Sports

IBB Golf Club Seeks NCAC’s Support for Independence Day Golf Tourney

Published

5 years ago

September 8, 2021

Eric

The IBB International Golf and Country Club have solicited the support of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) to make the 61st Independence day Golf Tournament a success.

A delegation from the Club which comprised members of the tournament planning committee was at the office of the Director General, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe OON in Abuja on a courtesy visit.

In his address, the head of the delegation Mike Ikoja stated that their visit as members of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the tournament was firstly to show gratitude to Otunba Runsewe for his selfless contributions to the development of golf as evidenced in the IBB Golf and Country Club and to seek the support of NCAC for the 61st Independence Golf Tournament scheduled for 24th of September to the 1at of October 2021 at the IBB International Golf and Country Club, Abuja.

Ikoja revealed that the IBB International Golf and Country Club is the most prestigious Golf Club in the country with a diverse membership of over 5000 drawn from government agencies, captains of industries, senior Diplomats and high net worth individuals.

Ikoja who is the Vice Captain of the Club maintained that over the years, the club has provided a platform for nigerians and foreigners, particularly those in the public and private sector the opportunity to recreate and network, while leveraging on the huge national and international brand values to enhance their businesses aans goodwill.

“The Independent Golf Tournament is the biggest event in the Club’s calendar in commemoration of Nigeria’s Independence Anniversary and the highlight of the event will be an international match between IBB Golf Club and golf clubs from some African Countries” he added.

The Vice Captain however solicited the full support of NCAC in making this year’s tournament meet the expectations of the golfing family.

In his response, the Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe OON thanked the delegation for the honor in recognizing his little contributions to the development of the game of golf.

Otunba Runsewe said that golf as a unifying game always provide a veritable platform for people from all spheres of the society to share ideas. The Director General revealed that he was working on some cultural brands which he hopes to showcase during the tournament.
” Golf and Culture are closely knitted and NCAC hopes to use the platform provides by the tournament to showcase some of them” Otunba reiterated.

Otunba Runsewe who doubles as the President, World Crafts Council, African Region pledged to dedicate the next edition of the Magazine on Golf published by him to the tournament which will be distributed free.

The Director General therefore promised that the NCAC Cultural Troupe will feature prominently throughout the tournament to entertain guests. The Council will also showcase it’s collections in culturally embellished stand during the tournament while the Executive members of the Club as well as members of the planning committee will be provided with cultural golf attires.

Sports

FIFA Lists Six Females Among 52 Referees for 2026 World Cup

Published

4 weeks ago

April 10, 2026

Eric

FIFA on Thursday unveiled its list of match officials for the June 11-July 19 World Cup, including 52 referees, six of whom are women.

Football’s governing body will also take 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials, who hail from all six confederations and 50 member associations.

“The selected match officials are the very best in the world,” said Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief refereeing officer.

“They were part of a wider pool of officials that was identified and monitored over the past three years. They have attended seminars and officiated at FIFA tournaments.

“In addition, their performances in domestic and international matches were regularly assessed.”

The World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be the biggest in history, with a 48-team line-up and 104 matches to be played.

There are 41 more match officials than at Qatar four years ago, where 32 teams played 64 matches.

“The fact that six women match officials have been selected continues a trend that was started four years ago in Qatar as we aim to further develop women’s refereeing,” Collina said, with six women having already refereed in 2022.

AFP

Sports

AFCON 2025: CAS Overturns CAF Verdict

Published

1 month ago

March 25, 2026

Eric

African football has been plunged into fresh uncertainty after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) provisionally suspended a controversial ruling that stripped Senegal of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and awarded it to Morocco.

In an interim decision issued on Monday, CAS accepted Senegal’s appeal against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeals Board and ordered a “freeze” on the implementation of its verdict.

The move effectively places the 2025 AFCON title in legal limbo pending a full hearing.

The dispute stems from a chaotic final played in January 2026, where the Teranga Lions of Senegal defeated the hosts, the Atlas Lions of Morocco, 1–0 after extra time. The match took a dramatic turn late on when a contentious penalty was awarded to Morocco.

Although the spot kick was missed, Senegal’s players briefly walked off the pitch in protest, prompting confusion before play eventually resumed, and the match was concluded. Weeks later, Morocco’s federation challenged the outcome, citing provisions within AFCON regulations relating to match forfeiture.

On March 17, CAF’s Appeals Board ruled in Morocco’s favour, declaring that Senegal’s walk-off constituted a breach severe enough to forfeit the match. The result was overturned to a 3–0 victory for Morocco, with Senegal stripped of the title.

Senegal swiftly condemned the decision as unjust and escalated the matter to CAS, arguing that the sanction was disproportionate and undermined the integrity of the on-field result.

CAS has now sided, at least temporarily, with Senegal’s request for urgent intervention.

By granting provisional measures, the tribunal signalled that enforcing CAF’s ruling before a full hearing could cause irreparable harm, particularly in a case involving the revocation of a major continental title.

The immediate consequence is that AFCON 2025 currently has no officially recognised champion. The trophy remains unassigned while legal proceedings continue.

Sports

AFCON 2025: George Weah Urges CAS to Overrule CAF’s Verdict

Published

2 months ago

March 21, 2026

Eric

African football legend George Weah has criticised the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for stripping Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and awarding it to Morocco.

CAF’s Appeal Board overturned Senegal’s 1–0 victory in the Rabat final after ruling that the team’s walk-off during a late penalty incident constituted a forfeit. The result was subsequently recorded as a 3–0 win in favour of Morocco, crowning the hosts as champions.

Reacting to the decision, Weah, a former Ballon d’Or winner and three-time African Player of the Year, argued that match outcomes should be determined on the pitch, not in post-match rulings.

“In football, the referee on the pitch is the final authority. Once a match is completed, the result obtained on the field must stand,” he said.

Weah warned that overturning completed matches sets a dangerous precedent for the sport.

“There is no sporting justification to nullify a match completed under the referee’s authority.

Otherwise, we risk a slippery slope where committee decisions override on-field calls,” he added.

The former AC Milan forward further stated that the ruling undermines the integrity and credibility of African football, raising concerns over fairness and consistency.