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FIFA President Gianni Infantino has sent a message of condolence to the President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, over the death of former Nigeria international forward Bello Kofar-mata.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Kofar-mata died on Monday.
Infantino, in a letter on Friday, wrote: “I will like to express my sincerest and heartfelt condolences on the passing of Kofar-mata.
“Words seem inadequate to express the sadness we feel for this loss.
“During his career, Bello was capped once with the Super Eagles, while he participated, at youth level in the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
“At club level, having started his career at Kano Buffalo, he will be remembered for his successful career with Kano Pillars FC in two different spells.
“He played also for Heartland FC, FC IfeanyiUbah and El-Kanemi Warriors FC.
Considered as one of the great strikers of his generation, his legacy and achievements, and in particular his personality, his loyalty and his human qualities will not be forgotten and he will be truly missed.
“On behalf of the international football community, I wish to extend our deepest sympathy to the NFF, and to Bello’s family, friends and loved ones.
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NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Two of the road races slated for Nigeria next year are among a record 238 road races included in the 2023 World Athletics Label Road Race calendar.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the calendar was released on Friday by the sport’s world governing body, World Athletics (WA).
The races are the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon slated for Feb. 4, a Category A event in the Gold sub-group, and the Okpekpe Road Race of May 23 in Okpekpe, Edo.
The latter race is a Category E event and in the Label sub-group.
The number of races for 2023 is an increase of almost 20 races from the 2022 schedule.
According to World Athletics, the increase will allow the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) to extend the registered drug-testing pool for road-racing.
This is due to the extra funding provided through the Label race programme.
The 238 events which have registered for the Label programme include 14 Platinum Label races (14 marathons), 38 Gold Label races (25 marathons and 13 other distance races).
There are also 66 Elite Label races (41 marathons, 25 other distance races) and 120 Label races (59 marathons, 61 other distance races).
They are spread across 53 countries and all six geographic areas.
The series begins with the Xiamen Marathon, a Platinum Label race, on Jan. 2 and concludes on Dec. 31 with New Year’s Eve races in Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, Bolzano in Italy and Hainan in China.
The schedule remains subject to change given the ongoing uncertainty created by the global coronavirus pandemic.
“The road running industry continues to rebound strongly from the pandemic, as evidenced by the growing demand for Label race status,” World Athletics Road Running Manager Alessio Punzi said.
“Race directors have had to show considerable resilience and ingenuity to survive and thrive in such a challenging climate and we’re delighted to see so many races on this year’s calendar.
“The variety of road racing options represented by this schedule will give elite runners around the world even more opportunities to race.
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Meanwhile, the AIU has confirmed it will conduct a full-scale, robust integrity operation throughout the road-racing season.
NAN reports that this will encompass testing, investigations and intelligence and case management.
It is anticipated that a registered testing pool of approximately 300 professional athletes will be created, around 2,000 tests will be conducted out-of-competition and over 1450 tests in-competition in 2023.
Additionally, the AIU will continue to ramp up its education programmes within the road-running community in an effort to reduce doping and to promote clean competition.
“After two years of operations limited by the pandemic, the integrity programme will be back to full strength, underwritten by a budget that doubles to nearly three million dollars (about N2.4 billion).
“This shows the remarkable commitment of the road running industry to clean sports,” AIU Head, Brett Clothier, stated.
Clothier added that it was crucial to assure all stakeholders that they could have confidence in the integrity of the World Athletics road-racing circuit.
This was in view of the recent spate of anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) in Kenya,
“Road running has become lucrative for athletes, which is very welcome.
Through this increased funding, we can put in place a proportionate programme to protect clean athletes and help create a fair and doping-free environment in which to showcase their talent.
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The World Athletics Label is available to all officially-sanctioned road races that have taken place for at least two consecutive years prior to 2023 with an international measurement certificate in place.
For first-time Labels in 2023, a World Athletics technical consultant may be appointed to ensure compliance with rules and regulations.
World Athletics Elite Label races must have a prize money structure in place that awards at least the top five or eight finishers (based on race distance), with minimum winner’s prizes of 15,000 dollars (marathons) and 5,000 dollars (other distances), per gender.
In World Athletics Gold Label races, minimum prize money for winners is 30,000 dollars (marathons) and 10,000 dollars (other distances), per gender.
