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One of the passions of Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola is sports, specifically football.

Since he assumed
the reins of leadership in Lagos he has tried to sustain the momentum
of sports development, which went into high gear in the closing days of
the Bola Tinubu administration.

His passion for
developing sports at the grassroots is easily seen in his support of
initiatives like the Principals’ Cup as well as the transformation of
sports facilities like that at the Campos Square as well as the
completion of the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

An avid football
fan he never passes an opportunity to play the game and has helped in
no small way in the rehabilitation of some former footballers who would
have faced starvation but for his intervention.

That is why the
organisation of the Lagos International Youth Cup, which ended
yesterday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium is very embarrassing to say the
least.

The tournament was
designed to be forum for youngsters to express themselves and afford
the state government an avenue to nurture a new generation of players.

But what we saw during the tournament has left a sour taste in our mouths.

For a tournament,
which had been on the cards since last year, with the state government
reported to have paid sixty thousand Euros (over N11 million) to each
of the three invited teams from outside the country, it was irritating
to see teams playing to empty seats in the stadium.

Dropping the ball

According to the
plan for the tournament, secondary school students who are presently on
holiday and who live around the vicinity of the stadium were supposed
to have been mobilised to fill the seats in the stadium if for nothing
else, at least to encourage the young players strutting their stuff on
the pitch.

So what went wrong?
Who dropped the ball? Who were the officials that allowed the sorry
spectacle of youngsters looking to make their mark in the game, some of
whom travelled thousands of kilometres to come to Nigeria for a
tournament to play in a stadium completely devoid of spectators?

It is disheartening the way we do things in the country. We have a habit of making simple chores appear extremely difficult.

If the officials to
whom Fashola entrusted the assignment of organising the tournament knew
they were racing against time, why didn’t they ask for more time. Some
of these officials were in South Africa to witness the World Cup and
they could not have failed to have notice how Danny Jordaan and his
team mobilised South Africans for the tournament to the extent that
long after the South African national team had been eliminated, players
were still playing before large crowds of spectators.

In a country where
children are passionate about football it is sad that organisers could
not get them into the stadium to watch their peers. Go through the
inner streets of Lagos and you will see children playing football with
just about any object imaginable. In Surulere, where the Teslim Balogun
Stadium, venue of the tournament is situated, it is common sight to see
clusters of lads knocking the ball around, so why couldn’t they lure
them to watch the action in the stadium? Was it that there was
insufficient fund for publicity or a few individuals among the
organisers decided to be smart?

Carrying the can

The embarrassment
was not limited to the organisation of the tournament. In terms of
performance, the Lagos state team was thoroughly outclassed. The
humiliation of the Lagos squad was underscored by a 7-1 drubbing by
South Africa’s Super Sport United in their second game after they had
been beaten 2-1 by Liberty FC of Ghana.

Now, it is not
criminal to lose matches. Even the best of teams get beaten now and
then. What is unacceptable about the performance of the Lagos team are
the excuses being advanced. Coach of the squad, Joe Erico, speaking
after the loss to Liberty United said his team lost because he did not
have good knowledge of his players as it was only put together 12 days
before the tournament commenced.

He said players were in school and so could not come together before the time they did.

Twelve days to prepare a team for an international football
competition for which the Lagos State government had committed millions
in taxpayers’ funds! It is simply criminal. Was the Commissioner of
Sports aware of this? If he was and allowed this to happen then he
should rightly hang his head in shame. If he wasn’t then it shows he is
not on top of things. Either way, the buck stops on his table. He
should carry the can.

Starcomms has yet
again reiterated its passion for the development of boxing at the
grass-roots following the successful conclusion of the latest
instalment of the monthly Lagos State Boxing Hall of Fame competition.

The competition,
which took place over the weekend at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Hall
Complex, Rowe Park, Lagos, aims at rewarding excellence in the noble
sport of self-defence and is organised monthly in conjunction with the
Lagos State Amateur Boxing Association (LABA).

