Sports
CT AT 62: Sets Agenda For SWAN
Clinton Thompson (CT)
does not need any introduction to most practitioners still circulating in the Mass Media industry in Nigeria, particularly in the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN).
A thorough-bred journalist and communication professional, Clinton Thompson was General Manager of Bayelsa Radio, Yenagoa, until two years ago when he retired from service. He turns 62 on Wednesday.
CT who spent his most active years in service at the Radio Rivers and Rivers SWAN is knowledgeable in all the genres of journalism but made sport writing which gave him national limelight his forte.
He was founding member of Rivers SWAN, Vice Chairman of National SWAN for two terms. He also created the CAIRA (Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Rivers and Abia) amalgamation of SWAN and was honoured by the government of Col Dauda Musa Komo of Rivers State as the best influence in sports commentary education.
As Rivers SWAN Chairman, Clinton Thompson ensured that sports journalists were regularly trained and updated through seminars, workshops and symposia.
He created a Sports Hall of Fame in Rivers State, the first of its kind in Nigeria and superintended two inductions into the Hall of Fame.
A stalwart at the national SWAN level and a beneficiary of numerous professional travels and education at home and abroad, Clinton Thompson remains till today, an active participant in and resource person to various journalistic bodies.
This has indeed made him a well-known and valuable professional.
In a clime where the challenges of survival-health education, utilities and security had limited life expectancy to an average of 45 years, attaining the age of 62 deserves celebration. The home boy from Amasoma in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State returned to base to mark the epoch.
Speaking to selected sports journalists in Port Harcourt, Saturday as part of his 62nd birthday, CT reflected on the state of sports writing in Rivers State, his achievements, the near-absence of SWAN-sponsored competitions, the lack of synergy between Rivers SWAN and its patrons and supportive corporate bodies and the death of the SWAN Hall of Fame.
His verdict was a return to the drawing board for SWAN leadership in Rivers State.
Speaking on what he called the falling standard of sports writing CT said:”I read bad grammar in reporting. We don’t know who is a reporter or not. The place of training is not seen anymore”.
To compound matters, he said, many sports writers still dress shabbily to assignments, a trend, which he noted demeans the image of SWAN.
“I was at a sports stakeholders’ conference in Abuja recently and a man who called himself a sportswriter came in, dressed in bathroom slippers and T-Shirt. He was prompt walked out”, CT said.
He challenged sportswriters and media practitioners to take advantage of the satellite campuses of the various tertiary institutions to improve themselves. “While not recommending a dress code, sportswriters should also dress decently”, he said.
According to him, sports reporting is now sophisticated with the number of sports rising from 17 to about 40. “It requires practitioners with requisite knowledge and language to write and inform the sporting audience”, he said.
The veteran sports writer and commentator challenged employers and Rivers SWAN leadership to organize workshops that would equip sportswriters with the technical language to report the various sports.
“Sportswriters must shun what has become known now as Entrepreneurial journalism or cheque book journalism as it is called in some developed countries, practice sports writing as a calling and with interest,” CT admonished. On the Agenda-setting role of sports journalists, the former National Vice Chairman of SWAN said the leadership in Rivers SWAN must put on its thinking cap. “We have no business with politics; we must engage government on matters of the moment. For instance, the National Sports Festival is coming up soon in Calabar.
“What is the plan for Team Rivers, what is the budget, what trials have been lined up for the state’s contingent?”, he queried.
He called on the SWAN leadership to be pro-active in playing its agenda-setting role and not consign SWAN to the role of praise-singers.
Clinton Thompson also identified the absence of synergy between Rivers SWAN and its Patrons and friendly corporate organizations as reasons for the current under-performance of the body in Rivers State. “Where are the Patrons who made things happen during my tenure. Where are Chief O.K Isokariari, Chief Lawrence Ayo, Chief Lawrence Omohuyi Izzi, Mrs Gina Yeseibo, Nze Tony Nwanya, Bob Ihekona and Jimmy Coker among others?”, he queried.
According to Thompson, the patrons and such multinational firms as Shell, Elf, Agip and Chevron among others threw their weight behind his leadership “and that was why I did not go cap in hands begging for money”.
He said that Rivers SWAN is lucky to have the headquarters of all the oil firms in Port Harcourt which is now the hub of the nation’s oil and gas sector. “SWAN should explore available opportunities to fund its various programmes”.
The former Radio Bayelsa General Manager also advised Rivers SWAN leadership to explore the possibility of writing the biography of sports stars in Rivers State as a revenue-generation project.
He recalled that during his tenure at the national SWAN, the leadership published a book “Football : Goals for the Future” to raise money for its activities.
Answering a question, the veteran sports writer and administrator expressed sadness over the death of various programmes he initiated in Rivers SWAN during his tenure.
“Where is the Omosule Cup Competition for media men, where is the SWAN Annual Award, Where is the Welfare Package and the Hall of Fame Project?”
He said it was imperative for the leadership to re-unite SWAN as a family in the state.
CT also spoke of the need for the present and future leaders of SWAN in Rivers State to preserve the history of both the national and Rivers SWAN, honour past leaders and carry them along to protect and project SWAN’s rich and noble tradition.
“How many sportswriters can tell the history of Rivers SWAN and its founding fathers which include Fidelis Iyebote, Victor Inengisa Somiarii, Clinton Thompson and Donald Mike-Jaja?” he queried.
These men should be remembered and honoured for their distinguished contributions to the growth of sports and sports writing in the state and nation, he said.
