Sanusi charges Flamingos to thrash South Africa

NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, on Tuesday challenged the U-17 National Women Team, Flamingos, to go all out against their counterparts from South Africa in Saturday’s 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final round, first leg qualifier. The NFF scribe gave the charge while attending the team’s evening training session in Abuja.

While commending the girls for their outstanding performance in the 9-0 thrashing of Namibia in the last round of the qualification series, Sanusi told the girls to brace up for a stiffer test as South Africa’s Bantwana will pose a bigger challenge than the Namibians did.

“I urge you to go all out against the South Africans on Saturday. The South Africans will be much stronger than the Namibians that you beat home and away in January. You are carrying the weight of this entire nation. Take your chances as they come, and don’t stop scoring.

“On behalf of the NFF President and the entire Executive Board, I want to assure you that the NFF will motivate you in a big way to go to Jordan and surpass the performances of your predecessors.”

NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi

Nigeria has participated at all previous FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final competitions, from New Zealand 2008 to Trinidad and Tobago 2010, Azerbaijan 2012 and Costa Rica 2014. The team reached the quarter finals in the last three editions.

“We are solidly behind you. Every opportunity I have, I always tell football players to imbibe discipline and strong mentality, and to avoid social vices that could affect their careers negatively. I want you to know that you are ambassadors of our dear country, and must reflect that in everything you do on or off the field of play.”

Captain Rasheedat Ajibade thanked the General Secretary for his words of advice and encouragement, and promised that the team will not let the nation down come Saturday. “We will give it our very best. But we also want Nigerians to troop to the Stadium and cheer us to victory on Saturday.”

Lagos State FA Cup: Battle For 2nd Round Ticket Continues

Clique Sports Soccer Academy, Team 360 Fc, Agege Stadium Lagos, Lagos State FA, Dotun Coker, LSFA, Wale
Joseph, Fc Bethel, Lagos State FA Cup, Trinity House Football Club, Akinjobi Oluwaseun, Winners Golden Bet, Adedeji Beecroft,

The battle for who win this year’s Lagos State FA Cup continues tomorrow (Thursday) as Clique Sports Soccer Academy takes on Team 360 Fc at Agege Stadium, Lagos.

The early morning match, which kicks off at 7:30am will be followed with another cracker in the evening when Yobo FC battle Samjason football club for a place in the 2nd round of the Winners Golden Bet powered championship.

According to the Chairman, Technical Committee of the Lagos State FA, Dotun Coker the championship which kick-off last weekend with the rookie matches has been going on according to the timeline released earlier by the FA.

He stated that the standard of play has been improving with every passing year. “The Standard of play of the matches played so far has being very high, compared to last year’s edition, hence the matches has been very close with the most of the games so far ending with odd goals”. He noted.

Meanwhile Freestans Football Club has secured a place in the 2nd round of the championship after defeating Buruj Sports Academy by 2 goals to 1 in the 1st round match played at Agege Stadium, Agege on Tuesday, while Fc Bethel also defeated Trinity House Football Club to move to the next stage of the Winners Golden Bet sponsored championship.

Trinity House FC who defeated Great Olympic Football Club 3-2 penalties in the rookie match played on Saturday could not go further after coming from a goal up to lose 2-1, However, Akinjobi Oluwaseun of Trinity House Fc emerged the most valuable player of their match. He was rewarded with the sum of 15,000 thousand naira courtesy of the sponsors, Winners Golden Bet
General Manager of Winners Golden Bet, Adedeji Beecroft also expressed satisfaction with the standard displayed by the clubs and the high level of discipline of the clubs, adding that Lagos State FA has set a very high standard that other state FA”s should emulate.

Rio 2016 Olympics: Nigeria Table Tennis Team May Qualify Ahead Of Egypt For Men’s Team Event

There are strong indications that the performance of Team Nigeria at the just concluded ITTF World Team Championship has placed the West African giant ahead of Egypt in the eventual qualification for the men’s team event of Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

At the last Olympic Games in London, Egypt represented Africa in the team events (men and women) ahead of Nigeria who has always been hoisting the continent’s flag.

With Nigeria’S outing in Malaysia coupled with the ranking of her players – Aruna Quadri and Segun Toriola, the coast is now clear for Nigeria to compete in the team event of the Olympics.

The two qualified Egyptian players for the Olympic Games – Omar and Khaled Assar are ranked below Quadri and Toriola in the March ranking released by ITTF this week.

Quadri is rated 30 while Omar Assar placed 36 in the ranking. Toriola, who has been out of the ranking list for his inactivity in recent times made an emphatic return to the rating list to occupy 116 in the ranking while Khaled Assar is rated 256 in the world.

According to the Olympic Team Ranking rules, the team ranking is based on the rating points of the three highest Olympic eligible rated players of each association, rated on the current individual World Ranking lists.

Segun TORIOLA

The rules states further, “Even if an Association has only one or two players rated on the individual World Ranking list, the team of that Association is still ranked. Players not eligible to represent their National Olympic Committee at the Olympic Games are not taken into consideration. The final ranking order is determined by the total number of points earned by each of the teams. Where there are tied teams, in the first instance those virtual team matches between the tied teams are considered to resolve the tie. If there is still a tie, then the total individual matches won against all opposing teams is then considered.”

To decide the eventual qualifiers for the team event of the Olympic Games, the May 2016 Olympic Team Ranking list is taken into consideration for the team selections at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.”

