Jose Peseiro the Super Eagles head coach,  has stated reasons behind his decision to accept a short-term contract with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Recall that Peseiro’s previous contract expired at the end of June.

There was a lot of back and forth before the Portuguese gaffer accepted a pay cut and a short term deal that will expire after the AFCON in 2024.

The 63-year-old’s contract is subject to renewal if the Super Eagles finish well at 2024 AFCON.

The Portuguese stated that the desire to win the AFCON was the main reason behind his decision.

“Me and my staff did everything in order to stay here to train these players and reach the big goal – win the AFCON title,” Peseiro told Brila FM.

The Super Eagles have won the AFCON title three times in the past.

[Newsguru]

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes provided three assists and scored once to inspire Portugal to victory against Luxembourg in a 9-0 thriller and maintained their perfect start to their Euro 2024 Group J qualifying campaign.

Despite missing Cristiano Ronaldo through suspension, Portugal produced a dominant display at Estadio Algarve with Fernandes producing a hat-trick of assists before scoring a late goal himself in the nation’s biggest international victory to date.

Goncalo Inacio opened the scoring after 12 minutes and a brace from Paris St-Germain forward Goncalo Ramos soon had the home side in complete control.

Inacio headed in a fourth in first-half stoppage time from another pin-point delivery by Fernandes.

Skysports.com reports that Roberto Martinez’s side did not let up and, just before the hour, Fernandes found Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, who raced clear to fire home a fifth.

Ricardo Horta added a sixth with 20 minutes left before Jota slotted in again. Fernandes then capped his fine individual display with a well-taken goal late on and Joao Felix completed the rout to make it six wins from six.

Slovakia remain five points behind Portugal after they made a fast start to beat Liechtenstein 3-0 in Bratislava with goals from David Hancko, Ondrej Duda and Robert Mak inside the first six minutes.

Alfred Finnbogason scored in stoppage-time to give Iceland a 1-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Reykjavik.

Croatia moved top of Group D on goal difference after a 1-0 win in Armenia, where an early strike from Andrej Kramaric proved enough for all three points.

[Leadership]

Real Madrid are ready to commit £200million to sign Kylian Mbappe without negotiating with Paris Saint-Germain, according to SPORT.

Both clubs did not hold talks this summer despite Mbappe being frozen out by the Ligue 1 champions.

The 24-year-old has since returned to the first team and has scored five goals in his first three matches of the season.

Although there are speculations Mbappe could agree a new contract with PSG, it is believed Real Madrid intend to reach a pre-contract agreement with the player in January.

This will mean the France captain joins them for nothing when his PSG deal expires on June 30.

Real didn’t like PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi rejecting their approaches out of hand, even offers approaching £172m.

Instead, Real have decided to set aside around £200m for Mbappe in the form of wages and a signing-on fee.

[DailyPost]

For more than a week, President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s chief foreign policy officer has been on a diplomatic offensive to New Delhi, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit hosted by India, and from Bharat, as that country is otherwise known, he has had a quick diplomatic stop-over in United Arab Emirates (UAE). Next week, he goes off to New York, United States for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). When Tinubu returns to Nigeria, before he goes off to New York, his handlers would have more than enough to crow about and a lot of chest-beating to do. I imagine that following the ruling in his favour by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, on Wednesday, September 6, we can legitimately expect a loud and heavy display of triumphalism, sycophancy, self-congratulation and advertisements by Tinubu/APC supporters for whom modesty is a strange word, but the more sober ones among them would probably point to how Tinubu seems to be succeeding on the foreign policy front.

In less than 100 days in office, he was elected Chairman of ECOWAS, and has had to lead the charge in managing the Niger coup crisis, even if roughly, in June, he also attended a France-Africa summit in Paris, an African Union summit in Nairobi in July, and now he has gone to India, and the United Arab Emirates. Beyond the assertion of political, and diplomatic influence, and a claw at legitimacy in a local “emilokan” style, whether you like it or not, big photo ops on the world stage, big opportunity to showcase Nigeria and the new administration, the main narrative has been that President Tinubu has been attracting investment to the country. In India, the total pledge by Indian investors was put at $14 billion. It is this drive for investment that connects President Tinubu’s foreign excursions as covert text, and it was the same also in the UAE. But I keep adding the caveat that pledges would not translate into anything, beyond the ink on the Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) that Nigeria signs here and there, if these pledges do not yield concrete outcomes. Nigeria is very good at signing documents and taking photos. Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials are very good at organizing ceremonies for any President who likes to stage shows; in any case, the current “City Boy, Eko For Show” President would jump at any opportunity to hug the limelight. But ceremonies and photo-ops would take Nigeria nowhere. Nigerians need follow-ups. We need a Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (MITI) that can turn pledges into opportunities.

