Nigeria Content Online

A
member of the all-conquering 1994 Super Eagles, Finidi George, has been
appointed a member of the technical crew of his former club, Real Betis
in Spain.

The right winger,
who was at one time adjudged to be the best crosser of the ball, was
officially presented on Wednesday as the new International Director for
the Spanish club side. George would be working hand in hand with coach
Pepe Mel.

One of his tasks will include scouting for players. He
expressed delight at being recognised by the club where he played for
four years, and expressed his readiness to start work. “It is an
opportunity you (the club) gave me to join the technical body and I
look forward to work to bring in good players,” he said. He went on to
say he would use the opportunity of his global assess and profile to
raise the club to greater heights. “I am going to focus on football
outside Spain like Africa, Europe and other places where there are good
players who can come to Betis,” he said. “I know the coach very well
and I actually played with the assistant coach Roberto Rios and the
trainer Jesus.”

His career

Finidi joined Real
Betis in 1996 from Ajax, in a deal worth $7.6 million, scoring 38 goals
in 130 appearances before moving on to Real Mallorca, and Ipswich Town,
in the English Premier League, before ending his career at Real
Mallorca. At Ajax, he cemented his place as a legend by providing many
memorable assists. In that club, he scored 18 goals in 85 appearances.
He started his career as a central midfielder with Sharks in Port
Harcourt, joining his older brother, Alari George, before his skills
drew the attention of national selectors. He then spent two seasons
with Calabar Rovers before returning to Sharks in 1993. In Port
Harcourt, where he grew up and began his career, he is most admired for
his creativity in midfield; but it was as a winger that he gained
global recognition for the accuracy of his crossing, which was even
rated ahead of David Beckham and Luis Figo at his prime.

Dutchman Clemens Westerhof recognized this, and Finidi’s crosses
brought out the best in Rashidi Yekini making the latter Nigeria’s all
time top scorer. He has been living in Spain and is very fluent in
Spanish and Dutch. At the national scene, he made a goal scoring
international debut for Nigeria against Burkina Faso in a thrilling 7-1
defeat where he set up 3 goals, scoring the last after coming on for
Austin Eguavoen at half time. He also scored twice in the World Cup
qualifiers that secured Nigeria’s first ever qualification for the USA
94 FIFA World Cup. Finidi featured for Nigeria at the Senegal 92
(bronze), Tunisia 94 (gold and Cup,) Nigeria/Ghana 2000 (silver) and
Mali 2002 (bronze).

He also represented Nigeria at the USA 1994 and
France 98 World Cup and was vice-captain to Sunday Oliseh when the team
qualified for the 2002 World Cup; but both of them were controversially
omitted from the final squad. His goal against Greece is best
remembered for his “dog” celebration and is often replayed.

The
National Association of Grassroots Football Developers of Nigeria has
concluded arrangement to stage the 4th edition of C. Woermann Youth
Football Championship.

As part of their
contribution to the development of football at the grassroots, the
association will use the opportunity to showcase the talents and skill
of young football players across Nigeria. The tournament, which is held
once every year, is scheduled to hold at the Legacy Pitch of the
National Stadium, Lagos, from November 21 to 24, 2010.

According to the
National Coordinator of the group, Ossy Nwokeabia, the aim is to give
grassroots football one voice and an avenue to showcase and sharpen the
skills and talents of young aspiring footballers who would have in the
first place been hidden from the eyes of the world. “C.Woermann Youth
Football championship is grassroots oriented,” he said. “We want to see
how we can contribute our quota to the development of the round leather
game. Grassroots football has been neglected, nobody cares about the
grassroots, but they have forgotten that grassroots is the bedrock of
meaningful sports development.”

A history of involvement

Nwokeabia has been
involved in the development of sports, especially football, at the
grassroots for the past six years. He is also the coordinator of Colin
Edwin Global Sport Limited, a grassroots sport development organization
that aims to bring to limelight the efforts of footballers who are
aspiring to go professional. This year, the group organized the maiden
edition of the Collin Edwin U-13 Youth Football Championship, which was
won by Soccer Pro Football Academy.

They also held the Colin Edwin
Football Tournament for Women earlier this year, where Oluwasanmi FC
came out tops at the tourney. Sixteen youth teams from across the six
geo-political zones of the federation are expected to feature in this
event. Last year’s edition was won by SAF football club of Enugu and
the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, Ugonna Anyaora currently
plays for FK Haugesund in Norwegian Premier League.

