Sports
Registry Dethrones School At ISL’s 31st Sports Meet
Registry (Red House) deposed Bursary (White House) to win the 31st Inter-House Athletics Competition International School, University of Lagos (ISL), held at the International School Sports Ground, University of Lagos.
Registry garnered 14 gold, seven silver and four bronze medals to come tops, as Congregation (Purple House) came second with nine gold, seven silver and 10 bronze medals.
Tidesports source reports that Chancellery (Yellow House) finished third with seven gold, four silver and two bronze medals, while Senate (Blue), placed fourth with four gold, 15 silver and eight bronze medals.
Bursary (White House) occupied fifth position with four gold, five silver and 11 bronze medals, however, the defending champion, School (Green House), came sixth place on the log after registering three gold, three silver and six bronze medals.
In the march past, Senate came tops with 93 points, Bursary was second with 89 points, while School had 88 points to get the third position, Registry fourth with 83 points, Congregation fifth with 78 points and Chancellery sixth with 76 points.
Mohammed Femisola was adjudged the best athlete after winning four gold medals in the 800 metres, 1500 metres, 400 metres and 4×100 metres.
Speaking at the event, the school’s Acting Principal, K.O. Amusan, said the competition was part of the school’s extra-curricular activities that encourage healthy living and exposed hiding talents among students.
“We are here to celebrate our 31st inter-house sports competition. It is a special one because our school just turned 40 years and it is our 40th Founder’s Day edition. This year’s competition is a very unique one as we are using our own field for the first time as against the University of Lagos Sports Centre, we used in the past.
“When we talk about a school’s setting, school is not just about academics as they say that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. The inter-house sports competition is very important because it allows for healthy competitions among students and even the staff. The health benefits are numerous,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, Chairman of occasion and Group Managing Director of Vita Foam Nigeria Plc, Mr Taiwo Ayodele Adeniyi, who was represented by Mr. Owabamidele Sola, said the event was a celebration of youth, adding that they occupy a very important place in the country.
“For any country to grow, we must encourage them to show the full potential God has deposited in them. The contest is also an opportunity for the students to develop their talents aside from academics. And the corporate bodies have the duties to support sports at the grassroots and anything that is good.
That is what Vita Foam is known for, because we are a brand that supports talents when we see where talents are being developed and we encourage them,” he stated.
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.