A budding female
boxer, Kate Peters emerged as the best overall boxer this time –
joining the likes of Rasheed Lawal who had earlier won the contest and
who flew the country’s flag at the last Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Giving back to society

Speaking shortly
after presenting the Starcomms Overall Best Boxer prize to Peters, who
is a member of the Modupe Boxing Club, one of the numerous clubs that
competed at the tournament, the Marketing Director of Starcomms,
Richard Gill said that the sponsorship of the monthly boxing
competition is one way through which the telecom service providers is
giving back to society.

According to Gill,
Starcomms is committed to the development of sports, particularly at
the grassroots level pledging that the company will continue to give
support to the event, which has become relevant to the development of
boxing within the state.

He also said that
Starcomms’ sphere of influence in sports development in the country
will continue to increase adding that just as the company is not
relenting in its determination to give its customers unmatched quality
of service, so also will it not relent in creating an atmosphere where
young Nigerians can develop their talents.

Gill also stated
that sport remains a veritable means for young people to express
themselves, adding that since Starcomms began the sponsorship of the
event, a great number of young boxing talents have proven that they
have the potentials to take Nigeria to the top of the world in the
sport of boxing.

While rating the
performance of the boxers, Gill said that the LABA displayed
professionalism in the organization of the event noting that the spirit
of sportsmanship put up by the boxers deserves commendation.

Starcomms has for
some time sponsored the monthly Lagos State Boxing Hall of Fame
Competition, which takes place on the last Saturday of every month at
Rowe Park.

The Nigerian Cup
and General Hassan Cup, two of the most prestigious prizes in the
Katsina International Polo Tournament, were again at the centre of
massive battles and betting frenzy as this year’s tournament climaxed
last night.

This is not the
first time these two titles would be living up to their billing as the
tournament’s star attractions. The cutting edge drama and flourish that
characterise competition in these two events make them the favourites
of polo fans who throng the Usman Nagogo Polo ground to watch top
flight action.

The Nigerian Cup
remains the premier trophy in Katsina and one of the four grand slam
prizes in Nigerian Polo, ranking in popularity with Georgian,
Majekodunmi and Emir of Katsina, sure has some mystic around it.

Apart from its
pre-eminent position as the first high-goal prize to be competed for
every season, what makes it thick is the approach of the competing
teams from Kaduna, Lagos, Kano and lately Katsina, a commitment no
other prize can quite regularly induce.

This year, that
same commitment was displayed by former champions, Fifth Chukkers,
defending champions, Lagos Rubicon, and two home teams, Hajara Farms
and Katsina Max Air. Both were seeking to win the title for the first
time for host Katsina.

Though the Hassan
Katsina Cup is a handicap notch below the Nigerian Cup here, it has
consistently attracted more fans with its vibrancy, which pumps up fans
adrenaline levels and keeps polo aficionados on their toes.

In recent times
these attributes have elevated the cup to become arguably one of
Nigeria’s top medium goal prizes, easily eclipsing its counterparts in
Lagos (Open), Kano (Dantata Cup) and Kaduna (Dickenson) which can’t
quite escape the overbearing shadow of their respective high goal cups.

Annihilating the dream

The fact that the
host club, Katsina, has not been fielding teams in the Nigerian cup for
a long time, has everything to do with the growing popularity of this
medium-goal title named after “Soul of the Game” and the late Life
President of Nigerian Polo Federation (NPF)Hassan Usman Katsina.

In this year’s
fiesta, Katsina Kangiwa boasting the likes of Umar Kabir, Bashir
Mangal, Bello Buba and Mohammed Serirki hoisted its flag in the Hassan
Cup rumble and they were blistering in their opening game annihilation
of Ibadan Dream team.

Locked against
teams from Kano and Kaduna, the home fans’ favourite squad who are the
kings of medium-goal games in other major tournaments around the
country, did not disappoint.

The Kangiwa army,
which is being mounted to immortalize the late Governor of Sokoto
State, Shehu Kangiwa, who died in playing in the Georgian Cup in Kaduna
three decades ago, were truly at their best endearing themselves to
thousands of polo buffs across the country with their robust campaign.

Consistent performance

Tournament after
tournament, venue after venue, Katsina medium goal teams have
consistently reproduce the same blistering performance that has become
their trademark and when it comes to Hassan’s prize and in front of
their home crowd, they display zero tolerance to opposition.

