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LSSC Laments Use of Over-Aged Athletes at 2021 National Youth Games
The Chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Sola Aiyepeku, on Tuesday expressed displeasure over the usage of over-aged athletes for the just-concluded National Youth Games (NYG) in Ilorin.
The Team Lagos came second behind Team Delta for the second consecutive time.
Team Lagos had 19 gold, 25 silver and 28 bronze with a total number of 72 medals while Delta emerged winners with 56 gold, 26 silver and 28 gold with overall of 110 medals.
LSSC boss, Aiyepeku, said that the NYG was a tournament designed to discover budding Athletes for the Nation.
“But the U-15 School Sports Championship is now being competed for by adult athletes.
“The organisers of the competition, the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, consciously allowed overaged athletes allegedly brought into the games by some states like Delta, Imo, Edo.
“Many other states from the northern part of Nigeria also brought in overaged athletes to compete with youthful ahletes from other states.
“The games designed by the Nigerian government for U-15 athletes has turned to the games of the overaged ahletes because of the “win at all cost” syndrome being championed by some of the states,” he said.
Aiyepeku noted that during the screening exercise for the games before its commencement, many overaged athletes, who were earlier screened out, were later seen competing when the games started on Friday Oct. 15.
“Unconfirmed report says that a directive from the Ministry of Sports gave a go-ahead to clear most of the athletes who had earlier been screened out.
“Investigations revealed that the age cheat is more pronounced in combat sports such as Taekwondo, Karate, and some other sports like swimming, gymnastics, weightlifting and many others.
“In Karate, a coach informed that an athlete whose age is around 25 years, from Imo state was allegedly allowed to compete with U-15 athletes from states like Ekiti, FCT and Lagos States,” he said.
Aiyepeku added: “In swimming, one of the technical officials was furious when he saw the maturity in some of the swimmers; he disclosed that he could not complain before he was not in the position to talk.
“He alleged that many swimmers from Delta that swept the gold medals of the event could not claim to be under the official age of the tournament.
“The case of gymnastics was so pathetic; young gymnasts were robbed of good points that could have given their states upper hands in winning medals.
“Many of our youngsters in gymnastics who are performing very well in hard floor exercise were rated lower, while some adult athletes, particularly from Delta, who participated in soft floor exercise event were rated with high points.
“I don’t see any justification for this because if this continues, it seems we are not encouraging these young athletes at all,” said one of the coaches from a state in North Central Nigeria,” he said.
The LSSC boss alleged that the game of Darts, which had been in progress, was stopped and restarted.
“The game was restarted after a written paper was presented to the Federation that all athletes who were earlier screened out for being overaged should be allowed to compete.
“In the morning of Saturday, Oct. 16, some female footballers from Delta State, who were suspected to be playing for one of the amateur clubs in the country, were fielded against Team Lagos.
“They were allowed to play the match after being cleared by the organisers.
“Allowing this kind of abnormality by the organiser of the NYG, the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, makes some states to be at a disadvantage,” Aiyepeku claimed.
He equally noted that there were states which still believed in competing clean by abiding to the rules set for the games.
“The abnormality encourages states like Delta and Edo which always poached athletes from other states to have an upper hand because the “end must justify the means”, they want to top the medals table by all means”.
“This abnormality sends a dangerous signal and a bad omen for sports development in a country that must find all legitimate means to replace its aging athletes,” Aiyepeku said. (NAN)
The Portuguese Football Federation has reaffirmed its support for Cristiano Ronaldo’s continued involvement with the national team, with president Pedro Proença describing the veteran forward as an icon of Portuguese football.
Proença on PFF’sX handle on Monday, said Ronaldo remains an important part of the national team whenever he is fit and available.
He also defended Ronaldo’s place in the squad, insisting that his selection is justified by his performances.
Proença also addressed the reported disagreement between Ronaldo and Portugal coach Jorge Jesus, describing the situation as a misunderstanding that should be handled internally.
The federation president stressed that Ronaldo remains firmly connected to the national team, pointing to his role as captain in the first of Portugal’s four matches.
According to Proença, Ronaldo’s decision to continue representing Portugal reflects his strong attachment to the national team.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese icon and an exceptional player. He could have ended his career at the World Cup, but he didn’t because of his love for his national team,” he said.
Proença added that he has personally witnessed the relationship between Ronaldo, the Portuguese public and the national team.
With the four matches now completed, Proença believes there is an opportunity for Ronaldo and Jesus to resolve their differences.
Proença concluded by reiterating that Ronaldo remains part of Portugal’s football legacy and that his future with the national team remains open.
“Cristiano is part of our legacy, and he will always be here whenever the coach wants him,” he said.
As Lionel Messi prepares to get a hero’s farewell for his successful international career, Cristiano Ronaldo’s could have ended with him running down the tunnel at the final whistle of a game he did not play.
After the World Cup, Argentina’s Messi, 39, decided to retire from international football, while Ronaldo, 41, opted to play on for Portugal.
Yet there is the possibility that Messi’s Argentina career will end up lasting a few days longer – with a home friendly with Benin on Tuesday marked as his final game.
Ronaldo, furious at being made to warm up and not be brought on against Norway in the Nations League, walked out on the Portugal squad after finding out he would not start against Denmark either.
The Al-Nassr forward has scored 146 goals and won 234 caps for Portugal – both world records.
After such a high-profile falling-out with new boss Jorge Jesus, also a larger than life character who does not back down, Ronaldo is facing a big decision.
