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Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has recovered from a groin injury and will be fit for the Premier League leaders’ trip to Arsenal, manager Alex Ferguson said Friday.

Ferguson is planning to make changes for Sunday’s game at the Emirates and Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Schalke 04 as he gears up for a potential title decider against Chelsea next weekend.

That could pave the way for Berbatov, the Premier League’s top scorer with 21 goals, to feature after often becoming a peripheral player with Mexican goal poacher Javier Hernandez preferred as a strike partner for Wayne Rooney.

“He’s trained all week … he’s available,” Ferguson told a news conference.

“I’ve got a strong squad, I can make a few changes if I want to Sunday, I can make changes Wednesday also.”

United, chasing a record 19th league title, were also boosted by news that midfielder Darren Fletcher has recovered from a virus that sidelined him for two months and could return against Schalke, where his team hold a 2-0 advantage in the tie.

“I’ll possibly include him in Wednesday’s game, maybe get 45 minutes out of him,” Ferguson said.

“He’s put the weight back on, he’s working hard in the gymnasium, he’s a great addition to the squad at this time of year having missed a couple of months.”

Six weeks ago, Sunday’s match looked like it would go a long way to deciding the title as Arsenal were three points behind United with a game in hand.

Since then, a series of draws stalled the London side’s campaign before last weekend’s 2-1 defeat by Bolton Wanderers marked the end of any realistic challenge, while Chelsea have launched a late bid to defend their title.

But by the time Chelsea visit Old Trafford next Sunday, United could be in a position to wrap up the title under the current champions’ noses.

With four matches to play, United lead the standings with 73 points, with second-placed Chelsea on 67 and Arsenal a further three points behind in third.

“I think that there is still drama ahead, the teams at the top will drop points, including Chelsea,” Ferguson said. “If we get to the last game needing to win (home game against Blackpool) to win the league I’ll be happy with that.”

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Super
Eagles coach, Samson Siasia could not hold back tears as he walked past
the casket of Adefemi Olubayo, who was yesterday buried at the Atan
Cemetery in Lagos.

Siasia, clad in all
black attire, just like the hundreds of football fans at the indoor
sports hall of the National Stadium; venue of the lying in state
ceremony for the former Super Eagles defender, was downcast and hardly
audible when he struggled to answer questions from journalists.

“He was my boy” he
said. “Olubayo was very close to me, he was very humble and also a
focused player, Nigeria will miss him greatly”

The Beijing
Olympics silver-winning coach said he will meet with other Super Eagles
players to fashion how they could best support the family of Adefemi,
who was the bread winner of his family before his tragic death in
Greece.

“As a team we
cannot force any of the players to do something special for the late
Olubayo Adefemi or to promise anything on their behalf, but we can
advise to that effect. What we will suggest and advise the players to
do, is to support the family of Adefemi in a way that it would have a
long, lasting and positive effect on his family,” said Siasia.

Siasia could best
be described as Olubayo’s mentor, nurturing him to stardom right from
the Africa Youth Championships in Benin Republic (2005) then to the
World Youth Championships (2005) in Holland and also to the Olympic
Football event in Beijing (2008).

Adefemi died on
April 18, 2011, in an automobile accident in Greece. Greek police said
the 25-year old defender, who played for Skoda Xanthi, lost control of
his car on the Egnatia motorway while driving from Xanthi to Salonika
in the Kavala region of the country. He was reportedly on his way to
Nigeria to finalise details of his wedding when the accident happened.

Already the Nigeria
Football Federation, through its technical director Chris Green, has
promised to immortalise Adefemi who was regarded has a patriotic
Nigerian.

“He is a shining example to other upcoming players; he puts in his
best each time he is called to serve his country on the pitch. We will
definitely immortalise him” he said.

Denmark-based
Nigerian striker Jude Nworuh, who stars for FC Fredericia not only
scores important goals he also breathes life into his club’s attack.

The 20-year-old
striker, who’s currently on loan at FC Frederia, netted his 12th goal
of the season in their penultimate weekend’s 4-0 spanking of AB
Copenhagen to become the joint top scorer in the Danish First Division
with 11 games left.

Ifeanyi Ibeh, who
has been monitoring his rising profile, spoke to him soon after the
sweet victory, where he revealed he would not rest until he was handed
a shirt in Coach Austin Eguavoen’s Olympic Team.

How would you describe your performance in recent times, particularly your performance against AB Copenhagen?

It has been a great
season for me. I am enjoying my football and finding the back of the
net more often. I scored against AB and it was yet another great
performance for me. I must confess I had a good game. But injury didn’t
allow me to finish the game and possibly get more than one goal. I kept
the AB defence very busy for the 57 minutes I spent on the pitch and I
got good ratings from the press afterwards. It was also good general
performance by the team. We played together and won together.

