Nigeria Content Online

Roger Federer, like
a father asked to rate his children, does not like playing favourites
when it comes to dissecting his most spectacular shots on the tennis
court.

The Swiss added
another gem to his extraordinary collection with a between-the-legs,
back-to-the-net winner that left opponent Brian Dabul dumbfounded and
delighted the centre court crowd in his first round victory at the U.S.
Open on Monday.

Last year, the
five-time U.S. Open winner uncorked a similar shot that whizzed by
Serbian Novak Djokovic standing at the net and gave Federer match point
in their semi-final.

“What do you
think?” Federer told reporters when asked whether Monday’s shot was
better than the 2009 missile that was dubbed ‘shot of the century’ by
scribes around the world.

ESPN TV, which was
broadcasting the match in the United States, promoted a snap poll of
viewers. Fifty-nine percent voted in favour of the new shot. Federer
was not so sure.

“You think this one
was better? I don’t know,” he said. “Obviously the importance of last
year’s was probably a little bit more important. So obviously that has
a little bit of an impact, too.

Big push

“In terms of
difficulty maybe this one was harder, because I had the feeling I had
to run a longer distance and I was further back somehow.

“I had to really
give the last big push at the end.” Federer said when he turned, he
could not tell that his shot found the mark.

“Obviously the
crowd gave me the answer, which was kind of good. The ovation was
fantastic. Crowds went wild. Yeah, you could see on my reaction I
couldn’t believe it.” Federer, winner of a record 16 grand slam events,
said that after 10 years on the professional circuit there were plenty
of shots on his highlight reel.

“I know on YouTube, there are guys that are putting together best shots of me,” he said.

On the question of
trick shots, Federer was asked about the stir created by footage taken
for a TV commercial that shows him knocking a can off someone’s head
that won a huge number of hits but has raised questions about its
authenticity.

“One thing I tell you, that the shots on centre court in front of
22,000 people is a bit more difficult than what I did at the…
commercial,” Federer added. “That was just having a bit more fun.”

For Nigeria’s U-17
women’s team, the Flamingoes to excel at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which
begins in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, the ladies need to be
motivated.

Joy Etim, former assistant coach of the Super Falcons, said this is what guarantees a splendid performance.

“You know you
cannot expect people to do well if they are not encouraged in what they
do. Passion is good but motivation will encourage people to make a
better effort,” she said.

The newly elected
President of Nigeria Football Federation, Aminu Maigari, had said at
the weekend that the federation will give the Flamingoes enough
attention as they represent the future of Nigeria. But Etim is
sceptical about his promise.

“It is not enough that we make promises to the girls; we must also back it up with action,” she said.

“You know they have
heard a lot of these promises but you know this man (Maigari) is new,
we practically know next to nothing about him. Since he has promised to
do his best, let us wait and see. If at the end of the day he does not
do what he is supposed to do, then we can talk but now, I will like us
to wait and see before we react”.

More female coaches

The former Falcons assistant coach also called on the NFF to employ more female coaches for our national teams.

“It is a man that
is in charge of the present U-17 whereas we have trained women coaches
who are without work after they graduate from the National Institute
for Sports,” she explained.

The FIFA U-17 Women
World Cup started two years ago and Nigeria was the first African team
to qualify but they did not reach they knockout stage after losing to
England and recording a draw against Brazil.

In this year’s
edition, the Flamingoes were drawn in Group A with newcomers and host,
Trinidad and Tobago; Chile; and Korea DPR, who are currently the title
holders.

Team coach, Peter Dedevbo is hoping for a good start in the first match against Korea DPR on Sunday.

The Flamingoes, who travelled to Florida, USA last week for a
training tour before heading to Trinidad and Tobago for the tournament,
hope to better their performance in 2008. Ghana and South Africa,
Africa’s other representatives at the World Cup which will last from
September 5-25, were drawn in Groups D and B respectively.

Pakistan’s top
crime investigative agency will send a team to Britain this week to
probe corruption allegations against some of the country’s cricket
players, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Investigations by
British police and the International Cricket Council (ICC) are already
underway into a newspaper report alleging three Pakistan players had
been bribed to fix incidents in last week’s fourth test against England.

London police have
confiscated the mobile phones of test captain Salman Butt as well as
pace bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, and the trio – plus
wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal – have been questioned at the team’s hotel.

A senior official
at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Karachi told Reuters the
three-member team was likely to leave for London on Wednesday and
planned to meet British police and players.

President Asif Ali
Zardari, who is the patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has
also sought reports from Pakistani officials in London, according to
his official spokesman.

“The President is
in touch with the High Commissioner in London and has asked for reports
on the issue,” Farhatullah Babar told Reuters.

The Pakistan team
arrived in Taunton in west England on Monday to play a warm-up game for
two Twenty20 internationals and a five-match one-day series against
England, which starts on Sunday.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said the players being investigated will not be suspended without proof of wrongdoing, however.

