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Semenya, the women’s 800 metres world champion, has withdrawn from the
Commonwealth Games because of a back injury dealing the event another
blow, South Africa’s Olympic body announced on Tuesday.

The 19-year-old,
cleared to compete again in July after controversial gender tests had
put her career on hold since she won the world title in August 2009,
has suffered serious lower back pain and been uncomfortable in her last
few races.

Semenya had an MRI
scan earlier on Tuesday which showed an inflammation of the spine and
left the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee
(Sascoc) with no alternative but to pull the medal prospect out of
their team.

“It would serve no
purpose to have an athlete in Delhi who was struggling with any sort of
injury that would compromise performance and it is our medical view
that physically and emotionally she would not be capable of doing
justice to her talent at an event of this magnitude,” Shuaib Manjra,
Team South Africa’s chief medical officer said in a statement.

Massive blow

Sascoc chief
executive Tubby Reddy said Semenya’s withdrawal was a blow to South
Africa’s medal hopes at the games but the welfare of the athlete was
his organisation’s main concern.

“She was one of our athletes that was expected to do well and win a medal,” Reddy told Reuters.

“But if she is
carrying an injury it would do her no good to try and compete in Delhi
because it could impact on her future achievements. We have thus
decided to follow our medical team’s advice and withdraw her from the
team,” he added.

Other high-profile
athletes missing from the Games include world champion sprinter Usain
Bolt, who said the event had come too late in the year, and Kenyan 800
metres world record holder David Rudisha, who blamed tiredness for his
withdrawal.

The absence of some
of the world’s top athletes has taken a lot of the shine off an event
India had hoped to use to display its growing global influence,
rivalling China which put on a spectacular 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Other athletes have
pulled out citing health concerns surrounding dirty accommodation in
the athletes’ village while some have withdrawn becuase of fears over
security.

In a boost for the Games, Isle of Man cyclist Mark Cavendish, a Tour
de France stage winner and one of the world’s best sprinters, said he
would compete in the road race.

As
part of this year’s independence celebrations, the Friends of Rugby
(FOR) is hosting a Rugby 7’s Championship at the main bowl of the
National Stadium, Surulere.

The tournament,
which is in its third edition, has been received with enthusiasm by
rugby teams in Nigeria and abroad. Ntiense Williams, spokesman of FOR
who disclosed this, said “The Rugby community in Nigeria will all
assemble to celebrate this auspicious occasion (independence
anniversary) with a Rugby 7’s Championship for both male and Female. We
have planned for a 16 male & 6 female Sevens Championship, but at
the close of registration, we had received over 20 male Clubs queuing
to participate.

“This is a great
challenge to us as we only made provision for 16 Male teams, but now
have to persuade some teams to withdraw, because we want to put up a
superb show for Rugby followers in Nigeria”.

Draws will now be held by the board of the (FOR) to pick the 16 teams that would be participating.

Ghana joins in celebrations

Apart from the
Nigerian teams vying to participate, a Ghanaian club, Accra Sharks
Rugby Football Club has also expressed interest to join in the
independence celebrations. The independence 7’s tournament will also
feature three other events – the veterans match, female rugby
invitational tournament, and the British versus French rugby match.

In the veterans
match, a host of former International and national rugby players
presently in the country have been invited, to participate in an
Exhibition match during the championship. In the female invitational
rugby tournament, a total of six teams are participating.

The teams will be
divided into two groups of three teams each. Benin Rugby Football Club,
Young Lions Rugby Football Club and Rivers State Rugby team are in
Group A while Group B consists of Delta State Rugby team, Lagos State
Rugby team and Addax Rugby Football Club respectively.

For the British
versus French rugby match, plans are under way to get in the colonial
masters who brought in the game of Rugby into Nigeria to participate in
Rugby Challenge Demonstration Match.

A board member of FOR, Olatunji Fasimoye has promised trophies and cash prizes for winners of the men’s and women’s tournament:

“Last year’s tournament winners got a cash prize of N250, 000 and we are hoping to increase this year’s amount,” he said.

Ghana’s Emos Korblah on Tuesday emerged winner of the professional category at the ongoing Nigeria Cup 2010 golf tournament.

The tournament which was put together
by the golf section of the Ikoyi Club 1938 as part of activities
leading up to Nigeria’s Independence Day celebrations on October 1, saw
the talented Ghanaian defeating a strong field to claim top spot.

