Sport
Entrepreneur advocates sports as tool for national unity
Mrs Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, a media entrepreneur and politician, has called for the use of sports to promote unity, peace and development in Nigeria.
Benjamins-Laniyi made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at a press briefing on the sidelines of the inaugural Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi (ABL) FCT unity football championship.
She said the football competition, with participation of the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was meant to foster unity and discover grassroot talents for the national teams.
“We are here to make a statement that we can achieve unity through sports and build a new prosperous nation.
“This initiative, the Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi sports tournament is an expression of premium sports for unity and indeed propelling our Nigerian youth through grassroots representation in the six area councils of the FCT,” she said.
The CEO of Doxa Group, said she would continue to work with the the FCT sports council and other relevant stakeholders to promote sports and empower Nigerian youths.
“I rise as a mother, a media entrepreneur, a politician, as a patriot to make a call for unity through sports.
“What makes a nation stand is unity, so we should rise above tribe, religion and race,” she said.
Earlier, Luka Istifanus, Director, FCT Sports Council, thanked the organiser of the competition for the laudable initiative.
He said the FCT was committed to grassroots sports development and improving it’s participation in major competitions such as the National Sports Festival (NSF) and National Youth Games (NYG).
NAN reports that over 80 teams and 1,200 players from the six FCT area councils have been slugging it at the ABL championship, which is now in the quarter-finals stage.
The grand-finale of the competition is slated for Saturday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
In a recent interview, former Nigerian football star Yakubu Aiyegbeni has revealed that he continues to receive messages and criticisms from fans, years after his infamous miss during the 2010 FIFA World Cup match against South Korea.
The moment, etched into football history, occurred during Nigeria’s crucial group stage game against South Korea. With the score tied at 2-2 and a spot in the knockout stages on the line, Aiyegbeni found himself with what seemed like an open goal opportunity. However, to the shock of fans worldwide, he missed the chance, leaving Nigeria unable to secure the much-needed victory.
Despite this moment happening over a decade ago, Aiyegbeni expressed his surprise at the ongoing messages he receives about the miss. “I still get messages from people, different messages,” he stated in the interview. “It’s surprising how that moment still sticks with people, even after all these years.”
The striker, who had a successful career playing for clubs like Everton and Portsmouth in the English Premier League, admitted that the miss was a tough moment in his career. “Of course, it was a big moment, and I wish it had gone differently. But in football, you have highs and lows,” he remarked.
Serie A giants Napoli have announced the departure of coach Rudi Garcia after a poor spell and announced his successor with immediate effect
Reigning Serie A champions Napoli have announced the departure of French manager Rudi Garcia after a poor run of form that sees the Partenopei handing on to faint hopes of defending the Scudetto title won last season.
Napoli have only claimed one win in their last four matches in all competitions, trailing Serie A leaders Inter by 10 points while also trailing Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League by five points.
Osimhen gets new coach as Napoli reportedly appoint Walter Mazzarri to replace Rudi Garcia
With the Partenopei looking a lot worse than they did at this stage last season, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has chosen to act swiftly before things get out of hand.
The club chief revealed that Garcia had been relieved of his duty, after posting a message on social media platform X to announce the arrival of the Frenchman’s replacement.
Napoli announce Garcia successor
That replacement is a former Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri[url][/url], who was welcomed back to the club by De Laurentiis, who was also the owner during his last spell at the club.
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