Sports
Adebayo & Gbadamosi law firm lifts Aare Afe Babalola/Ibadan Premier Bar League Trophy
• wins cash reward of N250,000
History was made yesterday as
Adebayo & Gbadamosi law firms lifted the coveted trophy of the Aare Afe Babalola / Ibadan Bar League after thrashing the hard fighting Abike ‘boys’ 2 – 1 in the final of the football match .
The Abike team , who appeared to be a better side , got the bronze medals and cash prize of N150,000 as runners up.
Before the final match, Crown Solicitors defeated Bandele Aiku with 4 -2 in the third match played at the Olubadan Stadium, Iyaganku, Ibadan, carting away medals and a cash reward of N100,000 .
Twelve teams from different law firms in Ibadan , Oyo state participated in this year’s Aare Afe Babalola ,SAN / Ibadan Bar Football League , which commenced on Friday November, 13, 2020 at the Olubadan stadium.
The football league was solely sponsored by the Afe Babalola & Co ; comprising the four branches ( Ibadan, Lagos , Abuja , and Port-Harcourt ) to celebrate and honor the founder/Principal , Aare Afe Babalola for his untiring contributions to legal practice and to Nigeria at large.
Speaking with newsmen after the final match, Mr Sina Ogungbade , a Principal of Aare Afe Babalola & Co , also expressed happiness over the outcome of the tournament , stating that as lawyers ,there is need for them to make time out to mingle among themselves to foster unity and togetherness among legal practitioners in the state .
” This is our way of fostering unity development , and togetherness amongst lawyers . It is not all about going to courts alone, lawyers should have time to mingle among themselves , to meet and interact . And we chose football because the Principal of the firm, Aare Afe Babalola & Co is an avid supporter of football . As a matter of fact , at the age of 91, 92 , he still has a club that he supports weekly “, he stated.
He said ” we have chosen to use football as a mark of honour for our founder/ Principal because of his love and passion for football , our founder/Principal always finds time to watch good football despite his very busy working schedule”.
Besides, he said the competition has increase the bonding and deepen the friendship amongst lawyers in the premier bar .
In his remarks , Mr Olayinka Esan , the current Chairman ,Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Ibadan branch , listed some of the benefits of the annual football competition to include celebration of the patron of the Bar , Aare Afe Babalola SAN and promotion of unity among lawyers.
Esan said ” Well, the first thing is that we celebrate our patron, Aare Afe Babalola SAN who donated this cup and its a yearly tournament . This is the second edition . All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy . As you see, some of us have crossed the border, but the young lawyers you have here have made us proud. Its a competition that we started about two months, and today its the final. Apart from the competition, apart from relaxing, we are getting together. Everybody is happy. It is just going beyond playing , it is a competition and we are getting rewards, all thanks to Aare Afe Babalola SAN “.
Also, the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Oyo state, Asiwaju Bayo Ojo , a Principal Partner, Adebayo & Gbadamosi law firm, expressed gratitude to the organiser of the competition , Aare Afe Babalola for the wonderful opportunity to be part of the tournament.
” I am happy and highly elated. And I must thank the sponsor of this tournament, our father, leader and grandfather in law, Aare Afe Babalola , a Senior Advocate of Nigeria ( SAN). You see , as lawyers we hardly have time to recreate, but our father , Aare Afe Babalola had opened a great window for us to play this tournament. Apart from promoting healthy relationship among law firms in Ibadan, it goes beyond that , promotes a healthy way of living which is very good. We are really very happy for this and we hope that by next year, we will witness another robust tournament than this, ” he said.
The Chairman of Agbele Sporting, Hon. Ponmile Omidiji, has rejoiced with and extended warm felicitations to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Remo Stars Football Club, Hon. Kunle Soname, on the occasion of his birthday.
This was contained in a statement personally signed by Omidiji and made available to journalists in Ibadan on Sunday.
The statement reads: “It is my greatest pleasure to felicitate with you, the man of the masses and a philanthropist par excellence, on your day of birth.
“You are a morale booster and a great motivator to this generation. You always utilise any position you occupy for the benefit of others. Indubitably, you are a good man and worthy of emulation,” he added.
Omidiji also seized the opportunity to commend Hon. Soname’s contributions and tireless efforts towards the development of football in Nigeria and beyond, noting that such commitment is truly appreciated.
He offered heartfelt prayers for the celebrant, praying that Almighty God would continue to bless and protect him, that God’s grace would abound in his life, and that all his concerns would be firmly in God’s hands. He further wished that the world would always be kind to him.
Christian Chukwu, former captain and head coach of Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, has died at the age of 74.
The football icon passed away in the early hours of Saturday, though the exact circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear at the time of reporting.
The news of his demise was confirmed by his longtime friend and teammate, Chief Olusegun Odegbami, who spoke to Channels Television. Odegbami, who played alongside Chukwu in Nigeria’s triumphant 1980 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) squad, expressed deep sorrow over the loss.
“I just received the news that between 9:00 and 10:00 this morning, ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, MFR, my bosom friend and teammate, one of the greatest football players in Nigeria’s history, has passed on,” said Odegbami.
“Babuje, Emmanuel Okala, MON, gave me the sad news a few minutes ago. May ‘Onyim’ find peace with Our Creator in Heaven and console his family,” he added.
Born on 4 January 1951 in Enugu, Chukwu carved a legendary career in Nigerian football, notably captaining Enugu Rangers to numerous domestic triumphs and leading them to continental glory in 1977 with victory in the now-defunct African Cup Winners’ Cup.
He made history in 1980 as the first Nigerian captain to lift the African Nations Cup trophy following a 3–0 win over Algeria in the final held in Lagos.
Chukwu went on to contribute to Nigeria’s football success off the pitch, serving as assistant to Dutch tactician Clemens Westerhof during the Super Eagles’ victorious 1994 AFCON campaign and their debut appearance at the FIFA World Cup the same year.
As head coach, Chukwu led the Super Eagles to a third-place finish at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia. His tenure as national coach lasted from 2002 to 2005, ending during the qualification phase for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Nicknamed “Chairman” for his commanding presence on and off the pitch, Chukwu also played a role in Nigeria’s youth football development, working as assistant coach during the 1985 FIFA U-16 World Cup, which Nigeria won in China.
In 2019, he battled prostate cancer, which affected his mobility. A public appeal for support was launched, and Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola stepped in to cover his overseas medical expenses, reportedly donating $50,000 for his treatment.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim believes Marcus Rashford was unable to see football “the way I see it” before the unwanted England striker was shipped out of Old Trafford.
The 27-year-old Rashford fell dramatically out of favour with the Portuguese boss and spent seven weeks on the sidelines until he was loaned to Premier League rivals Aston Villa during the transfer window.
“I couldn’t put Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it,” Amorim said on Thursday.
“And sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different.
“I just wish the best to Rashford and to (Aston Villa coach) Unai Emery, and they can connect because he’s a very good player.”
Amorim, whose team face Leicester in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday, said his focus now is on turning around a wretched season.
“Guys, in the summer… like we said before, we are fighting for our jobs until the summer,” he said.
“So, I am just focused on these games. Thankfully about Marcus he is in Birmingham now with Unai, so you can take these questions to another coach. We are just focused on our players at the moment.”
