By Olayinka Owolewa

Oluwatoyin Oniye, Chairman, Kwara United Fans, on Tuesday in Ivorian, urged fans to stay at home for Wednesday’s Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) match day four clash between Kwara United and Akwa United.

Oniye who made the appeal at a media briefing on Tuesday in Ilorin, said it was in compliance with the directive on COVID19 protocols by the Presidential Task Force and League Management Company (LMC).

The chairman pleaded with the fans to pray for the team to win convincingly on Wednesday.

“We don’t want any spectator to watch the match following Presidential Task Force and LMC directives on COVID19 protocols and also for security reasons.

“If we fail to adhere to this, LMC may sanction Kwara United with either a ban from Ilorin or fine us.

“I want to use this medium to plead with our ever reliable SWAN members to continue their excellent records of good stories and write ups,” he said.

Oniye dismissed the widely publicised statement by Kenedy Boboye, Akwa United FC’s coach on his mission to beat Kwara United in Ilorin, saying football was played on the pitch and not with mouth.

He assured fans that Kwara United would win convincingly when they faced Akwa United.

Recall that Kwara United lost their match day three encounter with Rivers United on Sunday in Port Harcourt 3-0. (NAN)

A further 36 positive tests were reported by the 20 English Premier League clubs between Jan. 4 and Sunday.

A total of 27 of the tests came between Jan. 4 and Thursday, with 10 more coming between Friday and Sunday, the Premier League said in a statement.

The 36 positive tests represent a slight reduction on the record number of 40 tests in the previous week.

A total of 2,593 tests were conducted across the 20 clubs.(dpa/NAN)

Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, which is owned by U.S. President Donald Trump, has been stripped of the 2022 PGA Championship, the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) of America said on Sunday.

“The PGA of America Board of Directors voted tonight to exercise the right to terminate the agreement to play the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster,” PGA of America President Jim Richerson tweeted.

In a video posted on the organisation’s website, Richerson added that hosting the tournament at the course in New Jersey would tarnish the PGA of America’s image. It did not disclose a replacement venue.

“It has become clear that conducting the PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the PGA of America brand and would put at risk the PGA’s ability to deliver our many programmes and sustain the longevity of our mission.”

A representative for the Trump Organisation said they were “incredibly disappointed” with the decision.

“We have had a beautiful partnership with the PGA of America … This is a breach of a binding contract and they have no right to terminate the agreement,” the representative said.

“As an organisation we have invested many millions of dollars in the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster.

“We will continue to promote the game of golf on every level and remain focused on operating the finest golf courses anywhere in the world.”

The decision to move the men’s major comes after the U.S. president exhorted thousands of supporters to march on the Capitol on Wednesday as Congress met to certify his defeat to Joe Biden.

The development prompted chaos in which crowds breached the building and forced the evacuation of both chambers.

Five people died in the rampage by Trump’s backers after a fiery speech denouncing the Nov. 3 election results by the Republican president. (Reuters/NAN)

Mauricio Pochettino claimed his first win with Paris St Germain (PSG) on Saturday as the French champions edged closer to the top of the Ligue 1 table.

They beat Stade Brestois 3-0 at home, prevailing through goals by Moise Kean, Mauro Icardi and Pablo Sarabia to be on 39 points from 19 games.

The title-holders are one point behind Lyon who salvaged a 2-2 draw at Rennes.

Three days after a lacklustre performance during a 1-1 draw at Saint-Etienne in Pochettino’s debut, PSG failed to impress again.

But at least they bagged three points at the Parc des Princes this time around.

Marquinhos’ header bounced off the post and into the path of Italy forward Kean, who tapped in for his ninth goal in 13 league games.

It took a quick save from Gautier Larsonneur to deny Marquinhos shortly afterwards as PSG kept the pressure on.

But the home side were far from convincing and left it late to wrap it up.