With over 30 professionals in
attendance, based on their performance and ranking on the Nigerian
professional tour, the one-day, 18-hole tournament was expected to be a
fierce contest.

But it was the visiting Ghanaian, who competes in both the Nigerian and Ghanaian professional tours,

who outlasted the field as he proved he
was still a force to be reckoned with as he shot a resounding 3-under
par 68 to write his name on the 14-year old competition’s winners’
chart.

In second place was University of Benin
Teaching Hospital Golf Club’s resident professional, Victor Enaigbe,
who shot an impressive 1-under par 70, thus shaking off the lethargic
putting that saw him struggle at last week’s Nigeria at 50 tournament
at the IBB Golf and Country Club in Abuja.

Completing the top three in the professional category was Said Yusuf.

Other top professionals in Tuesday’s
field were Port Harcourt’s Willy Gift, Abuja based Ayuba Musa, Friday
Adache from Ilorin, Kingsley Oparaku who was formerly of Aba sports
club, and Lateef Lasisi, a former Nigeria Open winner.

Also present was the Director of
professional golfers association of Nigeria, Jamiu Oyebajo, Ikoyi Club
1938’s top professional Bashiru Bakare, as well as former Nigeria Cup
winner Gboyega Oyebanji among others.

Nigerian
midfielder John Obi Mikel expects a tough encounter when Chelsea take
on Arsenal on Sunday but hopes that, having ending their losing streak
against Marseille, the Blues can dispatch the Gunners.

Carlo Ancelotti’s
side defeated their French Ligue 1 opponents 2-0 in a UEFA Champions
League match on Tuesday night to end a run of two successive defeats.

Chelsea had lost
4-3 to Newcastle in the Carling Cup prior to last weekend’s 1-0 Premier
League loss to Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Mikel, who has been
impressive since the start of the season for Chelsea, hopes that
Tuesday’s victory will help the defending English champions return to
winning ways in the League – at

Stamford Bridge against Arsenal, who also won on Tuesday in Croatia against Partizan Belgrade.

“I am now looking
forward to the game against Arsenal,” Mikel said. “We both won so it
will be a great game on Sunday and hopefully we can take three points
from them.

“Marseille were a
good team. In the second half they showed us they can also play. But I
think we were always in control of the game and our Champions League
experience showed,” Mikel said, adding that “Sunday will be a different
game, especially as Arsenal keep the ball well.”

Exciting football

Arsenal are noted for their exciting brand of football that centres around ball possession.

But after enjoying
a five-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League, the Gunners were
brought back down to earth last weekend when they suffered a
humiliating 3-2 home defeat at the hands of promoted West Bromwich
Albion.

But Arsenal’s
Ivorian defender Emmanuel Eboue feels Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Partizan
Belgrade has put his side back on course ahead of Sunday’s visit to
Stamford Bridge.

“We started very well in the league, but last Saturday’s defeat was a big blow,” Eboue told skysports.com.

“But our spirit is strong, we came away from home in Europe and won 3-1.

“Our winning
mentality is back, and we really need that to meet Chelsea on Sunday,”
added the 27-year-old who nevertheless insists the Gunners have to be
in top form to stand a chance of winning on Sunday.

“They are a big and powerful team and are in good form, despite losing last weekend,” he said.

“If you are not strong and ready against them, they will overpower
and destroy you. So we will be ready against them, we are very
confident about that.”

Nigeria
yesterday crashed out of the ongoing International Table Tennis
Federation (ITTF) World Team Cup Classic taking place in Dubai as the
country’s representatives fell 3-1 in the quarter finals of the tourney
to Germany.

The defeat
notwithstanding, the Nigerian male team maintained its top rating as
they emerged winner of the Intercontinental Cup at the event.

Before slumping to
Germany, the Nigerian men were unbeaten all through the competition,
recording victories over Australia, 3-1; UAE, 3-2 and an empathic 3-0
win over Canada.

The team made up of
experienced and youthful players was captained by Monday Merotohun.
Other members of the team included Kazeem Nosiru, Aruna Quadri, Seun
Ajetunmobi and Lanre Jegede.

The team handler,
Coach Lateef Sunmola, who was very excited by the feat, said the
performance of the team is a pointer that they will do well at the
India Commonwealth Games.

“We are in shape to
maintain our status in India as one of the best teams from the
Commonwealth. I am happy with the Dubai feat and I pray for this kind
of similar achievement in India,” he said.