“There is a case going on over here with Scotland Yard,” Ijaz told website cricinfo.com.

Fans outraged

“This is only an allegation.

There is still no
charge or proof on that account. So at this stage there will be no
action taken.” The ICC’s anti-corruption unit has been asked to submit
a report on its investigation within the next three days, the world
governing body’s president Sharad Pawar said on Monday.

“We at the ICC are
waiting for definite information from the PCB and our own
anti-corruption unit. We hope to get something in the next two to three
days’ time and that information would lead to appropriate action, if
required,” he said.

Pawar has ruled out the possibility of Pakistan cutting short their tour of England.

On Monday, the
police said they had released on bail a 35-year-old man who had been
arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers following the
report in Britain’s News of the World newspaper.

According to the report, Mazhar Majeed, an agent who claimed to represent 10 Pakistan players including Butt,

said Amir and Asif
had bowled three no-balls between them by pre-arrangement in the fourth
test against England which finished on Sunday.

The report also
cast doubt on the second test between Pakistan and Australia in Sydney
this year when the hosts staged a remarkable comeback to win by 36 runs
after overcoming a 206-run first-innings deficit.

The scandal has
outraged cricket fans in Pakistan and the country’s federal sports
minister, Mir Ijaz Hussain Jakhrani, said the players will be given
“maximum punishment” if allegations against them were proved.

“No one has the
right to play with the dignity, honour of the country,” he told
Reuters. “If the allegations are proved then there could be maximum
punishment.

“It could be lifetime ban, it could be anything, it depends on the allegations.”

The Africa Cup of
Nations qualifying match between Nigeria and Madagascar originally
scheduled for the National Stadium in Abuja will now take place in
Calabar, Cross River State.

Robinson Okosun,
Media officer of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), who disclosed
this yesterday, said the match was moved from Abuja because of the
ongoing ECOWAS youth games taking place at the National Stadium.

“The match will now be taking place at the U. J.Esuene Stadium in Calabar,” Robinson said.

Two states, Kaduna
and Cross River were pencilled down as possible venues for the match,
given the interest shown by them in hosting the encounter. But NFF
officials favoured Calabar.

The federation has
been in dire financial straits since the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), which is investigating allegations of financial
impropriety against the last board headed by Sani Lulu, had its
accounts frozen in July.

The situation
forced the federation to go begging for funds to organise the last
Federation Cup final, which took place in Kano. It finally reached an
agreement with the Kano State Government, which bankrolled the event to
the tune of N30 million.

It is not yet clear
how much the cross river State government will be making available to
host the match. What is certain is they will be splashing money on the
hosting of the encounter.

Pros flock in

Meanwhile, Eagles
coach, Austin Eguavoen stepped up preparation for the encounter with 21
players in attendance during yesterday’s training session. Eleven of
these were the foreign-based professional most of who started coming
into the country on Sunday. Present at yesterday’s session were
Fulham’s Dickson Etuhu, Obafemi Martins, Michael Eneramo, Vincent
Enyeama, Kalu Uche, Olufemi Ajilore, Solomon Okoronkwo, Stanley Okoro,
Dele Aiyenugba, Chidi Ordiah, and Sam Sodje who was recently linked
with a move to MK Dons in the English premiership.

Robinson revealed
that the team’s assistant captain, Joseph Yobo, who was expected to
wrap up a deal with Turkish side Fernabache yesterday evening after
being initially thought to be close to a deal with West Ham, is
expected to fly in tomorrow along with Mikel Obi, who was reported to
have been threatened by the NFF to forget about future invitations to
the national team if he does not show up for the match against
Madagascar.

Bolton defender,
Danny Shittu is also expected in camp today. The player who was in
Lagos on Monday to promote a football talent programme, which he is
organising along with a sports paper based in Lagos, flew out of the
country immediately to wrap up a deal with an undisclosed club. Shittu,
who has endured a difficult time on the bench at Bolton Wanderers since
his move there in 2008, was said to have two offers on the table.

Players in Dickson Etuhu Obafemi Martins Michael Eneramo Vincent
Enyeama Kalu Uche Sam Sodje Obafemi Ajilore Solomon Okoronkwo Stanley
Okoro Dele Aiyenugba Chidi Ordiah

You must be very
familiar with the phrase “a coach is as good as his/her last match
result”. This is especially so in Nigeria, where winning at all costs,
by hook or by crook, is becoming the standard pattern in our sporting
activities. It can be argued that it is so in other parts of the world,
since sports, especially football, has a universal appeal and language.
Yes, this may be correct. The difference may be the level of moral
decadence and utter shamelessness with which we deal with issues
concerning competitions in this part of the globe. Decorum does not
seem to be part of our sports vocabulary. What a shame!

