Football

Why I relocated my office to MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja – Minister

Published

1 month ago

September 1, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

Minister of Sports Development, Sen. John Enoh during his inspection tour of National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. He said he wanted to personally supervise what was going on in the sports centre and ensure that things were put in the right place.

“I did a tour of MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja, and I insisted that instead of having my office at the Secretariat, my office as Sports Development minister has to be at the stadium.

“I have taken that decision already, I have an assignment to make the ministry work and we have to make it work. MKO Abiola Stadium is where we have 90 per cent of the departments of sports.

“The stadium is where we have all the federations’ secretariats, athletes and footballers. For the purpose of coordination and to keep a watchful eye, it is imperative that my office is at the stadium.

“I don’t mind the challenges; what matters to me is the gain in the sports sector. I have also issued a memo to the permanent secretary that the remaining sports departments should be at the stadium,” he said.

Enoh restated that his main focus would be development of sports and how sports could be used for the development of the country.

“The focus as a sports minister is going to be in two folds; one is the development of sports, the grassroots development, infrastructure and amenities at the grassroots level where the real talents are domiciled.

“I want to see those talents from Ajegunle developed into elite sportsmen. We want to go to those places where there are fewer opportunities, or may not get the opportunity to express themselves.

“I want to provide, like a basketball court for those in the hinterland and others. A lot of times, the great boxers are not produced in the high brow areas but in the local environments.

“I want to provide these things and not just saying it, and at the end of my tenure, we want to count tangible things that have given us social inclusion which will translate to sports development,” he said.

NAN reports that as part of his ongoing efforts to assess the state of major sports facilities in the country, Enoh inspected the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, on Thursday.

He started his inspection from the stadium complex, where he visited the National Institute of Sports, the boxing complex, mainbowl of the stadium, sports medical centre, indoor sports hall and other facilities.

He also inspected the Games Village hostels, Legacy Pitch, Power House, as well as the courts for different sports

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Football

Football is coming home! UK & Republic of Ireland set to host Euro 2028 as Turkey withdraw bid

Published

4 hours ago

October 4, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

The United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland look set to host Euro 2028 after the Turkish FA withdrew its bid to host the tournament.

The Turkish FA has officially withdrawn its bid to host Euro 2028 in order to focus on its plan to co-host the tournament with Italy in 2032. UEFA has now approved the joint proposal, which was first announced in July.

Turkey’s withdrawal from the 2028 bidding process means that the UK and Republic of Ireland’s bid will now run unopposed. Wembley Stadium hosted the semi-finals and final of the delayed 2020 European Championship, but the UK has not hosted an entire major tournament since 1996.

Both bids will require official approval at a meeting of UEFA’s executive committee on Tuesday. An official statement from UEFA read: “The presentations at that meeting will be an important part of the process which will take due consideration of the content of the bid submissions before reaching a decision.”

If approved, then Euro 2028 will be hosted in the UK and Ireland. Among the ten proposed stadiums are Wembley Stadium, Hampden Park and the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, as well as the currently unbuilt Bramley Moore Dock stadium in Liverpool and Casement Park in Belfast

Football

Messi makes decision on when he will leave Inter Miami

Published

4 hours ago

October 4, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

Lionel Messi has reportedly decided where he will end his playing career, but it won’t be in Miami or Barcelona.

Messi’s Inter Miami contract is set to expire in 2025, at which point – according to El Nacional – he will look to return to boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys in his native Argentina. There is an option for the World Cup winner to extend his deal with Miami for an extra year, but the report states that he wants to retire in his homeland.

Messi left Barcelona in 2021 after more than two decades at the club, having joined the Spanish giants from Newell’s as a 13-year-old. He snubbed a return to Camp Nou when he left Paris Saint-Germain over the summer, and it now looks like a fairy tale return to Barca is never going to happen.

Messi scored 10 goals in his first seven games for David Beckham’s Miami franchise, but he has spent the past month injured. He will play a farewell match at Barcelona at some point, even if he does not return to play for the club

Football

Real Madrid flop Eden Hazard ready to return to football this month

Published

1 day ago

October 3, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

Former Chelsea and Real Madrid star Eden Hazard is all set to play football again but this time in a charity match in France.

The former Belgian international is currently without a club after he mutually terminated his Real Madrid contract at the end of the 2022/23 season.

Amid speculation regarding his future, Hazard is all set to step on a football pitch in October and will be playing for Varietes Club de France in a charity match.

He is set to team up with France legends Laurent Blanc and Didier Deschamps and will also be accompanied by his former Lille team-mates Yohan Cabaye and Mathieu Debuchy, according to L’Équipe.

The match will be played for a noble cause at the Stade de L’Epopee in Calais in front of 12,000.

The 32-year-old star had offers from his former club Lille and from Ligue 1 giants Marseille in the summer but the player reportedly rejected them. He was also linked with a move back to the Blues but in reality, there were no talks between the two parties.

While Hazard is back on the football field, his future in professional football still remains doubtful as he has yet to make a call on whether to quit playing or continue his career.