Put it on the
Katsina players then, as they are always motivated by competitive
ambitions beyond the reward, in the truest Olympian tradition. The roll
call include the Katsina polo playing princes like Hussaini, Umar and
Sanusi Kabir, Shehu Lawan Kaita, Mohammed Seriki, Lawal Mangal,
Abdulwahab Sani Stores, Suleiman Shema, Bashir Yar’Adua, Aminu Gagare,
Nura Daku, Madani Sani etc.

Together with their
foreign legion like Ibrahim Zakari, Babangida Hassan, Honourable Hadi
Sirika, Ahmadu Bakori, Abba M. T. Usman, Ibrahim Abba and England based
Dikko Ladan, they create legends out of Katsina polo.

The state boasts a
number of medium and low goal teams like Katsina Kangiwa, Katsina
Gobarau, Katsina Max Air, Katsina Masanawa, Katsina Hajara Farms,
Katsina Tarno and lately Katsina IT Sec.

Often they merged
for a more potent campaign. On the road one or two of the Katsina teams
are usually enough to work up the crowd and before their teeming fans
at the Nagogo Ground, where they play with the full compliments of
their resource, they let the sparks fly all over the ground all too
easily.

Over the years,
Katsina players may have created such an intimidating reputation, but
the Grand Slam prizes won’t necessarily follow them home. Quite often
they do get as much as they give, especially from Lagos and Kaduna,
Kano, Yola, Bauchi, Ibadan and Port Harcourt teams.

From all
indications, Samson Siasia will be the next coach of the Super Eagles
following the decision by the team’s erstwhile handler Lars Lagerback
not to return to the hot seat.

Lagerback’s
Nigerian agent Emeka Enechi earlier in the week informed NEXTSports
that the former handler of the Swedish national side will not be
returning to Nigeria because he would find it difficult to work under
the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as currently constituted.

Enechi’s revelation
only confirmed what had been speculated in the media since the Swede
left for his homeland on holiday following the unceremonious exit of
the Super Eagles from the World Cup. This was despite countless denials
from the federation’s officials who now appear to be accepting the
Swede will not return.

Last Thursday,
NFF’s technical committee chairman, Dominic Iorfa, on a radio
programme, said the federation had no choice than to look for a
replacement for the Swede.

Iorfa, a former
player of the Nigerian national team and English club side Queens Park
Rangers, even suggested that Siasia may succeed Lagerback, adding that
the NFF will soon begin negotiations with the Bayelsa State-born coach
who took Nigeria’s U-23 Eagles to a silver medal finish at the Beijing
2008 Olympic Games in China, three years after achieving a similar feat
at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands.

“The coach said he
is not coming back so it’s very likely that Siasia will take over the
job,” said Iorfa, “We’ll soon start discussions with Siasia.”

Siasia, in an
earlier interview with NEXTSports, confirmed that he had been
approached by the NFF regarding the Super Eagles top job but that no
further approach had been made by the federation. In the interview,
Siasia said he will be willing to take the job if an agreement is
reached.

On Thursday, the
former Nigerian international who now handles top Nigerian club side
Heartland FC of Owerri, reiterated his earlier stance regarding his
readiness to handle the Super Eagles but failed to confirm whether the
NFF had made another approach for his services.

A source within the
NFF who preferred anonymity, however informed NEXTSports that the
federation will be meeting with the former Super Eagles star in the
coming week with the aim of offering him the job, although the source
added that any announcement will only be after this week’s friendly
match against the Republic of Korea in Seoul.

Suitability

If Siasia gets the
job, it will be a another victory for Nigerian coaches who have always
believed the destiny of the national team rests squarely in the hands
of indigenous and not expatriate coaches.

They are not alone
in that regards as Lagerback had said at the World Cup that the future
of African teams can only be shaped by their local coaches.

But Siasia won’t be
the first Nigerian to handle the national team as Shaibu Amodu was, as
recently as February, at the helm of affairs in the Super Eagles before
making way for Lagerback.

Amodu’s reign
wasn’t however the most popular amongst Nigerian football fans most of
whom, despite the string of victories churned out by the Super Eagles,
were dissatisfied with the overall display of the side under the former
Orlando Pirates of South Africa coach.