However, the President, African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), Khaled El-Salhy, also corroborated the Olympic Team ranking rules. “Thus as per the published ITTF ranking list as of March 2016, the current situation now is that for men, Nigeria is in front to take the qualification card for the team event in Rio with position no. 25 while Egypt is coming next with position no. 32. For the women, Egypt is in front to take the qualification card for team event in Rio with position no. 31 while Nigeria is coming next with position no. 41. This is for sure in case the application to count on ranking of March 2016, while we have to wait for two months as the ranking list of May is the one to be taken into consideration after adding some more points through Kuwait, Qatar and Polish Opens within the next two months.”

GOtv Boxing Night 6: I’ll Beat Fijabi Silly, Boasts Beninois Opponent, Ekekpo

Djamiou Ekekpo, the Beninois boxer, billed to fight Nigeria’s Olaide “Fijaborn” Fijabi for the West African light welterweight title, has vowed to reduce his yet unbeaten opponent to pulp when they meet on the 25th of March at the GOtv Boxing Night, holding at the Indoor Sports of the National Stadium in Lagos.

The event is a six-fight professional boxing tourney featuring established stars and five graduates of the GOtv Boxing NextGen Search. Speaking in Lagos on Wednesday, Ekekpo, who was accompanied by his manager, said everybody at the venue of will enjoy the fight except Fijabi, who will be beaten like a baby.

“He has not been beaten because he hasn’t met me yet. He will be beaten at the GOtv Boxing Night on Good Friday and will remember that day as bad Friday because I will walk away with the belt after giving him the beating of his life. I beat people for fun. Tell him I said so,” boasted Ekekpo.

Responding, Fijabi, the reigning national light welterweight champion and a former winner of the best boxer prize at the GOtv Boxing Night, described Djamiou’s boasts as impotent.

“If he said what has been attributed to him, it means he doesn’t understand that people with thick facial marks, like I have, were taught to inflict pain from childhood when we our faces were marked. I will inflict the kind of pain he has never experienced.

“I will give him facial marks with punches and make him return to his country crying,” raved Fijabi.

The headline fight of the event will be the West African middleweight title fight between Abolaji “Afonja Warrior” Rasheed and Ghana’s Adjei Sowah. There will also be a national lightweight challenge duel between Otto “Joe Boy” Joseph and Hogan Jimoh Jnr, son of former champion, Hogan Jimoh aka Atomic Bomb.

Olaide Fijaborn Fijab

Also on the night, five of the graduates of the GOtv NextGen Search will debut as professional boxers. The duo of Michael “Show” Rolland and Nwoye “Lion” Prince will swap punches in a national lightweight challenge contest, while Saidi “Attacker” Lawal will take on fellow graduate Samuel “Godspower’ Elegbede in a national super middleweight challenge duel.

Another super middleweight challenge contest will see Matthew “Wizeman” Obinna take on Yusuf “Koste” Moshood.
The best boxer on the night will go home with N1million and the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy.

Injuries Taint Arsenal’s FA Cup Victory

Arsenal progressed to the Quarter-finals of the Emirates FA Cup with a brace each from forwards Olivier Giroud and
Theo Walcott.

Hull City who played a goalless draw at the Emirates to earn a replay, went behind after Giroud pounced on a pass from Meyler to goalkeeper Jakupovic as the frenchman made no mistake from close range.

Giroud who became a father on Monday, grabbed his second in the 71st minute, while Walcott double came in the final 13 minutes of the encounter.

The victory though was marred by injuries to Arsenal’s Captain Per Mertesacker, Centre back partner Gabriel and Midfielder Aaron Ramsey who hobbled off with a thigh injury as the Gunners were force to play Monreal and Chambers as centre backs to complete the game.

Arsène Wenger
photo credit: Ronnie Macdonald
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

The Gunners injury list keep increasing as Cech, Koscielny, Chamberlain, Cazorla, Wilshere and Rosicky are still out injured which could affect their title chase and the defence of their FA cup title.

Hull City XI: Jakupovic, Bruce, Maguire, Davies, Odubajo, Elmohamady, Meyler, Huddlestone, Diame, Powell, Diomande.

Arsenal XI : Ospina,Chambers, Gabriel, Mertesacker, Gibbs,Flamini, Elneny; Campbell, Iwobi, Walcott,Giroud.

Kenya And Algeria To Represent Africa At Women’s World Olympic Volleybal Qualifier In Puerto Rico

Competition hosts Puerto Rico will be joined by Colombia, Algeria and Kenya at the Women’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament scheduled to take place at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan from May 20-22. Algeria have replaced Egypt, who had not confirmed their participation, as the next best ranked team at the African Olympic Qualification Tournament, in accordance with the Sports Regulations.

Algeria celebrating At 2016 Women’s African Olympic Volleyball Qualifier,

The tournament will feature the third placed team from the NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament (hosts Puerto Rico), the third placed team from the South American Olympic Qualification Tournament (Colombia), and two teams from the African Olympic Qualification Tournament (third-placed Kenya and fourth-placed Algeria). The competition winners will earn the twelfth and final berth up for grabs at the women’s Rio 2016 Olympic Games volleyball tournament.

The winners will join seven countries that have already qualified for this year’s Olympic tournament, including hosts Brazil, FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup winners China and runners-up Serbia, European Olympic Qualification Tournament winners Russia, NORCECA Olympic Qualification winners USA, South American Olympic Qualification Tournament winners Argentina, and African Olympic Qualification Tournament winners Cameroon.

Four more teams will join the competition in Rio from the World Olympic Qualification Tournament and Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament scheduled to take place from May 14 to 22 in Japan.

Kenya and Algeria will represent Africa at the Women’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Puerto Rico