Connect with us

Sports

Eagles’ performance showed our strength lies in our diversity- Tinubu

Published

on

President Bola Tinubu says the Super Eagles performance at the just concluded AFCON 2023 tournament has proved that our greatest strength lies in our diversity.

He added that the team demonstrated by their team spirit and discipline that diversity is principally a source of strength.

The President was speaking at a reception in honour of the players at the State House in Abuja on Tuesday.

He commended the team for their exemplary display of unity, determination, and resilience on the field.

”It is a great honour for me to receive you, our Super Eagles. As a team, you taught us lessons on resilience, togetherness, diversity, and excitement in competitive games.

”You started the tournament as if Nigeria would not assert itself, but you progressed to the finals. Through all the challenges and dealing with great humidity in the host country, you left your clubs and honoured your country. You gave us great excitement.

”You were determined. We salute your resilience. You lifted our spirits, and you made us proud. You made us smile as Nigerians.

”It is not easy to absorb a loss, particularly when the expectations are high. But you have demonstrated sportsmanship, resilience, and teamship throughout the entire tournament.

“That is what AFCON stands for, the unity and resilience of the continent. You have done a great job, and I am very proud of you,” the President said.

Tinubu pledged to continue investing in sports and youth development, adding: ”We will consult with you on how to facilitate and promote sports development.

“As your President, I will go out to attract greater private sector investment in the Nigerian Professional Football League. We have to grow our local league, and I promise to be a super promoter of sports in our country.

ALSO READ:  TCN restores electricity in Bayelsa after 4-month blackout

“Many of you may in the future become managers of our local premiership system. I want to say once again that I am proud of you, and Nigeria is proud of you. You are a lifter of spirits.”

The president conferred national honours on member of the team, which clinched the silver medal in the competition, and announced the donation of a flat and a plot of land to each of them.

He decorated each member of the team with Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) lapel pins, while the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, distributed forms for the allocation of a plot of land to each of the players.

Minister of Sports Development, Sen. John Enoh, applauded the President for prioritising sports development in the country and ensuring support for the team.

He lauded the defining decision of creating a separate Ministry of Sports Development.

”For the first time, we have gone through a major competition.

“We have come back without any crisis, without any complaint, without any issues whatsoever relating to allowances, bonuses, or whatever.

“This kept the team focused on the matches in front of them with quality results,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the team, Mr William Troost-Ekong, the Vice-Captain, promised to work hard to surpass their achievements by winning the gold medal in the next competition.

”We are very grateful for your support during our time in Ivory Coast. We did our best until the final. I wish that we were here carrying the trophy for you.

ALSO READ:  Gov. Kefas urges  journalists to maximise digital technology

”In 2019, I was here with a bronze medal. Now we are here with a silver medal.

“I have two gold-medal winners beside me here and all we can promise is that we will continue to work hard, and the next time we meet, hopefully next year, we will be bringing home a gold medal,” the Vice-Captain said.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

It’s PSG, Inter Milan Final as Arsenal Suffer Another Paris Heartbreak

Published

on

Arsenal’s bid to win the Champions League for the first time is over after they suffered a 2-1 second-leg defeat to Paris St Germain at the Parc des Princes.

Mikel Arteta’s players were already one goal down in the semi-final first leg, and, despite a strong start, they were two behind in the tie when Fabian Ruiz struck for PSG after 27 minutes.

Vitinha missed a penalty – after Myles Lewis-Skelly was adjudged to have handled the ball following a contentious VAR review – before Achraf Hakimi put the match out of sight in the 72nd minute.

But it is PSG, who have now beaten three Premier League sides in a row, with Arsenal following Liverpool and Aston Villa in succumbing to the French champions, that will play Inter Milan in the final on May 31 after a 3-1 aggregate success.

Arsenal’s sole appearance in a Champions League final came here in Paris in 2006 where they suffered a late defeat to Barcelona, and the French capital was the scene of yet more heartbreak for the north Londoners.

RESULTS

UCL

PSG 2-1 Arsenal

(PSG 3-1 agg.)

U20 AFCON

Nigeria 2-2 Kenya

(F’Eagles for Q’finals)

Tunisia 1-3 Morocco

(Morocco for Q’finals)

Europa League

Man Utd v Bilbao

Bodo/Glimt v Tottenham

Europa Conference

Chelsea v Djurgarden

Fiorentina v Betis

ALSO READ:  Police Panel Invites Suspended Adamawa REC Over Conduct During Guber Poll
Continue Reading

Sports

Nothing can stop us from getting into Champions League final – Arsenal

Published

on

Arsenal’s Declan Rice insisted Tuesday the Gunners are confident they can “deliver something special” by overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital in the return match of their Champions League semi-final tie.

“We’re here to win the game. We’re here to make a statement. We want to get to the final. So we need to be ready to go and do that,” Rice told reporters at the Parc des Princes on the eve of Wednesday’s showdown.

“We need to have big balls and we need to go out there on the biggest stage and show that we’re ready to play at this level.

“It’s going to be the biggest night in this club’s history if we can get to the final. So we’re fully ready to go.”

PSG hold the advantage coming into Wednesday’s match after Ousmane Dembele’s early goal gave them a narrow victory at the Emirates Stadium a week ago.

However, both Rice and Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said they believed they could get the better of a side who have eliminated Premier League opposition in each of the last two rounds, knocking out Liverpool in the last 16 and Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.

“I think you need to have full belief,” Rice said.

“We certainly have that as a group. I think if we are the best versions of ourselves tomorrow night -– and we know we can be that –- there is no stopping us getting into that final.”

The England star said Arsenal could lean on the experience of facing reigning European champions Real Madrid in Spain in the last round, when Arteta’s team won 2-1 to progress 5-1 on aggregate.

ALSO READ:  Cholera: FCT schools take precautionary measures

“When we went to the Bernabeu the other week there were a lot of questions about whether we could rise to that occasion,” said Rice, who scored two wonderful free-kicks in the first leg of that tie.

“We obviously had a 3-0 lead but there was still so much talk about them coming back and playing at the Bernabeu and we had not experienced that before.

“But I think as a group we handled that amazingly well. We have proved that we can handle big situations and tomorrow night is another massive step for this team.”

Continue Reading

Sports

U-20 AFCON: Nigeria battle Morocco to goalless draw

Published

on

The Flying Eagles of Nigeria were held to a goalless draw by Morocco in their second Group B match in the ongoing U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the tightly contested clash took place on Sunday at the June 30 Air Defence Stadium in Cairo.

Clear-cut chances were few in the cagey affair.

The Flying Eagles controlled proceedings in the first half but managed only one shot on target.

Morocco dominated possession in the second half but failed to pose any serious threat to Nigeria’s goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt.

With the result, Morocco remain at the top of the group on goal difference, having accrued the same number of points as Nigeria (four).

Tunisia, who earlier defeated Kenya 3-1 in the group’s other fixture, are in third place with three points.

The Flying Eagles will face Kenya in their final Group B match on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

NAN reports that the top four teams from the tournament will qualify to represent Africa at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, scheduled to take place from Sept. 27 to Oct. 19. (NAN)

ALSO READ:  Cholera: FCT schools take precautionary measures
Continue Reading