Events

Cancer survivor Caicedo, 18, set to make Women’s World Cup debut

Published

2 months ago

July 24, 2023

SMI

At 15, Linda Caicedo, now a star forward on Colombia’s Women’s World Cup roster, received a crushing diagnosis. She had ovarian cancer.

Caicedo already had made her debut for Colombian professional team América de Cali and the Colombian senior women’s national team.

With this news, though, her soccer career seemed over.

“I remember I was going into surgery one day and I was feeling really bad,” Caicedo said, “because I thought that I was not going to be able to play top-level football again.”

The Colombian women’s team head coach, Nelson Abadía, provided words of encouragement over the phone.

“He said, ‘No, just relax,’” Caicedo recalled. “‘You’re going to come back.’”

She’s now one of the best young players in the world.

The 18-year-old Caicedo is expected to make her Women’s World Cup debut in Colombia’s opener against South Korea on Tuesday at the Sydney Football Stadium.

To those battling cancer, Caicedo has a message: “I am an example that you can get out of that and overcome this.”

Tuesday’s match also could mark the World Cup debut of 16-year-old South Korea forward Casey Phair. Born to a Korean mother and American father and raised in the U.S., Phair is not expected to start. Should she play, she would become the youngest player ever to play in a World Cup, men’s or women’s.

“We just take it day by day,” South Korea coach Collin Bell said Monday, responding to questions about Phair. “I don’t really want to hype up the young player too much before she’s even played.”

While Phair’s role is not certain, Caicedo is expected to start and play a large part in Colombia’s efforts. For Colombians, she represents the potential of women’s football both domestically and internationally.

“She’s everybody’s hope,” said Valentina Peña Orozco, sports director at W Radio Colombia. “Linda is Colombia’s promise.”

Caicedo played in Colombia’s Liga Femenina for several years before signing with Real Madrid in February. She tied for the scoring lead at the 2021 Copa Libertadores Femenina for Deportivo Cali and was named the best player in the 2022 Copa América Femenina.

Her performance at the Copa América helped secure Colombia’s spot in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Caicedo also scored twice and recorded four assists in 10 appearances for Real Madrid last season.

Colombia’s match against South Korea could prove pivotal, as the two nations are expected to compete for a spot in the knockout rounds from Group H. Germany and Morocco also are in the group.

Abadía has coached Caicedo since she was 12 and brought her into the senior team when she was 14. He’s been Colombia’s national women’s team coach since 2017.

“ We know the players’ enormous ability, and we know that those brilliant moments that each one has — we’re going to have them,” he said.

Events

International Friendlies: Omeruo, Iwobi, Osayi-Samuel, Moffi back to Super Eagles

Published

11 hours ago

October 2, 2023

SMI

Head Coach Jose Santos Peseiro has recalled defenders Kenneth Omeruo and Bright Osayi-Samuel, as well as midfielder Alex Iwobi and forward Terem Moffi to the Super Eagles’ squad for this month’s international friendly matches against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique in Portugal. The quartet were absent from the team that demolished Sao Tome and Principe in last month’s 2023 AFCON qualifier in Uyo.

Midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, of Hatayaspor FC of Turkey gets his first-ever invitation, while Peseiro has decided to retain the trio of Francis Uzoho, Adebayo Adeleye and Olorunleke Ojo in goal. Yet-to-be-capped defender Jordan Torunnarigha is also called.

Wilfred Ndidi, who captained the team against Sao Tome and Principe, as well as Raphael Onyedika and forwards Moses Simon, Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen, Taiwo Awoniyi and Kelechi Iheanacho have also been invited.

The Super Eagles take on the Green Falcons of Saudi Arabia in the city of Portimão, Portugal on Friday, 13th October 2023, starting at 5pm before a clash with the Mambas of Mozambique in the same city three days later.

The players are all expected to arrive in Faro, Portugal on Tuesday, 10th October.

Both encounters have been arranged as tune-up games for the Eagles ahead of the commencement of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, in which the three-time African champions host Lesotho’s Crocodiles in Uyo on 17th November before travelling away to play Zimbabwe four days later.

ALL THE INVITED PLAYERS:

Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (Omonia FC, Cyprus); Olorunleke Ojo (Enyimba FC); Adebayo Adeleye (Hapoel Jerusalem, Israel)

Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest, England); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce FC, Turkey); Jordan Torunarigha (KAA Gent, Belgium); Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa FC, Turkey); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Jamilu Collins (Cardiff FC, Wales); Bruno Onyemaechi (Boavista FC, Portugal)

Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium); Joe Ayodele-Aribo (Southampton FC, England); Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England); Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Hatayaspor FC, Turkey)

Forwards: Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy); Victor Osimhen (SSC Napoli, Italy); Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest, England); Terem Moffi (OGC Nice, France); Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)

Events

D’Tigers Storm China On Playing Tour

Published

16 hours ago

October 2, 2023

SMI

Nigeria Senior Men Basketball team, D’Tigers this morning, left the country for China on a playing tour of games which began this weekend and will end on October 20th.

The team which failed in its quest to pick a slot for the 2024 Paris Pre-Olympic Qualifiers held in Lagos, will take part in games across different cities in China.

Led by Coaches Abdulrahman Mohammed, Baba Jubril and Usman Yakubu, the players on the roster include, Afuwape Michael Okiki, Victor Ezeh, Timothy Kwaor, Ibe Agu, Michael Daramola and Chinedu Chimbou.

Others are, Wisdom Anyaoha, Nnoruka Francis Junior, Chris Obekpa, Kingsley Onyekachi and Garba Chingka.

A source within the Nigeria Basketball Federation disclosed that the playing tour is one of the several developmental programmes of the NBBF board led by its President Engr. Musa Kida.

Adding that it is always a priority of the NBBF to continually develop the local game, while also increasing the pool of basketball talents in the country.

Events

Liverpool say VAR error ‘undermined sporting integrity’

Published

17 hours ago

October 2, 2023

SMI

Liverpool have said the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) error that resulted in a goal by Luis Diaz being incorrectly disallowed in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Tottenham “undermined sporting integrity.”

Nine-man Liverpool lost after Joel Matip scored an own goal in stoppage time but they should have taken the lead in the first half through Diaz whose goal was ruled out for offside.

VAR failed to overturn the incorrect decision to disallow the goal leading the English referees’ body PGMOL to issue a statement blaming “significant human error” in the Premier League game.

“It is clear that the rules of the game were not applied correctly, which undermined sporting integrity,” Liverpool said in a statement on Sunday.

“It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not given to allow the correct decision to be made and that there was no subsequent intervention.”

The PGMOL said disallowing the Diaz goal was a “clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention.”

PGMOL added that it will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.