Icardi doubled the tally nine minutes from time with a cool finish from Kylian Mbappe’s pass, before Sarabia added the third two minutes later with a crossed shot. (Reuters/NAN)

By Muhyideen Jimoh

Nigeria’s national under-17 male team on Saturday drew 1-1 with the Black Starlets of Ghana in the ongoing WAFU Under-17 Tournament at Lome in Togo.

With the draw, Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals of the tournament hangs in the balance, having lost 0-1 to Cote d’ Ivoire in their first match.

In the pulsating match against arch rivals Ghana, the Eaglets started the match on a positive note but ended the first half goalless.

The second half saw the Eaglets piling on pressure and were eventually awarded a penalty kick in the 77th minute, which was converted by Joseph Arumala.

Ghana drew level almost immediately, after they were also awarded a penalty kick in the 84th minute which was duly converted.

Nigeria now have just one point from two games, same as Ghana with a game outstanding, while Cote d’ Ivoire are topping the group with three points.

Cote d’Ivoire must now beat Ghana by at least two goals for Nigeria to have any hope of progressing.(NAN)

Real Madrid were held to a goalless draw at struggling Osasuna on Saturday, failing to overcome the unforgiving conditions amid persistent snow and passing up the chance to go clear at the top of La Liga.

Zinedine Zidane’s side were held up on the runway in Madrid for four hours, a day before the game, due to the snowstorm that pummeled Spain.

Things also did not get any easier for them when they kicked-off on the snowy pitch at the El Sadar Stadium.

The closest they came to finding a breakthrough was when Karim Benzema had two goals ruled out for offside in the second half, while they were fortunate not to concede to an Osasuna side who got their tactics spot on.

The draw kept the champions second in the standings on 37 points, one behind leaders Atletico Madrid, whose game against Athletic Bilbao was postponed due to the snowstorm, leaving them with three games in hand. Osasuna stay 19th.

Real midfielder Toni Kroos said his side should have done better, not withstanding the tough conditions.

“We created very few chances, a team of our quality needs to create more, even when the pitch is difficult to play on like it was today.

“We knew that our opponents were going to defend like they did,” he said.

“The pitch is no excuse, both sides had to play on this pitch. We can’t be happy with the result because we’re fighting to be top of the league and this draw doesn’t help us.”

A team of 50 workers laboured throughout the day to make the pitch playable and clear it of the snow that covered the city of Pamplona and continued to fall during the match.

But the conditions inevitably favoured Osasuna, who were happy to sit back and defend deep to afford their visitors as little space as possible.

The plan worked, as Madrid failed to have a shot on target in the first half for the first time this season in the league.

Osasuna, who had lost six of their previous 10 league games and have not won a match since October, had the best chance to score in the first half when defender Oier got on the end of a cross from a corner.

However, Thibaut Courtois threw up a hand to keep the ball out.

Madrid’s only attempt on target came early in the second half when Marco Asensio let fly from outside the box but Osasuna keeper Sergio Herrera got across to make the save.

By Emmanuel Afonne

The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has approved Para-Badminton  to be featured at the forthcoming National Sports Festival scheduled for Edo State, later this month.

The National Coordinator of Nigeria Para-Badminton, Sam Ekeoma, who disclosed this on Friday, in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the approval was for it to feature as a demonstration sport at the festival.

Ekeoma said efforts were underway to ensure states embraced the sport, leading to the introduction of a national league.

“The Ministry of Sports has approved that para-badminton will be a demonstration sport at the National Sports Festival, in Edo State, and once the game is demonstrated at the National Sports Festival, other things will follow.

“And because there are about 15 medals to win in para-badminton, many states will embrace it.

“Para-Badminton has been accepted by Nigerians, the Federal Government and the Paralympic Committee of Nigeria (PCN) has included para-badminton as one of the games Nigeria will feature in at the Paralympics, if our athlete qualifies,” Ekeoma said.

According to him, a Nigerian, Bello Rafiu Oyebanji, from Kwara State, currently the African para-badminton champion, was already on the verge of qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Ekeoma also said that Bello, the best player in Africa in Standing Lower for Men (SL4), qualified for the 2020 Brazil International Para-Badminton Championship and Spanish International Para-Badminton championships, but was hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic as both countries cancelled the championships.

