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All Eyes On Yaounde As Super Eagles Seek To Avoid Egypt, Ghana And Cote d’Ivoire

Emenike Agu
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All Eyes On Yaounde As Super Eagles Seek To Avoid Egypt, Ghana And Cote d’Ivoire

The path to glory at the delayed 2021 Africa Cup of Nations holding in Cameroon will be mapped out this Tuesday (August 17 ) as the final draw will be held.

For record holders of the third place position in the continent’s premier football competition, the Super Eagles, they will be seeking to avoid any of the top seeded three teams in the Pot 2 of the draw.

The three teams that could put banana peels on the path of the Super Eagles at the group stage are Egypt, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire – all former champions at the competition.

The trio collectively have won the trophy  13 times out of 32 editions. They are the teams, that not just Nigeria, but the remaining five teams in Pot 1 will wish to avoid.

Egypt lead the deadly pack in Pot 2. They have won the trophy seven times and are still hungry of a record extending eighth time.

Ghana follow with five titles and had been under-achievers since their last victory in 1982. At next year, it will be forty years since the Black Stars last tasted victory. That is enough to make them hungrier.

Cote d’Ivoire with two titles on their trophy shelf are seeking to re-enact their golden era when they had deadly players such as Didier Drogba, Kolo Toure among others.

Any fixture with Cote d’Ivoire of recent had posed danger for Nigeria. The Ivoriens were directly involved in eliminating both the men’s and women’s teams of Nigeria from qualification for the football events of Tokyo 2020.

Even their Under 20 team similarly dealt heavy blows to Nigeria at WAFU tournament last year. With Nigeria seeking to break away from their usual third place which they had for a record-extending eighth time in 2019, the wish will be to avert the trio of ‘extremely’ dangerous teams of Pot 2.

Scaling the group stage has almost become a tradition for Nigeria as the team only failed to achieve this twice – 1963 and 1982.

Match-Fixing: NFF Bans Nigerian Football Coach For 2 Years

Emenike Agu
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Match-Fixing: NFF Bans Nigerian Football Coach For 2 Years

The Disciplinary Committee of the Nigerian Football Fedetation has announced a two-year ban on one of the coaches in the country’s lower leagues.

The affected football coach is Remi Amadi of Cofine FC, Akwa Ibom, who was found guilty of attempting to manipulate the outcome of a match five months ago.

According to the statement issued by the NFF, Coach Amadi admitted to having attempted to manipulate the outcome or result of the match between Cofine FC and Bussdor FC as recorded in an audio conversation tendered as evidence.

It was also revealed that coach Amadi admitted he will have benefitted if the attempted manipulation had pulled through.

Based on its numerous findings, the NFF’s Disciplinary Committee slammed a two-year ban on the erring coach and an N500,000 fine on Cofine FC.

The decisions contained in the statement issued read: “A Fine of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500, 000.00) against Cofine FC for being responsible for the action and inaction of its employee (Coach Remi Amadi) in the said match manipulation.

“The result of the match between Cofine FC v. Bussdor FC played on 15th March 2021 at University of Calabar Stadium, Cross Rivers State is hereby cancelled.

“Coach Remi Amadi is found guilty of master-minding the attempted match manipulation between Cofine FC v. Bussdor FC in a match played on 15th March, 2021 at University of Calabar Stadium, Cross Rivers State and is hereby banned for a period of two (2) years from taking part in any football-related activities from the 15th March, 2021 until the 14th March, 2023.

Naomi Osaka Again! Leaves Press Conference In Tears

Emenike Agu
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Naomi Osaka Again! Leaves Press Conference In Tears

A tearful Naomi Osaka briefly left a press conference in Cincinnati on Monday (Aug 16) after her relationship with the journalists was put under the spotlight by a reporter who accused her of using the media when it suits her.

Osaka has lately had a strained relationship with sections of the media, saying her mental health is adversely impacted by certain lines of questioning.

Hence on Monday when a local Cincinnati reporter at the Western and Southern Open suggested that Osaka benefits from her huge media profile but does not like speaking to reporters, the world number two teared up as she tried to formulate an answer.

“When you say I’m not crazy about dealing with you guys, what does that refer to?” asked Osaka, who is of Japanese-Haitian heritage.

“Ever since I was younger, I have had a lot of media interest on me, and I think it’s because of my background as well.

“I can’t really help that there are some things that I tweet or some things that I say that kind of create a lot of news articles or things like that… but I would also say I’m not really sure how to balance the two. Like I’m figuring it out at the same time as you are, I would say.” During the exchange, she wiped away tears and pulled her visor over her eyes to hide her face before the moderator called for a pause to proceedings.

Osaka left the room briefly but returned to complete the news conference after regaining her composure.

The exchange highlighted the challenges Osaka faces as one of the world’s most famous athletes.

In the lead up to this year’s French Open in May, Osaka said she would be boycotting the obligatory post-match news conferences  at the claycourt major to protect her mental health. The decision led to a backlash from Grand Slam tournament organisers, who fined her and threatened to ban her from the majors if she refused to speak to the media.

