Sports
NSF: Oyo Athletes groan, 3 months after unpaid government’s cash promises
Athletes that represented Oyo State at the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival (NSF), held in Benin where Oyo placed 6th with 103 medals are groaning over inability to receive the cash promises made by Governor Seyi Makinde three months after the reception held for the medalists at the governor’s office.
Governor Makinde had earlier promised to reward a gold medalist with Five Hundred Thousand Naira ( N500,000), Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira ( N350, 000) for silver medalist and Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N250,000) for each bronze medalist, while coaches will get Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000) each when he received the state’s contingents to the last festival in his office on April 21 2021.
He, also pledged to facilitate the payment within two weeks after his pronouncement. However, according to the athletes, ‘no kobo’ was received from the state government.
“For each gold medal, we would pay N500,000, for each silver medal, we would give N350,000 and for each bronze medal, we would give N250,000 and for the coaches irrespective of the medal won, we would give each coach N500,000″, Makinde had earlier promised.
This development has really dampened the morale of the athletes with great negative impact on their psyches as it was evident and written on the faces of the athletes who spoke on condition of anonymity.
It would be recalled that the governor while hosting the winning contingents of Oyo State in his office said, “whatever pronouncement I will make now will be fulfilled within two weeks as we’re not going to promise you what we can’t do.
“When we came in, we saw the file on athletes; the medalists at the 2018 event. People can make promises and not keep them. But without mincing words, we met several promises and we had to investigate why those promises were not fulfilled but we found out that there was no intention from the initial point to fulfill the promises.
“If I promise you that I want to do something, I should start from the request, the first approval, more work, next approval, and the final approval. Unfortunately, none of that was done when we came in. But we picked it up and within the limited resources that were available to us, we fulfilled at least a percentage of those promises. And I believe even for this particular event, we encouraged the Oyo State Sports Council to give something to the medalists instantly as soon as they confirmed winning a medal.
“I have listened to the requests put forward and we will look at it. One assurance that I can give to you is that Oyo State will continue to encourage its own athletes to even do more.
“I have set a target of at least 100 gold medals for the next Sports Festival and everything that will aid in realising that vision, we will put in place.
Governor Makinde added that provisions for all their allowances, if not all has not been made and if not paid, its probably pending with the accountant general, but contrary to these claims, the athletes said they are yet to get anything.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed the appointment of German tactician Bruno Labbadia as the new Head Coach of Nigeria’s Senior Men’s National Team, the Super Eagles.
This development was announced by the NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, in the early hours of Tuesday, following the approval of the NFF Executive Committee based on a recommendation from its Technical and Development Sub-Committee. Labbadia’s appointment takes immediate effect.
Born on 8th February 1966 in Darmstadt, Germany, Labbadia enjoyed a distinguished playing career, earning two caps for the German national team. His club career included stints at prominent clubs such as Darmstadt 98, Hamburger SV, FC Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich, FC Cologne, Werder Bremen, Arminia Bielefeld, and Karlsruher SC. Notably, he won the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich in 1994.
Labbadia’s coaching career has seen him manage top-tier clubs such as Hertha Berlin, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg, Hamburger SV, and Bayer Leverkusen, among others. He holds a UEFA Pro License and is well-regarded for his tactical acumen.
With his appointment, Labbadia becomes the sixth German to lead the Super Eagles, following in the footsteps of Karl-Heinz Marotzke, Gottlieb Göller, Manfred Höner, Berti Vogts, and Gernot Rohr. Höner notably guided the Super Eagles to a runner-up finish at the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, while Rohr qualified Nigeria for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Labbadia’s immediate task is to prepare the Super Eagles for their upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches.
Nigeria will face Benin Republic on Saturday, 7th September in Uyo, and Rwanda on Tuesday, 10th September in Kigali. The team will also play four additional qualifying matches in October and November as they aim to secure a spot in the 2025 AFCON, scheduled to be held from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
The Super Eagles, placed in Group D, will face familiar foes Benin Republic, who recently defeated Nigeria in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The draw for the AFCON qualifiers, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, last month, also sees Nigeria taking on Libya and Rwanda, both of whom are also part of the Super Eagles’ group for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers set to be hosted in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Labbadia’s appointment comes at a crucial time as the Super Eagles look to regain their dominance on the African continent and secure qualification for both the AFCON and the World Cup.
Finidi George has stepped into a new role as the technical manager for NPFL side, Rivers United, following his resignation as coach of the Super Eagles.
During his brief tenure with the Eagles, George’s 1-1 draw against South Africa in Uyo and a 2-1 loss to Benin Republic in Abidjan cast doubts on Nigeria’s World Cup qualification, prompting calls from fans for his dismissal.
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Nevertheless, Rivers United, the 2021-22 champions, expressed optimism in a statement on Wednesday via their official handle about having the former Eagles international manage their team.
“Finidi brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our team, having had a distinguished playing career spanning over fifteen years,” the statement read.
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Dr. Okey Kpalukwu, General Manager of Rivers United FC, welcomed George, stating, “We are delighted to have Finidi George join our team. His appointment marks a new chapter in our club’s history, and we are committed to working together to achieve success.”
Expressing his gratitude to the club, an elated George remarked, “I am honored to have this opportunity, and I thank the Sports Commissioner, the General Manager, and the supporters for their confidence in me. I am committed to working hard and making the team win.”
Inter Milan were taken over by US fund Oaktree on Wednesday after the Serie A champions’ outgoing owners Suning missed a deadline to repay a debt worth hundred of millions of euros.
In a statement, Oaktree announced they had “assumed control” of Inter after the non-repayment of a “three-year loan to Inter Milan’s holding companies that matured on 21 May 2024 with a total balance due of approximately 395 million euros ($428 million)”.
Chinese conglomerate Suning have relinquished control of Inter to Oaktree three days after the team were officially crowned Italian champions for the 20th time.
Suning borrowed 275 million euros at over 12 percent interest three years ago to pay staff and players as the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the finances of clubs across Europe, putting up their controlling stake in the club as collateral.
“Oaktree is dedicated to achieving the best outcome for the long-term prosperity of Inter Milan, with an initial focus on operational and financial stability for the Club and its stakeholders,” Oaktree continued.
Inter became a powerful force at home and abroad after Suning acquired the club in 2016, with seven trophies including two Serie A titles and two European finals.
Simone Inzaghi’s team cruised to this year’s championship, winning the Scudetto with five matches remaining by beating AC Milan in a thrilling local derby.
Oaktree, which manages $192 billion in assets, said they are “committed to working closely with Inter Milan’s current management team, partners, the league and governing bodies to ensure the Club is positioned for success on and off the pitch”.
Inter ended up in the hands of Oaktree in a manner similar to the way another US fund, Elliott Management, took control of their local rivals Milan in 2018.
Elliott became Milan’s owners when Chinese businessman Li Yonghong was unable to repay a loan he had taken out when he bought the club from the late Silvio Berlusconi’s Fininvest the previous year.
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