Maybe you could had grabbed your first league hat trick for the club had you finished the game?

I guess so as I was
in great form. The defenders were all over me and they felt the only
way to stop me was to stop me from finishing the game.

How’s the injury?

It’s just a minor
sprain on my ankle. I had to leave the pitch so that the medics can
look at it. But I’m okay now and ready to get back to my scoring ways
in the remaining fixtures.

You hit your 12th league goal of the season in the game. How does it feel?

It’s great for me
considering the fact that this is just my first year at the club having
arrived from FC Midtylland on a year-long loan. Starting games were
hard to come by at Midtylland and I had no option than to move on loan.
I’m full of thanks to the Almighty God for what He has helped to prove
here at FC Fredericia. I have proved I still got loads of goals in my
boots.

You’re currently the joint top scorer in the Danish first division. Will you win the top scorer award?

Sure, that’s my
target and I can’t stop in my bid to achieve that. I think it’s
achievable with the way things are going now. My mates and I have
experienced a new spirit and that’s good for us. We’re one on and off
the pitch and that has impacted greatly on our performance so far.

You have scored a whooping five times in three games since the season resumed after the winter break. What has really changed?

Nothing has
changed. I’m still the same Jude Nworuh but a lot more determined one
who is working very hard to score goals and take FC Fredericia to
greater heights.

So, motivation must be high then. Tell us more about that?

What more
motivation can a player get when he’s got a coach who believes in him
and wants him to improve and do better? I’ve got a great coach who was
my coach at Midtylland and asked me over when he moved over. I thank
God I’m delivering the goodies.

Suddenly, FC Fredericia is gunning for promotion largely due to your goals. Will your goals take them to the ‘Promised Land’?

We are yet to lose
any game this year, having won all our games. I’ve also scored in all
the games so far, so it will be great if we continue the winning streak
and win promotion. But I believe with my goals we can achieve it.

Despite
your rich scoring record you are still being overlooked by the Coach
Austin Eguavoen for the Olympic team. How do you react to this?

I feel sad about
this because I want to be part of the team. Coach Eguavoen is a great
coach who has achieved a lot at club and national team levels. He also
played the game to the highest level and I have no doubt that he knows
a good player when he sees one. I have got a rich record and I have
been consistent.

My goals have
counted and lifted my clubs several times and I want to bring them to
the national team. I’m 20 and willing to give my all for the national
team. I believe coach Eguavoen is reading this interview and I believe
he will invite me for the subsequent games. He was a great player I
admired as a kid and I have been impressed with the results his team
has been producing in the qualifiers.

What do you hope to bring to the team if you eventually get invited?

Goals of course!
Besides, I’m a great team player and an assist specialist. I’m not
individualistic; I love to play with the team. I’m very brave and never
a player who is afraid of defenders and I think that will be very good
to the team’s cause as well.

You have
good experience from UEFA matches, how far do you think this experience
will take you in the U-23 team if you do get invited?

As I’ve said
before, playing is about confidence which I believe I have. Playing
with my age mates in the national team will make me more confident
because I have played with players of a higher calibre and level of
experience higher than those in the national team. This allows me to
feel a lot more confident playing with them.

Former high jump
world record holder, Patrik Sjoberg has shocked Swedish athletics by
revealing that his coach and stepfather, Viljo Nousiainen sexually
abused him as a young boy.

The 46-year-old
Sjoberg, who won two Olympic silver medals and set a world record of
2.42 meters in 1987, said in his new autobiography: “What You Didn’t
See”, that the abuse started when he was 10 or 11 and continued into
his teenage years.

Nousiainen, who
died in 1999, was a respected figure in Swedish athletics and was
instrumental in turning Sjoberg into one of the world’s best high
jumpers.

That reputation is
now in tatters. Yannick Tregaro, coach of Sweden’s Olympic triple jump
champion Christian Olsson, has also said he was abused by Nousiainen.

“It was a tough
period,” Sjoberg told Swedish TV on Thursday of the time he spent
writing the book. “There were many memories that appeared that I had
suppressed, but I felt as time went on that it became more and more
important.” Sjoberg told SVT that the first instance of abuse occurred
at a meeting in Malmo where he was forced to share a room with his
coach.

Nousiainen later started a romantic relationship with Sjoberg’s mother and eventually moved into their apartment.

Father figure

Sjoberg said the lack of a father figure in his life made him a target for Nousiainen.

“That was how he
worked, he noticed which of the guys had difficult home lives, who
weren’t used to hearing positive things (about themselves),” he said.

Sjoberg said
Nousiainen would subject him to what he called “scientific
examinations,” ostensibly to measure his muscles and development. “I
found it very offensive, but he said that it was essential for
training,” Sjoberg told SVT.