We need to be reminded that domestic policy drives foreign policy. Investors are not in the business of charity. The gulf between them and the Red Cross is the widest in the world. They are interested in profit and opportunities. For the pledges that have been made to be redeemable, President Tinubu must meet the existing and prospective investors half-way, by keeping his part of the bargain to wit: his promise that Nigeria would provide very good returns on investments, that is ROI, the bottom line in the age of capitalism. Investors want to minimize risk. Nigeria is a risk-laden investment destination. Investors cannot repatriate their funds. The country’s foreign exchange regime is unpredictable. The country’s CBN Governor has been suspended. He is in detention. The interim CBN Governor is exactly not in a position to make far-reaching decisions, so the CBN is busy experimenting with monetary policies. Professor Pat Utomi once wrote a successful book titled “Managing Uncertainty: Competition and Strategy in Emerging Economies”, (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1998, 465 pp). If Nigeria’s economy was walking with the aid of walking sticks at the time Utomi wrote that book, its fortunes are now so uncertain, the economy having suffered multiple strokes, it is now in a wheel-chair. This is what Tinubu has inherited, and what he must do something about beyond all these high-profile photo opportunities around the globe.

His recent diplomatic shuttle has however provided one bright indicator that should not be ignored, and that is the outcome of his trip to the United Arab Emirates. It is one achievement that we can touch and perhaps feel. It will be recalled that the Presidency informed us that the purpose of the Abu Dhabi stop-over was to get the United Arab Emirates to lift the visa ban on Nigerians and to ensure that Emirates Airlines, the kingdom’s airliner lifts its suspension of flights to Nigeria. The third shopping item in the basket was to hunt for investments in agriculture, defence and other areas. By yesterday evening, we had been told that after meetings with Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and the Emir of Abu Dhabi, President Tinubu was able to secure the lifting of visa ban on Nigerians, and the immediate restoration of flight activity to Nigeria by Emirates Airlines without “any immediate payment by the Nigerian government.” Kudos. Kudos. Kudos. This achievement is all the more remarkable because Tinubu has just scored victory where his predecessor in office failed. What has happened is a teachable moment in leadership and diplomacy.

A bit of the background is necessary. In 2021, the Emirates airlines and the UAE had insisted on administering rapid antigen tests on Nigerians visiting the UAE which resulted in a diplomatic row. Subsequently, Emirates Airlines also raised questions about its inability to repatriate funds from Nigeria. Further, on October 18, 2022, the UAE banned nationals from about 20 African countries from entering its major city, Dubai, Nigeria inclusive alongside other countries like Benin Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Uganda, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Burkina Faso. As the drama unfolded, in February 2023, President Muhammadu Buhari, Tinubu’s predecessor placed a phone call to Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE to condole with him on the death of his mother -in-law and he used the opportunity to bring up the matter of the blanket visa ban on Nigerians intending to travel to the UAE. The major revelation of that bilateral move was that many Nigerians go to the UAE illegally and in flagrant violation of the laws of the Kingdom. Buhari at the time, also asked for a resumption of the suspended operations of the Emirates Airlines. This is where Tinubu has now gained victory. Etihad and Emirates Airlines can now resume flight schedules in and out of Nigeria. Many Nigerians for whom Dubai is a favourite trade, tourism and medical destination are now jubilant. Dubai is an attractive destination because of leadership and vision. Nigerians are rushing to Dubai and hustling for visas to the UAE because their own country has not met their expectations. For the benefit of those who would start touting Tinubu’ s UAE mission as a big deal, they need to be cautioned that there are other sides to the story especially with regard to the aviation sector.