Additionally, Gold Label races must have at the start at least five athletes per gender with “Gold Status”.
This means, some of the top-ranked athletes in the sport, who are part of a rigorous out-of-competition anti-doping testing programme.
The World Athletics Elite Platinum Label is only available to races that either had been granted Platinum before, or that are upgrading from Gold, and had an outstanding elite field in 2022.
Platinum Label events need to have a certain number of “Platinum Status” athletes.
These are the very best in the sport, and only 38 men and 38 women carry such “Platinum status” in 2023.
Through choosing to have a World Athletics Label, race organisers show a tangible commitment to clean sport by funding a dedicated road running integrity programme, managed by the Athletics Integrity Unit.
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NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Costa Rica were the last team to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but the Central American side will travel to Qatar hoping for a different experience.
They will be hoping to avoid making a swift exit like they did in Russia four years ago.
Playing in their sixth World Cup, Costa Rica are no longer minnows and Fernando Suarez’s squad will be expected to do more than just make up the numbers in the tournament.
They shocked the world in 2014 when they had their best run at the finals in a “Group of Death” with three heavyweights —- Uruguay, Italy and England.
They defied overwhelming odds to top the group without losing, and conceded just one goal — a penalty kick.
But their luck ran out in the quarter-finals when they were knocked out by the Netherlands in a penalty kicks shootout.
Six players from that Costa Rica squad, who are all on the wrong side of 30, are expected to be in Qatar.
These are goalkeeper Keylor Navas, Bryan Ruiz, Joel Campbell, Oscar Duarte, Yeltsin Tejeda and Celso Borges.
The same players also featured at the World Cup in 2018 and, although Costa Rica were eliminated in the group stage, Suarez has a core of senior men with tournament experience to count on.
Suarez has built his team on defensive solidity, which saw them concede only eight goals in qualifying, while they were dangerous on the counter-attack.
But they did not have the best start to their qualifiers with six points from seven games.
They quickly turned things around, though, with six wins and a draw in the second half of the campaign to advance to the inter-continental playoff.
That was where they beat New Zealand to seal the last spot at the World Cup.
Although Suarez was slammed for picking ageing veterans like 35-year-old Navas and 37-year-old Bryan Ruiz in their quest to qualify, he was vindicated when they punched their ticket to Qatar.
“I had to persuade them to stay on and play another World Cup and I’m glad I did,” Suarez said.
“There were many who criticised that, but they were an important part of the success of this squad.
“This group is spectacular, I can’t describe it … With these players it is much easier to do things.
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Suarez is something of a World Cup veteran himself, having coached Ecuador at the 2006 World Cup before leading Honduras at the 2014 edition.
Having taken over the Costa Rica squad last year to guide them to Qatar, he will be the sixth coach in history to manage a team at three World Cups.
But Costa Rica hold a special place in his heart, which led to the Colombian renewing his contract in spite of interest from other teams.
“In my life, I have never worked with such intelligent people.
I have never worked with people so committed to achieving something,” he said.
“I have to thank all the people of Costa Rica. There were challenging moments.
I felt everyone wanted to qualify every time I was on the street.
My eternal gratitude to all the people, to the whole country.
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NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Gerard Pique’s retirement this weekend brings one of the most distinguished careers in FC Barcelona and Spain footballing history to a conclusion.
Pique won eight LaLiga titles and the UEFA Champions League three times with Barca.
He helped his national team lift their first FIFA World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship two years later.
The Los Cules great has decided to call it quits at the age of 35 after Barca’s next match, against Almeria on Saturday, having turned out for his hometown club over 600 times.
A number of high-profile names have hailed Pique since the announcement, including the likes of Patrick Kluivert and Fabio Cannavaro.
Former centre-back partner Carles Puyol called it a “privilege” to play alongside him.
Pique will retire as a Camp Nou legend, with only four players featuring more times for Barca than his (614).
These are Lionel Messi (778), Xavi (767), Sergio Busquets (694) and Andres Iniesta (674) —- all of whom helped form part of the dominant Barca team in the 2010s alongside Pique.
Pique started in Barca’s youth ranks but left for Manchester United in 2004, where he won the English Premier League (EPL) and UEFA Champions League in the 20072008 season.
However, Pique returned to Barca in 2008 and has won 422 of his 614 games in all competitions since.
He lifted 30 titles with the club in what was the most successful period in Barca’s history.