“In the beginning
you were told that Viljo was the best coach and that very few got to
work with him, so you believed him. At the same time you knew something
wasn’t right.”

Tremendous shame

Asked why he had
waited until now to make the abuse public, Sjoberg said it was because
of “the tremendous shame,” adding that the abuse finally stopped when
he threatened to report Nousianen to the police.

“I explained to him
that I would make a complaint to the police. I was getting a bit bigger
then and I don’t think I was as interesting for Viljo. He preferred
smaller boys.

“When he died I
felt a sense of relief, because now no one would find out about what
happened.” “I hated him for everything he did to me but at the same
time, you can’t take away from him that he was a great coach. I thought
that I couldn’t train with anyone else. Maybe I was wrong, maybe it
would have worked just as well.”

Former world and European champion Sjoberg retired from the sport in 1999, the year in which Nousiainen died.

The Covenant
Football League had seen six weeks of action before it ended during the
Easter weekend with Peter Pioneers winning by a lone goal. The League
which comprised of eight teams, with all the players being members of
the Covenant Christian Centre, saw the old and young involved and they
all engaged with fanfare and excitement though with a competitive
spirit.

A look at the
composition of the teams that played in the league brought up some
questions on what the essence of the league really was.

David Mohammed,
spokesperson for the league, explains that the league was not created
to groom talents but to encourage camaraderie amongst members of the
church. “Someone in church came up with the idea that we should do
something that would foster interaction, friendship and relationship
and the league was a solution for it. We have five services on Sunday
and the whole congregation may never have cause to interact but with
football, we know we can get everyone involved.”

“We divided the
congregation into eight teams according to their birthdays. From
January 1 – February 14, is one group, which was named Abraham United.
And that demarcation gave birth to the eight teams.

The eight was then divided into two groups of four teams. The league kicked off on the March 19,” says Mohammed.

The teams that
comprised group A were Peter Pioneers, FC Zion, House of David and Sons
of Issachar. In group B, Rock FC led the pack, followed by House of
Judah, Jordan Crossers and Abraham United. Each of the teams in the
group played each other and the two top teams in each group moved into
the semi finals and then to the finals.

And the games began

“We started
preparations around February with trials and training. Those who
indicated interest were tried to see how fit they were and the coaches
picked those they wanted,” says Mohammed. After trials and training,
the teams were set to battle each other for glory.

Abraham United,
Sons of David, Jordan Crossers and House of David could not go past the
group stages as they were all beaten by the more dominant teams. Group
A winners Peter Pioneers went on to face House of Judah who scraped
through to the last four after a 2-2 draw with Rock FC in Group B. They
were not as lucky in the semifinal as the Pioneers were able to score
two goals without reply. In the other semifinal game, group B leaders,
Rock FC just squeezed past FC Zion through a penalty that was converted
by Goodness Bamidele.

The final showdown

After five weeks of
action, the teams featuring in the final got down to preparing for
winning the trophy. What started as a fun event had become very
competitive; with each of the teams having their own supporters’ club
and cheerleaders.

Easter Monday saw
them troop out en masse to cheer their teams. One of those who came to
cheer the teams, Ese Roberts, explains that though the team she was
rooting for had been eliminated, she had come to show support for Rock
FC. “I love the way they play. For me, so far, they are the best team
in this tournament.”

The day began with
the losers’ final between House of Judah and FC Zion. In that match,
Lion of Judah lost out to FC Zion by a lone goal scored early in the
first half. The Patrick Orlu-coached team was very formidable in the
defence and did not give their opponent room to manoeuvre. FC Zion thus
triumphed to take the third place.

Then the match for
the day started. Rock FC, on the evidence of overwhelming crowd support
had to confront the Pioneers who had not conceded a goal and wanted to
keep that proud record. The only goal of the game came just seven
minutes into the first half and proved to be the clincher. The scorer
was Pioneers striker, Nonso Chidi. The goal which bamboozled Rocks FC,
went straight into the net with goalkeeper left watching.

The tempo of the
second half changed with the game becoming faster paced but still none
of the teams were able to convert chances that were at a premium to
goal.

Bamidele was
particularly impressive but he was not always allowed to move as he was
closely watched by two defenders. At the end of regulation time, the
Pioneers won. Roberts, who was disappointed that Rock FC did not win,
said, “It is unfair. Did you see that guy that was always pretending to
fall whenever they touched him? The referee should have given him a red
card,” she exclaimed afterwards.

Medals were awarded
to the first, second and third place winners, while the champions,
Peter Pioneers was awarded a trophy by Poju Oyemade, senior pastor of
Covenant Christian Centre, the organisers of the league. Other awards
given out were the highest goal scorer award, which was won by Adeyemo
Adetunji, who scored a total of four goals while Idowu Bakare of Peter
Pioneer was given the golden glove award – the best goalkeeper of the
series.