Where is Nigeria’s strategic interest in the aviation sector in this matter under review? Has the interest of Nigeria’s aviation sector been served? When Tinubu assumed office, there have, indeed, been some activities in the aviation sector. One, he changed the nomenclature of the Ministry from Ministry of Aviation to Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development. Two, he appointed Festus Keyamo as Minister. Three, Keyamo visited the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and on the spur of the moment, he shut down the old international terminal at the airport and ordered a move to the new terminal to allow for renovations. Many stakeholders in the aviation sector have complained that they were not consulted. In fact, they were ignored after a fashion. The effect of that is the on-going nightmare at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. Travellers arriving at the airport have to be bus-driven from the old terminal to the new terminal. It is the same bus that is used to ferry people, that is also used to move luggage. Immigration processes are slow. It could take up to four hours before persons can go through immigration to the luggage point to the exit. This is a clear case of acting before thinking! Similarly, it is doubtful if anyone made the effort to consult with industry stakeholders before reaching agreements with the UAE.

In 2022, airline operators of Nigeria, the AON, objected strongly to protests by foreign airlines, including Emirates, that they had not been able to repatriate $464 million of their revenue out of Nigeria in line with the Bilateral Service Agreement (BASA). The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the time announced the release of $265 million to foreign airlines through special FX intervention. Nigerian airline operators protested. They objected to foreign airlines being given preferential treatment when local airlines were suffering. Till date, Nigerian local airline operators are still protesting. Nigeria has an obligation to look out for their interest. Foreign airlines enjoy flight frequencies that are not available to Nigerian airlines under BASA. Nigeria is a big market. Even with the economic hardship today, flights in and out of Nigeria are still fully booked, and yet Nigerian airlines are short-changed. No serious-minded country does that. Every day, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways make humongous amounts of money on the Nigerian route. No Nigerian airline is on the London route. No Nigerian airline is allowed to enjoy full BASA rights in the UAE. The Central Bank of Nigeria was talking about special FX intervention for foreign airlines, but the same CBN is sitting on about $14 billion belonging to Air Peace. At the 2023 NBA Conference in Abuja, the Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema brought up the matter.

What has been done to other local airlines is worse, indeed a criminal act of economic sabotage. Take what the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has done to Arik Air. Established in October 2006, by Sir Arumemi Ikhide-Johnson, formerly of GT, Arik soon became the dominant airline within the Nigerian aerospace creating jobs and building opportunities for Nigerians. At the height of its glory, Arik Air had flights to London, Madrid, Atlanta, Miami, Birmingham, Johannesburg, Dubai, and the Caribbeans. By 2012, it had transported over 10 million passengers. In February 2017, the airline was taken over by AMCON and handed over to receiver-managers on grounds that have become subjects of contention in courts of law. AMCON and the receiver-managers claimed that there were debts running into about N24 billion to be recovered, but six years later under their watch, they have turned Arik Air into a shadow of its former self, killing the dream that created it. What really happened was that in 2010, the CBN announced a sudden change of policy whereby foreign loans with local guarantees hitherto treated as off balance sheet were arbitrarily converted to on balance sheet local loans. This was done without negotiation or consultation with Arik Air. All efforts to secure an amicable settlement between the shareholders and AMCON have so far failed. The story of Arik Air is similar to that of Aero Contractors, also under the grips of AMCON.

It is worth stressing that AMCON was established in July 2010 to help Nigerian banks address the challenge of non-performing loans and thereby ensure stability within the financial system, and hence prevent a descent into crisis. It was given a lifespan of 10 years. The Act was further amended in 2015, 2019 and 2021. More than 10 years after its creation, AMCON has proven to be worse than the problem it was meant to correct. It has accumulated more debt than the same companies it was meant to rejuvenate. Its receiver-managers have not made any significance difference as seen in the gross mismanagement of the two examples already cited. What has been writ large is the resort to name-calling, ethnic politics, and persecution by an agency of government established with more ennobling expectations. AMCON was meant to revive and re-engineer businesses. Rather it kills them. Its disposal of assets has been more controversial than transparent. The agency may well claim achievements in other aspects of its operations: oil and gas, finance, general commerce, capital market and manufacturing, our argument is that at first blush, its intervention in the aviation sector has been catastrophic.

