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D’Tigers In Tokyo Olympics: From Participants To Contenders

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D’Tigers beat the well respected Team USA 90-87 at the weekend and within hours the Nigerians had their names virtually in every publication across the world. They became an instant hit on Twitter at a time Nigerians were usually asleep and resting for Sunday church service.
It had to be so because no African team had ever beaten the USA or had even ever truly tried to. The mindset was always to try to keep the margin of defeat low. Across the world one can count easily how many teams have ever beaten the men’s or women’s team of the USA. It had to be a big deal then for D’Tigers.
The result of the game between Nigeria and the USA at London 2012 Olympics explains a lot. USA defeated Nigeria 156-73. The change and progress did not come just in 2021; it has been a long dream and serious work to get to this level.
Back in the early 1990s Nigeria mounted a vigorous fight to change the AfroBasket competition schedule from December to the summer period when the high number of Nigerian players could be free from collegiate games and clubs to play for D’Tigers. In December 1995 they managed to assemble a few of the USA-based players and finished at the third position in Algeria.
They fought harder and got the change. When the change came with Senegal ’97, Nigeria assembled quite an impressive line up. The team was celebrated and the Nigerian contingent arrived in Dakar in a chartered Nigeria Airways Boeing 737 flight with a retinue of supporters. Nigeria lost only one game and which was the final match to hosts Senegal.
The Senegalese had been beaten by the Nigerians at the group stage and came into the final with all manner of tricks and physical threats. They had their way but Nigeria as runners up qualified for its first World Cup in Greece.
The preparation to Athens in 1998 was even more elaborate with the team arriving there in a chartered Nigeria Airways DC 10 flight.
 Coach Ayo Bakare had the mandate to get the best of Nigerian players anywhere in the world. He was able to add to the team Yinka Dare (late) a former NBA player with New Jersey Nets and Obinna Ekezie (WakaNow CEO) from Maryland University. Julius Nwosu.
 A former NBA player had featured already in Dakar. Nigeria won only one game in Greece against South Korea but the foundation for what is happening with D’Tigers and D’Tigress had been laid firmly.
The Nigeria Basketball Federation and friends of the team agreed that within a decade the country could enter the top 20 bracket if the NBBF could gather just a quarter of Nigerian stars scattered across the globe. This is how the NBBF got to getting this squad available to the country on the road to the Tokyo Olympics.
D’Tigers squad of 1995-2001 is like what the 1994-1998 squad means in football to Nigeria. The collection of D’Tigers in that period has produced big achievers in the game across the globe today. Masai Ujiri is the President of the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors won their first NBA title under Masai in 2019. He played in Senegal ‘97. Ugo Udezue is the CEO of AFA Sports and his company is the kit partner of the Nigerian contingent to the Tokyo Olympics.
It is the first time an African apparel manufacturer would kit a nation at the Olympics. Ekezie is the chairman of an insurance company in Nigeria, runs the OBN Academy and the founder of Wakanow.com travel agency. Ime Udoka was a former captain of the team and now the coach of Celtics in the NBA.
The current NBBF president Musa Kida was a member of the board at the upsurge period of 1997/98. He has followed the dreams and plans to the letter. What the country needed was good management of the teams to attract the best players especially those who were not born and have not lived here as adults.

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Tottenham Fight Back To Hold Brighton

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Tottenham fought back from two-goals down to secure a deserved point against Brighton.

The Seagulls were second best for much of the match but found themselves 2-0 up after 31 minutes thanks to Yankuba Minteh’s early strike and Yasin Ayari’s powerful drive.

However, Richarlison halved the deficit just before half-time when he stopped a shot by Mohammed Kudus before slotting in.

Spurs dominated the second half but their finishing let them down as Richarlison and substitute Xavi Simons were both unable to make the most of promising opportunities.

But the equaliser came eight minutes from time when Jan Paul van Hecke turned Kudus’ cross into his own net.

Spurs then pushed for a winner as they looked to continue their impressive start to the season, but Brighton held on for the point.

Bundesliga: Kane Continues Goal Harvest (5)

Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season as Bayern Munich overcame a shaky start to win at Hoffenheim and continue their 100% start.

The England captain, 32, broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a clinical first-time finish from a cleverly worked low corner, and doubled Bayern’s lead from the spot after Albian Hajdari was harshly penalised for a handball.