Their
disenchantment with Amodu however went as far back as his ascendency to
the post which was blighted by suspected foul play on the part of the
NFF who picked him above Siasia, who at the time in 2008, reportedly
finished top of a shortlist of coaches that also included former Super
Eagles skipper Stephen Keshi who went on to take up a similar job with
the Malian FA.

“Amodu failed
because he didn’t have complete control of the team from the very first
day he took up the job,” said former Super Eagles midfielder Emeka
Ezeugo. “He was a coach who has achieved so much in the game but to a
lot of people out there, he was just someone that was used by the
people in the FA to achieve their selfish aims.

“We all heard
Siasia scored the highest points during the interview but he wasn’t
picked because he wasn’t going to bend his will and follow the
directions of those people in the FA.

“He is someone who
is always ready to learn but he also sticks to his guns and that is the
kind of coach the Super Eagles needs,” added Ezeugo, who is Siasia’s
assistant at Heartland.

Not experienced enough

Ezeugo’s view is
also shared by many former contemporaries of Siasia, such as Tijani
Babangida, Mutiu Adepoju, Thompson Oliha, Nduka Ugbade and Andrew Uwe
but there are also those who feel it is not appropriate to offer Siasia
the job now.

One of such people
is the vice-chairman of the Lagos State Sports Council, Tayo Balogun
who feels tSiasia still needs to gather more experience and won’t be
ready to manage at the top level until, probably around 2014.

Balogun agreed that
the former Nantes of France forward has done quite well at age-grade
tournaments but asked “how many has he won?” Stressing that the only
way Siasia would be useful in coaching the national team is if
Nigerians are patient enough with him, Balogun said: “You know the way
we Nigerians are when we get new things; we want ‘sharp-sharp’ results
which is not possible.

“We Nigerians
should be forward looking, we should always look beyond now,” added
Balogun who, however, advised that if Siasia is contracted in the
coming weeks, he should be left to coach the Super Eagles until at
least the 2014 World Cup.

“But it is usually
not so. Immediately he plays one or two games and we do not get the
desired results, we would just send him packing.”

The experience
factor was also the reason why Siasia was dropped by, in the words of
award-winning Liberian journalist Roland Mulbah.

Mulbah noted that
Siasia, as well as a South American and three Europeans, was short
listed for the job of coaching the Lone Stars in the qualifiers of the
Equatorial Guinea-Gabon 2012 Nations Cup, but “was dropped on grounds
that he has a B certificate in coaching and that he is from the same
West African sub-region Liberia is a part of and that the whites are
better than the blacks with regards to football.”

Access to the presidency

One way of becoming
a successful coach in Nigeria is to have direct access to the seat of
government which was something that worked in favour of Clemens
Westerhof during Nigeria’s dominance of the African game back in the
1990s.

It was also a move
that Siasia utilized back in 2005 when seeing that his chances of
leading the Flying Eagles to a successful outing in the Netherlands
were being jeopardized by the NFF, he went cap in hand to the Bayelsa
State government, his home state, to source for funds to prepare the
side for the World Cup.

President Goodluck
Jonathan was at the time Bayelsa State deputy governor and being a keen
lover of football, chances are that he won’t turn a deaf ear to Siasia,
if he does get the Super Eagles job.

Siasia informed
NEXTSports he won’t be exploiting that avenue if he gets the job but
Lagerback’s agent, Enechi earlier last week declared that was the only
route to success in Nigeria.

“That’s the only way,” declared Enechi. “Any coach who wants to
succeed in Nigeria must have access to the president regardless of
whether he is a Nigerian or a foreigner because there will always be
someone in the background waiting to make life difficult for the
coach.”

It was a gathering
of some of the finest footballers to have played for Nigeria. They
represented at least four different generations of Nigerian footballers.

They were all
there-from the fiery but now subdued Peter Fregene, the swashbuckling
Emman Tetteh, the staid and cerebral Segun Odegbami, the irascible
Tarila Okorowanta; the self-effacing Mutiu Adepoju; the boyish Victor
Ikpeba and Peter Rufai who looked as though he could still file out for
the Super Eagles twelve years after he quit the national team.

They had converged
at the Press Centre of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos on Thursday
and had one burning desire-to rescue Nigerian football from
maladministration.

