Sports

Ex-NFF Vice President Commends FCT Secondary School Football Tournament

Published

1 year ago

December 3, 2023

Ex-NFF Vice President Predicts Bright Future For Discovered Talents At FCT Secondary School Football Tournament

Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Vice President, Shehu Dikko has commended the brains behind the maiden FCT Secondary School Football Tournament.

The former Chairman of defunct League Management Committee who doubles as the Chairman of the event held on Saturday at the Waldorf Knoll Academy Football pitch, Jabi, Abuja encouraged other States across the country to put such grassroots football tournament involving young boys for the development of the game.

Speaking at the event, Dikko said, “Grassroots football is the way for us to go. We have to connect with our schools because the kids that play at that level whether U13, U15, U16 or whatever, the first thing is to make sure that they are of school age. That is the best connection and we must make sure that we include schools within that framework so that we can get success and proper records for these boys and follow up with them so that they develop and reach the level they want to reach at the the U17, U20, national teams, clubs and a couple of them.

“I think we have to encourage this kind of competition. All schools should be encouraged to organise what we have seen here today. It could be annually, quarterly or what have you and prepare these kids for the future. These are truly young players who only played for fun but showed great football artistry and display.

“I have seen a lot of good players with bright futures and I have told the schools involved that they should keep eyes on them and even some of our colleagues who are involved in managing players because, in the next one or two years, some of these boys will be really up there,” Dikko who was also a former chairman of the defunct League Management Company (LMC), said.

At the end of hostilities, the host, Waldorf Knoll Academy, emerged as champions defeating HHH Foundation School by 2 goals to nothing during an entertaining and thrilling final.

Hussaini Yahaya of Aduvie International School emerged as the Most Valuable Player (MVP), Yasir Yusuf of HHH Foundation School got the best goalkeeper award while Moses Yakubu of Waldorf Knoll Academy was the highest goal scorer with four goals.

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Sports

Cricket: Nigeria To Host ICC U19 Men’s World Cup Qualifier

Published

13 hours ago

March 17, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

Nigeria Cricket Federation , NCF, says it is ready to host five other nations for the International Cricket Council ,ICC, Under 19 Men’s World Cup African Qualifier.

The tournament is billed for Lagos, with the matches to be held at the cricket ovals in Tafawa Balewa Square ,TBS, and the University of Lagos ,UniLag, from March 26 to April 6.

Uyi Akpata, President of the Federation, said in a statement on Sunday, that the tournament is about celebrating the growth of the game on the continent.

“Nigeria is thrilled to welcome these talented young cricketers and their supporters to Lagos.
“Our nation is known for its warm hospitality and fascinating cricketing potential, and we are committed to making this qualifier a memorable experience for all.

“This tournament is not just about competition; it’s about celebrating the growth of cricket in Africa and inspiring the next generation of players”, Akpata noted.

However, Kenya, Uganda, Namibia, Tanzania and Sierra Leone will join Nigeria to jostle for the continent’s sole ticket to the 2026 ICC Under 19 Men’s World Cup.

Meanwhile, Nigeria will be hoping to secure the ticket, having achieved same feat in 2019 and competing at the World Cup in South Africa 2020

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