Governing Bodies
ITTF Africa Youth Championships: Nigeria edges out Egypt to qualify for World Youth Championship
Nigeria’s U-19 team to the 2022 ITTF Africa Youth Championships secured their slot at the World Youth Championships after beating Egypt 3-1 in the final of the team event on Saturday July 23.
The win helped Nigeria to halt the dominance of Egypt in the team events of the 2022 ITTF Africa Youth Championships as Taiwo Mati became the hero for Nigeria at the expense of the North African.
The continental youth championships is making a return since the last edition held in Accra, Ghana in 2019 following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic with Tunis hosting some of the best youngsters in Africa.
According to the Africa Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), the tournament serves as qualifiers for the World Youth Championships taking place later in the year in the same venue in Tunisia.
On the final day of the team event, Egypt had dominated the girls’ U-19 and U-15 while the also avenged their group stage 3-1 loss to Nigeria as they were at their best against the trio of Matthew Kuti, Mustapha Mustapha and Musa Mustapha in the boys’ U-15 final.
In the boys’ U-15 final, Egyptian trio of Gaber Yassin, Abdelaal Anas and Elsayed Abdelmalk played their best game against the Nigerian youngsters as spirited effort by Kuti was thwarted by Yassin in the fourth game for the Egyptian side to claim a 3-1 win.
With three gold medals already in their kitty on the final day of the team event, Nigerian trio of Taiwo Mati, Boboye Samuel and Muiz Adegoke ensured that the Egyptian made a clean sweep with a convincing 3-1 win over the Egyptian.
It was Mati that started the campaign on a winning note against Egypt’s GAMAL Marwan with a 3-1 (11-1, 10-12, 11-8, 12-10) win while Boboye failed in his quest to increase the tally for Nigeria when he fell 2-3 (5-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-13) to AZZAM Mohamed.
Adegoke restored Nigeria’s lead with a 3-1 (8-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-8) win over ELSHAWA Ziad.
The star of the Nigerian team Mati completed the 3-1 rout for the West African side with a 3-1 (5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9) win to halter Egypt’s medal sweep in the team event.
The singles event of the tournament served off on Sunday July 24 with Mati listed as top seed in the boys’ U-19 and have been given a bye to the next round, the Nigerian sensation is expected to face Kenya’s Shah Heeray in the second round of the singles on Monday July 25.
Current Africa women champion, 14-year-old Hana Goda will be aiming to dominate the junior level after ruling the senior cadre a few weeks ago in Lagos.
The tournament ends on July 27 with Egypt, Nigeria and Tunisia already securing their places at the 2022 World Youth Championships.
The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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