Sports
Mbah congratulates Rangers over 2023/24 NPFL title
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Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah has congratulated the Rangers International Football Club of Enugu on their winning of the 2023/24 Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, title with a game to spare following their 2-0 victory over Bendel Insurance Football Club at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, on Sunday.
A 33rd-minute goal by Kenechukwu Agu and 65th-minute goal by Chidiebere Nwobodo handed the Fidelis Ilechukwu-tutored lads their eighth league title and their second since 2016, as their closest rivals, Remo Stars and Enyimba Football Club lost their match-day 37 fixtures 1-2 each against Sunshine Stars and Sporting Lagos, accordingly. This left the Flying Antelopes with an insurmountable 67-point lead with a game to go.
Reacting to the development, Governor Mbah said Rangers title win and the display on the pitch were clear exciting reenactment of the greatness Enugu State was known for, also restating his government’s plans to commit more resources towards sports development in the state.
“I can tell you that we are very excited. The Government and the people of Enugu State are very excited. What we have witnessed here this evening is the renactment of the greatness that Enugu is known for. So, we have again witnessed that greatness here today.
“Part of what I said to the players before the match started was that they had the weight of history on their shoulders because they were walking the path where legends had walked and that it was incumbent on them to deliver; and I’m so excited again that this has happened.
“Indeed, our tomorrow is here. It is again part of connecting the dots; connecting the dots in the sports sector. As you already know, we want to be the number one in everything we do. So we have zero tolerance for failure or mediocrity and our work ethic is impeccable.
“Therefore, that also shows in what these young players did in the pitch. You could see them working extremely hard and I’m so excited because it feels like any world-class football tournament.
“You can see that what happened here shows that you don’t wish success into existence. Success requires painstaking planning and hardwork. And that is essentially what you have seen here today.
“We are going to continue on that trajectory, making sure that we have a superb reward system, we motivate our players and they go out there and bring back the trophy,” the elated governor stated.
On sports infrastructure, he said, “Of course, you would attest to the fact that getting our pitch back in shape immediately we assumed office to enable Rangers to play their home matches here at The Cathedral was a huge motivation for the players.
“But I want to assure Ndi Enugu that they have not seen anything yet. As you are aware, our goal is a total turnaround of the sports industry in the state, and that includes the sports infrastructure – building world-class facilities and upgrading existing ones to world-class also.”
Meanwhile, the Governor also presented the Club Player of the Match prize to Chidiebere Nwobodo of Rangers International Football Club.
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Sports
SAD! Rebecca Cheptegi becomes 3rd victim k!lled by partner in Kenya
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Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who succumbed to her injuries on Thursday, four days after being set on fire by her boyfriend at her home in Kenya, has been confirmed as the third female athlete killed by her partner since 2021.
According to reports from CNN and the BBC, Cheptegei’s death follows a troubling trend in Kenya, where several female athletes have been killed by their partners in recent years.
All three of these cases occurred in Iten, Kenya’s renowned hub for elite runners.
Cheptegei, who trained in Kenya, launched her international career at 19, competing for Uganda in the junior category of the 2010 World Cross Country Championships. She later transitioned to road racing, making her marathon debut in 2021.
The following year, Cheptegei achieved a personal best time of 2:22:47, making her the second-fastest Ugandan female runner in history.
In the past three years, two other female Olympians have been killed in Iten, Kenya.
In 2021, Kenyan authorities identified the husband of renowned long-distance athlete Agnes Tirop as a prime suspect in her brutal murder. Tirop, who was 25, was fatally stabbed.
According to CNN, the suspect contacted Tirop’s parents, suggesting his involvement and leading authorities to conclude that he was aware of the circumstances surrounding her death.
The police determined that Tirop’s fatal neck wounds were inflicted by a knife.
Tirop had secured back-to-back bronze medals in the 10,000m at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships and placed fourth in the 5,000m event at the Tokyo Olympics.
She also broke the women’s 10km world record by 28 seconds at Germany’s Adizero Road to Records event, a historic achievement that came just a month before her death.
Approximately six months later, another tragic incident occurred in the same town when marathon runner Damaris Mutua was strangled by her boyfriend, who then attempted to conceal his crime by placing a pillow over her face.
He subsequently fled the country and remains at large, according to authorities, as reported by the BBC.
Mutua earned a bronze medal representing Kenya in the 1,000m event at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore in 2010.
Mutua’s standout season was in 2018, when she achieved personal bests in the 20km (1:08:28), the fastest time that year, with a victory in Marrakesh, and the half-marathon (1:11:51), claiming second place in Mozambique.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ latest data released in January 2023, 34% of women in Kenya have faced physical violence at some point in their lives since the age of 15.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced on Friday that the city will pay tribute to the late Cheptegei by dedicating a sports facility in her name.
Sports
Why I snubbed Eagles job — Cannavaro
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By Mario Deepromoter
Former Italy captain and 2006 World Cup winner, Fabio Cannavaro, says he turned down the Super Eagles job to wait for offers in the Italian Serie A and other European clubs.
Cannavaro was one of the candidates interviewed for the role during the Nigeria Football Federation’s race against time to fill the vacant role ahead of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.
“I had offers from Nigeria [national team] and Iranian clubs, but I want to wait for Serie A and European clubs until December. After that, I may start travelling again,” Cannavaro told La Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview.
German coach Bruno Labbadia was eventually announced by the NFF as the new coach of the Super Eagles, but the 56-year-old eventually turned down the offer over stringent German tax laws.
The team are currently under the guidance of NFF Technical Director Augustine Eguavoen, who is working with coaches of two Nigeria Premier Football League sides, Daniel Ogunmodede (Remo Stars) and Fidelis Ilechukwu (Enugu Rangers), as assistants, ahead of the qualifiers.
They are also joined in Uyo by Tomaz Zorec, a fitness trainer from Slovenia, goalkeeper trainer Olatunji Baruwa, and match analyst Eboboritse Uwejamomere.
After the clash against the Benin Republic at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Saturday, the team will depart for Kigali on Sunday for Tuesday’s clash with the Amavubi (Bees) of Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium.
Sports
FULL LIST: Eight Nigerians nominated for Ballon d’Or
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The Ballon d’Or is an annual football award presented by French magazine France Football since 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.
Over the years, Nigerian players have also proven to be worthy of this award after being shortlisted by the organisers.
Following Wednesday’s announcement, Nigerian winger Ademola Lookman joined the train of Nigerian players to be nominated for the prestigious award after his blistering performances for both club and country.
Here is the full list of nominees from Nigeria and the year.
1. Finidi George- 1995
2. Daniel Amokachi – 1995
3. Austin Okocha – 1995
4. Kanu Nkwankeo – 1996, 1999
5. Victor Ikpeba – 1997
6. Sunday Oliseh – 1998
7. Victor Osimhen – 2023
8. Ademola Lookman – 2024
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