Mohammed at the
end, expressed happiness at the successful conclusion of the event and
he hoped that the next one would be greater. “Though the women were not
involved as players, they were very active as cheerleaders and
supporters and we hope that we get something for them also.”

Niyi Adepoju, a
member of the church also lauded the initiative as being very good.
“Some of these people here today that I did not know before are now my
friends and it was because this avenue was made available to us.”

The women and children were however involved in side attractions like the tug of war, sack race and the egg and spoon race.

­­­­The high-riding
Super Falcons of Nigeria are in no mood to hand a royal treat to the
Black Princesses of Ghana when both teams clash today in an All African
Games qualifier at the Abuja National stadium, so says the Falcon’s
coach, Eucharia Uche.

Instead the Nigerian women look good to compound the woes currently besetting Ghanaian football.

Ghana put up a
dismal performance at the last Africa Women Championship won by Nigeria
and are already out of the race to make it to the London 2012 Olympic
Games after being surprisingly beaten by “minnows” Ethiopia.

The country’s U-23
male team, also eyeing a place in the London Games, were ousted by
Tanzania, who coincidentally is Nigeria’s next opponent.

At the Africa Youth
Championships (AYC) which ends today, the defending Africa and world
champions, the Black Satellites, were ousted in the group stages
without a win thus failing to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in
Colombia.

With these and many
more worries for Ghana, the World Cup-bound Super Falcons are eyeing
one of the tickets to the football event of the Maputo Games ahead of
Ghana, as they will be hoping to replicate the gold medal-winning feat
achieved at the Algiers 2007 and Abuja 2003 All African Games.

Though Ghana is
often a tough nut to crack for the Falcons, recent results have put the
Black Queens on the back foot as their grip on women’s football in the
continent seems to be loosening by the day.

Nevertheless,
Eucharia Uche, Super Falcons gaffer said that her girls will not be
taking any chances with their arch rivals in today’s game billed to
kick-off by 4.00pm.

“We are looking
forward to the match. We are taking it as part of our build up to the
World Cup later in the year and so it will be approached with all
seriousness,” said the coach.

Eucharia, who rued
the absence of the bulk of her foreign-based professionals invited for
today’s crunch tie, however believes that the home based players will
still get the job done.

“It’s unfortunate
we could not secure the release of our professionals based in Sweden
and other European countries but that notwithstanding we have to make
do with what we have,” she continued.

She added: “We have been in camp for long preparing ourselves for the game so I believe we can get the much needed victory.”

Coach Uche however
informed NEXTSports that the clubs have agreed to release the players
for the return leg match billed for Accra in a fortnight.

No goals feast

The Super Falcons
were ruthless against their last opponents, Namibia, hitting 9 goals
past the hapless Brave Gladiators over two legs. Coach Uche is however
not guaranteeing such a high margin against Ghana as she pointed out
that victory is her major preoccupation for now.

“The major target is victory, I can’t guarantee a goals feast like we had against Namibia” she said.

“Ghana is one of
the best teams on the continent so we will be expecting a tough fight
from them. This is the only competition they are left with so they will
be putting in their best in it,” added Uche who was among the scorers
in Nigeria’s first ever encounter against Ghana, back in 1991.

Then known as the
Amazons, the Nigerians were ruthless against the Black Queens, sending
them back to Accra with a basketful of goals at the end of the game
played at the National Stadium in Lagos.

“After the 5-1
victory in 1991, it has not been easy beating the Ghanaians,” said the
former Super Falcons player who actually scored a hat trick in that
1991 game which witnessed a capacity crowd at the match venue.

Though the Nigeria
Football Federation threw the gates open during the last Super Falcons’
match at the Abuja Stadium, the venue was still scanty.

While hoping that
the fans will show up at the stadium to cheer her team to victory this
time around, Uche says she has no control on that.

“I don’t have a control over the crowd; that is not my duty.

Mine is to make sure the girls do well on the pitch and get the desired result,” she opined.

Redemption mission

Meanwhile, Kuuku
Dadzie, Ghana’s head coach, on his part says he is keen to restore the
country’s image and pride when his side tackle Nigeria in today’s
crucial All Africa Games qualifier.

“The Black
Princesses want to make amends after the embarrassing exit of both the
male and female Olympic teams from the 2012 London Olympic Games
qualifiers,” he said.

Dadzie admits he
will be facing a daunting task to book a passage to the games in Maputo
against the Super Falcons who are the reigning African women’s
champions.

“Everybody is looking up to the Princesses to restore the image of Ghana and we’re also battle ready.