Pique also made his mark at international level, earning 102 caps for Spain between 2009 and 2018 and becoming one of just 13 players to feature 100 or more times for La Roja.
Pique played every minute of the final as they overcame the Netherlands 1-0 after extra time to lift their first World Cup in 2010.
Spain then went on to win the 2012 Euros by routing Italy 4-0 in the final.
He scored five goals for Spain, all against different opponents, including three in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.
Only Sergio Ramos (135) made more UEFA Champions League appearances as a defender than Pique (128).
But he scored the joint-most goals for a defender in the competition with Roberto Carlos (16).
Perhaps his best UEFA Champions League season was the 20082009 campaign when he finished with the most ball recoveries (90), while only Xavi (967) completed more passes than him (695).
There are just four players with more UEFA Champions League titles — Karim Benzema, Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo — all of whom are on five.
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NewsSourceCredit: NAN
FIFA has written to 2022 World Cup participating teams urging them to focus on the football in Qatar and not let the sport be dragged into ideological or political “battles”.
The letter from FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the governing body’s secretary general Fatma Samoura follows a number of protests made by World Cup teams.
The protests were on issues ranging from LGBTIQ rights to concerns over the treatment of migrant workers.
“Please, let’s now focus on the football!
” Infantino and Samoura were quoted in the letter to the 32 countries contesting at the World Cup.
“We know football does not live in a vacuum and we are equally aware that there are many challenges and difficulties of a political nature all around the world.
“But please do not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists.
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However, FIFA which is the sport’s world governing body was unable to provide immediate comment when contacted by Reuters.
The World Cup, the first held in the Middle East, starts on Nov. 20.
Australia’s football team last week spoke out against Qatar’s record on human rights and same-sex relationships.
Denmark’s players will travel to the World Cup without their families as a protest against the country’s human rights record, the Danish FA (DBU) told local media last month.
Football Australia confirmed the receipt of the letter from FIFA on Friday, but declined further comment.
Reuters also contacted the DBU for comment.
World Cup organisers have said that everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or background, is welcome, while also warning against public displays of affection.
Qatar has acknowledged there are “gaps” in its labour system, but the World Cup has allowed the country to make progress on worker rights.
“At FIFA, we try to respect all opinions and beliefs, without handing out moral lessons to the rest of the world,” Infantino said in the letter.
“One of the great strengths of the world is indeed its very diversity, and if inclusion means anything, it means having respect for that diversity.
No one people or culture or nation is ‘better’ than any other.
“This principle is the very foundation stone of mutual respect and non-discrimination.
And this is also one of the core values of football.
So, please let’s all remember that and let football take centre stage.
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NewsSourceCredit: NAN
German tennis player Angelique Kerber does not plan to stop playing after the 2024 Olympics. “It’s not like the 2024 Olympics will be my final tournament,” she said on Thursday during the release of her book “Eine Frage des Willens: Mein Weg nach oben” (“A matter of will: My way to the top”). Kerber is currently on a break as she expects her first child. For now, she has no concrete deadline for a comeback. “Who knows what will happen? I’m taking my time. When I come back, I want to come back properly,” the three-time Grand Slam winner said. She recently said her biggest goal was competing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. NewsSourceCredit: NAN
A women’s Nations League will begin next year, European football governing body UEFA announced on Thursday.
The competition, which will link into qualification for the European Championship and the World Cup, will start in autumn 2023, it said.
As with the men’s UEFA Nations League, countries will be divided into leagues based on their ranking, with promotion and relegation between the leagues.
UEFA confirmed there would be three tiers with teams playing in groups of three or four within those tiers.
“I said this summer that we will continue to invest in women’s football, and we are,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said.
“Off the back of a historic UEFA Women’s Euro, it is now time to further develop women’s national team football.
“We have built an open, competitive and continuous system in which every match will matter, a true reflection of the European sports model.
“I am convinced that this format will help all European national associations and keep the dream of qualifying for a major international tournament alive.
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Proposals for a revamp of the women’s national team competitions, including the introduction of a Nations League, were presented to member-associations by a working group in Frankfurt last month.
This had happened ahead of the qualifying draw for the men’s Euro in 2024.
The new formats were officially ratified by UEFA’s ruling executive committee on Wednesday.
The men’s Nations League was first played in 2018, with the idea that it would provide more meaningful and competitive matches to replace international friendlies.