It is for this reason that we urge President Tinubu focusing on the aviation sector and aerospace development to take a closer and critical look at AMCON and the interest of stakeholders in that industry - from the plight of domestic airlines under receivership and allegations of prejudice and mistreatment, to the structure of the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), security matters, and the state of Nigeria’s airports. Besides, AMCON has lived far beyond its sunset clause, and yet it has not truly served its purpose. It is tied down by litigation. The various amendments to the Enabling Act have not made any difference. One of the more pressing matters for the Tinubu administration is to investigate AMCON and its relevance and impact or non-impact so far, and seek to ensure that those who have been wounded by the politicization of the special purpose vehicle get justice.

This would mean taking the aviation sector beyond the routine measure of airport renovation, and vacuous rhetoric, something which every new Aviation Minister embarks upon under the guise of bringing our international airports up to an international standard. Contracts would be awarded. Equipment would be procured. Tapes would be cut. Six months down the line, the newly refurbished toilets would be shut down due to lack of proper maintenance. The luggage carousel will stop working, along with the air conditioning and other facilities. The roof of the newly touched up building could even start leaking. Enough of the window-dressing. There are more fundamental issues to be addressed, the full extent could only emerge in national interest through due consultation with industry stakeholders, at the heart of which is the security of investments and the certainty of policy.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles ended their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign on an impressive note with Victor Osimhen scoring  hat-trick in a 6-0 demolition Sao Tome and Principe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Sunday night.

The Super Eagles applied pressure from the get go and played most of their football in advanced positions up the pitch.

Nigeria were awarded a couple of corners inside the first five minutes of the game but failed to make the most of their opportunities.

Nigeria continued to dominate play as the 10th minute rolled on and pinned Sao Tome back during the opening exchanges of the game.

With Sao Tome buckling under the pressure, Nigeria took the lead in the 13th minute as Osimhen scored his eighth goal of their qualifying campaign.

The game reached a tacky period around the 20th minute mark, with neither side progressing in the final third, but the Super Eagles managed to double their lead in the 27th minute as Ademola Lookman added his name to the scoresheet.

After a passing move on the edge of the Sao Tome area, Lookman made way inside the box before letting off a shot that beat the opposition goalkeeper at his near post.

Taiwo Awoniyi and Samuel Chukwueze completed the rout.

Sports Development Minister John Owan Enoh, who was among the spectators at the Stadium, congratulated the Nigerian team for rewarding the support of Nigerians with a good performance, while charging the team to bring home the AFCON trophy next year.

“On the behalf of all Nigerians, I congratulate the Super Eagles for making the country proud with such an incredible performance. While this wraps up our qualification gracefully, I want to charge the team to go out against all odds in Ivory Coast next year. We want the AFCON trophy to land in Nigeria and all hands will be on deck to make this happen,” he stated.

“The ministry will work round the clock to ensure the team gets the best preparation possible, in our quest to bring glory to Nigeria. Our players have displayed commitment to the national colours and I hope that the renewed sense of patriotism remains in place to catalyze the team at the AFCON.”

The Super Eagles bagged 15 points from six games to secure top spot in Group A. Lagos-born Victor Osimhen grabbed a hat trick to become Nigeria’s fourth all-time highest goalscorer with 20 goals.

[Leadership]

Former Arsenal attacker, Kevin Campbell has given his verdict on Declan Rice and Thomas Partey as the Gunners return to the Champions League this season.

This season’s Champions League campaign will commence next week.

Arsenal are already in Group B of this season’s Champions League, alongside Sevilla, PSV and Lens.

Mikel Arteta’s side will host PSV at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

However, Campbell believes Arsenal fans and football lovers will see the best of both Rice and Partey in the Champions League this season if the Ghanaian international is fit to feature for the Premier League giants.

“I truly believe Declan Rice, he is only working, at the moment, to about 60-65% capacity of his talent. I really do,” Campbell said on The Highbury Squad.

“But he is learning how to play in this system. It is only four games, and he has been immense in all four games.

“I just think his ceiling is massive. I will be brutally honest with you. When Thomas Partey is fit, and you got those two as a pivot, then you see the best of these guys in the Champions League.”