Past performances

We are now becoming
uncomfortable with the results of your recent performances, especially
some very crucial ones that now make you, with all due respects, look
like a tiny start-up, taking on giants.In Nigeria, advantage
increasingly depends on strategic manoeuvres with the highest level of
dexterity, rather than political position.

I am sure that you
also know, more than before, that mediocrity is not only celebrated in
Nigerian sports, it is preferred to professionalism. You must have also
come to realise that lawlessness, ineptitude, absolute disregard and
disrespect for the laws of this country, are being legitimised.

Otherwise, how do
we reconcile the fact that Nigerians are now being made to believe that
the so-called NFF congress and FIFA are more powerful than the Federal
Government? How does anyone explain why the FIFA statues have rendered
our law courts ridiculously nonsensical? The truth is that, honourable
minister, you have lost three games in very quick successions, and
these results have affected your rating terribly.

Repercussions

But what went
wrong? Well, since we are talking sports, permit me to draw from my bag
of Judo experience. Maybe this metaphor will help, if only you will
have time to practise some of the tips.

For instance, how
do you compete with opponents who have size, strength, and history on
their side? Maybe I should warn you never to believe anyone who tells
you that your opponents, the enemies of sports in Nigeria, are
toothless or powerless. A bulldog is a bulldog, just as a snake will
remain a snake – big or small, it is dangerous.

Believe me, your
opponents are not only desperate, they have the size, strength,
history, and most importantly, the money to squander. They are also
experts at fighting without rules. My advice is simple. Please get one
of our Judo masters as a personal coach, and you will discover that
with the core principles of Judo – movement, balance, and leverage, you
can easily turn your opponent’s weight and power to your own advantage.
My coaching instinct tells me to keep the details for ‘security’
reasons.

But then, something
tells me that your opponents have successfully studied your antecedents
as transport minister, discovered your strength and weaknesses, and
bang…bang…bang…

The average
Nigerian athlete is not happy with you, sir. Why postpone the National
Sports Festival? Thousands of these athletes have been training – in
very terrible conditions, and they have been looking forward to the fun
derived from participating in this festival.

Poorly paid coaches
have worked on these athletes. Parents have bought training kits for
their wards, believing that this may be the sports festival that will
provide the platform for their wards to become national champions and
eventually have the opportunity to represent Nigeria at international
competitions. Whoever is responsible for the postponement has not done
any good. The postponement is counter-productive.

Did anyone in the
Sports Commission think of the implications? What happens to the
training regimen put in place by the coaches and trainers? Do athletes
and trainers also “postpone” their training programmes? What happens to
the funds already allocated for the festival? Would this not be another
opportunity for the hawks in Nigerian sports to swoop on?

If the state to
host the festival is not ready, is there no back-up state standing by
to host? Has Abuja not got the required facilities to host? And to
think that February 2011 is the new period being considered, is beyond
reasonable imagination, except this is an indication that there will be
no “operation totality” (sincere apologies to Uncle Aremu) general
elections in January 2011, in Nigeria.

Sincerely, the odds
seem to be against you, sir. By the way, are Nigerians sure that we
will be adequately represented at the forthcoming Commonwealth games?
Is the NOC still in existence in this country?

I wish these thoughts will find an echo in your heart. There is the
urgent need for a review of your strategy. There may be hypocrites and
very obsequious people around you. Please do not forget that this is
Nigeria, where money talks. Watch out for the banana peels. For the
sake of millions of Nigerians praying for you, please, beware!

Ismaily’s coach,
Mark Wotte, has accused the Confederation of African Football (CAF),
following the Egyptian side’s defeat at the hands of Nigeria’s
Heartland in last weekend’s CAF Champions League fixture.

This follows the
decision of the football governing body to reject the Egyptian club’s
request to alter the timing of the game decided at the Dan Anyiam
Stadium in Owerri.

The match got
underway at 1500 hours local time, with Heartland securing their first
win of the group stage of the tournament after coming from a goal down
to win 2-1 with the winning goal arriving five minutes from the end of
the game.

With only two games
left before the end of the group stage, Sunday’s loss all but ended
Ismaily’s hopes of advancing to the semi-finals, but Wotte feels the
situation would had been different had CAF, whose headquarters is in
Egypt, accepted their request to change the kickoff time after his
players refused to break their fast.

Depleted energy

Last Sunday was the
19th day of Islam’s holy month of Ramadan and the Ismaily coach
believes the fasting depleted his players’ energy levels.

“I don’t want to
speak about religious issues but the fasting affected my players
today,” Wotte said, following Ismaily’s third group stage defeat in
four games.

“CAF is to blame for that because it forced us to play during the day. It should have changed the timing of the match.

