SPORTS
Football Scouting Programme Begins in Ilorin
A football scouting programme, tagged “Super Talent Football Scouting Tournament”, began in Ilorin on Monday at the Kwara Football Academy pitch, with players from 12 youth clubs participating.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the players were drawn from four states and are expected to display their football talents in the five days of the competition.
The tournament, organised by Abdullahi Yusuf, Chairman of Abraysports FC, is expected to end on Friday, with the final billed to hold at the Kwara Stadium Complex in Ilorin.
The competition is aimed at the grassroots and it is to expose the teams from Kwara, Lagos, Edo and Osun to foreign scouts.
The teams include Dynamic FC, Abraysports FC, Olusosun United, JK Soccer Academy, Kwara Football Academy, LA Planet Sports Academia and House of Prayers Sports Academy.
The rest are Olansile Football Academy, Alan FC, Laycon Academy, Metrice FC and Amapro Selected.
Two members of the scouting team, England-based Busayo Akinyemi and Tomas Bahnik from the Czech Republic, said the player or players chosen from the tournament would go for trials abroad.
“They will be taken to clubs in Europe for trials and can eventually sign a professional contract, if they impress the club,” they said.
Speaking during a pre-tournament press conference, Bahnik who said he has links all over Europe said the goal was to find good players and develop them into the European programme.
Akinyemi, who observed that talents abound in Nigeria, pointed out that they needed a platform to be discovered and groomed to stardom.
He said their mission was to help Academies and Nigerian football, wit players with the age bracket of 18 and 20 their target.
Akinyemi added that plans were underway to organise football coaching clinics.
“This will be done as a way of preparing the coaches to train their players and teams in line with general requirements in scouting programmes.”
Earlier, the Chairman of AbraySports had said the tournament was being organised by First Class Sports Marketing in conjunction with Abraysports International.
Yusuf said in recent times the development of the sport from the grassroots had been ignored and it has derailed the progress and development of the game in the country.
“That is the essence of organising the tournament in my state. I want to provide a platform for grassroots players in the country to find a club in Europe.
“This is because, in return this will help promote the state around the world,” he said.
Yusuf then urged all the players and participating teams to play by the rules of the game. (NAN)
Nasarawa United Football Club of Lafia on Saturday defeated Lobi Stars of Makurdi 1-0 in a pulsating North Central derby.
The matchday 16 fixture of the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premiere Football League (NPFL) was played at the Lafia Township Stadium, Nasarawa State capital.
The Makurdi side had adopted the Lafia Township Stadium as their home ground for the 2024/2025 NPFL season.
The only goal of the match was scored by Qamar Adegoke in the 12th minute of the match to give all three points to the Lafia side.
Adegoke’s goal, who joined the Lafia team recently, was his second in four matches.
The Nasarawa attacker capitalised on a defensive error by the opponent’s backline and hit the back of the net to give Nasarawa United the advantage.
In a post-match interview, Kabir Dogo, Technical Adviser of Nasarawa United, hailed his players for taking all three points.
He explained that his team had improved by scoring five goals in their last three matches and expressed optimism that they would do better in subsequent games.
“We had a problem in the area of goal scoring in the past, but this has changed in our last three games,” he said.
With the win, Nasarawa United climbed to 14th on the NPFL table, while Lobi Stars remain on 17th position. (NAN)
The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) is organising a two-day National Coaching Seminar, with the theme: “Leadership and Management Skills”.
The event will take place from Dec. 17 to Dec. 18, at the Additional Sports and Entertainment (ASEP) Pro Limited, in Mowe, Ogun State.
The seminar will enhance the capabilities of Nigerian table tennis coaches, with a particular emphasis on female coaches, aligning with the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) Initiative.
A statement issued by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, on Tuesday, said that the seminar was part of the one-week sports and leadership boot camp titled “Awaken the Giant, She Can 4.
0,” proudly supported by NTTF.“This seminar will also represent the third stage of the 2024 “My Gender, My Strength” programme, which has table tennis star Abosede Akinsete, as a beneficiary.
“NTTF President,Tikon Ishaku, Vice President, Adesoji Tayo, and other board members are dedicated to initiatives that support the development of coaches.
“Wahid Enitan-Oshodi, ITTF Executive Vice President, and President of ITTF-Africa, reaffirms his commitment to empowering women in sports, in line with the GEDI Initiative.
He explained that the seminar would feature people, who would speak on leadership and management skills, to enhance the abilities of coaches to identify and develop talents, as well as encourage the development of high-performance table tennis players capable of competing globally. (NAN)
Rivers United Football Club of Port Harcourt on Sunday returned to the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) summit as strong rivals Remo Stars FC faltered on Match Day 13.
Report says that Rivers United beat visiting Abia Warriors of Umuahia 1-0 after an Ndifreke Effiong 58th minute goal from the penalty kick spot.
Effiong’s goal in the match at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium helped them to move to 25 points from 13 matches, after seven wins, four draws and two losses.
Former leaders Remo Stars dropped to second with 23 points from 13 matches after seven wins, two draws and four losses, following a 0-2 loss to hosts Katsina United.
Plateau United of Jos beat visiting Nasarawa United of Lafia 2-0 to bolster their position.
Shooting Stars Sports Club also struggled to a 1-0 win over visiting Bayelsa United of Yenago.
A 15th minute goal by Anthony Okachi at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan gave them the win.
El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri had on Saturday beaten Akwa United of Uyo 1-0 to move into third place on the table with 22 points from 13 games.
Enyimba International of Aba remained in fourth place with 20 points from 12 matches, with their week 13 game against Sunshine Stars of Akure on hold.
Rangers International of Enugu are in fifth place with 20 points also, after a goalless draw with hosts Heartland FC ain Owerri on Saturday.
Bendel Insurance of Benin had also beaten Kwara United of Ilorin 3-1, while Lobi Stars of Makurdi drew 2-2 with visiting Kano Pillars in Lafia.
NAN reports that the league will enter Match Day 14 on Wednesday.(NAN)
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