[TheCable]

Novak Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev in straight sets on Sunday to win his fourth US Open and a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title, cementing his claim as the greatest tennis player in history.

The 36-year-old Djokovic won 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 to become the oldest men’s champion in New York in the Open era and match Margaret Court’s all-time mark for most Grand Slam victories.

“I don’t know where to start. It obviously means the world to me,” said Djokovic, wearing a white jacket with the number 24 on his chest during the trophy presentation.

“It’s hard to describe. I’m really living my childhood dream to compete at the highest level in this sport.

“I never imagined I would be standing talking about 24 Grand Slams but the last couple of years I’ve felt I have a chance and I have a shot at history and why not grab it.”

The Serbian is the first man to win three Grand Slam events in the same season four times, crowning his impending return to world number one in the most fitting of ways inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The victory added to his wins at the Australian and French Opens earlier this year, with the only blemish his five-set defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the final of Wimbledon in July.

“You know, some people who are born, he’s a genius. He’s one of kind. Not too many people in this world like him in sport-wise,” said Djokovic’s coach, Goran Ivanisevic.

“This is one of the biggest achievement in the sport history.”

Medvedev suffered his fourth loss in five Grand Slam finals, all of which were against Djokovic or Rafael Nadal.

“First of all I want to ask Novak: What are you still doing here? Come on!” quipped Medvedev.

“I don’t know when you are planning to slow down a little bit.

“I mean, 24. I feel like I have not a bad career and I have 20 titles. You have 24 Grand Slams. Wow.”

Medvedev defeated Djokovic in straight sets in the 2021 final to prevent the Serbian from becoming the first man to win all four Grand Slams in the same year since Rod Laver in 1969.

Djokovic admitted to feeling overwhelmed on that occasion, but there was little evidence of nerves as he quickly took command of Sunday’s championship match.

The second seed — who missed last year’s US Open because of his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19 — burst out of the gate with a confident hold sealed by successive aces and struck at the first opportunity, punishing Medvedev for a double-fault to break for a 2-0 lead.

A third ace consolidated his advantage before Medvedev got on the board in the fourth game.

The pair traded holds largely untroubled until Djokovic again put pressure on Medvedev as the third seed served down 2-5.

Medvedev dug in to twice stave off set points, but Djokovic calmly made the set his the following game.

– Second set grind –

Medvedev dethroned last year’s champion Alcaraz with a “12 out of 10” performance in the semi-finals, but he struggled to replicate his very best consistently against an imperious Djokovic.

Attempting to be the first player to beat the top two seeds en route to the title since 1975, Medvedev once more repeatedly found himself under the pump early in the second set.

He was able to resist, hitting a sweeping volley to fight off break point as he secured a gutsy hold for 4-3 before finally asking questions of Djokovic, who was showing signs of fatigue.

A leaping overhead gave Medvedev his first break chance of the contest the very next game, but Djokovic responded with a brilliant scoop on the half-volley to save it.

Djokovic wobbled serving at 5-6, double-faulting twice as Medvedev brought up set point. But Djokovic was waiting as Medvedev went cross-court, and put away the volley to force a tie-break.

Medvedev seemed to have the momentum on his side after winning an astonishing rally to nose 5-4 ahead only for Djokovic to bag the next three points, snatching a marathon 104-minute second set and closing in on a historic triumph.

“Should have won it,” Medvedev said of the second set. “Should have won it, but sometimes tennis is not that easy.”

Djokovic sportingly offered to help Medvedev to his feet after the Russian took an awkward tumble early in the third set, but there was no such goodwill when two break points came about soon after.

Medvedev pumped a backhand long to hand Djokovic a 3-1 advantage. He gave the break straight back, but Medvedev faltered again and there was no mistake second time around as Djokovic wrapped up the title before the emotions streamed out.

Israel Adesanya has reacted to his defeat by Sean Strickland who pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history defeating the Nigerian to win the middleweight title in Sydney.

The 32-year-old American beat Adesanya at the UFC 293 on Sunday to dethrone the Nigerian, who is one of the sports’ finest.

The match ended in favour of Strickland 49-46.

“I hate losing, but I love living. What a life!” Adesanya tweeted on X.

