SPORTS
Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja Renovation Work Excites Dare
By Jude Opara, Abuja
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare on Friday inspected the ongoing work at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium where he declared that he was satisfied with the progress so far made.
Recall that the contract for the re-grassing of the 65,000 capacity Stadium was awarded to an indigenous company last October with the timeline to complete and deliver the before the end of April, 2021.
However, due to the fact that it is increasingly becoming evident that the April date may not be feasible, Dare who paid an unscheduled visit told newsmen that he was satisfied with the level of work and that the new delivery date is June, 2021.
However, the Minister charged the contractor to ensure he completed the task on schedule, warning that there may not be a new extension.
Addressing the media after the inspection Dare said; “I am satisfied with the progress so far, the delivery date is now June. There are technologies attached to football pitches like this, when you see standard pitches, it is not just about the sand and grasses, but there are underbellies of technologies like the water sprinklers among others. We are trying to get things right so that with proper maintenance, we won’t be drawn back to it for another 10 years.”
Investigation by DAILY ASSET Sports revealed that the contractor has been finding it very difficult to fix the water sprinklers which are usually buried under the pitch. The water sprinklers have not been able to water the entire pitch like it used to be.
Meanwhile, the Minister also used the occasion to reassure on the nation’s readiness for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, saying the country was on track on her preparations. He also revealed that the Nigerian athletes for the global championship will be camping in Delta, Lagos and Port Harcourt while their foreign camp will be in Florida, USA.
“We are done with the National Sports Festival, now as a Country and a Ministry, our eyes are on the Olympics for which we have started a 100 days Countdown. In another 7-10 days the camps will be opened in *Lagos, Port Harcourt* , probably *Delta* and *Florida* where we have most of our relay team athletes. From there other members of the team will be joining them and possibly we will have another camp in Europe. The preparation for the Olympics never stopped even with the effect of covid-19 and preparations for the just concluded *National Sports Festival.
“We will try to maintain a 60-70 days camping by doubling the 25-30 days camping we used to have in the past”.
Nigeria will be competing in seven sports; Boxing, Athletics, Basketball, Wrestling, Weightlifting, Table Tennis and Volleyball.
The finals of Gov. Peter Mbah Secondary Schools Games, on Thursday began in Enugu with the arrival and accreditation of athletes at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium Enugu.
Dan Onwuegbuna, Director, Information, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Enugu State, said in a statement on Thursday that the games would be held between Aug.
7 and Aug. 10 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium and the Enugu State Sports Council.“The games is designed to help the state discover talents to represent the state at the forthcoming U15 National Youth Games scheduled to take place in Asaba, Delta, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 6,” he stated.
Onwuegbuna said that apart from representing the state at the Youth Games in Asaba, talented athletes discovered would represent the state in other competitions.
He quoted the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Lloyd Ekweremadu as thanking Gov. Peter Mbah for approving the games.
Onwuegbuna said that the games was made possible following the collaboration between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the state Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB).
The games finals followed the outcome of the inter- Secondary Schools competitions held at the local government areas in the six Educational Zones in the State – Enugu, Agbani, Awgu, Udi, Nsukka and Udenu.
“The games will feature athletics, boxing, chess, basketball, volleyball, football, tennis and scrabble,” Onwuegbuna stated.
Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie has been nominated for the 2025 Women’s Yachine Trophy, the Ballon d’Or award for the best female goalkeeper.
The 24-year-old recently joined Brighton Women FC from Paris FC after helping the French side win their first major title in nearly two decades.
Nnadozie delivered a heroic performance in the final of the 2025 Coupe de France Féminine, where Paris FC edged Paris Saint-Germain 5-4 on penalties following a goalless draw at Stade de l’Épopée in Calais.She was also instrumental in Nigeria’s success at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), where the Super Falcons secured a record-extending 10th continental crown against host nation, Morocco.
Her standout displays earned her the Best Goalkeeper award and a place in the Team of the Tournament.
Other nominees for the Yachine Trophy include Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham FC), Cata Coll (Barcelona Femeni), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea Women) and Daphne van Domselaar (Arsenal Women).
Nigeria’s Super Falcons maintained 36th position in the latest FIFA women’s world ranking.
The latest ranking was released on FIFA’s official website yesterday.
While the Super Falcons remain the number one team in Africa, WAFCON 2024 runners-up Morocco are third on the continent and dropped to 64th spot in the world.
Former WAFCON champions Banyana Banyana of South Africa maintained 54th place in the world and second in Africa.
Ghana’s Black Queens who claimed third place at the WAFCON dropped to 67th position in the global ranking.
The Super Falcons recently won their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after coming from 2-0 down to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final.
Second half goals from Esther Okoronkwo, Folashade Ijamilusi and substitute Jennifer Echegini completed the turnaround.
Okoronkwo, scored a goal and provided two assists against the Moroccans was Named Player of the Match.
Chiamaka Nnadozie was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament while Captain Rasheedat Ajibade won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Meanwhile, World champions Spain (1st, up 1) had an impressive run to the final of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 with five back-to-back wins, which was enough to see them reclaim top spot in the ranking, a position they previously held from December 2023 to June 2024.
The USA (2nd, down 1) have therefore been knocked off their perch, which they had occupied since August 2024.
However, three convincing home wins in friendlies during this period have kept the USA in contention, and they are now sitting less than two points behind Spain.
The top 10 has been shaken up completely since the June edition of the ranking, with France (6th, up 4) performing best among them.
France completed a flawless group stage at the European Championship before falling to Germany in the quarter-finals.
The next edition of the Women’s World Ranking will be published on 11 December 2025.
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