These stars and
others like Stanley Okoronkwo who starred for Enugu Rangers in the
early 1970s, Edema Benson of the celebrated New Nigeria Bank, Nicholas
Ukadike formerly of Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland FC), former
internationals, Tajudeen Disu, Peter Nieketen, Jide Oguntuase, Loveday
Omoruyi and many others had travelled from different parts of the
country to Lagos for this purpose.

Indeed Disu and
Nieketen had flown in the day before from the United States and England
because they considered the matter serious enough.

Waking up from slumber

The immediate cause
of the gathering was the decision of four illustrious members of their
club – Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami, Mutiu Adepoju and Austin
Okocha – to contest for seats on the board of the Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF).

For the former
footballers to come together was a momentous decision given the
disunity that has characterised their ranks. Indeed, many have held
them partly responsible for the problems plaguing football given their
indifference to developments on the football scene, a situation that
allowed all manner of characters access to the commanding heights of
the administration of the game.

Ikpeba, who spoke on behalf of the players, said they had turned a new leaf.

“The time for
change has come. No longer shall we fold our arms and watch others who
have done nothing in the game to continue to milk it and deny the
genuine actors, the patriots, the heroes their rights,” he said.

“We must not fold
our arms again and watch as people that are nothing in the game, have
added nothing to it, contribute nothing to it, now become the greatest
beneficiaries. These are people who have ridden on the back of us
footballers to become stupendously rich, to occupy the best positions,
become very fat and now the biggest detriment to the game.”

A story of neglect

One of the men who
were at that briefing, Fregene, captures the essence of the players
campaign. Fregene, who walked into the event on crutches aided by his
wife, had come all the way from Sapele. The man, regarded as the most
colourful goalkeepers to play for the national team, was stricken by
illness and was bed-ridden for years. He was neglected by both the
Nigeria Football Federation and the government of Nigeria until Lagos
State Governor, Babatunde Fashola through the entreaties of Odegbami,
Tetteh and journalist, Yomi Opakunle, came to his rescue by picking up
his hotel bills. He has since been living in Lagos and was brought to
Lagos for the players’ gathering his long time friend and colleague,
Tetteh.

At the event,
Fregene looked tired and gaunt. Indeed, when his friend Tetteh tried
recounting the former goalkeeper’s experience, he (Tetteh) dissolved
into tears.

Odegbami, who is
vying for the presidency of the football federation, said it was
situations like Fregene’s that he wants to stamp out from football
administration in Nigeria if elected. He said the running of the game
in Nigeria must be re-focused to turns things around.

“There is no going
back this time around. Even if I am the only one standing, I will fight
to the very end. I will use everything that I have; every connection
that I have, to ensure that at the end of the elections what is left is
real,” Odegbami said.

A long hard road

The road to the
Glass House, as the NFF is known, may be a long hard one for Odegbami
and his fellow footballers given concerns about the composition of the
electoral committee and the statutes of the federation under which the
elections will hold.

Odegbami has
complained about some of the provisions of the statutes, which he
believes were tailored to exclude some individuals from the federation.
In June he sent a letter to world football governing body FIFA
detailing some of the irregularities in the statutes tinkered with by
deposed president of the NFF, Sani Lulu. Curiously, the football body,
which prides itself on fair play, has beyond acknowledging receipt of
the letter kept quiet on the matter, which is threatening the election.

Enyimba FC on Friday won its second match against Kwara United 2-1 in the ongoing Super-4 competition. Enyimba had won its first match against Sunshine stars 1-0 on Wednesday.

Kwara United opened scoring in the first half through Kelvin Kpakor. They then went on to miss a lot of scoring chances. The Kwara keeper, Wasiu Ibrahim also saved a penalty from Enyimba’s Auta Philip in the first half.

Enyimba stepped up the pressure in the second half and got two goals through Ekene Iwuorie and Kenneth Anyanwu.

In the day’s other match, Sunshine FC of Akure beat Kano pillars 1-0. The goal was scored by Dato Ojo in the first half of the match. Sunshine FC had lost 1-0 to Enyimba in their first match while Kano Pillars had played a goalless draw with Kwara United.

In the first half of the Sunshine-Pillars fixture, Osas Precious had seen red for rough play. Despite being up a man, Pillars failed to break the resolute defence of the Sunshine players.