In a video shared with family members seen by THE WHISTLER, Adesanya showed his bruises, saying “It is not that bad. Nothing broken. We are great baby. I’m still thriving and it is all good. I am driving.

“(I am) hanging out with my family first then I will address the people. Right now, I got to put me first.”

Before tomorrow’s low-key encounter, Nigeria had already qualified for the AFCON with one match left to be played. So, there is no pressure on the Super Eagles when they return to Uyo, the city with the best football ground in Nigeria currently. It should be an easy match, one that will be good advertisement for a new, winning Super Eagles.

Even the great Arsene Wenger, former legendary manager of Arsenal FC, was quoted last week to have described the Super Eagles as ‘under-achievers’ considering the quality and quantity of Nigerian players playing at the highest levels of football in Europe.

Wenger is right. That’s partly why I had the audacity to ‘arrogantly’ and ‘recklessly’ predict, last week, that Nigeria shall not only win AFCON 2024, but shall also use that success as a springboard to kick-start a new era in Nigerian football. It will also serve as a catalyst for faster development of the Sports industry in the country, as fuel for Sport and Diplomacy to drive the global cause of the African, and to justify leading West Africa to jointly bid for and host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. The height of my prediction is that the Super Eagles will win it!

So, for the match tomorrow, I send my best wishes to the Super Eagles.
The next big Sports development project!
These days, my head only conjures and relates with big dreams. Nigerians should look forward to the end of November this year.

A small seed is being planted in the ancient city of Abeokuta in Nigeria from which a sports event of global dimension shall sprout and add great value to any current effort to grow sports at the grassroots.

Segun Odegbami International College and Sports Academy, SOCA, in conjunction with all relevant sports authorities, is organising the first Lee Evans Memorial Annual International Invitational Athletics Meet, an event that shall catalyse the revival of effective sports programs in schools for the development of sprinters and jumpers for Nigeria by borrowing a leaf from a formular that has taken Jamaica from ‘nowhere’ to become the ‘Sprinting and Jumping’ capital of world athletics.

Other Caribbean Islands are latching on fast to that formula of tapping into the already abundantly available natural resource of people with the basic genetic ingredients found in the descendants of West and Central Africans. These ingredients make them naturals with great advantage for some sports events that require power, speed and strength.

The East Africans have used the advantage of their geography, the high altitudes in the Eastern part of Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda) to breed humans that have been dominating middle and long distance races forever. Egypt, Morocco and Algeria have also been exploiting their ties with desert conditions to also breed tireless long-distance runners.

West Africans, particularly Nigerians, have always been known to harbour nature’s gifts of physique and power that produce excellent sprinters, boxers and jumpers.

Even a casual look at Nigeria’s greatest successes reveals the preponderance of sports events requiring explosive speed and power – the sprints and jumps. The evidence is found in the long list of some of the best athletes in the country’s history – Chioma Ajunwa, Gloria Alozie, Mary Onyali, Falilat Ogunkoya, Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume, Modupe Oshikoya, Christy Okpara-Thompson, Innocent Egbunike, Sunday Bada, Ene Udo Obong, the Ezinwa brothers, Charlton Ehizuelen, Yusuf Ali, Olapade Adenekan and so on. All these goddesses and gods of athletics have either been sprinters or jumpers, or both.

What has been missing in establishing a proper tradition of excellence in the world is a clear vision of a production line with institutions, curriculum, process, facilities, funds and the ‘drivers’.

The most important resource, the gifted boys and girls, are in abundance in secondary schools all over Nigeria, waiting and wasting like flowers in the desert. What are needed are programmes within the schools to identify the talented ones, a program on how to train them, and high-level competitions to complete the honing process.

Developing young talents does not require knowledge of rocket science. A system once existed and worked well in Nigeria. Schools bred the best young athletes that eventually went on to compete for Nigeria, even though the final honing process still required a transition to the American collegiate system.

The good news is that late Lee Evans has been ‘resurrected’ in a new athletics project starting in November 2023 to complete the work he started in SOCA.

Lee Edward Evans was a legendary African/American athlete, one of the greatest sprinters in history – Double Olympic Gold medalist, World Record Holder for over two decades with world records in 11 different sprints events. When he became a coach, he was recognised as one of the best sprints coaches in the world.

