RSDF Heroes Award: Falode, Ajunwa bags recognition award.

Today, names of Awardees for the Ratels Sports Development Foundation Heroes Awards 2021 was revealed during Flying Officers Cup draw ceremony held in Abuja.

The award Committee headed by Moses Nagogo Bako followed a set of eligibility criteria which considers factors such as achievements and pedigree of the nominees.

The prestigious award is conferred to those personalities who have rendered outstanding meritorious services to the development of sports and women’s football in the country and beyond.

The award comes in two categories of Special Posthumous Awards and the Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Four people were remembered and honoured in the Posthumous Awards category:

Tolulope Oluwatoyin Sarah Arotile: The first-ever female combat helicopter pilot in the Nigeria Air Force. She contributed significantly to combat operations against insecurity in the northern states of Nigeria. Arotile died from a head injury sustained in an accident at the Nigerian Air Force base.

Henrietta Ukaigwe: She was a veteran sports journalist cum women’s football promoter. Started FFIG – Female Football Interest Group comprising individuals, who actively promoted and energetically projected the women’s game and made it an item of consequence in the media and public space across the nation from the nineties. This group did not only report the game; it coalesced efforts and resources to organize women’s football tournaments and provided much-needed stout and meaningful support to administrators at that incipient stage.

Chief Larry Eze: Pioneer of women’s football in Nigeria and the Proprietor of defunct Larry Angels, It should be noted that Larry Angels and the likes of Rivers Mermaids metamorphosed to Rivers Angels in the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership.

Chief Sunny Eghaghe Inneh: Pioneer of women’s football in Nigeria and the Proprietor of defunct Inneh Babes. Inneh babes metamorphosed to Edo Queens in the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership

Lifetime Achievement Awards:

Chioma Ajunwa: Former athlete, notable for being the first Nigerian to win gold at 1996 summer Olympics. The first black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal in a field event. She remains only woman to compete at the FIFA world cup both  as a footballer and the Olympics as a track and field athlete.
She is now an assistant commissioner of Police.

Princesses Bola Jegede: Pioneer of women’s football in Nigeria played a pivotal role in organising the first women Interclub competition in Nigeria in 1990. The establishment of her female football Club, Jegede Babes in the late 1980s culminated in the establishment of other female football Clubs in the country producing players for the nascent Super Falcons squad to the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991.

Ismaila Mabo: He was the head coach of the Nigeria women’s national team at the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, 2000 Summer Olympics and 2004 Summer Olympics. He led Nigeria to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, the team’s best ever result

Eddington Kujebola: Pioneer of women’s football in Nigeria and the Proprietor of defunct Ufuoma Babes of warri. Notable players for Ufuoma Babes were Florence Omagbemi, Mavis Ogun, Patience Avre, Uche Eucharia, Mercy Akide, Omo Love Branch, Nkiru Okieseme, Florence Iweta, Phoebe Ebimienkumo, etc.

Alhaja Ayo Omidiran: Pioneer of women’s football in Nigeria and the Proprietor of Omidiran babes, which left the football scene but are now back. She became a member of the Nigerian Football Association Board and remained there till 2005. Since 2006, she has been a member of the FIFA Women Committee.

Other Awards Include:

Heroic Icon Of The Year: Leah Shuiabu.

Women Football Promoter of the year: Phillip Shuiabu.

Women Football Grassroots Icon of the year: Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi.

Women Football Trailblazer of the year: Aisha Falode

25 years of a painful exit: Remembering the departed Police Machine Women’s team.

25 years ago, tragedy struck women’s football in Nigeria as 17 players and officials of Nigeria Women Premier League side, Police Machine FC died in a ghastly motor accident.

The team were on their way back from a league game against Rivers Mermaid FC when they got involved in a motor accident at J4 bridge near Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, which claims the life of fourteen (14) players, two (2) officials and a driver, on the 12th of September 1996 around 2:15am, in a coaster bus with registration No. PF514HQ. Only three (3) persons survived on this black day.

The departed soul of the police machine team’s last journey from mother earth was on the 24th of September 1996. All corpses were conveyed from general hospital mortuary Lagos Island in motorcade for lying in state at the Police College parade ground for interdenominational service rite (Muslim, followed by Christian rite).

After paying last respect by family, friends, well-wishers, and all other top dignitaries, corpses departed Lagos to their various homes.

A similar tragedy befell the same team in 2019 as hit and run jeep driver led the death of two players, Saturday Glory and Aniebet Ekong.

The departed were indeed heroes of the women’s league as they died while pursuing their dreams representing their clubs in the women’s football league.

FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS (POLICE MACHINE WOMEN’S TEAM):


1) ASP Philip Agu — Coach
2) INSP Augustine Kure — Coach
3) INSP Salami Aminu — Driver
4) PC Blessing Gum — Goalkeeper
5) PC Selimotu Salami — Goalkeeper
6) PC Gbadamasi Shola — Player
7) PC Alekwe Martha — Player
8) PC Xavier Ekaette — Player
9) PC Effiong Victoria — Player
10) PC Eke Sunday — Player
11) PC Obiaji Charity — Player
12) PC Odiaesieme Livina — Player
13) PC Benji Gloria — Player
14) CUSTOM Esanumie Pauline — Player

SURVIVORS:
1) Chinyere Asugbami
2) Edumasoude Rosline
3) Akpulo Christiana

Flying Officers Cup 2021: Draw hold in Abuja Today as RSDF Heroes award unveils.

The draw and Awardees unveiling ceremony for the 2021 Edition of the Flying Officers Cup and Ratels Sports Development Foundation Heroes Awards will hold at the FIFA Goal Project Media Hall, Package ‘B’, Abuja on Thursday, the 7th of October 2021.

The event which will be held virtually through zoom will see sixteen (16) teams divided into 4 different groups, from which all the winners and the runners-up will advance to the knockout phase.

Naija Ratels have been given the privilege by virtue of their host status, while Bayelsa Queens made the sacred pot for being the defending Champions, Rivers Angels as defending Champions of the NWFL Premiership, while Nasarawa Amazons for being two time finalists of the Flying Officers Cup.

2019 Champions, Edo Queens, FC Robo Queens, Osun Babes FC, Confluence Queens FC, Ghanaian Women League runners up, Police Ladies FC, Royal Queens and Sunshine Queens will be seen in pot 1, their position decided by their Premiership status.

The five remaining teams, Prince Kazeem Eletu Queens FC, Lakeside Queens FC, Oasis Ladies FC, SGH Academy FC, Dannaz Ladies FC will be housed in Pot 2.

Also during the event, names of individuals who have made positive impacts on women’s football and impacted lives would be unveiled.

The Chairman of the Ratels Sports Development Foundation Heroes Awards sub-commitee, Mr Moses Nagogo Bako revealed that about 12 names have been found worthy to receive the special awards in two different categories which includes the Posthumous Awards, Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Bako further hinted that the awards will celebrate the exceptional and remarkable achievements of various individuals in the field of sports especially women’s football and the impactful life of courage, heroism and gallantry that has continued to provide a beacon of hope and inspiration to many young girls who aspire to achieve their dreams regardless the challenges that exist in their quest.

“The Ratels Sports Development Foundation Awards is purely to celebrate excellence, pride, heroism, hardwork and dedication.

“We carefully selected these names because of what they have been able to achieve in the area of women’s football development.

“We are glad and optimistic that this would go along way in encouraging the younger generation to believe in making a difference.”.

The Ratels Sports Development Awards will be officially presented to recipients on the 24th of October at the Area 10 Sports Complex, Garki Abuja at 1pm. The award which is the climax of the 2021 edition of the Flying Officers Cup has the theme “Honouring Our Fallen Heroes For Peace And Unity”.

Athletics: AIU charge Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare on three counts.

The Athletics Integrity Unit has issued charges against Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare in relation to three disciplinary matters, the presence of HGH, EPO and obstructing the investigation.

The 33-year old was prevented from competing at Tokyo 2020 after an out-of-competition sample collected on July 19 came back positive for human growth hormone (HGH).

Okagbare was provisionally suspended for that offence on July 30, the day she was due to run in the semi-finals of the women’s 100 metres.

The athlete has now been hit with a second charge relating to the presence of another prohibited substance in a sample.

An out-of-competition sample collected on June 20 has returned a positive result for recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) following an AIU request for EPO analysis to be carried out.

Okagbare’s provisional suspension mid-Olympics was an embarrassing development for Nigeria and came after the AIU banned 10 Nigerian athletes from the Games because they had not been tested rigorously enough in the build-up

According to reports, an unnamed major US law enforcement agency is actively pursuing the anti-doping case involving the provisionally suspended Nigerian sprinter and 2008 Olympic long jump silver medallist, Blessing Okagbare.

The investigations, which are grounded in the United States, fall under the controversial Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, passed by the U.S. Government in December 2020. It grants extraterritorial jurisdiction under major international doping fraud conspiracies.

While the Act provides the legal framework for the prosecution of individuals involved in doping schemes at international sports competitions involving American athletes, broadcasters and sponsors, under the law, criminal prosecution cannot be brought against athletes, who test positive for performance-enhancing substances, such as in the case of Okagbare.

Okagbare, a multi-time African champion, won silver in the long jump at Beijing 2008 but has largely specialised in the sprints since.