The
hammer finally came down on Amos Adamu, FIFA’s executive committee
member, who along with five others, were implicated in cash-for-vote
scandal in October.

Mr. Adamu and the
others, who include Reynald Temarii, Slim Aloulou, Ahongalu Fusimalohi,
Amadou Diakite, and Ismael Bhamjee, had fallen for a sting operation
carried out by British newspaper, Sunday Times of London.

Reporters from the
paper had posed as lobbyists for American interests in the hosting of
the 2018 World Cup and had approached Mr. Adamu and the others for
support. Mr. Adamu was recorded on video where he asked for five
hundred thousand pounds to swing his vote in their favour.

The revelation
raised a storm around the world with FIFA, which promised to act
decisively on the matter. That action came on Thursday after three days
of deliberation by its ethics committee, which had met in October and
handed Mr. Adamu and his associates provisional suspension, came out
with its final report.

The committee, headed by Claudio Sulser, a former Switzerland international, ruled that:

“Amos Adamu (FIFA
executive committee member) was banned from taking part in any kind of
football-related activity (administrative, sports, or any other) at
national and international level for a period of three years.
Furthermore, he was fined CHF 10,000.”

The other indicted officials received bans ranging form one year to four years.

Mr. Adamu’s
conviction by the ethics committee will remain, for a long time to
come, a blight on his career. While the world argues whether the
punishment is condign or not, given the gravity of the offence he has
committed, the point must be noted that for followers of the game in
Nigeria, a moral victory has been scored.

Mr. Adamu, who
since the scandal broke in October, has kept away from the public, may
have a hard time re-integrating himself into the mainstream of the
global football community. While he may be re-admitted into FIFA, the
same way Bhamjee, who, in 2006 was banned for ticket racketeering was,
he will carry the stigma of the disgrace for a long time to come.

His fall from
castled height is clearly a lesson on the transience of power. Before
his travails began in October this year, Mr. Adamu bestrode the
Nigerian sports firmament like a colossus. Even though two years
before, he had been moved from the sports ministry following the outcry
on his stranglehold on the sports sector, he had remained influential
with his some of his key cronies still in the saddle in the different
sports associations, including football.

Moments before the
earth caved under his feet in October, he had luxuriated in his
position as the quintessential puppeteer, craftily manipulating the
legion of marionettes he installed in the sports establishment during
his nearly two decades tour of duty.

At the height of
the crisis, which engulfed Nigerian football, Mr. Adamu played God,
hectoring those who admonished that due process takes precedence over
ambition of a few individuals, and reminding them that the true locus
of power lay, not in the laws of Nigeria, but at the glass house in
Zurich.

For some of
Nigeria’s former footballers, who had shed sweat and blood for their
fatherland, Mr. Adamu had nothing but contempt. In one instance, he
dismissed them as beer parlour executives, who understood nothing about
the business of football administration.

It is ironic, like
Victor Ikpeba, one of the former Nigerian internationals Mr. Adamu
lampooned, that it is a former international from Switzerland that has
sealed his fate. Today, as he wrings his hands in dejection, he must
surely remember Chinua Achebe’s warning in his classic novel, Things
Fall Apart, that those who have had their palm kernels cracked for them
by benevolent spirits should not forget to be humble.

That is one lesson
those in whose custody have been placed the communal trust. Mr. Adamu
was in the FIFA executive committee to represent Nigeria’s interest,
but in the end, he found it more useful to use the global organisation
against his fatherland, freely conniving with it to rub Nigeria’s nose
in the dirt.

He forgot the timeless warning of Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians
10:12 that: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest
he fall.”

Rudy
Gay landed a 15-foot buzzer-beater over LeBron James to snap the
Memphis Grizzlies five-game losing streak with a 97-95 win over the
Miami Heat on Saturday.