The last eight years of his life were spent in Nigeria with the last two as a teacher and head coach of athletics at the Segun Odegbami International College and Sports Academy in Wasimi, near Abeokuta. He helped to create a pathway for several of the student/athletes in the school to transit to American colleges to further develop their sports talents.

His ultimate dream was to establish a local training program with indigenous facilities so that the annual migration to America by a few would be complimented by development for most others here in Nigeria.

Lee spent a good part of his life as a coach of athletics in Nigeria, with stints in the University of Ife, the National Sports Commission of Nigeria, Cross Rivers State and Lagos State.

He intermittently led several Nigerian national athletics teams to various meets for several decades from the 1970s to the 1990s.

He died over two years ago, and was buried inside the campus of SOCA where he now rests peacefully,

His name and international influence are now to become tools of this new program, fueling and driving a most ambitious ‘sprints and jumps’ development program in Nigeria.

It is not by accident that Jamaica has become the sprinting capital of the world. SOCA is adopting the Jamaican model (and more) to ensure a rich harvest of great sprinters and jumpers of world-class standards from the international competition. The catalysing agent is COMPETITION!

SOCA has chosen to immortalise Lee Evans and his great works by establishing this international athletics event and naming it after him. It will involve schools and clubs from Nigeria and several other countries. It will drive renewal of interest in sports within schools, and to fast-track athletics development.

The first edition of the Lee Evans Memorial Annual International Invitational Athletics Meet, comes up this year from November 21 to 26.
Selected schools in Nigeria and abroad are being invited to send in student/athletes, boys and girls between the ages of 15 and 18, for the event. 24 schools in all are expected to participate. Athletics-proper shall be for two-days.

There shall be other social engagement programmes attached to make the event memorable for all those that attend. Scouts from Europe, the USA and even the Caribbean Islands will be around to scout for gifted athletes amongst participants for their Collegiate programs.

The children are guaranteed some of the best times of their lives. They will be accommodated in the posh, secure and luxurious environment of Green Legacy Hotel, inside the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library complex with its first class facilities in leisure, recreation, theme parks, a zoo, museums of history, art and culture, cinemas and so on.

The events shall be in sprints and jumps only, and shall take place on the tracks and field of the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta.

Very Special guests from the world of Sport and Diplomacy, including some of Lee Evans’ African/American Colleagues from the United States may be attending to honour him and to be a part of the historic Mausoleum to be built around his graveside in Wasimi Orile.

Through Lee Edward Evans, Nigerian athletics will have a new platform to take off and join the league of the best in the world within a very short time, indeed. Coming this November. Watch out.

The Ballon d’Or is an annual award given to the best men’s and women’s football player in the world. It is considered to be the most prestigious individual award in football.

Only a few Nigerian players have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or since its inception in 1956.

Finidi George, Daniel Amokachi, and Austin Jay-Jay Okocha were the first Nigerian players to be nominated for the awards in 1995.

Nwankwo Kanu was nominated twice, in 1996 and 1999, when he was playing for Arsenal and Inter Milan respectively.

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Victor Ikpeba was nominated in 1997, when he was playing for Monaco. Sunday Oliseh was nominated in 1998, when he was playing for Juventus.

The Nigerian players who have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or are considered to be some of the best footballers to have ever come out of Africa.

They have all played at the highest level and have won numerous trophies. They are an inspiration to young footballers all over Africa.

In 2023, Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala made history by becoming the first Nigerian players to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or in the same year.

Osimhen was nominated for his impressive performances for Napoli, where he scored 26 goals in Serie A, while Oshoala was nominated for her performances for Barcelona, where she won the Women’s Champions League and the Spanish league.

The nominations of Osimhen and Oshoala are a testament to the rising standard of football in Nigeria. They are also a sign that African players are now being recognized for their talent on the world stage.

Full list of Nigerian players who have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or:

As of September 2023, there are 8 Nigerian football players who have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or. They are:

Finidi George (1995)
Daniel Amokachi (1995)
Austin Jay-Jay Okocha (1995)
Nwankwo Kanu (1996, 1999)
Victor Ikpeba (1997)
Sunday Oliseh (1998)
Asisat Oshoala (2022, 2023)
Victor Osimhen (2023)