She is a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist, having won the women’s 100m and 200m events at Glasgow 2014, and also won a long jump silver and 200m bronze at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow.

UWCL: Historic win for Real Madrid, Chelsea fight back, Jade Boho’s Servette bow to Juventus.

Champions League debutant, Real Madrid travels to Ukraine with four games without a win.

Lorena Navarro put in a player of the match performance and secured the points for Madrid with a close-range finish 11 minutes before the break. The margin could have been even wider, with Navarro, Athenea del Castillo and Caroline Møller all guilty of missing good chances to add a second as Madrid dominated long spells of the match.

Group B standings after match day 1.

In the other group B match, two-time finalists, PSG earned a hard-fought 0-2 win over Breidablik. Hosting the first ever UEFA club group stage game in Iceland, Breidablik were a headache for Paris, who had to survive several big scares from the Icelandic underdogs. Lea Khelifi’s tap-in from a superb Sakina Karchaoui cross and Grace Geyoro’s late drive made the difference.

https://twitter.com/PSG_Feminines/status/1445999581284773890?t=0iEiE_OYdCMKvAmgv6aCOg&s=19

Juventus produced a dominant showing in Geneva. After Servette goalkeeper Inês Pereira saved Andrea Stašková’s penalty, Arianna Caruso put them ahead with an expertly taken volley before halftime.

Servette came close to grabbing an equaliser right away, an effort from distance forcing Pauline Peyraud-Magnin into a diving save – her first major contribution in the game. Lina Hurtig doubled the lead, again Servette reacted straight away, hitting the post from a Padilla-Bidas header as the hosts looked for a way back, before Valentina Cernoia completed the scoring for the Bianconere.

Equatorial Guinea forward, Jade Boho played until 88th minute before being replaced by Tamplin.

Group A standings after match day 1.

A stoppage-time equaliser from Pernille Harder against her former club earned the Blues a point in a six-goal thriller at Kingsmeadow to open Chelsea’s Champions League group-stage campaign.

The Blues dominated early on and led after 12 minutes as Sam Kerr latched onto Ji So-Yun’s superb through ball and coolly chipped beyond Almuth Schult.

However, two defensive lapses allowed the visitors to go into half-time with a 2-1 lead, as first Tabea Wassmuth slotted home and then Jill Roord curled a wonderful finish past Ann-Katrin Berger. Wassmuth then added another opportunist goal after break from another defensive mistake.

Beth England immediately pulled one back, it seemed Wolfsburg would hold on until Melanie Leupolz won the ball in the Wolfsburg box and teed up Harder who popped up to finish smartly deep into stoppage time, ensuring honours were even in the six-goal thriller.

Mali star Yves Bissouma arrested in Brighton on suspicion of sexual assault.

Mali international midfielder Yves Bissouma is reportedly arrested on suspicion of sexual assault at a seafront nightclub in Brighton.

The Brighton star was seen cuffed by cops out of a nightclub in the early hour of Wednesday. He was partying with a friend who is in his 40s when cops were called.

It was reported that the Malian couldn’t turn up for his country’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Harambee Stars tonight due to a knee injury.

The 25-year-old Brighton midfielder has been a revelation in the English Premier League this season and has been linked with big money moves with top clubs like Liverpool and Arsenal reportedly interested in his services.

A club spokesman said last night said : “Brighton & Hove Albion are aware that one of its players is assisting police with the investigation of an alleged offence. The matter is subject to a legal process and the club is therefore unable to make further comment at this time.”

NWSL: Carli Lloyd last dance at Philly.

The mood at Gotham FC was celebratory as the team happy to have Carli Lloyd, a Delran native, back to the Philadelphia area as the final weeks of her playing career wind down. Lloyd will wrap up her illustrious career later this month, but a final match in front of her home crowd is a must.

All of Gotham’s players wore shirts during pregame warmups with Lloyd’s name and legendary No. 10 on the back. During the starting lineup photo before kickoff, they all surrounded her, turned their backs to the cameras and pointed at her or her name as she faced forward.

The crowd of 9,532 basically erupts every time Carli Lloyd touches the ball, as she made 42 touches, 3 shots, and won 7 duels.

“I’m very grateful we could give Carli the opportunity to play in front of her hometown crowd one last time,” Gotham FC interim general manager Yael Averbuch West said.

Lloyd with an expressive silence, took a long deep breath and momentarily got choked up as she stood on the field alone and the fans cheered.

“It’s been an unbelievable journey, something I never could have dreamed of,” said Carli Lloyd in front of a packed Subaru Park.

“The crowd tonight, this is what we need at every NWSL game,” she said. “We need your support, we need you to keep coming out, supporting these amazing women here.