“Food is very
important for the players. They couldn’t perform well in the second
half. They lost energy and concentration.” Ismaily’s defeat leaves them
at the bottom of the Group B standings with three points, one behind
third-placed Heartland and two behind fellow Egyptian club side Al-Ahly
who lie in second place following their unimpressive 1-1 draw against
visiting JS Kabylie of Algeria, also on Sunday.

The draw in Cairo
ensured Kabylie, who finished the game with 10 men, became the first
club to advance to the semi-finals of this year’s CAF Champions League
with an unassailable 10 points.

Al-Ahly or
Heartland can still join Kabylie if they win their remaining two games
but they’ll have to play each other in Cairo on September 12, making it
impossible for both teams to overhaul the Algerians.

Al-Ahly’s coach
Hossam Al-Badri however feels his side, rather than Heartland, will be
the ones to join Kabylie in advancing to the last four of the
tournament they have won a record six times.

When asked about Ahli’s hopes of reaching the Champions League semi-finals,

Al-Badri, who berated his strikers for fluffing the numerous chances
that came their way against the Algerians, replied: “We are in second
place, so our chance to qualify for the next round is substantial.”

Nigeria’s Samuel
Peter has disclosed that his next bout following the September 11 world
title fight against Wladimir Klitschko, will be against Britain’s David
Haye.

Haye is currently
one of the top heavyweights in the world and is the holder of the World
Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title. The Briton has for long
been linked with a fight against either Wladimir or his elder brother
Vitali, but that has yet to see the light of day.

Peter, a former
heavyweight champion, has fought against the Klitschko brothers, losing
on both occasions. The first was against Wladimir in 2005, before
coming up against Vitali in 2008.

Speaking recently
on a radio programme in the United States of America, the 29-year-old
Peter discussed why he continues to reach agreements for Klitschko
fights, while other prominent heavyweights like Alexander Povetkin,
Nikolai Valuev and, especially the very outspoken Haye, are unable to
reach a deal with the Ukrainian-born brothers.

Promoters

According to the
Nigerian, a lot of the negotiations are political and some have too
many promoters involved. He then went on to disclose that if he ends up
winning his September 11 bout, he will request his promoters, Top Rank,
to make a deal for him to get into the ring with Haye.

“In each case,
there are issues,” said Peter. “Take Valuev, he has two promoters, and
each of them takes a certain percentage for their fees. After this,
there remains little money. So he wants to get paid more.

“David Haye is
another story. In the press, he has made these aggressive attacks and
gave the image of a fighting boy,” Peter said. “But once Haye took the
WBA title from Valuev, he grew up from fighting boy into a businessman.

“He no longer wants
Klitschko. To him, it’s better to earn without the risk of defeat.
Let’s see if my promoters can agree on a fight with Haye after
September 11, when I’ll take the championship belt from Wladimir,”
boasted Peter, before adding: “To tell you the truth, I already feel
like a champion.” If Peter emerges victorious on September 11, he will
annex the WBO and IBF titles from the Ukrainian. A fight against Haye,
who plans on taking on Audley Harrison before the end of the year, will
thus act as a unifying bout.

The WBC crown is, however, held by the older of the Klitschko brothers.

Kenya’s David
Rudisha lowered the 800 metres world record to 1 minute 41.01 at a
meeting in Rieti in Italy on Sunday, just a week after first breaking
the record.

The 21-year-old,
who broke the record that had stood for 13 years in Berlin last Sunday
when he ran 1:41.09, powered down the home straight at the IAAF World
Challenge meeting to easily better that mark.

Denmark’s Wilson
Kipketer set 1.41.11 in 1997 in Cologne, Germany but Rudisha has
suddenly ripped up the record books twice and told Reuters on Monday he
can go even quicker in his pursuit of world and Olympic gold.

Promise to return fulfilled

Last year at Rieti
he had told the crowd he would “return to do something great”. Rudisha,
who made a surprise semi-final exit at the Berlin world championships,
last year, is the son of Daniel Rudisha who was a member of the 4x400m
Olympics silver-winning relay team in Mexico City in 1968.

The small city of
Rieti near Rome, celebrating the 40th anniversary of its meet, has a
long heritage of records being broken at the quaint track and Jamaica’s
Nesta Carter also ran the joint-fastest 100 metres this year to win the
final.

He scorched down the track in 9.78, equalling Tyson Gay’s effort at the London Diamond League meeting earlier this month.

American Ryan
Bailey and Jamaican Mario Forsythe ran personal bests of 9.88 and 9.95
for second and third while France’s European champion Christophe
Lemaitre set a national record of 9.97 in fourth.

Olympic 110m
hurdles bronze medallist David Oliver of the United States, who has
been enjoying a stunning season, failed in his bid to break the world
record but set a meeting record of 13.01 despite hitting two hurdles.

Italy is again the focus for athletics on Tuesday when world 800m
champion Caster Semenya and 2004 100m Olympic champion Justin Gatlin
are in action in Rovereto.