Sports
Nigeria’s Olympic cyclist hails German team over bike loan
Nigeria’s first ever Olympic cyclist has praised the German team for giving her a bike to compete with in the Paris 2024 Olympics after she was unable to source one of her own.
Ese Ukpeseraye had initially only been registered for the women’s road race but competed in two track events – which require a different kind of bike – at “short notice”, she said on social media platform X.
The 25-year-old wrote that with no bicycle to race with and in the spirit of sportsmanship the German team had come to her rescue.
Her post prompted several Nigerians online to question the competency of their national sports authorities, but Nigeria’s sports minister insisted the situation was unavoidable.
John Owan Enoh said the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world’s foremost cycling authority, offered Nigeria last minute slots in two women’s track events “due to the disqualification of a country”.
The offer was made after Ukpeseraye and the rest of Team Nigeria had arrived in Paris for the games, Mr Enoh said.
“For this track race reallocated to Team Nigeria, a very special equipment (approved specifically for the Olympic track game) is used,” he posted on X.
“It’ll take months to have it delivered after ordering and making payment.”
Online commenters remained sceptical, however. Some linked Ukpeseraye’s case to incident earlier on in the games, where Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili discovered last minute that she could not race in the women’s 100m as she had been left off the entry list.
“I would have asked what happened to Favour Ofili who missed her 100m race because whoever was supposed to fill in her name for the competition failed to do so. Does that also take months to import?” one X user wrote.
Others asked why Nigeria was yet to win any medals at this year’s games. It is an outcome even Nigeria’s government seems frustrated by – the information ministry touched on “the disappointing performances of Nigerian athletes” in a recent press release.
In this year’s games, Ukpeseraye became the first Nigerian – man or woman – to compete in a cycling event.
Her first event was the women’s road race, but she was among a number of athletes who failed to complete the 154km (96-mile) route.
“It was an honour to represent Nigeria at this level. Although I couldn’t finish the race, being here is a victory in itself,” she is quoted by the Nigerian media as saying.
Ukpeseraye also missed out on the finals of the two track events she competed in – she finished sixth in her keirin heat and 28th in the sprint qualifiers.
However, she remains proud of her achievements, writing on X that she has “set the ball rolling for cycling in Nigeria”.
Sports
I Failed In Front of the World Four Years Ago — Lookman’s Touching Speech After Winning CAF Award
Super Eagles star, Ademola Lookman had delivered a touching speech after winning the 2024 CAF Men’s Player of the Year award.
According to him, he learned from his failure four years ago which made him a better player.
He said: “Just over four years ago I failed in front of the world. Fast forward four years, I’m the best player in Africa,” Lookman said after receiving the award.
“I want to say to the young children and people watching this: don’t let your failures weigh you down that they break your wings. Matter of fact, turn your pain into your power and continue to fight.
“Firstly. I want to thank the Almighty God for everything he has been doing in my life, and everything he has been blessing me with.
“I want to thank the president, I want to thank all my teammates- club and country. I want to thank them for all their support and love that they gave me.”
“This award today is a blessing to me, to my family, to my nation, and to be recognized as the best player in Africa. It’s something incredible and I’m extremely proud of.”
Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman, South Africa’s Ronwen Williams, and Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie emerged as some of the standout winners at the 2024 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards.
Lookman, who plays for Atalanta, clinched the prestigious CAF Men’s Player of the Year title, beating contenders such as Simon Adingra, Achraf Hakimi, Ronwen Williams, and Serhou Guirassy.
South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams dominated the night, bagging both the Men’s Interclub Player of the Year and the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year awards.
Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie, known for her stellar performances, was named Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year.
Full List of CAF Awards 2024 Winners
CAF Men’s Player of the Year: Ademola Lookman (Nigeria)
Women’s Interclub Player of the Year: Sanaa Mssoudy
Men’s Interclub Player of the Year: Ronwen Williams (South Africa)
Women’s Club of the Year: TP Mazembe
Men’s Club of the Year: Al Ahly FC
Men’s National Team of the Year: Ivory Coast
Women’s National Team of the Year: Nigeria
Men’s Young Player of the Year: Lamine Camara
Women’s Young Player of the Year: Doha El Madani
Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria)
Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Ronwen Williams (South Africa)
Women’s Coach of the Year: Lamia Boumehdi
Men’s Coach of the Year: Emerse Faé
Goal of the Year: Mabululu (Angola)
Brazil legend Ronaldo has confirmed he wants to become president of the country’s football governing body to address a “deep crisis” the sport is facing nationally.
“I have hundreds of motivations, but I think the biggest of them is really to restore international respect to Brazilian football,” he said in an interview on Monday with the Globoesporte website.
Ronaldo said he wanted to be an “alternative for significant change” as candidate for the job of running the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).
“O Fenomeno” (“The Phenomenon”), as the 48-year-old became known over the course of his 1993-2011 career, said he wants to use the CBF presidency to help Brazil’s national team to regain its glory as five-time world champions.
“The Selecao has to recover its prestige. I’ll do everything so that the players understand the historic importance of playing for the national team,” he said.
Ronaldo scored both goals when Brazil beat Germany in the 2002 World Cup final in Japan, and was twice winner of the Ballon d’Or.
To lodge his CBF candidacy, he needs the support of Brazilian regional clubs and federations.
To get those, he promised to travel “all around Brazil” and share the “incredible plans” he has for the sport.
The date of the next CBF election has not yet been set, but should happen between March 2025 and March 2026, according to Brazilian media.
‘Much deeper problem’
Current CBF chief Ednaldo Rodrigues has been criticized for slotting in temporary coaches for the national team after Tite’s 2022 exit while waiting for Carlo Ancelotti to arrive — something that did not happen when the Italian decided late last year to extend his contract as manager of Real Madrid.
Currently coached by Dorival Junior, the Selecao are fifth in South America qualifying for the 2026 World Cup tournament, seven points behind leaders Argentina.
“My problem is not Ednaldo. The problem is much deeper. My goal is to bring the people closer to the Selecao. Today, the people are indifferent when the Selecao plays,” Ronaldo told Globoesporte.
“I am an alternative of significant change for Brazilian football, which is going through a deep crisis,” he said.
Ronaldo, a former star for Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, already has leadership experience.
In 2018, he took majority control of Spain’s Real Valladolid, and in 2021 did the same for Cruzeiro, the Brazilian club where he started his career.
He sold his Cruzeiro stake in April this year.
In his interview, Ronaldo said he was in talks to “very soon” sell his Valladolid stake to avoid “any obstacle” to his CBF candidacy.
AFP
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