“We know they’re
ahead of us, but we’ve psyched ourselves up for the game and we’ll
deliver,” he told a local radio station in Accra before the team’s
departure from Accra.

“Football is a game of uncertainty and with the right approach we’ll do well,” an optimistic Kuuku Dadzie concluded.

The Lagos Polo Club
witnessed one of its grandest moments during the last Easter holiday,
as a discerning crowd of polo enthusiasts and invited guests trooped to
the Ribadu Road Polo Theatre to watch Pretzels defeat Palms in the
final of the inaugural Easter Cup Polo Tournament.

Whatever the final
score, the winning team was guaranteed to enter the record books as the
first ever Easter Cup champions, and the Habeeb Fashinro-led Pretzels
made the most of the opportunity by coming from behind to win the crown.

The Pretzels
parading Olayinka Alakija, Abdulrahman Mohammed, Bashir Dantata (Jnr)
and Fashinro who is making a big come back to the game of kings,
out-scored Palms 7-6 in a decisive final game to make history.

Palms, boasting the
likes of Tunde Karim, Ahmadu Umar, Usman Dantata (Jnr) and Mayowa
Ogunnusi, had gone into the final as favourites on the heels of their
decisive semifinal victory against Easter Bonnets, and led from the
opening chukker.

That lead lasted
for three chukkers, but a momentary loss of concentration cost them
dearly as Dantata set up Fashinro in a last breath attack that produced
the winner with only seconds remaining on the clock. The better-rated
Palms were left to settle for the less fancied accolade of being
runners-up.

“It feels good to
be back to active polo, and winning this top prize has made it more
special. I want to thank my team-mates for their hard work and the fans
for their big support that helped us greatly, particularly in the tense
last chukker,” declared Fashinro after the final game.

Palms underrated Pretzels

Pretzels midfield
maestro, Bashir Dantata, who was upbeat throughout the game, said the
Palms were made to pay for underrating their resolve to hit back. “I
knew all along that they would make one bad move that would turn the
table against them and it came in the last minute of the final,” he
enthused.

One of the biggest
highlights of the three-day event was the participation of the Lagos
State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), who spent the Easter weekend
at the polo club where he rounded up his campaign for a second tenure.

Fashola, who shared
his dream of a new Lagos with the polo community at an interactive
session, promised new infrastructural transformation in Lagos, urging
the big boys to vote wisely and join the ‘green revolution’ drive of
his administration.

The final day
excitement continued in the subsidiary Owens Cup where Easter Eggs
overwhelmed their Easter Bunnies opponents 9-4 to cart home the
glittering prize, just as the Easter Tulips had the better of Easter
Bonnets in the race for the Churchward Plate.

Easter Eggs’
quartet of Muyiwa Sonubi, Adeyemo Alakija, Glory Mbano and Isa Kwame
relied on their running game to outpace Abdullahi Ibrahim, Obafemi
Otudeko, Damian Duncan and Bowale Jolaoso in the race for the title
named after the former president of the Lagos Polo Club.

The grand finale
of the high profile Easter Cup started on a blistering note as Musty
Fashinro powered Easter Tulips featuring Arie Esiri, Osaro Giwa-Osagie
and Ayo Olashoju overpowered Bode Makanjuola’s Bonnets, 3-2 to smile
home with the Churchward Plate.

Former Lagos State
finance commissioner and patron of Lagos Good fellows, Wale Edun,
Costain West Africa boss, Ayodeji Karim and Lady Fashinro were on hand
to give out the prizes at a colourful presentation ceremony that
brought down the curtains on the Easter fiesta.

The inaugural
Easter event which came barely a month after the Lagos 2011
International Polo Tournament joined the growing bouquet of Lagos
polo-hosted tournaments that include the Santa Cup, Captain’s Cup and
the President’s Cup.

The low goal fiesta
which galloped off with pomp on Good Friday, climaxed with an exciting
mix of 24 Lagos-based players vying for the three prizes at stake.

Organized and
hosted by the Polo Management Committee of the Lagos club, Easter polo
provided a welcome warm-up for Lagos polo players who are bracing up
for their second road trip this year since returning from Ibadan last
February.

Galloping for the Charity Shield

Dozens of
Lagos-based teams are in the final stages of preparations ahead of the
2011 edition of the Emir of Katsina Charity Shield tournament later
this month in Kaduna and the season-ending Kano International in Kano
next month.

Last year, Lagos
Lintrale made history as the first Lagos team to win the highly-revered
African Patrons Trophy, beating a world-class field of top
professionals to earn its first ever major title at Fifth Chukkers
Resorts in Kaduna.

Early this year,
Lagos Linetrale/Trafigura clinched another milestone, winning the
prestigious Majekodunmi Cup in a myth-shattering performance against
highly favoured Kaduna Fifth Chukker.