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NewsSourceCredit: NAN
France head into the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar with more questions than answers after their build-up to the tournament was marred by injuries, poor results and off-field distractions.
The defending champions have had a dismal UEFA Nations League campaign, just salvaging their place in the top tier at the end of an injury-ravaged month in September.
Key midfielders N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, who played pivotal roles in France’s victorious campaign in 2018, have been ruled out due to injuries.
Kylian Mbappe is in the midst of a media storm over reports he wanted to leave Paris St-Germain (PSG) less than four months after extending his contract with the French champions.
The striker has now said he is happy at PSG and never asked to leave in January.
The French Football Federation (FFF) has also been subjected to an audit commissioned by the Sports Ministry over working conditions, amid claims of sexual harassment and bullying.
The federation has denied the allegations.
Should the inspectors find evidence of a crime, they are legally bound to report it to a judge, which would likely trigger a police investigation.
On the pitch, France have been struggling to rediscover the spark which guided them to a perfectly-mastered UEFA Nations League triumph last season.
It helped Les Bleus put the disappointment of a last-16 exit at the 2020 European Championship behind them.
Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and Mbappe may have the potential to form the most formidable attacking line-up in the game, but their partnership has been taking time to gel.
While Benzema was out injured in France’s last two UEFA Nations League games, veteran Olivier Giroud earned a recall from Deschamps and made the most of it, earning Mbappe’s praise.
“We managed to combine, to speak the same football, it was satisfying,” Mbappe said.
“A plus for us?
Of course he is.
When you are the second-best striker in the French team, if you are not a plus you will never be a plus.
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The 36-year-old Giroud’s presence —- or absence —- will be the main topic of Deschamps’s squad list for the Qatar finals, where France take on Denmark, Australia and Tunisia in Group D.
They are expected to go through, even if they lost to Denmark in their last meeting when their back line showed more signs of nerves.
Deschamps needs to fix the defence and decide, for good, whether he will play with four defenders or three centre-backs and two wing-backs.
The length of the injury list might make the decision for the coach, who can win the World Cup for a third time.
He won once as a player and twice as manager — like Brazil’s Mario Zagallo who lifted the trophy twice as a player and once as head coach.
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NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Plateau United Football Club on Wednesday in Abuja beat visiting Al Akhdar S.
C. of Libya 4-1 in the first leg match of their 20222023 CAF Confederation Cup final playoff round fixture.
The Jos-based side will visit the Libyan side on Nov. 9 for the second leg match.
In the same competition and earlier in the day in Port Harcourt, Rivers United whipped Al Nasr, also of Libya 5-0.
The result will definitely make the second leg game of Nov. 9 more comfortable for the reigning Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) champions.
More details to follow soon.
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NewsSourceCredit: NAN
TMRW Sports, co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, announced on Wednesday a star-studded investor group which includes tennis great Serena Williams and seven-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The team of investors also includes four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry and three-times tennis Grand Slam winner Andy Murray.
Others are Japanese two-way standout Shohei Ohtani of Major League Baseball and two-time women’s World Cup champion Alex Morgan.
“From the very beginning, our plan has been to partner with the best-in-class in every way imaginable and Tiger, Rory, and I value the support of this unrivalled team of investors, advisors, and ambassadors,” Mike McCarley, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the tech-focused company, disclosed in a statement.
According to TMRW Sports, the initial investment group’s sports experience also includes team ownership in every major league.
This ranges across F1, NFL, NBA, Premier League, MLB, NHL, MLS, tennis, esports, surfing, and golf.
TMRW Sports — pronounced “tomorrow sports” — was launched in August with the goal of using technology to help create new pathways for the next generation to enjoy sports.
A day after its launch, TMRW Sports said Woods and McIlroy would headline a Monday night team golf competition starting in 2024.
It will feature PGA Tour players and combine virtual technology and a tech-infused short-game complex at a custom-built venue.
“TMRW Sports is redefining how the next generation of fans will play and consume sports by leveraging technology in unique and innovative ways,” said Michael Blank of Connect Ventures which co-led the institutional investment.
“Connect Ventures is thrilled to work alongside this world-class group of investors to support Tiger, Rory and Mike’s vision to further accelerate the evolution of sports and make it more accessible for all.
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NewsSourceCredit: NAN