The coordinator further said that Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu, wife of the Abia State Governor had, in December 2020, promised to sponsor a para badminton championship in April 2021, as part of efforts to develop the sport in the country.

“The board of Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), led by its president, visited the wife of Abia State Governor in December during which she assured that she will be sponsoring an annual para-badminton championship beginning from April this year.

“She said it will be an annual event. She also donated a Space bus to para-badminton to ease the movement of players in the country, because we have been active since 2014,” Ekeoma added. (NAN)

By Ijeoma Okigbo

No fewer than 200 players are expected to participate in the Edo Cricket League, scheduled to begin on Saturday, the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) has said.

Theophilus Ibodeme, the Regional Development Officer (RDO), South-South of NCF, made the disclosure while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Friday in Abuja.

He said that the male competition, organised by the Edo Cricket Association, had eight teams which would feature in the event.

“Eight clubs will feature in the event, with two of them being from the University of Benin and Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

“The game’s format is a T20 Super League. This is a round robin situation. All teams will play against each other.

“The top four will qualify for Super 4 tournament, which is a one-day international and knock-out phase. This event will determine the winner of the competition,” Ibodeme said.

The NCF official said that the league was aimed at discovering talents as well as promoting and driving grassroots sports development.

“You cannot determine your level of development without competition.

“Secondly, it will give the state and NCF a score card at the International Cricket Council (ICC) level.

“The ICC are interested in leagues that have eight teams. If the league doesn’t have up to eight teams, it will not be ranked at international level.

“Before now, the league had four teams and wasn’t ranked, but now, with eight teams, according to the ICC, the league will be on the rankings log.

“This is a plus for the league and by extension, the NCF,” Ibodeme added.

The RDO, who said that the league was expected to last till April, added that all the necessary COVID-19 protocols would be adhered to at the competition.

NAN reports that Edo Boys High School and Iyoba College Ugbowo, both in Benin, have been picked as the venues for the event. (NAN)

World Football governing body FIFA said on Friday it would test the use of an extra substitute in the case of suspected concussion at the Club World Cup in Qatar next month.

FIFA said the move prioritised player welfare and sent a “strong message that, if in any doubt, the player should be withdrawn” from the game.

Teams at the Feb. 1 to Feb. 11 tournament will still be able to make five normal substitutions, as is common in many competitions during the coronavirus-impacted season.

This is in addition to one more substitution in the case of a potential concussion.

The rule-making body IFAB approved the use of concussion substitutes in December.

European champions Bayern Munich headline the seven-team tournament whose fixtures will be drawn on Jan. 19.(dpa/NAN)

By Bushrah Yusuf-Badmus

World Athletics has announced that potential hosts for three World Athletics Series events including the new World Athletics Road Running Championships, should register their interest by March 1.

The world athletics governing body, in a statement on its website, said the Championships would become part of the prestigious World Athletics Series in 2023.

It added that the event would be a week-long festival of road-running, encompassing the existing World Athletics Half-Marathon Championships, and the inaugural edition would also feature championship races over 5km.

“There will also be mass races to allow recreational runners to be part of the event,” the statement read.

It further said the Bid guides for the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships, the 2023 World Athletics Relays and the 2025 World Athletics Championship were now available to download.

“The Bid documents contain pages of useful information for prospective host cities of World Athletics Series events, outlining the benefits for hosts, the social and environmental impact and the revenue potential.

“Bidding requirements, processes and timelines are also included in each Bid guide.’’

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the World Athletics Relays is a hugely popular event, featuring a range of men’s, women’s and mixed relay disciplines.

The highest-placed teams in the 4x100m and 4x400m finals earn qualification for the World Championships later that year.

The World Athletics Championships, meanwhile, is the jewel in the crown of World Athletics’ global competition programme.

It is the third largest sports event in the world, involving approximately 2,000 athletes from more than 200 nations competing for 49 gold medals. (NAN)