By Ariwodola Idowu

Gov. Kayode Fayemi has signed into law, the Ekiti State Sports Development Trust Fund (SDTF) Bill, which seeks to promote sports, attract sponsorship and be an employment generating sector for youths.

Mr Ayodeji Samo, the General Manager, Ekiti State Sports Council, who made this known in a statement in Ado Ekiti, on Sunday, added that the fund would bring more development to the sports sector when implemented.

“With the fund in place, there will be Public-Private partnership in the sponsorship of sporting activities and make the sector a priority of government in terms of funding.

“SDTF is strategic for the development of sports. Now that white collar jobs are not in place, there would be need for us to develop the sports sector to help in generating employments for our youths and build their skills to be able to compete locally, nationally and internationally,” Sami quoted Gov. Fayemi as saying.

The General Manager applauded the governor for the development, saying it was unprecedented in the history of sports in the state, alongside several other giant strides to develop the sector in the state.

He identified such accomplishments to include: creation of the ministry of Sports, re-surfacing of the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium and the regular sponsorship of the Ekiti United Football Club, as well as the state’s female team.

Samo said: “The board and the management of sports appreciate the SDTF that was signed into law by Governor Fayemi. This is unprecedented and will boost sporting activities in our dear state.

“With this, our athletes can now attain a higher height and win more laurels and trophies for our dear state locally, nationally and internationally.

“Sport is a money spinning activity, but capital intensive. Now that more funding will be available through SDTF, Ekiti will soon gain recognition as a state where huge potentials in sports and we can rake in more revenues for the State” .

He also thanked the State House of Assembly for the speedy passage of the bill, describing it as a potent tool that would lift the sports sector in the state to enviable height. (NAN)

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has said there was “no hiding place” for him and his players after they suffered their 15th Premier League defeat of the season at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Jeffrey Schlupp and Eberechi Eze scored a goal apiece as Palace heaped more misery on United with a 2-0 victory, leaving the Blades bottom of the table with two points, 11 adrift of the safety zone.

Wilder’s side have not won in 17 league games this season — the longest winless run from the start for an English top-flight side.

“We don’t look like an established club,” Wilder said.

“We are obviously not and we are fighting to gain that and it’s going to be an incredible struggle to do that from the position we are in.

“We’re obviously disappointed with the stats we’re being reminded of. It’s a harsh league when you’re off the pace as we have been for a long time, so it’s tough. There’s no hiding place for me and the players.”

The Blades were last season’s surprise package, when the promoted side finished ninth, but they have struggled with injuries in their fight for top-flight survival this season.

“I keep saying (that) people will always compare us to last year… Last year is last year and we can’t do anything about that,” Wilder said.

“That was us at our best… (with) no major injuries and players playing to the best of their abilities.

“(Today) we had nine missing players which would have hurt us even in League One, where we were four-and-a-half years ago.

“Both penalty boxes have decided the game and we weren’t good enough in either.”

Sheffield faces Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup third round on Jan. 9, before hosting Newcastle United in the league three days later.

Pope Francis has hailed fellow Argentine Diego Maradona as a “poet” on the pitch, but also acknowledged his frailty away from the sport.

In a wide-ranging interview with Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport published on Saturday, Francis recalled his own days playing soccer as a child with a ball made of rags and laid bare his scorn for doping cheats.

Francis is a big soccer fan and met Maradona, who died in November, several times after becoming pope in 2013.

“On the field he was a poet, a great champion who gave joy to millions of people, in Argentina as in Naples. He was also a very fragile man,” Francis said.

Maradona played for Napoli from 1984 to 1991 winning two Serie A titles and the UEFA Cup.

In 1986, he captained the Argentine team to victory in the World Cup.

Despite his love for the game, Francis said he was living in Germany at the time and was not able to see the final played in Mexico against West Germany.

He only discovered the result the next day when a student wrote “Viva Argentina” on the blackboard during a language class.

“I personally remember it as a victory of loneliness because I had no one to share the joy of that sporting victory with,” he said.

Francis said he himself had no talent for the sport and was forced by his companions to play in goal.

“But being a goalkeeper was a great school of life for me. The goalkeeper must be ready to respond to dangers that can come from all sides,” he said.

Being poor, he recalled how he and his friends could not afford a proper ball, so had to improvise: “All we needed was a ball made of rags to have fun and perform.”

While extolling the virtues of sports, Francis took aim at athletes who took performance enhancing drugs.

“Doping in sport is not only cheating, it is a shortcut that destroys dignity,” he said.

“Better a clean defeat than a dirty victory. I wish this for the whole world, not just the world of sport.”