Sports
Dolphins Apologise For Confed Cup Fiasco
Players of Dolphins FC OF Port Harcourt who were dumped out of the 2015 CAF Confederation Cup competition last week after failing to turn up for the first leg first round match of he competition against Club African of Tunisia in Tunis as scheduled have tendered apology to the club management, Rivers people and all Nigerians.
Captain of the team, Sunday Rotimi tendered the apology on behalf of his team mates, following the role they played in the whole saga. The apology was contained in statement signed by the media officers of the club, China Acheru and made available to Tidesports on Monday.
According to Rotimi, “ It was unfortunate that they left Nigeria for Tunis and couldd not play the game they travelled for. On behalf of my players, I want to apologise to the club management, people of Rivers State and Nigerians concerning the fiasco in Tunis”
It will be recalled that Dolphins failed to travel on time to Tunis over disagreement between the players and management on the amount of estacode due to the players for the away game. When they eventually got to the venue of the game after the scheduled kick off time, their hosts had concluded walk-over formalities.
However, following a petition to CAF, they stayed extra days in the hope of a positive turn around to no avail. Meanwhile, the club’s media officer, Acheru has expressed disappointment with the way everything turned out.
According to him, “we should have sorted out our internal issues in time, if we had , we probably would not be in this mess. The players wanted an extra $500 per person for the trip. Eventually we agreed on %750 but by the time that was agreed, we missed our flight. In the end the players accepted their part of the blame for the situation and they receive $600 each.
Gabriel Nwanetanya/ Tonye Orabere
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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