Also yesterday,
Nigeria-born Kasali Lasisi coached Congo Brazzaville to win the women
event after his team followed the footstep of Nigeria to win all their
matches against United States, Brazil, and Australia.

The Congo team was however shown the exit door like Nigeria as they
fell to the superior prowess of Korea Republic in the quarter-final,
losing out 3-0 Over 16 countries from all the continents are taking
part in the championship holding at the Al Nasr Indoor Sports Club in
Dubai.

Please permit me to
be absolutely M.A.D. (I hope you remember this?) today. I want to make
a difference by totally disagreeing with majority of the assessment
stories, written as regards this great nation’s 50th Independence
anniversary.

Yes, there are
monumental socio-political, economic, religious, educational, health
and several other problems, no doubt, and I must confess that I
personally groan under the weight of some of them, but all the same, I
sincerely believe that Nigerians must appreciate God Almighty for all
He has allowed us to go through since independence. I do not care what
anybody thinks about this, I am very happy and rejoice with you out
there reading this column, who agrees with me, that it is by the
special grace of God, that we are still alive today.

There is hope
Nigeria will definitely survive. Check very well, no matter how thick
the darkness we seem to be experiencing now, there is bright light at
the end of the tunnel. The dry bones of Nigeria, especially in sports,
will live again and the glory, honour, pride, joy, victory and prestige
that have eluded this great nation for a few decades, will be restored.
It does not matter whether you believe it or not. One question you need
to ask yourself however is why you are alive to be part of this jubilee
anniversary. The other question is what roles you are expected to play
in order to help save the systemic decline of sports in Nigeria. My
mind goes back, for instance, to my colleagues who sacrificed their
lives in order to keep this nation as one entity – during the civil war.

Praise God, for the
situation in which sports in Nigeria has found itself now? Thank God
for the shenanigans into which Nigerian sports has been immersed? Thank
God for the shame we now experience as a nation among the comity of
nations? Yes. You have no choice, but to do so, if you think properly.

You are alive, so you will be part of the solution.

Yes, opportunities
to carry out an effective spiritual detoxification, as it was carried
out in South Africa, Brazil and South Korea, by sports loving women and
men, who have the fear of God in them and also believe that the
spiritual must always control the physical.

Details of the Save
Nigerian Sports Initiative (SANSI) will soon be made public and all
patriotic and sports loving Nigerians will be welcome to participate in
SANSI’s activities.

Meanwhile, we need a couple of Nehemiahs, who will volunteer to stand in the gap for Nigerian sports this week.

Praying to make a
change Volunteers, who for three days will take Nigerian sports to the
One who created sports for His pleasure, and commence the restitution
programme we have been mentioning in this column for the past three
weeks.

The programme will
deo-volente, commence on Wednesday September 29 and end on Friday
October 1, 2010. Regular readers of this column will remember that
something similar to this was called for on Tuesday the10th of
November, 2009, with the caption “Seeking divine intervention for
Eagles”.

The testimonies of
what God did during the Super Eagles match with Kenya are well known to
Nigerians and Tunisians. Can God do it again? Yes. The same God is the
same yesterday, today and forever. You better believe this.

So, once again, we
appeal to you volunteers to spend these three days waiting on God for
our beloved nation. This is part of the price we have to pay to save
Nigerian sports. As we wait on God, we will be required to do the
following:-

1. Please thank God that Nigeria is still intact as a nation.

2. Please thank Him for the successes we have recorded so far. For instance at the various Olympics,

Commonwealth, All Africa Games and other international events, where Nigeria has excelled.

3. Like Nehemiah, confess the sins of our sports administrators, managers, coaches,

athletes,
ex-internationals, parents – who encourage their wards to falsify their
ages. Principals and teachers who also encourage age falsification.
Rituals and other form of fetish that have taken place in virtually all
the stadiums in the country. Moral decadence, homosexuality,
favouritism amongst several others.

4. Pray that God should please uproot all the “plants” He did not plant in Nigerian sports.

5. Pray that God
Himself should please in the multitude of His tender mercies, raise God
fearing women and men who will administer/manage sports in Nigeria
henceforth.

6. Please pray that God should grant us the grace to restructure sports in Nigeria.

7. Finally, thank Him again, this time in advance, for answered prayers.

8. So arise sports-loving compatriots and obey this passionate call,
“to serve our Fatherland, with love and strength and faith” Please
permit me to stress once again, as I did on the 10th of November,2009,
that I do not claim to be a prophet and I am not saying God has told me
anything. The truth is that I believe in the efficacy of prayers –
especially times like this. If only about 1,000 faithful Nigerians will
fast and pray for this great nation. If only!

