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T H I S D AY •FRIDAY DECEMBER 9, 2016
FRIDAYSPORTS
Barcelona Invites Chapecoense to Play Friendly in 2017 Barcelona has invited Brazilian club Chapecoense to play them in a pre-season friendly next summer. Nineteen Chapecoense players and staff were among 71 people killed in a plane crash as the team travelled to Colombia for the Copa Sudamericana’s first leg. The friendly would be for the Joan Gamper trophy, which is an annual match between Barcelona and an invited team. In a statement, Barcelona said they wanted to “pay tribute” to the victims and help Chapecoense recover. Barcelona said they wanted to make the Joan Gamper trophy “a great tribute to the world of football through various activities around this match”. “Along with the invitation to Chapecoense to the 2017 Joan Gamper Trophy, Barcelona would like to collaborate on the institutional and sporting reconstruction of the club, and help to recover the competitive level that it had,” they added. “Barcelona has today sent a formal letter of invitation to the current board of directors
of Chapecoense.” Three Chapecoense players were among six people to survive the crash. One of the surviving players in the plane crash in Colombia is recovering and may be able to resume his career, his father has announced. Helio Hermito Zampier Neto, a 31-year-old defender for Chapecoense, was in a stable condition, doctors said, after surgery on a lung, a knee, a wrist and his head. Colombian officials say evidence is growing that the plane ran out of fuel. Miguel Quiroga, the pilot of the British-made Avro RJ85 aircraft, had been warned by an official at Santa Cruz airport, in Bolivia, where the plane took off, that he might not have enough fuel, Bolivian Deber newspaper said. But, despite the official’s concerns, he went ahead with the flight to Medellin. The country’s authorities have not yet commented. In a leaked tape, the pilot can be heard warning of a “total electric failure” and “lack of fuel”.
Chapecoense Players celebrating before the plane crash penultimate Monday in Colombia
World’s Best T’Tennis N C C T E N N I S L E A G U E Players Ready for Enugu Sports Club Throws its Gates Open to Students Action in Doha The top 16 men and women from the 2016 ITTF World Tour have assembled in Doha, Qatar for the Seamaster Qatar World Tour Grand Finals starting today through Sunday, December 11. The world’s best players battled through 20 World Tour events across the globe to gather enough points to qualify for the $500,000 season-ending event. As always, all eyes will be on World & Olympic champion Ma Long of China who will be the red-hot favorite to defend the title he won last year in Lisbon. The odds for the 28-year-old were slashed even more as he was drawn in the other half of his two other teammates, world number two Fan Zhendong and number three Xu Xin. This means Ma will not have to face his Chinese teammates until the final. “I am very happy to avoid
my friend Xu Xin in the draw. This is my last tournament of the year, so I want to finish the year of my dreams off in style, by winning the World Tour Grand Finals for the fourth time.” Number two seed, 19-yearold Fan Zhendong, the man that Ma Long beat in last year’s World Tour Grand Final, will be out for revenge for his 2015 defeat, and will want to keep up his momentum from winning the Men’s World Cup earlier in the year. Double World Tour Grand Final champion Jun Mizutani (JPN) is making his first international appearance since winning bronze at Rio 2016, so confidence will be high for the Japanese superstar. Europe’s hopes rest with Dimitrij Ovtcharov (GER) and Vladimir Samsonov (BLR), who will be bidding for their first World Tour Grand Finals crown.