It is a
morale-boosting feat the Lagosians are hoping to build on during the
Charity Shield event later this month. “We are looking forward to the
Charity Shield and the Kano tournament with high hopes and this Easter
Cup has provided that needed warm up that would make us even more
competitive,” Makanjuola hinted.

The Lagos-based
polo patron, whose Caverton team remains one of top teams in the build
up towards the Charity Shield, is upbeat that a Lagos team would follow
in the good footsteps of Linetrale/Trafigura, and give the former
capital city its first Charity Shield title this year.

Six teams including
Kano Titans, Ark Polo, Kano Titans, Kaduna YY, and Kano BUA have
confirmed their entry in the crowded Mohammed Kabir and low goal cups
of the charity event that would be decided in the first stage of the
international event that pits together professionals from USA,
Argentina and South Africa.

LineTrale \Trafigura, Fifth Chukker, MRS, Barbedos, Deebee Farms and
Kano Titans are lining up for the high stake Charity Shield to be
decided at the height of 20 goals. The first stage gallops off May
25-29, while the high stake stage is billed for June 1-5.

Arsenal
just have one thing to do today at the Emirates – restore some pride in
their fans ahead of another assault on titles next season. But their
visitors today, Manchester United, are not in the job of handing out
any favours and will be desirous of beating the Gunners again as they
did so majestically last season. The Mancunians are in search of a
double with a final appearance at the showpiece UEFA Champions League
at Wembley almost guaranteed.

Arsenal can set a marker

There will be
arguments on end, that if it were Alex Ferguson that was handling this
very talented Arsenal side, maybe they could have become champions but
that will always be a matter of conjecture. This United side has not
set the heart racing with dreamy football and even though they do not
possess a fiery character in the mould of Roy Keane, the will of the
manager has pushed his team to the brink of achieving objectives that
were almost thought impossible at the start of the season.

Now Arsenal must
try and copy that template and they cannot afford to wait till next
season. If they hope to have a better next season, then their fans and
the board must see a pointer towards that today.

Last season, Wayne
Rooney led United in a compelling counter-attacking demolition of the
Gunners in February which effectively ended the Gunners’ title charge.
The third United goal left the stadium stunned as United turned defence
into attack, with Rooney sprinting from just outside his own area to
take a return pass from Park and finish in style – the move took about
23 seconds.

Belgian
centre-back, Thomas Vermaelen has returned to full training and
successfully went through 90 minutes in Arsenal’s reserve match against
Manchester United though he might not be considered to start today’s
match.

Vermaelen has
missed the last eight months with an Achilles injury – but looks set to
play again before the end of the season and it was Belgian’s first
piece of action for almost eight months. Ferguson also had some good
news after he watched Darren Fletcher play the first 45 minutes at Old
Trafford after been struck down with a debilitating virus which made
him lose some weight.

United looking at the future

With Schalke’s
visiting Old Trafford on Wednesday for the second leg of the Champions
League semifinal, some changes are expected to the Red Devils line-up.
Park Ji Sung, Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand may be rested while Danny
Gibson, Anderson and Chris Smalling should return but whatever players
are wearing the United jersey today, you can expect them to give their
all. If United win today, then the 19th English league title will
almost be in the bag.

Other fixtures

The relegation
battle continues in three venues today, likewise the challenge of one
of the slots of the Champions League. There is a six-pointer at St.
Andrews as Wolves come visiting Birmingham who need a victory to move
them a step closer to safety while Wolves are running out of games to
save their season. Birmingham sit uncomfortably in 15th position with
38 points while Wolves are second bottom with 33 points.

Liverpool still have an eye on that fourth spot and another three
points today will move them closer to Tottenham who sit fifth on the
table. West Ham may be hammered at the Eastlands today as they face a
confident City team who are now in the hunt for third place. Though
there is still a mathematical chance for the Hammers to escape
relegation for the sixth time, they will need to be at their best to
get anything from Roberto Mancini’s men.

Now that you’ve got
the overwhelming mandate of Nigerians for another four-year tenancy at
Aso Rock – even though I did not vote for you and I am sure, in your
famed broad-mindedness, that won’t be held against me – the fraternity
of sport is very curious to know when you’ll pay proper attention to an
area that has been treated with disdain, or at best indifference, by
your predecessors.

I ask this because
your manifesto – and to be fair, your opponents were guilty of exactly
the same thing in theirs – lacked an articulation of a long-term policy
for a sector that could be a prime source of positive engagement for
millions of our talented young people, bitter and frustrated with their
lack of opportunities in a country that has done very little to harness
their abilities.

In case your
coterie of advisers hasn’t pointed this out to you, the turnover of
sports ministers in the last 12 years – with an eight-year, two-term
tenure of Olusegun Obasanjo being the major stretch – has been
catastrophic for the sector.

