Sports
With Coming Of Coach Eric Chelle Super Eagles ‘ll Be In 2026 World Cup -Shuiabu
Joel Ajayi
Former Deputy Governor of Edo State Comrade Philip Shuaibu has said that with coming of new coach Eric Chelle the Nigeria Super Eagles will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Former Sand Eagles player stated this on Thursday in Abuja when he visited National Sports Commission NSC Director General Bukola Olopade in his office.
According to him, the good thing is that, we have a French coach now, not just Malian, but a French coach.
“I know some of us in Africa want to claim him as our, for me is a French coach that we have I think the statistics speaks volumes. That is what we need to look at., though I saw pockets of resistance Nigerians. It’s normal. I think what is key is for us to look at the statistics that he is bringing on board.
“And there’s one factor that we must deal with, and until we deal with that factor, we continue to have foreign coach as our national team.
“If any of the local coaches take us to this qualifying, and God forbid we don’t qualify it might not raise more dust but if its local coaches NSC, NFF will be in trouble
“So, we need to first take that mentality of, until we get to that level of knowing that our own indigenous coach can do what the foreign coach can do.
“And I think in the wisdom of the National Sports Commission and the NFF, they’ve given us a new coach. And one thing I know about this coach is that, when I look at the Malian team, at the Africa Nations cup in Cote devoir, you see young boys, and our Nigerian team is now full of these young boys.
“So, bringing him at this time shows that the NFF, the technical committee, have done their check. And from my own thinking and from my own experience of what I saw him do with Malian team, I think we have a new coach that will bring out the best out of them.
“I’m seeing this coach Eric Chelle being to bring younger players together.
“So, if he’s bringing that on board, with Coach Eric Chelle, I am sure, Nigeria Super Eagles will be Los Angeles come 2026. “
Sports
A Triumphant Close to the 22nd National Sports Festival
…As organisers promise another spectacle at closing ceremony on Thursday
Joel Ajayi
After 11 days of a true showcase of sporting competition in multiple Sports by some of the country’s top and even promising athletes, the curtain will finally be drawn on what many have described as one of the best ever organised National Sports festivals, when the closing ceremony is held on Thursday at the MKO Sports Arena in Abeokuta.
Whilst the quality of the Games’ opening ceremony is still getting tongues wagging, the entire sporting family and beyond is now anxiously looking forward to what the closing ceremony will look like.
The last 11 days have showcased Ogun state as a true Sporting hub with potential to even do more, with the quality of the facilities built for the games and the enthusiasm of the people who made the various venues their second home in the last few days.
A big testament to this was the history-making crowd that attended the male football final between Ogun state and Kwara State, which the host won by 4-1.
The MKO stadium was filled to full capacity while the crowd outside watching from the big screen reminds one of how much Sports is truly the soul of our togetherness as a country.
From the Alake Sports centre in Ijeja and the Baptist boys high school, to the Obafemi Awolowo square and the Remo stadium both in Ikenne, to the NYSC orientation camp in Shagamu, and the Ilisan town hall in Ilisan, the festival never lacked spectatorship throughout the games.
The Games actually lived up to the pre-tournament hype as both the National Sports Commission, NSC and the Ogun state Government pulled out every administrative capacity to ensure both athletes, officials and the media have an unforgettable experience.
The Gateway Games 2024 had been full of exciting drama and intrigues amongst the states and athletes which led to different new records being set and some old records being shattered.
The festival has also produced for the country some new exciting young talents especially with the shocking performance of the 38th state, the Invited Junior Athletes ( IJA), where they ended up winning some surprised medals to justify the Commission’s establishment of the initiative.
As the Closing ceremony holds on Thursday, the leadership of the National Sports commission, NSC, expresses its profound gratitude to the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Ogun State Government for making sure millions of Nigerian youths see a renewed brighter future in the country through the National Sports Festival.
The NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dilko said ” our overwhelming gratitude goes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,GCFR, for his personal commitment to the development of Nigerian Sports by giving us every support financially and otherwise for the success of this festival”.
” And the Ogun state Governor, Dapo Abiodun also deserves a huge praise for the feat we all recorded with these games. I can’t thank him enough and posterity will surely remember him for good “.
The NSC Director General who is also the Chairman of the Main organising committee of the games, Hon Bukola Olopade also extended his gratitude to all the technocrats behind the scene that are responsible for the successful organisation of the games.
” From all the members of the Main organising committee to the various sub committees, to members of the local organising committees and all our technical officials in the various sports to the media and our athletes, every success that everyone is talking about concerning these Games belongs to you all”.
” Yes it was not a perfect festival because we acknowledged we had also some challenges but let me assure everyone that some of the challenges are already being worked upon ahead of the next Games holding in Enugu state next year”, he concluded.
The Closing ceremony is expected to bring together top Government functionaries to captain of industries while there will also be the rich cultural display of the state as Ogun state will officially pass the barton of hosting to Enugu state for the 23rd edition of the Games come September 2026.
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