“I know it was an inconvenience to some, moving from Red Bull [Arena, Gotham’s home] to down here, but it truly meant the world to me,” Lloyd said, “and I cannot express how thankful and grateful I am for that.”

Having been estranged from many of them for over a decade. Lloyd reconnected with her family during the pandemic, and has spoken often this year about how much it means to her.

“I think the greatest gift that I’ve had towards the end of my career is having my family here by my side.”

Lloyd spoke of how much she’ll miss the bright lights and the big crowds; and the little moments of grinding every day that took her to the pinnacle of international sports: two World Cup titles, two Olympic gold medals, and two FIFA women’s player of the year awards.

NWSL: Gotham FC and Washington Spirit stage in-match protest in response to sexual harassment scandal.

In the first game since the sexual scandal break, Gotham FC and Washington Spirit players stopped their game in the sixth minute (in recognition of the six years it took the victims to be heard) to stand in solidarity with all the victims of abuse in the NWSL as chants from the river end of the stadium broke through:

“No. More. Silence.”

A game of missed opportunities saw Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit end things in a 0-0 draw.

The NWSL Players’ Association confirmed that this will happen in all the games played on return from a nine-day hiatus.

The NWSL returned from its self-imposed break, which included the postponement of this past weekend’s matches after two coaches — the North Carolina Courage’s Paul Riley and the Spirit’s Richie Burke — were fired amid abuse accusations. Commissioner Lisa Baird resigned Friday night, with a three-woman executive committee taking over league operations, and Spirit CEO and controlling owner Steve Baldwin announced in a statement Tuesday morning that he was stepping down “at the recent request of our players.”

The league is immediately launching several critical investigative and reform initiatives to protect players and staff, and the environments in which athletes live, train, and compete to give athletes the agency and ability to safely report misconduct of any form.

Among the messages draped around the stadium: “Protect our players,” “#BelieveBlackPlayers,” “#NoMoreSideHustles” and “We support Spirit fans. Sell the team, Baldwin.”

World Cup Qualifier: Falconets inspires Super Eagles with a win against CAR.

Nigeria’s U20 women’s team, Falconets, have set the bar high for the Super Eagles after they pounded their counterparts from Central African Republic (CAR) 11-0 on aggregate to advance to the next stage of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament.

The team stopped CAR 4-0 today at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos to advance 11-0 on aggregate after they won their first leg in Douala 7-0.

Sebastian Flourish opened the scoring for the Nigerian side in the 13th minute, before Idoko Mercy converted the second goal in the 35th minute to give the hosts halftime lead.

Idoko Mercy scored her second of the game to give Nigeria a three-goal lead in the 52nd minute while Blessing Okpe completed the rout a minute to full time.

They will meet the overall winners between Egypt and DR Congo in the next round of the qualifiers for the World Cup next year in Costa Rica.

Mercy Idoko was named Woman of the Match with a prize of 500,000 Naira.

With Falconets’ win, the Nigeria men’s senior team, Super Eagles will be inspired when they also take on the CAR men’s counterparts tomorrow in continuation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Flying Officers Cup: NCDC to conduct compulsory COVID-19 test for participating teams.

Organisers have announced that players and officials of all the sixteen (16) participating at the 2021 Flying Officers Cup are to undergo the compulsory Covid-19 test before the tournament kicks off on Sunday, the 10th of October 2021.

In order to facilitate swift testing of all players, the Ratels Sports Development Foundation (RSDF) has entered a partnership with the Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC), for the teams to undergo their COVID-19 test on arrival at the Public Service Institute Of Nigeria (PSIN), Abuja.


Furthermore, players and officials of teams who are interested in getting vaccinated are to indicate while registering on the registration portal, which will open on wednesday, the 6th of October on the Tournament’s website, http://www.FlyingOfficersCup.com.

The General Coordinator of the competition, Barrister Victoria Nlemigbo noted that all teams should ensure that they register online in time, as soon as the portal is opened, to enable the LOC get the players licences ready before arrival of the teams.

“I am happy to confirm that our partnership with NCDC has been activated and this will enable teams undergo their COVID-19 test on arrival in Abuja.

“This is in line with the policies of the Federal Government and footballing body in Nigeria, NFF and the women’s football league body, the NWFL.

“We have also made arrangements through our portal on the website for those who are interested in getting vaccinated at the same venue.

“The portal registration will be opened for team’s registration today, the 6th day of October 2021. I urge all participating teams to ensure they complete the form to enable the LOC get the players licences ready before arrival of the team. We wish all the participating teams the best of luck.

The Flying Officers Cup will kickoff on the 10th of October at the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja and will have 16 teams participating.