With the average
lifespan of a sports minister since 1999 being just 13 months, if they
are lucky to stay that long, there has been no proper articulation and
execution of policies in sport, leaving it rudderless.

Since the People’s
Democratic Party ascended the reins of power, Nigeria have gone to
three Olympic Games (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008) and two
World Cups (Korea/Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010. We didn’t qualify
for Germany 2006, by the way), with very little to show for the million
of dollars in taxpayers’ money expended on them.

I won’t go into our
performance at other international sports events, some of which Nigeria
failed to attend or embarrassingly arrived at the venues when they were
about to end! Mr President, civil service mandarins responsible for the
(mis)management of sport in Nigeria have always relied on the fact that
the presidency has, sadly, a very consistent but tragic tradition of
using the ministry of sport as a place to extend patronage to the inept
but politically relevant.

Party apparatchiks
lacking the competencies to man ‘key’ ministries like Finance, Economic
Planning or Health, but who must be rewarded with a cabinet position
were dumped on the “less important” Sports ministry.

Unscrupulous civil
servants have taken, and continue to take, advantage of the
cluelessness of several sports ministers to perpetuate an unhidden
agenda, which has been the politics of enriching their pockets, at the
expense of our sports men and women.

Amos Adamu, who for
several years was the ministry’s director of sports development and
recently left FIFA, football’s world governing body, in disgrace, after
being filmed demanding for an $800,000 bribe, typifies them.

Adamu is still the
subject of an ongoing EFCC investigation into his conduct as the
executive director of the Local Organising Committee for the 2003
All-Africa Games – for which the public, as far as I know, is yet to
see its audited accounts.

Will you make it a cardinal part of your agenda to stop the rot in sports management?

Apart from
providing our jobless but talented youth with a means to channel their
creative energies positively, reducing criminality across our land, as
well as creating employment opportunities for ancillary industries,
excellence in sport is one of the best foreign PR tools to enhance
Nigeria’s international image.

Seventeen long
years have passed since Nigeria made its football World Cup debut in
America. But the performance of Daniel Amokachi, Jay-Jay Okocha,
Rashidi Yekini and other members of that distinguished class of 1994,
voted as the most entertaining team of that tournament, resonates
globally to this day.

And the same
applies to the Atlanta ’96 Olympics, where Nigeria picked their first,
and only, gold medals since the country made its debut at the 1952
games in Helsinki.

I’ve so much more to say to you, Mr President, but having a 700 word limit, I have very little room for much more.

But let the words of Madiba, Nelson Mandela, provide you with some
food for thought: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the
power to unite in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a
language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was
only despair.” Think on these things and have a good Sunday, Mr
President.

John Obuh, coach
of Nigeria’s Flying Eagles has set his sights on recording a win over
Cameroon in today’s African Youth Championship final and in the process
avenge his side’s loss to the Young Lions earlier in the tournament.

Both sides will
meet at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto in the final match of the
tournament with the Nigerians seeking a record extending sixth victory
in the tourney while the Cameroonians will be eager to claim only their
second African under-20 title.

Ironically,
Cameroon’s only title was at the 1995 edition hosted by Nigeria, where
they defeated Burundi in the final. Nigeria on the other hand, remains
in search of a first title since Samson Siasia led a team of talented
footballers to the 2005 tournament in the Republic of Benin.

Two years ago in
Rwanda, the Young Lions lost 2-0 in the final to Ghana and will be
hoping to avoid a similar outcome at the end of today’s game against
the Flying Eagles.

Having already
secured a 1-0 win over the Flying Eagles in their Group B meeting on
April 21 at the Dobsonville Stadium, Martin Mpile’s Young Lions will be
confident of re-enacting a similar feat over Obuh’s team.

But Obuh is in
search of what he hopes will be the first of many major titles for the
country’s national teams and is itching to set the records straight
against the side that could rightly be described as Nigeria’s bogey
team, that is as far as football at the under 20 level is concerned.

Even though the
Nigerians are the most successful team in the history of the
championship, they have always succumbed to the superior firepower of
the Cameroonians.

In nine previous
meetings, the Cameroonians have emerged victorious on eight occasions
while Nigeria has won just once – a 5-1 victory back in 1985.

Between 1985 to
date, both sides have met five times at the championship with the Young
Lions winning all of those games, including penultimate Thursday’s 1-0
win.

But Obuh is out
to change the negative trend and become the first Flying Eagles coach
since Paul Hamilton to defeat the Cameroonians in the tourney.

Once beaten, twice shy

“They may have
beaten us earlier in the tournament but I don’t see them doing that
again in the final,” Obuh told NEXT from his team’s base in South
Africa. “They are a good side, no doubt about that, and deserve to be
in the final but we will be the ones smiling at the end of the final,
not them.

