Forms go on sale today

Ex-International, Henry Nwosu, has called on more former national team players to enter the race for Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) presidency. 

His call comes as the NFF’s electoral committee is expected to start selling forms to individuals interested in contesting for the top position, which will become vacant when the incumbent, Amaju Pinnick’s tenure ends next month. 

The form for presidency costs N500, 000, while candidates for the vice presidency will pay N400, 000. Already, the electoral committee has picked September 30, 2022 for the elections, which is slated for Benin City, Edo State.

Nwosu said the country’s football would be better served by ex-players, who have experienced the game both on pitch as footballers and outside it as stakeholders. 

“Nigeria’s ex footballers should be elected to take charge of the NFF. They are exposed and credible to revive the league and all the national teams. This is how it is done in other countries.

“Ex footballers should get forms and participate in the election. They should dominate the entire process,” he said. 

According to reports, collection and submission of forms for the election will last until September 8, 2022. The screening of candidates holds September 9 and 10, while the names of eligible candidates will be released by the electoral committee on September 12.

The committee will release the final list of successful candidates for the elections on September 19, with campaigns billed to commence on September 20. 

Nigeria’s U-19 women cricket team is set for the ICC World Cup qualifying competition in Gaborone, Botswana.

Nigeria’s team for the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) African qualifier for the maiden Women U-19 World Cup will depart the country tomorrow for the host city, Gaborone, Botswana.

Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) President, Uyi Akpata, said while it is not in doubt that women’s cricket in the country is one of the leading development stories on the continent, the Federation has been working at spreading the effort across board.

He said: “It gives me joy to see the young teenagers that would be taking part in the maiden U-19 Women’s World Cup in Botswana. Virtually all the players representing Nigeria are the direct product of our schools developmental project, the ones that earned Nigeria the Global Development Awards.”

The final list of players to represent the country was released at the weekend after intensive camping at the Edo Boys High School’s high performance centre.

Miracle Imimole, who comes with experience as a current national team player, leads the list. Other players include Victory Igbinedion, Divine Uranta, Lucky Piety (Wk), Queen Joseph, Oseyande Omokhobhnlhio, Rebecca Awaji (Wk) and Aisha Shittu (Wk). They are all batters.

The bowlers include, Henrietta Mbam, Rejoice Assan (Spin), Peculiar Agboya, Ude Lillian, Judith Anthony, and Rukayat Abdulrasak, who is the team’s vice captain. The team’s standby players are Shola Adekunle and Amarachi Noko.

Team Coach, Onome Oghenekevwe, said they are primed for the event with a number of the players already regulars in the national women’s team.

“Our goal is to pick the World Cup ticket at the qualifiers. So, every game is important to us. The male side did it in 2019, so there’s nothing more than picking the ticket. Our team is motivated for the goal,” he said.

Nigeria will battle for the lone World Cup spot with Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, and host Botswana. The qualifiers will run from September 3 to 12 in Gaborone.

The National U-12 and U-15 handball championships began in Sokoto State with boys and girls’ teams from across the country fighting for honours.

The developmental handball championship, organised by the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), is sponsored by the state government. It began on Friday and will end on September 4, 2022.

According to HFN’s Secretary General, Almo Umar Lambu, the championship is a grassroots developmental event, which winners will represent Nigeria in selected under age international championships.

The participating teams in the U-12 boys’ category are C&S FPS Academy, Kebbi, Sokoto and FCT, as well as Caliphate Academy, Sokoto. In the U-12 girls’ category are Kebbi, Sokoto and FCT. The competition in the U-15 boys’ category involves Kebbi, Calipate Academy, Sokoto, Suleja Shooters Zamfara and Katsina states’ teams, while in the U-15 girls are C&S FPS Academy, Kebbi and Sokoto states’ teams. 

The Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF), at the weekend, said it has stepped up preparations for a successful defence of its title at the 2022 edition of the Africa Scrabble Championship holding in Zambia from October 21 to 24.

National team coach, Prince Tony Ikolo, told The Guardian that Nigeria, as defending champions, expect a tougher challenge to its crown this year, adding that top African nations have indicted desire to dethrone the country.

Ikolo said Nigeria’s success at the recent West Africa Scrabble Championship has lifted the players’ morale ahead of the African Championship. He added, however, that the players would not rest on their oars despite recent successes in both regional and continental competitions.
 
He said: “We are kicking off with the Abuja National Scrabble Open Tournament from September 24 to 25, which is part of preparations for the African Championship.

“The main selection process for the African Scrabble Championship will hold from October 1 to 4. The NSF is working hard to ensure the best players represent the country in Zambia.

“Going by the outstanding performance of the players at international and domestic competitions this year, it is certain Nigeria will excel at the championship. But this does not mean the players will not go through serious training and preparation to ensure Nigeria retains its title in Zambia.”

Ikolo pleaded for more corporate and individual sponsors to help develop the sport and ensure the country maintains its status as the best scrabble-playing nation in the world. 

Nigeria became the first African nation to win the World English Language Speaking Scrabble Players Association Championship (WESPAC) when Wellington Jighere made history in Perth, Australia in 2015.

Everton’s Nigerian midfielder Alex Iwobi takes a throw-in during the English Premier League football .

Everton midfielder, Alex Iwobi, has insisted Frank Lampard’s ‘belief’ in him has been paramount to his impressive individual turnaround at Goodison Park this year, reports liverpoolecho.co.uk.

Iwobi, who made the move from Goodison Park for a fee of £34m in 2019, endured a difficult start to life on Merseyside under managers Marco Silva and Carlo Ancelotti, as he was deployed in a plethora of positions and subsequently unable to nail down a regular role in the Blues’ side.

However, since the appointment of Lampard in January, the Nigeria international has gone from strength to strength at Goodison Park and ultimately played a huge role in helping the club avoid relegation to the Championship at the back end of last season.

“I’m going into the games confident, I always feel like I can influence the game whether that’s in a defensive part or an attacking part,” said the midfielder, speaking to Everton’s official website after the draw with Brentford on Saturday.

I mean the team always helps me, they help me perform to the level I’m doing at the moment, so I’m enjoying it.”
Iwobi, who has cemented himself as one of the club’s best midfield options after a string of impressive performances so far this campaign, believes his revival has been down to the trust Lampard has placed in him.

“When he (Lampard) first got appointed, I came back from AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations) and he’s always given me the belief to go and express myself and play the way I train. He’s always given me the belief and confidence that I can just go out there and enjoy my football, and so ever since he’s been appointed I’ve been doing that and repaying the faith that he’s shown in me.

“I mean, sometimes he does tell me to cool down and keep the ball, enjoy the ball, but he also enjoys the fact that I’m always trying to progress with the ball and get the team up the pitch with the ball, so as long as I’m just expressing myself I don’t think he minds.”