Sunshine FC will play their last match against Kwara United on Sunday while Kano pillars will play Enyimba the same day.

The forthcoming
elections into the board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has
become a rallying point for former Nigerians players to unite for the
development of the game in the country.

Three former
captains of the Eagles, Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami and Austin
Okocha, as well as Mutiu Adepoju, currently General Manager of 3SC
Sports Club in Ibadan, have indicated their intentions to get on the
board of the football federation.

At a parley with
journalists at the Press Centre of the Teslim Balogun Stadium
yesterday, about 20 former Nigerian internationals came out in support
of their three colleagues, insisting the time had come for them to play
a prominent role in the administration of football in the country.

Some of the players
at the gathering were former Eagles goalkeepers, Peter Fregene and
Peter Rufai, former Eagles striker, Victor Ikpeba, former Enugu Rangers
star, Stanley Okoronkwo, former assistant coach of the Golden Eaglets,
Emman Tetteh, Tarila Okoronwanta, Tajudeen Disu, Edema Benson, Peter
Nieketen, Loveday Omoruyi, Nicholas Ukadike and Nicholas Obido.

Taking charge of destiny

Ikpeba, who read a
statement prepared by the footballers, said they are concerned with
developments in Nigerian football over several years now and could no
longer watch things deteriorate further. He said the time for change
had come and that he and his colleagues would spearhead it.

“The real change
will come only when the proper kind of leadership is provided for
Nigerian football administration. For too long, we, the players, have
watched as the game has gone down the slope of development in the hands
of those who do not fully understand its mechanics and may not have
deserved to run its activities in the first place,” he said.

He added that, as
the main actors in the theatre, the former internationals know that
Nigeria could have done better much and achieved more if the leadership
of the NFA had grown at the same pace with the growth of the players.

“We have watched
how administrators have turned part-time NFA board membership
assignments into full time jobs and their means of livelihood. We have
watched how administrators have fed fat on the success of players; how
the welfare of players has been only secondary to the needs of
officials; how, as soon as footballers leave the national teams, or
even their clubs, they are forgotten and neglected,” Ikpeba stated.

“Everyone knows that Nigerian football has come of age. So have the
footballers. Nigeria now has footballers that have seen it all and done
it all in football. There are retired Nigerian international football
players that have played in some of the best clubs in the world, played
under some of the best coaches in the world, and have been trained in
some of the best football institutions in the world. These players,
having retired from active football, now have all their technical
experiences to pass onto the next generation as payback to the
country.”

Dan Ngerem, the
former President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) is taking
steps to ensure that Abdul Karim Amu, the technical director of the
federation during his tenure is immortalised.

Amu, a member of Nigeria’s 1960 Olympics contingent died in February this year at the age of 77 after a brief illness.

Ngerem, who says
the manner Amu’s passing has been treated is rather unfortunate, has
written to world athletics body, the International Association of
Athletics Federations (IAAF) requesting it to explore ways of honouring
him. In the letter addressed to Lamine Diack, president of IAAF, Ngerem
said:

“I want to bring to
your notice something that has been bothering me for some time, which I
feel that, if it is not handled in a satisfactory manner will not augur
well for the sport and especially for the younger generation of
athletes and administrators; in terms of giving their very best in
pursuit of excellence for self, country and the continent.

“And the
excruciating problem is the undignified treatment that has been meted
out to one of the greatest Nigerian and African that has graced the
sport of Athletics in the person of A.K. Amu, Officer of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria (OFR) of blessed memory. A.K. Amu died several
months ago and nobody has found it necessary to honour this great
Nigerian, an African patriot and legend in any significant and
measurable manner.”

A man of integrity

The former
president of AFN said that honouring Amu, who was himself a former
president of Nigeria’s athletics governing body, would help in
capturing African youth for athletics.

“Why has there not
been any programme instituted in memory of such great and passionate
African pioneers like A. K. Amu that lived their lives for athletics
even until death?

“Such programmes
especially the ones aimed at the youth will help to begin to reduce the
debilitating influence and hold of football, Internet and computer
games, etc on the youth in the continent.”