“In the first match
between us there wasn’t much difference between us. Had it not been for
the momentary loss in concentration we wouldn’t had conceded that
goal,” added Obuh, recalling Franck Ohandza’s first-half injury time
strike which ended up deciding the game in favour of Mpile’s Young
Lions.

“We had a lot of
chances to equalise in that game but the boys were too anxious to score
and didn’t keep their cool when it mattered most.

“But all that has
been rectified since that loss and as you can see from all the matches
we have played since then, we have been getting better and better.” And
indeed the Flying Eagles have shown considerable improvement since that
loss to the Cameroonians especially in the goal scoring department.

First came a 2-0
win over The Gambia in the crucial Group B decider, before last
Thursday’s 2-0 win over Mali in the semi finals. In both games, Obuh’s
side in addition to their ruthlessness in front of goal, displayed a
defensive cohesiveness that had previously not been seen of the
Nigerian side in earlier games at the championship.

“The boys have been
working on that aspect of their game,” continued Obuh, explaining his
team’s strength at the back. “We have put in extra time during training
to improve on that aspect of our game and I’m glad to see that it has
worked out.”

The Nigerian team
will, however, be without Gani Ogungbe when they march onto the pitch
today after the central defender picked up his second yellow card of
the tournament in Thursday’s win over the Malians.

Obuh is however unperturbed about the unavailability of the Gateway FC of Abeokuta for today’s game.

“We will miss him
but there is no cause for alarm,” he continued. “We are not a team that
depends on one individual; we are a team that plays collectively and
that is what has brought us this far in the competition.”

On paper the Young
Lions are favourites. They are yet to lose a game in the tournament,
unlike the Nigerians, and have an even tighter defence than the Flying
Eagles, having conceded just one goal in regulation time.

For their part, the
Flying Eagles have conceded two goals, but have more juice upfront
having scored six goals in four matches, which is twice the number of
goals the Cameroonians have been able to muster since the start of the
tournament.

But Obuh’s opposite
number, Mpile, is not in the least bothered about that. In fact, the
veteran coach doesn’t think today’s game will be anything like
penultimate Thursday’s encounter which ended in a win for his Young
Lions.

Cameroonian optimism

Speaking moments
after his side’s hard-fought semi final penalty shootout victory over
Egypt on Thursday, Mpile said: “It’s (going to be) a different game,
which will not resemble any game in the first round.

He added: “We
really want to win the cup, which is the reason why we are prepared to
go all the way.” It was also an opinion posited by former coach of the
Cameroonian senior national team, Jules Federick Nyongha.

“It will be a tough
game. With what I have seen throughout the competition though, we can
win the trophy. The players just need to continue in the same spirit
and respect the coach’s instruction,” Nyongha said.

But Obuh, having
lost in the final of the 2009 FIFA Under 17 World Cup, when he was in
charge of the Golden Eaglets, is not ready to play second fiddle to
anyone again.

“A lot of the boys in this team were in the Eaglets and they are not ready to end up on the losing side once again,” Obuh said.

“I’m also not
thinking about that. I know how bitter defeat tastes; I have already
tasted it once and I don’t want to do it again.

“It’s been a long
time since we won the AYC so I don’t think it will be a bad idea to
return home with the trophy this time around.”

Twenty-five years and counting

The last time
Nigeria won the Youth Championship trophy was back in 2005. Since then,
the Flying Eagles have progressed to the finals on one occasion, back
in 2007 when they lost 1-0 to hosts Congo.

They also went as
far as the semi finals two years ago in Rwanda but Siasia, who was in
charge back in 2005, and who was also a part of the Flying Eagles team
that defeated the Cameroonians 5-1 in 1985, is banking on Obuh’s side
to return home with the trophy.

“They haven’t done badly and I have the feeling they will beat the Cameroonians,” said the Super Eagles handler.

“I can’t believe it
has been that long since we defeated them,” he continued, recalling the
1985 victory. “That was such a long time ago, in a different era. But
this is a different generation of players and I have the feeling they
will emerge victorious.”

There are others who feel differently, most notably, Orlando Wellington, coach of the Ghanaians at the championship.

The Black Stars had
lost their opening game 2-1 to the Flying Eagles before playing out a
1-1 draw with the Cameroonians, who had to wait until injury time
before drawing level with the world champions.

But having come up
against both sides during the course of the tournament, Wellington is
of the opinion that the Cameroonians will emerge victorious at the end
of today’s game.

“I will say Cameroon can win the championship because they have the
best players and they play like a compact team and I won’t be surprised
if they win,” Wellington said. He also added: “The self belief is there
and they look very motivated in the competition.”