Connect with us

Sports

Confed Cup: Heartland Approaches NFF To Appeal To CAF

Published

on

Heartland FC will ask the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF to help them appeal to the Confederation of African Football over the walkover awarded to Gabon’s US Bitam at the weekend.

The Owerri side only departed for their Confederation Cup tie in Gabon an hour before the game was due to kick off.

They claimed that visa and flight hitches forced them to leave Lagos late.

Heartland continued with their travel plans expecting the game to be played on Sunday in the interests of fairplay but say there was no one from the Gabon FA or US Bitam to welcome when they arrived.

Heartland spokesman Cajetan Nkwopara said that they hope the walkover decision will be overturned by Caf.

“The club (US Bitam) desperately wanted to capitalise on a walk-over decision because they were aware of our plights,” he explained.

“We’ve approached the NFF and they will intervene and make a case on our behalf with Caf.”

Elsewhere Libya staged a Caf club match for the first time since Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown as supporters watched hosts Al Nasr go out of the Confederation Cup after a 1-1 draw with FAR Rabat of Morocco.

The security-related ban on Libyan national teams and clubs playing at home was lifted last month after a four-day fact-finding mission by a Caf delegation to the oil-rich north African country.

Al Nasr from eastern city Benghazi were the first to benefit from the decision as they looked to overcome a 1-0 first-leg defeat by 2005 Confederation Cup winners, FAR Rabat three weeks ago.

Home hopes rose when Cameroonian Edet Otobong put Al Nasr ahead on 71 minutes. Youssef Kaddioui then silenced the 10,000 crowd by equalising for FAR. The match finished 1-1 with FAR going through 2-1 on aggregate.

Cairo-based Caf officials will have watched developments closely as Libya is scheduled to host the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in capital Tripoli, second city Benghazi and Misrata, scene of bitter fighting during the revolt two years ago.

Continue Reading

Sports

Rivers International Marathon To Celebrate Fubara’s One Year

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Sports

BAL : Rivers Hoopers Arrive Rwanda, Attend Playoff

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Sports

WAFU U-17: Togo, Nigeria Clash Must-Win For Garba

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Trending