Saturday, 14 November 2015
Swaziland hold Eagles to a draw
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Nigeria's Super Eagles and their Swaziland counterparts played out a scoreless draw in a 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifying match at the Somhlolo National Stadium in Lobamba on Friday.
Nigeria head coach Sunday Oliseh this time opted for a centre-back pairing of Efe Ambrose and Godfrey Oboabona with Shehu Abdullahi and Elderson Echiejile playing as fullbacks.
The Super Eagles from the outset pressed high up against the King's Shield of Swaziland but lacked the sharpness to open up the defence of Harris Bulunga's men.
Tony Tsabedze was clearly the man pulling the strings for the King's Shield and in the 23rd minute he let fly from distance but his effort was straight at Nigeria goalkeeper Carl Ikeme.
Five minutes later, Lazio midfielder Ogenyi Onazi saw his free kick palmed away by Nhlanhla Gwebu in the Swaziland goal and Sylvester Igbonu's rebound attempt forced the custodian of the hosts into another save before Odion Ighalo turned the loose ball off target to let the southern Africans off the hook.
Though the Nigerians enjoyed the bulk of the ball possession at the half hour mark it counted for nothing as the Swazis' confidence level grew as the game progressed.
Dlamini nearly headed them in front in the 31st minute from a corner and then a Nigerian error at the back almost gifted them a scoring chance a minute later.
But Oliseh's charges finished the first 45 minutes better. Ighalo was slipped through on goal though he turned inside of his marker but had the ball cleared off his feet before he could shoot.
Before the start of the second half, Oliseh sent on Rabiu Ibrahim for Igbonu as he felt his team needed a creative spark from the middle of the park. Nigeria had the first chance of the business end of the game when Ighalo blazed over but it was Swaziland that showed a statement of intent.
Inside the opening five minutes of the second half, Mxolisi Lukhele and team captain Tsabedze got themselves into shooting range but failed to hit the target.
On 58 minutes, Onazi's free kick from 25 yards came off the upright to the relief of Swaziland.
Four minutes later, it was the turn of Nigeria to have their hearts in their mouths when Ikeme was forced to make a point-blank save by Lukhele following a ball over the top.
The Swazis continued to be fearless in their approach but in the 65th minute Nigeria had a scoring chance when Ahmed Musa's pass picked out Simon inside the box but the KAA Gent man's attempt to create space and shoot was blocked.
In the last 20 minutes, Swaziland captain Tsabedze turned on the style with his mazy runs but his impressive play still could not unlock the Super Eagles' backline.
Nigeria gaffer Oliseh tried as he could to get something out of the contest and sent on the attacking duo of Obafemi Martins and Kelechi Iheanacho, who made his international debut at senior level, but the Swazis held out for a famous draw in Lobamba.
The decisive leg of the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifier will take place next Tuesday when Nigeria play hosts to Swaziland at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt.
By: Iyasele Joshua
Friday, 30 October 2015
Clippers down Mavs in DeAndre Jordan grudge match
30 October 2015, 08:19
Jordan reneged on a verbal agreement to join the Mavericks as a free agent, opting instead to remain with the Clippers.
Prior to tip-off, outspoken Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was dismissive of the Clippers, who have long played second-fiddle to the Lakers in Los Angeles.
But it was the Clippers who were in control for most of the game against a Mavericks team missing Chandler Parsons, JaVale McGee, Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams.
Williams suffered a left knee contusion in Wednesday's 111-95 win over Phoenix while Matthews, who scored nine points on Wednesday, was held out because Mavericks officials didn't want him playing two nights straight on his surgically repaired Achilles tendon.
Blake Griffin scored 26 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, guard Jamal Crawford added 15 points off the bench and Los Angeles led by as many as 28 points in the sometimes prickly contest.
Jordan and the Mavericks' German star Dirk Nowitzki had a brief altercation late in the first half after the two made contact under the Clippers basket.
Players from both teams traded barbs before technical fouls were issued to Jordan, Griffin and Mavs guard Raymond Felton.
The Mavericks then instituted a "hack-a-Jordan" strategy, fouling him on each of the Clippers' next three possessions.
He missed five of six attempts but Los Angeles still led 51-43 at halftime.
"I thought he handled it well," Griffin said of Jordan's response to an emotional night. "He was excited for it – but we should be excited for every game."
Knicks face tough climb
The climb back to the top of the NBA is going to be long and steep for the New York Knicks.
After a franchise-worst 17-65 campaign in 2014-15, the Knicks opened the season on Wednesday with a 122-97 victory over the Bucks in Milwaukee.
But in front of their home fans at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, the Knicks were exposed in a 112-101 loss to the Atlanta Hawks – the team that finished with last season's best regular-season record.
The Hawks used their trademark balanced attack. Six players scored in double figures and Atlanta handed out a total of 26 assists on 42 made shots.