Jesus has insisted he would be welcome back if he wants to return and talks between Ronaldo, his representatives and the Portuguese FA are ongoing as they look for a solution.
While Ronaldo could not carry on playing forever, this is not how he would have expected his international career to end.
His fans are remaining loyal to him, with social media full of posts supporting Ronaldo and criticising Jesus, while on the other side some fans and a lot of Portugal’s media have been critical of what they see as selfish behaviour.
Ahead of Portugal’s next match against Denmark in November lies a big decision for one of the world’s greatest ever players.
It has all happened very quickly.
After the World Cup, Portugal replaced Roberto Martinez with Jesus, who had been Ronaldo’s boss with Al-Nassr last season.
Less than two weeks ago, Ronaldo said: “I had a conversation with our president, with our coach. I still believe that I’m able to help the national team to reach what they want.”
Things were still looking OK when he started in the 1-0 win over Wales.
Jesus told Ronaldo he would be on the bench for the next game against Norway. After being told to warm up for a period of the game, he remained an unused substitute in a Portugal game for the first time in 18 years.
Guillem Balague, who wrote a book about Ronaldo in 2015, said: “He gets asked to warm up for the whole of the second half, practically.
And as the final whistle went he went down the tunnel instead of going to the fans with his team-mates.
Jesus said there was no falling out but confirmed Ronaldo would not start the next game with Denmark either.
Portugal’s FA president Pedro Proenca flew to Copenhagen, landing at 02:30 in the morning, to try to smooth things over with Ronaldo but failed.
After beating Norway on Sunday in their final Nations League match – again without Ronaldo – Jesus said: “If he wants to, he’ll return to the national team. We can talk before the next call-up, but Cris is the one who’s going to decide.
On several billboards in Lisbon posters went up praising Ronaldo and criticising Jesus.
They read, in Portuguese: “Thank you Cristiano Ronaldo for everything you did for Portugal. You will always be our captain.
“Jorge Jesus was not up to the task. Lack of sensitivity. Treating a captain wrongly. Inflated ego.”
One was placed next to the Estadio da Luz, home of Benfica – who Jesus managed to three league titles.
At the Denmark game, some fans wore T-shirts spelling out ‘Love you Jesus’ while others were head-to-toe in Ronaldo merch.
Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund, incidentally, celebrated his goal with his idol Ronaldo’s trademark ‘siuuu’ something he has done previously when netting against Portugal.
Portugal’s newspapers had differing perspectives.
Meanwhile, videos were posted online of angry fans ripping up their Portugal jerseys.
Jesus and Proenca were booed leaving a building in Copenhagen.
But many foreign fans purely supported Portugal because of Ronaldo – so they do not necessarily represent the views of actual Portuguese supporters.
Portugal fan Maria Ribeiro, from Lisbon, said: “It is so hard for all us fans. We all love him but it is getting too much now. It is hard to imagine Portugal without Ronaldo but maybe this is the time. There is too much arguing between ourselves.”
Ronaldo’s search for a record 1,000 career goals remains on but will he have to finish that at club level in Saudi Arabia?
He has scored 979 times for Portugal, Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr.
While his old rival Messi scored eight goals, and assisted four more, to take Argentina to the summer World Cup final – Portugal fell at the last-16 stage.
Ronaldo’s former United team-mate Wayne Rooney added: “He is a genius, a superstar. What he has given to football and millions of people is something very rare.
In the last nine years of Ronaldo’s international career, Portugal’s win percentage without him is slightly better 64% to 63% and they have scored 2.7 goals a game without him compared to 2.1 with him.
The two biggest wins in their history – 9-0 over Luxembourg and 9-1 against Armenia – came in the last two qualifying matches that he missed, both through suspension.
Journalist Marcus Alves, who covers Portugal, said: “How much gratitude is enough? That’s a question that Portuguese fans have been asking for a few years now.
“Of Portugal’s last five coaches, Ronaldo had issues with four of them Carlos Queiroz, Paulo Bento, Fernando Santos and now Jesus. That’s too much of a distraction when Portugal has arguably their best generation ever.”
Former players of Bayelsa United on Wednesday donated a set of jerseys to the club to support their preparations for the 2026/27 Nigeria National League (NNL) season.
Presenting the jerseys to the club, leader of the players and former Chairman of Bayelsa United, Ebiki Timitimi, said the gesture was their little way of contributing to the club’s campaign in the NNL.
Timitimi said the former players remain committed to the growth and development of the club and appealed to critics to be constructive in their assessments.
“As ex-players of the club, we deemed it fit to support the team in our own little way.
We decided to give a set of jerseys to the club as they start their pre-season friendlies.“Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but we should criticise constructively by engaging the management to hear their side of the story before jumping to conclusions.
“Criticising them publicly without proper knowledge of the subject matter,” he added.
Receiving the jerseys on behalf of the Chairman, Peter Singabele and the Management Board, Godson Ekadi described the gesture as a significant show of solidarity from a key constituency of the club.
Ekadi said that the donation, the first major support from stakeholders ahead of the new season, will serve as a huge morale booster for the board, technical crew, and players.
“It is a wonderful statement that has been made today by the ex-players, because when you get support from your immediate constituency, it means that it’s going to be a wonderful season for us.
“Because this is the first gift we’re getting from stakeholders, and we’re calling on others to toe the line of the ex-players.
“It’s like our season has already started because of this gesture they have shown not only verbally, but also by giving a set of jerseys to the club,” he said.
He called on corporate organisations, stakeholders, and International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in the state to emulate the ex-player
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