Sports
10th Memorial : Amuneke, Shorunmu Remember Yekini
Former Super Eagles striker Rashidi Yekini – who died 10 years ago – was a man ‘who can never be replaced’ and will forever remain indelible in the memory of Nigerians, the late footballer’s former teammates Emmanuel Amuneke and Ike Shorunmu have stated.
Yekini died May 4, 2012, aged 48.
The man dubbed the ‘Goals father’ remains, by some distance, the country’s greatest and most prolific marksman. No one has even come close to matching his impressive haul of 37 strikes from just 58 appearances.
While celebrating the 10th anniversary of Yekini’s death Wednesday, Amuneke and Shorunmu said he would be forever remembered.
“Rashidi Yekini can never be replaced in our hearts. Though he has passed on, he can never be replaced and that’s the reason you can see Nigerians still paying tributes to him,” Amuneke, Yekini’s teammate at the 1994 AFCON and US ’94 World Cup, told The Tidesports source.
“For me, it was a great privilege as a kid to have nursed the ambition of playing for Nigeria and even more privileged to have shared the dressing room with him and played together at the AFCON and World Cup.
“He will always be in my heart and we can only continue to pray that his soul rest in peace.”
Shorunmu also spoke highly of the former Shooting Stars striker.
“It was just like yesterday that the news of his death broke,” he told The Tidesports source reports.
“I still miss him; anytime I have a flash of some of the things we did together in the national team, I feel bad because he was a friend, a big brother.
“Yekini was a very jovial person and the moment he entered the dressing room, the atmosphere changed. We miss his personality in our current national team. When he spoke Yoruba then, we would all laugh; he was so amazing.
“He will forever be missed because he is irreplaceable.”
A hero of Nigeria’s first World Cup in USA 1994, Yekini scored the Eagles’ first goal at the Mundial and was also crucial to the team as they ended the country’s 14-year wait to win the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994, having fallen short in 1984, 1988 and 1990 since their 1980 AFCON success.
The Vitoria de Setubal icon netted five times in Tunisia to top the tournament’s scoring charts and was deservedly named the competition’s best player.
In a bid to make the Pillar of Associations Rivers state football tournament to become a permanent annual feature in Rivers state football calendar and a veritable platform for alternative career opportunity for Pillar members and members of Rivers football community, the Chairman of the tournament’s Organising Committee, Comrade Franklin Obute has stated that they were open to welcoming sponsorships from corporate entities and well meaning individuals.
Comrade Obute in an interview with news men on a match day at the ongoing competition at the Rivers State University’s ground said that the Pillar of Associations were ready to partner interested parties, who would be willing to invest in the competition through sponsorship towards elevating the quality and standard of the tournament.
According to him, “The Pillar of Associations tournament, due to the opportunities available, owing to the sheer number of businesses and members obtainable in the Pillar, would be a very attractive opportunity to exploit through sponsorship”.
He stated that there would be a conscious efforts toward sensitising the corporate and private environments to buy into the vision and objectives of the tournament. He explained that due to the open nature of the competition, whereby members of the association are allowed to engage any footballer from across the country, whether a business man or not, any sponsor would be able to enjoy unimaginable mileage.
“Every multinational company, private businesses should aspire to be part of the sponsorship of this tournament because there are so much benefits derivable therein, the coverage is very wide. You know that organising a football tournament of this nature is capital intensive, so, any sponsorship to add more value is welcomed”, he said.
The 2025 edition is currently ongoing and has reached the second round stage where matches are now being played on knockout basis, beginning from Friday.
By: Gabriel Nwanetanya
Some of the best golfers across Africa are expected to converge on the Ikoyi Club 1938 Golf Section for the three-day Ikoyi Ladies Golf Tournament holding from November 11 to 13.
The star-studded amateur open tournament is part of the activities lined up by the leadership of the club to celebrate the ladies’ tournament’s 50th anniversary.
Speaking at a world press conference at the Club’s headquarters in Ikoyi, the Ladies Club Captain, Mrs Peggy Onwu, explained that the tournament will offer opportunity for leading amateur golfers across 11 countries of the world to showcase their skills on the green lawn.
According to her, over 150 golfers have already registered for the open tournament, which will attract mouth-watering prizes, including a trophy, a premium ticket to the United States of America, among others.
The event will be preceded by ‘Twilight evening,’ which will see the participants play the golf game towards dawn, in a relaxed atmosphere with cocktails, networking and good music.
She thanked the various sponsors of tournament, including PWC, Delta Airline, Western Star, First EGP, among others, for identifying and keying into the Club’s goals and aspirations as part of their corporate social responsibilities.
Mrs. Onwu added that the event was not only a celebration of resilience, commitment, dedication and sacrifice, but a rare display of exemplary team spirit by all members of the Ladies Golf Section.
Thrilled by the presence of a Nigerian-born Italy- based golfer and fashion icon, Bali Lawal, as well as other professionals expected to grace the tournament, she promised that the tournament will be a memorable outing aimed at mentoring ladies keen on honing their golfing skills.
Speaking in the same vein, Vice Lady Captain, Annie Eimiakhena, explained that the tournament will entail three days of competitive outing showing skills, professional dexterity.
She added that participants and golfers will use the opportunity of the event to network among themselves, while a Masterclass will be held to educate would-be golfers on the dynamics of the game.
The Technical Manager of Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt, Finidi George has praised his boys (players) as they ran away with a point in the rescheduled match day nine of the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) against Bendel Insurance.
According to him, before the game, he told his boys that they have to put up a good fighting spirit in the game, knowing that it will not be easy at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.
Finidi said this last Thursday in his post match interview with sports journalists and made available to Tidesports after they secured a goalless draw against Insurance.
He explained that in the first half, the game was 50-50 but in the second half after 15 to 20 minutes, my players pushed them back, looking for goal but they were able to hold them and got the draw.
“ From onset, I knew it was going to be a difficult game. Yes, we have to defend deep and get something. Kudos to my boys, they put up a good fighting spirit.
“ Despite the host creating good number of chances even hitting the crossbar but I must say that the draw is not a bad result.
“ Wasiu Falolu came closer in the second half but his long ranged shot just went over the bar.
“It was not a bad result but we have to move on and see how we can get good results from other matches” Finidi said.
By: Kiadum Edookor