14092022

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2022 — 29
L
Lagos goes gay for Amusan,
Brume
agos residents would have the rare
opportunity of beholding two of
Nigeria’s greatest athletes of all time,
Tobiloba Amusan and Ese Brume
today.
The duo who have shot themselves
into fame with their global feats would
be the cynosure of all eyes today at
their unveiling ceremony as Primus
Trust Bank Brand Ambassadors.
The unveiling ceremony holds
today at Eko Hotels and Suites and
the duo of Sports Minister Sunday
Dare and AFN President Tonobok
Okowa who have superintended over
the brightest moments of Nigerian
athletics will lead the dignitaries
expected today.
Both Amusan and Brume played
huge roles in the federation’s rising
profile.
Brume won a bronze at the delayed
Tokyo Olympics to ensure Nigeria’s
return to the podium at the quadrennial
games 13 years after the country last
did.
Amusan also made history when she
became the first Nigerian to win a
Diamond League discipline at the
Diamond League final in Zurich last
year.
This year, Brume also ensured
Nigeria’s return to the podium at the
World Indoor Championships in
Belgrade, 14 years after Olusoji Fasuba
won a medal at the competition.
The duo also made history at
the World Athletics
Championships in Oregon, USA
in July.
While Amusan became the first
Nigerian athlete to win a world
outdoor title and set a world
record, Brume became the first
Nigerian to win medals at two
separate editions of the
championships.
It was an Amusan and Brume
show again at the Commonwealth
Games in Birmingham as they
became the first Nigerian track
and field athletes to win
individual medals at two editions
of the Games.
Amusan became the first
Nigerian track and field athlete
to successfully defend a
Commonwealth Games title,
Brume became the first athlete in
competition history to hit the 7m mark
in the long jump event.
Both achieved their golden runs at
the Games in record breaking fashion.
Amusan ran a new 12.30 seconds
Games record to win the 100m hurdles
title while Brume leapt a distance of
7.00m to win the long jump title.
Sadiq Umar to undergo surgery tomorrow
UMAR
AMUSAN
BOWFT: Edo Queens
battle Nasarawa FC,
Robo FC face Delta
Queens in semi-finals
By Ozioruva Aliu
ENIN CITY - EDO Queens would today face
BLafia-based Nasarawa Amazons FC in one of
the semifinal matches of the Betsy Obaseki Women
Football Tournament (BOWFT).
The annual tournament, in its second edition,
is taking place in Benin City between September 7,
2022 and September 17, 2022.
The semifinal match between Edo Queens and
Nasarawa Queens FC is scheduled to take place at
the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, by
1pm
Ṫhe second semifinal match will be played on
the same day between FC Robo and Delta Queens
by 4pm prompt at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium,
Benin City.
Edo Queens sailed through to the semifinals of
the competition after crushing their opponent,
Heartland FC of Owerri with a 4-0 score line.
They are battling a compact and well-organised
Nasarawa Queens side that has continued to show
tact and superiority all through the competition.
They dueled another strong Naija Ratels, beating
them 3-2 to secure a spot in the semifinals.
FC Robo Queens comfortably qualified for the
semifinals after hitting six goals past their rival,
Confluence Queens and will be facing a promising
Delta Queens, who thrashed their rival, Royal
Queens 2-1 to secure the semifinals spot.
The tournament, which is Nigeria’s only preseason
women football championship, is a brainchild
of the Edo State First Lady, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki.
The tournament is themed Say No to Drugs, aimed
at raising awareness on the adverse effects of drug
abuse among youths.
Spanish La Liga side Real Sociedad has
confirmed the date and venue of the surgery
for injured Super Eagles’ striker Sadiq Umar.
The lanky player sustained a seasonending
injury last Sunday when Real
Sociedad played against Getafe in which they
ended up losing 2-1.
He was confirmed to have ruptured his
anterior cruciate ligament which automatically
ruled him out of the season.
The club yesterday announced tomorrow in
Gastiez as the date and venue of the surgery.
“Sadiq Umar will undergo surgery for the
rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his
right knee by Dr Mikel Sánchez next
Thursday, September 15, in Gasteiz”, the club
confirmed.
Umar opened his goal account for the club
when he netted the equalizer against Atletico
Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Ronaldo rejected
an offer worth
£210m from
Saudi Arabia
•It would have seen
him earn £1.7m a week
ristiano Ronaldo reportedly
C rejected the chance to become
the highest paid footballer in the world
during the summer.
Spanish outlet Marca claim to have
RONALDO verified news in Portugal that Saudi
Arabian club Al-Hilal offered the
Manchester United superstar a contract
worth £210m for two season.
The offer from the Riyadh based side
would have seen Ronaldo make £1.7m a
week.
The 37-year-old, however, wanted to
continue playing football at the highest
level.
He made it clear in the summer that he
wished to end his United comeback after
the club failed to qualify for the Champions League.
Despite links to the likes of Atletico Madrdid, Sporting and Napoli,
he was unable to secure a move to a club in Europe’s premier
competition.
Ronaldo has since been used primarily from the bench under
new manager Erik ten Hag.
The World Cup now looks to be Ronaldo’s main focus with a
transfer in the January window remaining a possibility.
R
BRUME
EAL MADRID’S pursuit of Kylian Mbappe is set
to start AGAIN next summer after full details of
his Paris Saint-Germain contract emerged.