Now a media consultant, CT at 62 said he is retired but not tired. He expressed gratitude to the patrons and multinational firms, whom he said, gave him wonderful support during his period at the helm of affairs in Rivers SWAN. “Rivers State is a sweet place to live and I do not regret my stay here”, he concluded.
Mr Clinton Thompson
Donald Mike-Jaja
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that the Premier League leaders must win trophies if they were to be remembered like the “Invincibles” side that last won the title for the Gunners in 2004.
Arsene Wenger’s side romped to the title 22 years ago without losing a single league game.
Arsenal headede into last night’s clash at home to reigning champions Liverpool with a five-point lead at the top of the table after Manchester City and Aston Villa dropped points against Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace, respectively on Wednesday.
Arteta’s men, runners-up for the past three seasons, have two more points and four more goals than Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ managed after 20 games.
But the Spaniard said those stats matter little unless Arsenal go on to win the league.
“No, because ‘the Invincibles’ won a lot,” Arteta told his pre-match press conference on whether his side can be considered better than Arsenal’s last title winners.
“They won consistently, and they created a history and a legacy, and we have to do that.”
The lone major piece of silverware won by Arsenal in six years under Arteta remains the 2020 FA Cup
“There are a lot of stats, but in the last two or three years we have managed more points and more goals than ever before. But at the end, we have to translate that to major trophies,” he added.
“Probably doing what we are doing now would have been enough (in 2004), but now it’s not, and we have to make the margins even bigger.”
Arsenal lost 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield back in August in what was billed as an early showdown between title rivals.
The defending champions headed to the Emirates 14 points off the top after a difficult second season for Arne Slot, but Arteta insisted the Reds remain a superb side.
The Gunners were without sidelined defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera but were“monitoring the load” on Kai Havertz as the Germany forward intensified his training while continuing to recover from a long-term leg injury.
Nigeria sharpshooters Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman will provide a stern test to the flawless record of Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane, a son of French football icon Zinedine Zidane, in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals in Morocco.
Zidane is the only first-choice goalkeeper amongst the eight quarter-finalists to have kept a clean sheet in all of his tournament matches so far, but the task facing him in Marrakesh tomorrow will not be easy.
Former African player of the year award-winners Osimhen and Lookman have tormented defences during the tournament, scoring three goals each.
Zidane, 27, kept clean sheets in group matches against Sudan and Burkina Faso before being rested against Equatorial Guinea.
He was recalled for a last-16 clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo and once again was unbeaten during a dramatic extra-time victory.
Former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, his Spanish wife and another son have been among the crowds in each match Luca played for the Desert Foxes.
“It is special when your family come to watch,” said Luca Zidane, who began his career with Real Madrid B in 2016 and now plays for Spanish second-tier side Granada.
Born in France, Zidane represented his country of birth at five age-limit levels. Under FIFA rules he could also play for Spain or Algeria, where his grandparents were born.
Zidane chose Algeria, debuting in a 2026 World Cup qualifying victory over Uganda last November and, when an injury ruled first choice Alexis Guendoez out of the AFCON, he was promoted.
“I am proud to represent Algeria and play in the Africa Cup of Nations. It is a great experience,” he told reporters.
“I try to be myself, to build my career on my terms, step by step,” he said.
Algeria have been an AFCON bogey team for Nigeria, winning four and drawing two of nine meetings, including a 5-1 drubbing of the Super Eagles en route to winning the 1990 tournament at home. But the current Super Eagles appear to be in the mood to get this one over the Algerians.
The Desert Foxes have put successive group-stage exits behind them under Bosnian coach Vladimir Petkovic and substitute Adil Boulbina unleashed a thunderbolt to eliminate DR Congo.
Nigeria are the 12-goal leading scorers in Morocco with Osimhen, Lookman and Akor Adams forming a potent frontline.
But coach Eric Chelle will be concerned that the three-time champions have conceded four, the most among the eight title hopefuls.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has said that the club would sell captain Marc Guehi this month if his asking price is met.
The England defender is out of contract in the summer and Manchester City have emerged as contenders to sign him during the January transfer window.
Palace blocked a proposed £35m move to Liverpool last summer but risk losing the 25-year-old for nothing at the end of the season.
City’s interest in Guehi has progressed following injuries to defenders Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias during Sunday’s draw against Chelsea.
“I’m not naive,” said Glasner, as reported by Tidesports source. “If a massive offer comes from City and Marc wants to do it, it will happen.”
Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid are among the European clubs to have shown an interest in signing Guehi on a free transfer, and he can sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club from this month.
“If you’re just valuing sports, everyone in the club will say Marc has to stay,” Glasner added. “The chairman will tell you the same. But it’s not one-dimensional. If you see the financial situation, it’s very important.
“If somebody comes, there will be a moment when the club says ‘now the financial issue is more important than the sports issue’.
“There will be a threshold where the club has to say it will happen, as long as Marc says ‘I want to leave’, because the final decision is always with the player.”
Guehi helped Palace finish 12th last season and win the FA Cup to qualify for Europe for the first time in the club’s history.
The Eagles then won the Community Shield in August, beating Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties, and are 14th in the table and through to the knockout phase play-offs in the Uefa Conference League.
“The chairman rejected many offers in the summer because we want to play a successful season and wanted to win the Community Shield,” Glasner added. “Therefore, Marc is important, and then he rejected the offer.
“The threshold at that time, the money we got offered was not above it. Maybe it was close, but it was not above.”