That broke Hoffenheim’s resistance and Kane completed his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick with another penalty, given for a foul on substitute Michael Olise after a video assistant referee (VAR) check.

This time Kane sent home keeper Oliver Baumann the wrong way for his 13th Bayern goal in seven matches across all competitions this season, adding to his Champions League double against Chelsea last Wednesday.

“Hat-trick Harry is what they called me in school,” Kane told Tidesports source after the match. “That one kind of stuck when I was younger.”

“Any ball in the box, whether penalty or not, I back myself to hit the target.”

Hoffenheim had the better of the first 45 minutes, Fisnik Asllani only able to hit the post after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer passed straight to the Kosovan.

They eventually got some reward for their efforts, former West Ham full-back Vladimir Coufal’s deflected free-kick beating Neuer to earn the Czech his first goal for the club.

Ex-Liverpool winger Luis Diaz hit the top of the bar late on as he failed to continue his record of scoring in every Bundesliga game this season, but Serge Gnabry added a fourth for Bayern with the last kick, converting a rebound from a tight angle after Baumann saved from Joshua Kimmich.

Nicolas Jackson made his first start since joining Bayern on an initial loan deal from Chelsea, but the Senegal striker had a very quiet game before being replaced in the 62nd minute.

In Italy, Lorenzo Pellegrini fired Roma into the Serie A top four as Lazio had two players sent off in a fiery derby.

The midfielder found the bottom corner in the 38th minute as Roma extended their unbeaten run to four games against their city rivals.

Lazio have lost three of their opening games of the season and had Reda Belahyane and former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi dismissed in late drama.

Roma started well and Rome-born Pellegrini claimed the vital goal – his fourth in a Rome derby after being available for transfer in the summer – following good work down the right by Matias Soule.

But the hosts will rue missed opportunities as Boulaye Dia, Mattia Zaccagni and Alessio Romagnoli all had openings.

With four minutes left substitute Belahyane was shown a red card for a late studs-up challenge on Manu Kone.

Danilo Cataldi struck the outside of the post for Lazio in a last-gasp effort to snatch a point, while team-mate Guendouzi was sent off for dissent after the final whistle.

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Zidane’s Son Switches Allegiance To Algeria

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Luca Zidane, the son of France’s World Cup-winning playmaker Zinedine, has switched his international allegiance from France to Algeria.

Born just outside Marseille, the 27-year-old goalkeeper had appeared for France at various youth levels.

The move, which was approved by Fifa, may enable Zidane to follow in his father’s footsteps by appearing at a World Cup, with Algeria expected to secure a place at the 2026 finals in North America in their qualifier against Somalia next month.

Zidane, who is the second of four brothers, all of whom came through the Real Madrid academy, currently plays for Spanish second tier side Granada.

He played two matches for Madrid and has La Liga experience at Rayo Vallecano, but dropped a level in 2022 to play for Eibar before heading to Andalusia in 2024.

Zidane qualifies for the North African country through his father, whose parents hailed from the Kabylie region of Algeria.

Zinedine Zidane, who is regarded as one of the games greatest players scored twice for France in their 1998 World Cup final victory over Brazil, but was famously sent-off in the 2006 final, which was won by Italy after a penalty shootout.

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Man Utd Beat Chelsea To Ease Pressure 

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Manchester United capitalised on Robert Sanchez’s fifth-minute red card to secure a crucial victory over Chelsea in torrential rain at Old Trafford.

The first match in Premier League history to see two or more goals, red cards and substitutions in the first half was settled by goals from United skipper Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who was the other player sent off before the break.

It was Sanchez’s dismissal that set the course of the game though.

The Spain international raced from his goal to meet Bryan Mbeumo as the striker ran beyond the Chelsea defence.

Sanchez then upended the forward outside his area rather than allow him past to tap the ball into an empty net.

Enzo Maresca’s response to the red card was to take off both Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian and, as Cole Palmer had to be replaced after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury, Chelsea had lost three attacking players in the space of 20 minutes.

Trevor Chalobah pulled one back for Chelsea with a header 10 minutes from time but United kept their nerves at bay to make it to the final whistle with their lead intact.

The victory was United’s second of the season and came in front of minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who gave head coach Ruben Amorim assurances over his future 48 hours earlier.

It also means Chelsea have still not won at Old Trafford since 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson was United manager.

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