Reserve Zach
Randolph led the Grizzlies (5-9) with 21 points and 13 rebounds, Mike
Conley had 16 points and Gay added 15 as Memphis snapped the Heat’s
three-game winning streak. “This was the most unified we’ve been,”
Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins said. “That’s how you win tough,
close games, everybody rooting for each other, everybody picking each
other up.” It was a tight contest throughout with the teams trading the
lead constantly in a back-and-forth second half. That’s a tough loss,”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We just could not find a way to get
over the hump.” James and Chris Bosh carried the Heat (8-5) in the
absence of Dwyane Wade, who did not play due to a left wrist injury.
James scored a game high 29 points and added 11 assists while Bosh
scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds. Eddie House came off the bench to
score 20 points, including six three-pointers, but there was more bad
news for the Heat when forward Udonis Haslem collided with Randolph
late in the third quarter and was carried off the court. “It’s huge,”
said James of Haslem’s injury. “He’s like our heart of our team. He’s
our power. He’s our pride. He brings everything every night. Size never
really matters to him. He always plays above his height, plays above
his weight.”

Cristiano Ronaldo
challenged Barcelona to try and score eight goals past his Real Madrid
side when asked for his views on the champions’ earlier 8-0 thrashing
of Almeria in La Liga.

The Portugal
forward scored a hat-trick in his side’s 5-1 hammering of Athletic
Bilbao at the Bernabeu, taking his tally for the season to 14, one
ahead of Lionel Messi in the La Liga goalscoring charts.

The Argentine World
Player of the Year had netted a hat-trick in Barca’s romp over
struggling Almeria, but Ronaldo was less than impressed with their
efforts when questioned by Spanish television pitchside at the Bernabeu.

Huge score-line
over Almeria “The 8-0 win; It doesn’t tell me anything,” Ronaldo said.
“Let’s see if they score eight against us on Monday.” “I’m pleased to
have scored but the most important thing is that the team won. I’m
fighting to win the league. The top scorer’s award isn’t important to
me.” Unbeaten Real Madrid will travel to face second-placed Barcelona
on November 29 with a one-point advantage over the champions.

Barca’s victory
over Almeria equalled their record away win achieved in 1959, when they
won by the same score line in Las Palmas, but their coach Pep Guardiola
refused to read too much into it with Madrid their next opponents in
the league.

“We didn’t look to send a warning out to anyone here today,” Guardiola said.

“We played to a
great level as we have in other games. In the first half (when they
scored five) we had the same number of occasions as in other games, and
today we put them away.” The victory led to the swift sacking of
Almeria coach Juan Manuel Lillo, a good friend of Guardiola’s.

“It has been an uncomfortable situation for him and me,” Guadiola added.

“I have known him for many years. He’s a fantastic person and a
great coach. We’ve just beaten the side with the third best defensive
record in the league.” Pull quote – The 8-0 win; it doesn’t tell me
anything. Let’s see if they score eight against us on Monday

Three Nigerian
teams will compete at this year’s edition of the Emirates Airline Dubai
Rugby Sevens Tournament coming up from 2nd- 4th December 2010 in the
United Arab Emirate.

The three Nigerian
teams; Cowrie RFC, Racing RFC and the Black Stallion (the national
team) are part of the 32 teams that would be competing at the tourney
which runs concurrently alongside the official IRB HSBC Sevens World
Series Dubai 7’s Tournament. Joseph Mbu, the Coach of Cowrie RFC, said
his team has been training hard for the tourney and they are focused on
having a good showing this time around at the yearly tournament. “I
intend to remould the team, and get them playing ‘smart rugby’,” he
said. “Forwards need to have a better understanding on when and when
not to go in to contact, and better improvement of ‘core skills’
especially from the half backs (scrum halves and fly halves). The hope
is to get a team that plays more expansive rugby, without jeopardising
our commitment to defence.”

Target in Dubai

He continued “I am
very optimistic about this year’s sevens tournament in Dubai, but
ultimate success is making a cup/plate final. This will greatly depend
on the stamina and fitness of the starting team; never the less the
team and management are aiming for a finals position, barring any
injuries.”

Cowrie Rugby Football Club are featuring for the second consecutive
time in the popular Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens Tournament and
the team is billed to depart on Monday 29 November 2010 to conclude
preparations and acclimatize before the event kicks off on Thursday 02
December 2010. The ‘Friends of Rugby’ sponsored female team is yet to
be confirmed by the organizers for the female version of the
tournament. The Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens Tournament is a
curtain raiser event to the official IRB HSBC Sevens World Series Dubai
7’s Tournament, which has only 16 countries listed by the International
Rugby Board to play in a 8-Leg IRB Sevens World Series. The countries
are: Dubai, South Africa, New Zealand, USA, England, Scotland, Hong
Kong and Australia. The tournament will run between December 2010 and
June 2011 in a league format.