The standoff not only led to Osaka revealing that she has struggled to cope with depression for a number of years but it also prompted her to pull out from Roland Garros and Wimbledon for the sake of her mental well-being.

After losing early at the Tokyo Games, where she was given the honour of lighting the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony, she admitted she struggled to cope with the huge pressure and expectation placed on her.

Osaka’s agent Stuart Duguid condemned the reporter’s line of questioning on Monday in a written statement provided to Reuters.

“The bully at the Cincinnati Enquirer is the epitome of why player/media relations are so fraught right now,” said Duguid.

“Everyone on that Zoom will agree that his tone was all wrong and his sole purpose was to intimidate. Really appalling behavior,” he said.

“And this insinuation that Naomi owes her off court success to the media is a myth – don’t be so self-indulgent.” The reporter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The 23-year-old Japanese player has used her platform to call attention to mental health issues and said she has felt supported by her fellow athletes.

“The biggest eye opener was going to the Olympics and having other athletes come up to me and say they were really glad that I did what I did,” she said.

“I’m proud of what I did and I think that it was something that needed to be done.”

Evacuation flights resume at Kabul airport as Biden defends US withdrawal

Elizabeth Williams
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Evacuation flights resume at Kabul airport as Biden defends US withdrawal

Military flights evacuating diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan resumed early on Tuesday after the runway at Kabul airport was cleared of thousands of people desperate to flee after the Taliban seized the capital.
The number of civilians at the airport had thinned out, a Western security official at the facility told Reuters, a day after chaotic scenes in which U.S. troops fired to disperse crowds and people clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it taxied for take-off.


Many people who were here yesterday have gone home,” the official said. Reuters witnesses, however, could still hear occasional shots coming from the direction of the airport, while streets elsewhere in the city appeared calm.
U.S. forces took charge of the airport, their only way to fly out of the country, on Sunday, as the militants were winding up a dramatic week of advances across the country with their takeover of the capital without a fight.
Flights were suspended flights for much of Monday, when at least five people were killed, witnesses said, although it was unclear whether they had been shot or crushed in a stampede.
Media reported two people fell to their deaths from the underside of a U.S. military aircraft after it took off, crashing to their deaths on roofs of homes near the airport.
A U.S. official told Reuters U.S. troops had killed two gunmen who had appeared to have fired into the crowd at the airport.
Despite the scenes of panic and confusion in Kabul, U.S. President Joe Biden defended his decision to withdraw U.S. forces after 20 years of war – the nation’s longest – that he described as costing more than $1 trillion.

Ghana’s Gyan And Cote d’Ivoire’s Zokora Hope For The Best For Their Teams

Emenike Agu
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Ghana’s Gyan And Cote d’Ivoire’s Zokora Hope For The Best For Their Teams

Organisers of the Africa Cup of Nations draw holding Tuesday evening have extended invites to two former international as special guests.

They are Ghanaian and Ivorian legends Asamoah Gyan and Didier Zokora.

According to CAF, the two former internationals, happy to be in Yaoundé for the ceremony, are eager to know the composition of the groups for the final tournament.

Didier Zokora, the most capped player in Côte d’Ivoire team, is eager to experience the event. 

“I wish my country had a fairly understanding hen. All the qualified countries are great nations. We have to avoid the top teams and after the rest we can manage,” said the former Elephants’ midfielder, better known as “Maestro Zokora”.

The pretext of this draw gives him the opportunity to meet other legends of African football such as Asamoah Gyan.

The Ghanaian, who took part in the last Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, hopes the best for the team he  played for for 16 years. 

“We’re hoping for a good draw for Ghana with an affordable group, because everyone wants to go through the first round and continue the adventure.

“All I can say is I wish Ghana the best of luck in the draw. Ghana is a country of football, with many talents. We have a team of young people who play well in their clubs. It’s a rebuilding team with a new coach,” said the 51-goal striker with the Black Stars.

Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana are placed in pot 2 of the draw, alongside Egypt, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.

The draw will take place at the Yaounde Conference Centre at 7 p.m. local time (6 p.m. GMT).

At the end of the ceremony, which will be streamed on CAF’s digital platforms, the composition of the different groups will be revealed.

The final tournament of the  Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021 will take place from January 9 to February 6, 2022.

Israeli Firefighters Battle Blaze Near Jerusalem For 3rd Day

Zoe Maven
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Israeli Firefighters Battle Blaze Near Jerusalem For 3rd Day

Israeli firefighters worked for a third consecutive day on Tuesday to contain a wildfire that has consumed a large swath of forest west of Jerusalem and threatened several communities.

Israel Fire and Rescue Service said that 110 firefighting teams accompanied by eight aircraft were working to combat the fire that has consumed around 20 square kilometers of land, making it one of the largest wildfires in the country’s history.

Five trucks of Palestinian firefighters joined in the operation.

On Monday Israel asked regional ally Greece for assistance in fighting the fire, and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said he was also reaching out to Cyprus, Italy and France for possible assistance.

Hot, dry weather and short winters in recent years have left the wooded hills near Jerusalem especially prone to wildfires. The blaze that began Sunday has cloaked Jerusalem in a pall of thick black smoke.

Fire and Rescue chief Dedi Simchi said investigators were still working to determine the cause of the fire.