The French champions announced the 23-yearold
France star had signed a new, three-year deal
worth £650,000-per-week in May.
That appeared to tie Mbappe down until 2025 and
he wore a PSG shirt with that year on the back when
he publicly put pen to paper.
But it has now emerged the contract initially runs
for just TWO seasons, until 2024.
Mbappe - rather than the club - then has the option
to extend the deal into a third season if he chooses to
do so.
If he signals he will not extend, PSG will have to
AJ accepts all terms to finally
fight Fury on December 3
•Usyk offers to help AJ
nthony Joshua’s management team
Ahave confirmed that the two-time
heavyweight champion has agreed to
an all-British showdown with Tyson
Fury on December 3.
Fury issued the challenge to his
domestic rival last week, and provided
Joshua with two dates to choose from -
November 26 at Wembley Stadium or
December 3 at Cardiff’s Principality
Stadium. Joshua has now accepted the
latter.
‘Joshua-Fury update: 258 and can
confirm, on behalf of @anthonyjoshua,
that we accepted all terms presented to
us by Fury’s team for a fight Dec 3rd
last Friday,’ 258 MGT posted on Twitter
on Tuesday morning.
Joshua’s team quickly received one
on Twitter from Fury’s promoter Frank
Warren on Twitter.
Warren replied: ‘Contract will be with
you very soon.’
Following this exchange on Twitter,
it now seems that the biggest fight in
the heavyweight division is edging
nearer to actually happening.
The Board of the League
Management Company Ltd
(LMC) says its attention has been
drawn to a Media Release from the
Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports
Development (FMYSD) to the effect
that the Federal Government has
declared the LMC “illegal”, urging
stakeholders to remain calm while it
engages the Ministry in conjunction
with the Nigeria Football Federation
(NFF).
In a statement, the league organiser
said “ the LMC Ltd wishes to call for
calm from all its participating clubs,
sponsors and partners and
stakeholders’ as it will in conjunction
with NFF be engaging the FMYSD to
provide clarifications to ensure all
parties are on the same page and keep
acting within the realm of its authority.
Fundamentally, the protection of the
integrity of the NPFL which the LMC
Ltd has been toiling over the last decade
to build inspite of the challenges is most
paramount at all times”.
It said the statement is only being
issued for the sake of good order, stability
of the Nigeria Professional Football
League (NPFL) and the Participating
Clubs, the LMC current and potential
sponsors and indeed the entire Nigerian
Football stakeholders to clarify and set
matters straight for the records.
The LMC Board also expressed
distress at seeing the FYMSD coming
up with the public
statement/position without first
engaging the LMC/NFF to discuss any
concerns or information regarding the
LMC Ltd so as to hear from the other
side and enable it come to a balanced
position based on facts and law.
“It is LMC’s belief that had this simple
fundamental procedure and legal step
of fair hearing been done, there would
have absolutely been no need or basis
look to sell next summer or see their £150millionplus
rated striker potentially walk away for
NOTHING 12 months later.
There was speculation in France that when
Mbappe signed the new deal it was to ensure he
was still playing for the Qatar-owned club when he
took part in this winter’s World Cup in the Gulf
state.
But once the tournament is over, the Qataris will
be less reluctant to sanction a sale - even if it means
PSG losing their star asset.
A move for Mbappe might turn out to be a positive
for PSG due to his difficult relationship with
superstar team-mate Neymar.
The exit would mean the 30-year-old Brazil icon
would be assured of No1 status at the Parc des
Princes.
Fury and Joshua looked set to meet
last year when they were negotiating
for an undisputed fight, but an
arbitration panel ruled that Fury had
to face Deontay Wilder for a third time
instead.
Since then, Joshua has lost twice to
Oleksandr Usyk, while Fury has seen
off Wilder and Dillian Whyte, and it
appeared that the two Brits may never
settle their differences in the ring.
However, with Usyk deciding against
fighting again in 2022 so that he can
rest his body and spend time with his
family in his homeland of Ukraine, Fury
was itching to stay active and called
out Joshua.
He had also previously sent out
challenges to Derek Chisora and
Manual Charr, so some fans were
sceptical about how serious his call-out
was.
They may have expected him to send
Joshua an underwhelming offer now
that he is no longer a champion in his
own right, but Fury revealed last
Wednesday that he was happy to settle
on a 60-40 purse split in his favour.
LMC Board calls for calm over purported
call for Licence withdrawal
•Engaging NFF, Sports
Ministry for Resolution
Real to go for Mbappe again
•PSG deal is just 2 yrs
AJ
Fury
for the FMYSD position and or
statement”, the statement argued.
The LMC insisted that “there is
absolutely no court order or proceedings
declaring the LMC as illegal. Likewise,
there is no challenge in any court to
the legal status of LMC”.
Tracking the formation and
registration of the company, it noted
that, “for the avoidance of doubt, LMC
Ltd was duly and properly formed in
2013 with all due processes adhered to
and in line with both Football laws/
regulations and Nigeria’s Corporate
Affairs Laws (Companies and
Allied Matters, Act - CAC Act).
The LMC acknowledged the passion
and concerns the Honourable Minister
of Sports have exhibited over time in
trying to push for the development of
not only the NPFL but football in Nigeria
and believes that with proper
engagements the right synergy will be
achieved to drive this process forward.
DARE
MBAPPE
DIKKO
C
M
Y
K