Valencia are expecting a stiff Champions League test at home to
Manchester United on Wednesday despite the English club’s injury problems,
according to midfielder Juan Mata.

Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are unavailable for
the Group C clash at the Mestalla but Mata said the La Liga leaders were ready
for a typically resilient performance from the three-times European champions.

“British teams are very physical and the pace of the games is
much faster than in Spain,” the World Cup-winning Spain international told a
news conference on Tuesday.

“In physical terms, we’ll have to be at our peak,” he added.
“But we also have to stick to our football philosophy and keep possession of
the ball and hopefully that will be enough.” Valencia began their Champions
League campaign with a comfortable win over Bursaspor, thrashing the Turkish
champions 4-0 away as United were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Scottish side
Rangers.

Impressive form

Mata has been in impressive form this season to help Unai
Emery’s side to the top of the domestic standings, while United have been inconsistent
and twice had to come from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw with Bolton Wanderers
on Sunday.

Mata said Giggs, a fellow left-footer, was one of his boyhood
heroes and he was disappointed not to face the 36-year-old Welshman.

“Ryan Giggs has been a player I have liked very much since I was
little,” he said.

“He is a big loss because of his professionalism and experience
but for sure whoever takes his place will do their best. They’ll be missing
important players but I think they have a big enough squad to cope.” Valencia
coach Unai Emery had words of praise for his United counterpart Alex Ferguson,
saying the 68-year-old was an example for all coaches to follow.

“I don’t know him very well personally but I know his
background, career and the trophies he has won,” Emery said.

“He is a model for any coach around the world and you can learn
a great deal from him.

“We always show great respect for every team but showing respect is very
different to fear. We respect Manchester United and their players but we don’t
have the slightest fear of any opponent

The Nigeria Premier
League (NPL) has been postponed for the umpteenth time. The league,
which was expected to start on October 2 is now scheduled to start
three weeks later on October 23.

Also, a record 24
clubs, including Bayelsa United, which had been relegated at the end of
last season, will be part of the new league format.

In the same vein,
Gateway FC of Abeokuta, Wikki Tourists of Bauchi and Ranchers Bees of
Kaduna who were all also relegated will be part of the enlarged Premier
League.

These decisions were reached at a parley held yesterday in Abuja between the Sports Minister,

Isa Bio, the NPL board members, and the club owners.

With this new development, a new draw for the fixtures of the annual competition is expected very soon.

On the issue of the
eligibility of Davidson Owumi as NPL chairman, the meeting ruled that
Owumi should continue in office even though his challenger, Rumson
Baribote was given the leeway to seek redress if he is not satisfied
with the decision taken. Baribote had contested against Owumi for the
NPL chairmanship and argued that Owumi had been removed as chairman of
Ranger International football club before the election and that he was
therefore not qualified to contest.

However Austin
Popo, the executive secretary of Association of Footballers of Nigeria
(APFON) described the latest move as a scratch on the surface. He
argued that the more fundamental issue of players’ welfare has not been
properly addressed.

“What they did was just to scratch the surface. There are far more
fundamental things at stake like the vaccum created with the NFF board
still not in place and also the welfare of the main actors, the
players. If these issues are not addressed, the league will not start
even by the new date of October 23.” Popo said.

Nigeria’s teams at
the ongoing World Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia had
bitter-sweet outing yesterday with the women’s team defeating the
Netherlands Antilles while the men’s team suffered lost to Cyprus.

Tobi Olatunji, who
was in her usual best led the women’s team, and she set the pace for
victory by taking Delemarre Maria Elisabeth to the cleaners with her
well prepared Queen’s Gambit decline. It gave her opponent Elisabeth
little chance of fighting back and she gave up on move 29 after a
mating signal.

On board two,
Rachael Dappa picked her first win in the tournament with a brilliant
win against Salim Moussa whose defence line crumbled to the Nigerian’s
middle game tactics, while Funmi Akinola did not give Nadiniela Coffie
any chance to recover from a blunder she committed as early as the 11th
move. Akinola brought the game to a ruthless conclusion on move 33.

Completing the rout of the islanders was Rosemary Amadasun.

It was however a different story for the men. The duo of Bunmi Olape
and Olumide Ajibowo secured draws against their respective opponents
but Inimo Kigigha and Olanrewaju Ajibola lost their respective games to
hand the Cypriots victory.