Guard Jeff Teague led Atlanta with 23 points and eight assists. Centre Al Horford added 21 points and shooting guard Kyle Korver contributed 15.
Atlanta led by as many as 22 and were ahead by at least 11 throughout the fourth quarter.
"We weren't ready for (the Hawks)," Knicks coach Derek Fisher admitted.
Star forward Carmelo Anthony led New York with 25 points. Centre Robin Lopez, a free agent acquisition over the summer, added 18 points, and rookie forward Kristaps Porzingis of Latvia scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Porzingis, whose selection in the draft prompted derision from Knicks fans unfamiliar with his game, drew the loudest cheers of the night with a third-quarter dunk – stealing the ball in the backcourt and spinning around Paul Millsap to go in for the jam.
A strong performance from the Knicks reserves in the second quarter saw the hosts take a 31-30 lead, but the Hawks quickly regained control with a 15-4 scoring run.
Anthony continued to struggle with his shot. He is a combined 14-for-43 (32.6 percent) from the field in New York's first two games, but Fisher didn't want to get bogged down talking about that kind of stat.
"We have to get to a point where we are concerned with winning percentages and not shooting percentages," Fisher said. "Being good takes time."
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Cavaliers seek first home win of the season
by 30 October 2015, 17:39
After falling short at Chicago in the season opener, and beating Memphis on Wednesday, the Cavaliers welcome the Heat, a team that they defeated twice at home last season.
In the first of their three regular-season meetings, the Cavaliers appear favourite to extend their home winning streak against the Heat.
However, Miami come from a home win over Charlotte, and having Chris Bosh back on the squad, after missing almost half of the season due to a health condition, gives the Heat a much-needed support at both ends of the floor.
It is going to be a special game for Bosh, not only for facing James for the first time since they teamed up at Miami, but especially because, it was in Cleveland where Bosh played his final competitive game last season before blood clots put his life in jeopardy.
It’s still early in the season, and whatever the outcome of this game, it won’t say much about the potential of either for the remainder of the season. But gathering so many All-Stars in a single game such as James, Bosh, Kevin Love, Luol Deng, JR Smith and Dwyane Wade turns the contest into a must-watch.
Despite playing only two of the Cavaliers seven pre-season games, James remains at his very best, but he will be put to the test against his former teammates.
"In order for us to be who we want to be long term, we've got to defend at a high level and we need to share the ball,” James said
Biggest payout in sports betting history in Nigeria recorded at 1960Bet
The sum is undoubtedly the biggest payout in the annals of sports betting in Nigeria and Africa.
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| Professor Godwin Ighalo |
Professor Godwin Ighalo in company of two of his relatives were at hand on Wednesday 25th of August 2015 at the Corporate Head Office of Nigeria's number one Sports betting company, 1960Bet at 5 Campos Street, off Broad Street,Lagos Island for ceremonial presentation and payment.
He praised I960BET for their honesty and commitment to their customers. "1960BET have just demonstrated they are the numero uno in terms of sports betting in Nigeria by what they did today.
"I trusted that the company will pay if I win. I have tried in the past without winning and always believe that one day luck will shine on me.
''I can confirm to other punters out there that 1960Bet is the best sports betting company we have in Nigeria today. Immediately I arrived at their office, they called me in and the money was paid into my account.
"There were a lot of people out there who expressed doubts as to whether they will be able to pay the money, but 1960Bet have demonstrated they are a reliable sports betting company with this
prompt payment,".
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| MD, 1960BET, Mr Dotun Ajegbile with Professor Godwin Ighalo |
"Since my childhood days, I used to have strong interests in probability, relationships and special intelligence. "All these with adequate sports betting research I conducted over the
years, helped in making it possible,".
The Managing Director of 1960BET, Mr Dotun Ajegbile said his company by the prompt payment of the winnings have further enhanced their position as the most consistent and reliable brand in the country.
"Now it is clear that 1960BET is the most consistent, the largest and most reliable brand, having paid more winnings in the history of Sports Betting in Nigeria, and in actual fact, 1960BET has been paying since 2010.
"This latest development further proved our WINNERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME approach especially as we have made it top priority in the new season to honour all transactions, online and retail whilst guaranteeing the best odds at all times and undiluted gaming excitement in all our
shops,".
He further said: The maximum winnings on a single ticket is N40 Million and this shows that with only 3 gaming weeks gone into the current season, genuinely interesting times lie ahead for agents and punters alike and the company is well positioned for the challenges and the success the season promises,".
Friday, August 10, 2012
Why Team Nigeria Failed at London Olympics – Minister of Sports
About two weeks ago, we arrived London for the 2012 Olympics with a contingent of 51 sportsmen and women competing in 8 sports namely, athletics, weightlifting, taekwondo, boxing, wrestling, table tennis, canoeing and basketball. We were competing in the last two for the first time ever.