The fire broke out as a result of human actions, whether it’s negligence or rashness or malice or arson, we don’t know,” he told reporters on Monday.

UK’s Johnson Wants To Discuss Afghanistan With G7

Zoe Maven
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UK’s Johnson Wants To Discuss Afghanistan With G7

Prime Minister Boris Johnson intends to hold a virtual meeting of Group of Seven leaders at the earliest opportunity to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

The statement was released from his office after the British leader spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday.

According to the statement, both leaders resolved to use their bilateral and multilateral influence to encourage international partners to adopt a joined-up approach to the challenges ahead.

The Prime Minister also stressed the need to agree shared international standards on human rights that any future Taliban government in Afghanistan will be held to by the international community.

In addition, The Prime Minister outlined his intention to convene G7 leaders for a virtual meeting to discuss this at the earliest opportunity.

Malaysia’s King Calls On Parties To Work Together

Zoe Maven
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Malaysia’s King Calls On Parties To Work Together

Malaysia’s king asked leaders from different parties to work together to address the economic and health woes facing the country, as he began a search on Tuesday to replace Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister.

The constitutional monarch, King Al-Sultan Abdullah, who met leaders of political parties on Tuesday, had previously ruled out elections because of the pandemic, saying he would appoint a prime minister he believed likely to command a majority.

In line with the king’s decree, the speaker of Malaysia’s parliament asked lawmakers on Tuesday to each submit a letter to the palace stating their choice of the next prime minister.

The king, meanwhile, told political leaders that the new prime minister must have a majority in the parliament, but also that “the shape of politics must change,” opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said after meeting the monarch.

Malaysia has been in a state of political flux since widespread graft accusations led to the 2018 election defeat of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which had governed for more than 60 years since independence.

Mahathir Mohamad led the opposition to election victory for the first time, but the alliance collapsed from infighting. Muhyiddin then put together a coalition with political parties that were defeated in the polls, including UMNO.

But that alliance was also fragile, and a constant tussle with UMNO, which balked at playing second fiddle, prompted Muhyiddin’s resignation after just 17 months in office.

At present, no lawmaker has a clear majority in parliament. The opposition bloc and UMNO, Malaysia’s biggest party, are split on support for their prime ministerial candidates.

Hopes For Quake Survivors Dwindle As Storm Lashes Haiti

Zoe Maven
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Hopes For Quake Survivors Dwindle As Storm Lashes Haiti

Heavy rains lashed Haiti on Tuesday night, complicating rescue efforts and drenching thousands left homeless by a devastating earthquake that killed at least 1,419 people, as hopes dimmed for survivors.

Tropical Depression Grace churned over the regions of southwest Haiti worst-hit by Saturday’s quake of magnitude 7.2, whipping devastated towns with high winds and torrential rains, causing flooding in at least one area.

The earthquake brought down tens of thousands of buildings in the poorest country in the Americas, which is still recovering from a major quake 11 years ago that killed more than 200,000 people.

The latest disaster comes just over a month after Haiti was plunged into political turmoil by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7.

Several major hospitals were severely damaged, hampering humanitarian efforts, as were the focal points of many shattered communities, such as churches and schools.

Haitian authorities said on Monday that 1,419 deaths had been confirmed, with some 6,900 people injured.

As hopes began to dim of finding significant numbers of survivors among the wreckage, the storm impeded rescuers in the seaside city of Les Cayes, about 150 km west of the capital Port-au-Prince, which bore the brunt of the quake.

The storm is expected to dump up to 15 inches of water on parts of Haiti, creating a risk of flash floods, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Centre.

Rescue workers from across Haiti were digging alongside residents through the rubble on Monday evening in a bid to reach bodies, though few voiced hope of finding anyone alive. A smell of dust and decomposing bodies permeated the air.

Makurdi Flood Destroys Homes

Rhoda Onuzulike
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Makurdi Flood Destroys Homes

Thousands of residents in several parts of Makurdi the Benue state capital have been submerged and property worth millions of naira destroyed following a heavy rainfall which started early hours of Monday.

The torrential downpour which was accompanied by heavy wind is said to have left many part of the Makurdi metropolis and caused damage to several buildings, property and farmlands in the state capital.

The rain which started at around 1am lasted till about 2pm Monday, submerging most of the drainage channels in some of the affected communities in the town.

Among the areas affected where the popular Wurukum market, Idye village, Gyado Villa, Achusa, Wadata Rice Mill, Welfare Quarters, Agba village, Kutcha Utebe, Genabe village and Apaa Batur community.

At the rice Mill in Wadata area of the state capital, Madam Rebbeca said that the flood has destroyed some of their house items.

“You can see how we have evacuated our property out as a result of the flood, the problem is where we are going to lay our heads tonight,” she lamented.

Mr Sunday, who is a civil servant said that the heavy downpour has rendered his family homeless and appealed to the state government to come to their aids.

“There was nothing we could do, we were helpless and have no way to run to, I have sent my family to take refuge in my brother’s house at a safer place.”

Effort to reach the Commissioner for Water Resources and Environment, Dondo Ahire was unsuccessful.

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