Sports Briefs

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THE Nigeria Football Federation has threatened to take a legal action against the Bolivian team if it could not come with a genuine reason from pulling out of the international friendly match against the Nigerian Super Eagles. The NFF said this would enable it to recover the money it had committed in the proposed international friendly match between the Super Eagles and their Bolivian counterparts.

Reacting to newspaper reports that the South American country had pulled out of the friendly match scheduled for March 26, at the Ibom International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, citing insecurity in Nigeria, the NFF said although it had not received any official communication from Bolivia, it said it would be unwilling to lose its investments in the planned friendly football match.

The Football Bolivian Federation announced on Wednesday, March 18, on their website that it had pulled out of the game with the Super Eagles, citing insecurity and the heavy political tension in Nigeria as its reason.

According to Sporting Life newspaper, Amaju Pinnick, president, NFF, has written “a strongly worded letter to Federation of International Football Association, FIFA, alleging a breach of contract.” The FIFA was said to have reportedly warned Bolivia over the consequences of not honouring game scheduled for March 26.

“The reasons given by the Bolivians are strange and unacceptable to us. FIFA have been communicated about this development,” a source at the NFF headquarters was quoted as saying.

La Razon, a Bolivian newspaper, was first to report the decision of the FBF to opt out of the international friendly match with Nigeria. “The armed conflict in Nigeria has forced the cancellation of the game,” Carlos Chavez, president of the FBF, said in a press conference in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

Besides, the South American country also pointed out that the match would come up just two days before Nigeria’s general elections and, therefore, could not guarantee the safety of the players participating in the match.

The newspaper said Chavez was now hoping that there would be no financial implication for breach of contract.

In any case, NFF was said to be busy already looking for a replacement.

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Russia to Hold Anti-Racist Summit

RUSSIA is planning to organise an international anti-racism summit this year to get on top of the racial problem before hosting the 2018 World Cup.

The conference is a response to a report which showed that more than 200 cases of discriminatory behaviour had been linked to Russian football in the past two seasons. Vitaly Mutko, sports minister, who disclosed this to Russian media, said the conference would be held jointly with one of the two organisations behind the report, FARE network, a United Kingdom based organisation.

However, Piara Powar, head of FARE network, told The Associated Press it had yet to confirm its participation following an approach from the Russian Football Union.

Powar said Russia was “free to do an event,” but that talk of a partnership with FARE was “very premature.”

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Nigeria Tennis Players Progress to Quarter Finals

NIGERIA has bagged two more quarterfinal spots in the doubles event of the 38th ITF/CAT African Junior Tennis Championship holding in Tunis, Tunisia.

In the girls’ U16 category, the pair of Adetayo Adetunji and Angel Macleod triumphed over Nesrine Troubia and Sihem Sahli of Algeria 6-2, 7-5 while Nigeria also had it good in the U16 boys as Martins Abamu and Timipre Godsgift defeated Antoine Gbadoe and Jacques Sewavi of Togo 6-4, 6-7, 12-10 to join the quarterfinal train.

The country is enjoying its best run in the doubles as the duo of Oyinlomo Qaudri and Charity Patrick had earlier earned their spots in the last-eight of the doubles in the girls’ U14.

The Nigerian team is also putting up a commendable show in the singles as Micheal Oshewa beat Bruno Nhavare of Mozambique 6-2, 6-1 to progress into the last 16 of the boy’s U14 to join two more Nigerians in the last 16 of the singles.

Nigeria’s coach, Mohammed Ubale stated that the Nigerian players are finding it difficult to cope with the extremely cold weather but expressed confidence they will acclimatize as the tournament that is featuring 32 countries continues.

“Most of our players are not used to the type of weather that is here because it’s very cold but it’s the same for some of the other countries that are not used to cold weather.

“The players from South Africa and all the players from North Africa are not in any way affected and you will see them playing their normal game but it’s a different story for our players. It’s not an excuse but it’s really affecting the players,” Ubale said.

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Super Falcons Need Friendly Matches – Okon

EDWIN Okon, chief coach of Super Falcons, wants the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, to arrange international friendlies for his team. According to him, the team needs friendlies to sharpen its preparation for the Canada 2015 Women World Cup.

Before the World Cup, the team would face Mali on Sunday, March 22, in an All Africa Games qualifier match. Although the team was billed to face a local side in a friendly March on Thursday, March 19, Okon said the girls would need international friendlies to adequately to build up their confidence before the World Cup. The coach said such games would toughen the Falcons for the battles against the world’s best sides.

“The girls are working hard for positions in the Falcon’s team… When the Falcons return from Mali, I think the NFF would commence search for international friendlies for the team. This would help put the girls in good stead for the World Cup,” he said.

Okon, who led the Super Falcons to win the 2014 African Women Championship in Namibia, expressed confidence in the team to triumph over Mali.

— Mar. 23, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT

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Tags: 2018 World Cup 38th ITF/CAT African Junior Tennis Championship Adetayo Adetunji African Women Championship Amaju Pinnick anti-racism summit Antoine Gbadoe Bruno Nhavare Carlos Chavez Charity Patrick Edwin Okon FARE network FIFA Football Bolivian Federation Ibom International Stadium Jacques Sewavi La Razon Martins Abamu Micheal Oshewa Mohammed Ubale Nesrine Troubia NFF Nigeria Football Federation Nigerian Super Eagles Oyinlomo Qaudri Piara Powar RUSSIA Russian Football Union Santa Cruz de la Sierra Sihem Sahli Sporting Life Super Falcons Tennis Players The Associated Press Timipre Godsgift United Kingdom very premature Vitaly Mutko World Cup