-17 team is good, and Nigeria will not underrate them,” Garba saider Alleged N8bn Air Fraud, Food PricOthers
“We have trained the players on goal-scoring drills. Nigeria should have scored three goals against Niger. So, we hope that the players will convert more of their chances against Togo,” he added.
Niger are in the third position with three points from their 3-2 win over Togo, who, though rock bottom, are not pushovers but largely undone by errors.
The tournament, running from May 15 to 29, will see the top two teams from the group facing the best teams from Group A, which includes Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, and Benin Republic, in the semi-final.
The two countries that qualify for the final will represent the region at next year’s U-17 African Cup of Nations.
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