Ngerem said he
worked closely with Amu during their time on the AFN board and was
surprised by the man’s refusal to compromise for greed and personal
gain:

“He had an unrivalled personal integrity, total commitment to
Nigeria, passion, interest, patriotism and self-sacrifice for the
benefit of Nigeria, Africa and the sport of athletics.”

The expected epic
meeting between the three fastest men in the world in the 100m: Usain
Bolt, world record holder, Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell will go ahead in
Stockholm but without Powell, who had to withdraw because of an injury.

The Jamaican
runner, who was the holder of the world record before his compatriot,
Bolt took over had to pull out of today’s race because of injuries, his
management company have said.

“On Wednesday
morning, Asafa tested himself with starts from blocks and was just
unable to push from the blocks without severe pain,” said a statement
on his management’s site (Doyle Management Group) – doylemanagement.com.

Reacting to the
issue of the injuries, Powell said: “I am absolutely devastated. I have
been running very well and I was hoping that I would be in the race
with a solid chance to win,” said Powell, the former 100 metres world
record holder. Powell has run the fastest time in 2010 with Bolt at
9.82 seconds.

The whole athletics
world had been looking forward to the race and there were expectations
that the world record (9.58 seconds) could be lowered. Bolt and Gay
will now be looked upon to give master performances to lower the time
set during the 2008 Olympic Games by Bolt.

The Paris injury

Powell said he may
have risked running in the race but there were no guarantees that he
would have been able to finish. “The way I have been feeling I know it
would be difficult to even finish the race.” Gay has run a personal
best of 9.69 seconds and has been quoted over his huge urge to be the
first athlete to beat Bolt. Last year Gay also struggled with a groin
injury but still equalled the second fastest time ever over 100 metres
with 9.69 seconds at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix and is now
confident he can challenge Bolt’s World Record of 9.58 seconds.

Gay told the BBC in
March, “It’s motivation for me. If he wasn’t on the scene, my mind-set
wouldn’t be to run 9.5 so I think he has helped the sport tremendously.
“That’s my goal (9.58) and I’m focusing on running pretty fast this
year.” Powell suffered a groin injury in Paris last month and since
then other niggling injuries have surfaced that have culminated in his
missing this epoch occasion. The problem, described as a tightness and
severe pain, prevented him from training for about 10 days after Paris.
Powell continued: “As the groin injury healed over the ensuing days, a
back and hamstring problem developed.” The pain has since eased but he
has been unable to train at maximum effort.

Bolt beat Powell to
win the 100m at the Diamond League event in Paris in a time of 9.84
seconds. But he had to recover from a poor start to outsprint Powell in
9.91s but he was not satisfied with his overall performance. “I didn’t
feel as powerful as I wanted to out of the blocks. I need to go home
and work on that.” If the homework is properly done, by the end of the
day, Bolt may have another moniker apart from “Lightening Bolt”.

With another round before clubs can access the lucrative UEFA Champions League,

European giants,
Ajax join 19 other clubs plotting their way to that money-spinning
stage. Ajax were competitors in the group stage in the 2005/2006
season, the last time they had a taste of the main draws.

Turkish entrants,
Fenerbahce were sensationally eliminated after a stunning 1-0 home
defeat by Young Boys and Celtic could not muster enough goals to
over-turn a 3-0 deficit to Portuguese first-timers, SC Braga.

Also, Russia’s
Zenit St Petersburg will be hoping for a kind draw as they qualified
narrowly against Romania’s Unirea Urziceni . Perennial participants in
the group stage, Dynamo Kiev will also be hoping to go through.

Ajax, Young Boys,
Braga, Dynamo and Zenit are all in the non-champions half of the draw
and will be joined in the next round by Tottenham Hotspur, Sampdoria,
Werder Bremen, Auxerre and Sevilla. The winners qualify for the group
stage.

UEFA has also
published the event list and accreditation details for the Monaco
football gala in August which will include the group stage draws and
UEFA Club Football Awards.

The Champions
League draws will hold on Thursday, August 26 by 6pm. The UEFA Europa
League group stage draw will hold on Friday, August 27 at 1 pm before
the Super Cup match between Inter Milan, European Cup winners and
Atletico Madrid,

winners of the inaugural Europa Cup, which will be decided at the Stade Louis II. The match will kick-off at 8:45pm.