Kuchigoro’s IDPs Champion Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Karamajiji in Kuchigoro area along Airport Road of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have won the inaugural football championship organised by Greater Tomorrow Children’s Fund founded by ex international and US-based Paul Okoku. In a game decided Saturday evening at the FIFA Goal Project Abuja, the boys from Karamajiji defeated their counterparts from Waru IDP Camp in Apo Village 3-2 in the finals to lift the trophy. They also took home cash prize of N15,000 in addition to football donations from the foundation. The full time had ended 3-3 after Isiaka Alhassan netted a
brace in the first half before the boys from Waru came from behind to draw level through another brace from Emmanuel Nwogu. Hashimu Musa made it three for Jaramajiji but Uche Duru from Waru levelled the scores at 3-3 close to regulation time. Karamajiji then went ahead to prove the better side with a 3-2 penalty kicks scoreline. For coming second, Waru Apo got N7,000, a trophy and some balls. Speaking after the finals, Paul Okoku said he feels fulfilled to have put smiles on the faces of the IDPs. “I feel really honoured and fulfilled to put smiles and hope on the faces of the children who are looking up to the society for hope.”
Executive Chairman of the Enugu Sports Club, Obum Arum, declared at the weekend that the club will henceforth allow primary and secondary school students interested in tennis to use its facilities. Obum who was impressed with the high level of tennis displayed by the national players at the first semifinals of the NCC Tennis League Cup hosted by the club said he was sad that Enugu State which used to produce national champions was no longer visible in the Nigerian tennis space. “It is really unfortunate that we (Enugu) State is lagging behind in tennis but I am determined to reverse this
trend,” the executive chairman who had Nigeria’s tennis great Nduka Odizor beside him at the semi finals of the NCC League stressed. He added:”Every child who comes here to practice consistently for one month will be given a complete set of tennis equipment to develop his or her skills.” Odizor who was in Enugu as the special guest of honour said he came all the way from Houston Texas (USA) to support the league. “The NCC Tennis League is a very good project for Nigerian tennis and I am happy to give it all the support I can muster. Some of us who have benefited
from the sport are now ready to give back with our experience and our network to ensure that these boys and girls achieve higher goals than we did.” The ‘Duke’ who achieved the highest ranking of 52 in the world and was in the top 100 for nine years, praised Mr Arum for the gesture and said he was also concerned that Enugu had fallen behind in tennis. “So many great players like Tony Mmoh, Patrick Obi, Esther Onyekwelu, Cecilia Nnadozie, Nnamdi Ehirim and Kyrian Nwokedi all came out of the Enugu axis and I therefore commend the NCC for bringing the semifinals to Enugu even though there was
no team from the State in the League.” Odizor said. Odizor said he would be at the second semifinals this weekend in Abuja and the finals in Lagos the following weekend. “I would like to see these young players again and again and offer whatever tips I can to help them understand the game better and improve their tactical play.” he said. The NCC Tennis League has introduced 42 weeks of tennis to the Nigerian tennis calendar this year with the winners getting N7 million, runners-up N5 million, third place N3 million and fourth place N2 million
Ambode for CAF Beach Soccer Nations Cup Opening Ceremony Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, is expected to grace the opening day of the African Beach Soccer Nations Cup on December 13 at the Eko Atlantic City on Victoria Island. Lagos Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, stated yesterday that the continental beach football tourney was uppermost on the mind of the state’s number one citizen. Ayorinde said that Ambode would be present at the opening ceremony of the event slated to take place between December 13 and 18. “Governor Ambobe is committed to youth development and this event involves other countries on the continent, hence, it is being accorded the seriousness it deserves. “There will be plenty of fun in between because we are getting into the festive period and we want Lagosians to have fun at the AFCON beach tourney.” Apart from Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Cote d’ Ivoire,
Madagascar, Libya, Morocco and Senegal are expected to compete for honours in the competition. Ayorinde urged lovers of beach football and music to
storm Eko Atlantic to support Nigeria and also enjoy the competition. “We are working hard to make this event great in all aspects. The LOC and the
sponsors have been wonderful because they are also aware that the governor would always go for the global best practices in all situations,” the information commissioner added.
Chairman, Enyimba FC of Aba, Felix Anyansi (left) presenting the club’s banner to the CEO, Kinetic Sports, Samson Adamu at the signing of a sponsorship deal for COPA Lagos between Enyimba FC and Hero Lager at SABMiller’s corporate office in Ikoyi, Lagos…yesterday kolawole olasupo