Even though we did not expect to win the competition, we had arrived hoping to make a decent showing. We even had reasons to believe we could surpass some of our recent achievements at this level of competing. Why not?
We had arrived London riding on the wave of a short but intensive preparation of our athletes in different parts of the world where they did not only have the benefits of high quality facilities and technical support but also had the opportunity to match up against some of the best athletes from other parts of the world, and on some occasions, beating them.
Many commentators agreed that while not ideal, we have had one of our best preparations coming into this competition in recent years. This, coupled with a system that put athletes’ welfare at the heart of planning and an atmosphere devoid of rancor and acrimony, we believed would guarantee us a couple of medals.
However, here we are, only a few days to the end of the competition. Team Nigeria is still not on the medals table. I must say this is as disappointing for my team and myself as it is for all Nigerians everywhere. But even as painful as this disappointment is, we must have the courage to see it for what it is. This, therefore, is a scientific diagnosis of our condition; a clear testimony to how far our sports have fallen behind.
We shall therefore not attempt any excuses or indulge in any unproductive blame game. Rather than see this as a failure, we must see it as an opportunity to rebuild. When other countries have found themselves in this kind of situation in the past, they have used the galvanizing power of disappointment to get down to work. At Atlanta 1996 Olympics, Team Great Britain won only one gold medal. Returning home, the right questions were asked, and the necessary actions were taken. Four years later in Sydney, they returned with 11 gold out of 28 medals. In Beijing four years ago, they returned with 19 gold medals out of 47, placing them in the fourth position. Today, Team GB is sitting pretty in the third position of the medals table surpassing their own expectation. Today, they are able to look back and say they have moved from “zeroes to heroes.” This is our chance. We can also do it. We must see this crisis as the necessary disequilibrium required for serious actions and drastic change. We will not allow this opportunity to pass.
Having being appointed Minister and Chairman, National Sports Commission only two months to the Olympics, I have had to learn very quickly. And I have not received a better lesson than in the last two weeks of the London 2012 Olympics. I have learnt three key lessons from this Olympics:
1. Olympics medal is about hard cash. It is not a coincidence that the medals table appears to reflect the level of economic development of the countries. But having the resources is one thing, making the right strategic investment is another. Team Great Britain largely owes its dramatic success to what is described as “unprecedented financial investment” totaling up to more than 740 million GBP over 15 years. The current annual spending on sports stands at 100 million GBP. However, only 40% of this comes from the treasury, while the remaining 60% is lottery fund.
Conversely, Australia finished fourth in Sydney with 16 gold medals. In London, Australia has fallen outside the top 10 with 6 gold medals. Australians have blamed reduced funding for elite athletes and a lack of facilities at the grassroots levels.
2. Every medal is clearly projected and carefully planned for both in financial and technical terms over a sustained period of time. Only years of intensive, unrelenting training and preparation can win medals. There is no short cut. Medals are won by people who have worked hardest not by those who have prayed hard. We can only win medals by building systems that are capable of producing medalists and champions not by selecting athletes that we hope can win medals.
3. Olympics are a lifetime commitment. The champion is in the child. Ye Shiwen, the 16 year old Chinese girl that shocked the swimming world by setting a new world record in individual medley was only 12 when her country hosted the Olympics. Lizzie Armistead who won the Team GB’s first medal in this Olympics with Silver in cycling got her first bicycle at the age of 4.
The immediate challenge for us is how to translate these lessons into concrete actions in the days ahead. The process of rebuilding will start with the National Sports Festival in Lagos later this year. We shall use this event to flag-off our preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and thereafter the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. Some of our top priorities in the days ahead are therefore as follows:
1. Identifying five sports that give us competitive opportunities.
2. Restructuring the Federations of these Sports to make them more democratic, accountable and efficient.
3. Developing a Sports Calendar that will ensure year-round sports activities both within and outside the schools.
4. Strategic engagement with the private sector with the aim to improve funding for sports.
5. Strengthen our coaching and training capabilities by developing strategic partnership with national and international bodies.
I thank all of you here for your support and understanding. We will keep this conversation going, in our belief that you in the media are our major strategic ally in the great task ahead. I want to say thank you to all my athletes and their coaches. They have all tried their best. Even though they have not won medals, many of them got to the quarter finals, the semifinals and finals of their various events and even setting new national, Africa and Commonwealth records in the process. But this is the Olympics, where micro-seconds have made the difference between gold medals and no medals. You are all our heroes and we can only hope to build on your achievements.
I thank the Federal Government and the people of Nigeria everywhere for their wonderful support and understanding during this difficult time. The task ahead has been made grimly clear. Therefore, lets get down to work.
By: Iyasele Joshua
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