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Director General Gafaar Praises Performances Of Lagos Athletes

As the competition enters its fifth day on Wednesday, the Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Oluwatoyin Gafaar, commended the performances of the players of the Lagos team during the ongoing 7th National Youth Games in Asaba, Delta State.

Gafaar said the results released on Tuesday after the day’s proceedings showed that all athletes were good ambassadors for the state, adding that more medals would be won as the tournament progressed.

“I am satisfied with the results of my players so far. They make us proud. I think they are responding very well to what we have thrown at them through good training,” he said.

The DG highlighted the contribution of the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, whose assistance helped make the trip to the Games successful and possible,

According to him, the generosity of the Governor has shown that he is driving us to this point, and I am happy that the children are reciprocating with their achievements and showing our dear governor that he is not supporting them for nothing.

“As a responsible father, he was very supportive in everything we did,” he said.

Gafaar highlighted the rule-abiding policy in Lagos that enabled most members of the Lagos squad to overcome screening hurdles before the start of the tournament on Saturday.

“Lagos shows class in everything we do. That’s why we call ourselves a “Center of Excellence”. We will maintain our profile. We know that most athletes are getting older and there should be a program to replace older athletes. This is why we are so committed to dedicating more resources to this development program.

“Everyone knows that in Lagos State we do not cut corners on costs. Our development program policy is realistic, and we must ensure that the rules of the game are followed scrupulously and to the letter.

Gafaar also revealed the mutual working relationship between the Sports Commission and various clubs in Lagos and commended the clubs for supporting the Commission to ensure a successful performance at the 7th National Youth Games.

“I must commend Ikoyi Club, Lagos Country Club in Ikeja and other private clubs in Lagos who believe in our grassroots programs. They supported our public-private partnership to promote sports development in the state.

“We create a strong synergy with our stakeholders, especially parents. I would like to congratulate all the parents of these children for believing in us and sending their children to take part in the Youth Games. I’m glad some of them are here. They have come from Lagos to see for themselves, and I think they are happy to see their children making the entire state proud. I must say that I really appreciate all the parents for their support,” said Gafaar.

Team Lagos are second on the official medal table as at Tuesday night with 12 gold, 9 silver and 8 bronze behind Delta who are leading with 21 gold, 14 silver and 9 bronze, while Team Bayelsa are in the third position with 9 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze medals.

The action continues across sports at various centres on Wednesday.

News

King Ademola Lookman Brings Out His Love

Like his father opened up, Ademola Lookman is essentially a private person, who prefers to do his stuff without all the media blitz.

But on one of his biggest days, when he was crowned Africa’s best player, he could not but make the first public appearance with the woman in his life – Jayda Love.

‘Adebobo’ would even steal a moment on his big night to kiss his American beau.

The 27-year-old Super Eagles star is still single.

Rumours of this romance first surfaced in the summer when the couple appeared to have spent the holidays together.

This was after ‘Mola’ scored his unforgettable hat-trick for Atalanta to win the UEFA Europa League in super style.

Jayda, an Information Technology specialist is based in Dallas, Texas, graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2021 with a degree in public relations.

She follows Ademola Lookman and his foundation on social media.

She is also known to have visited him at his Italian base.

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FIFA Rankings: Nigeria’s Super Eagles End 2024 Ahead Of Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have ended 2024 ranked as Africa’s fifth-best team in FIFA’s latest global standings, released Thursday morning, Soccernet.ng reports.

Despite a challenging end to the year that saw the team drop eight places to 44th globally, the Super Eagles still managed to hold their own against eternal continental rivals like South Africa, Cameroon, and Ghana.

This year’s ranking represents a mixed bag for Nigeria. While the team retained its fifth spot in Africa, their decline in global rankings was driven by underwhelming performances in key fixtures.

Most notably, the Super Eagles struggled during the final rounds of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, securing just a solitary point in lackluster outings against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.

Nigeria were forced to a scored draw by the Cheetahs in Abidjan only for Samuel Chukwueze’s excellent strike to end up as consolation in a 2-1 home defeat to the Wasps.

Looking at year-to-year standings, at this time in 2023, Nigeria’s Super Eagles were ranked 42nd in the world but sixth on the continent.

Elsewhere, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana showed marked improvement, climbing th

Cameroon and Ghana, however, endured disappointing campaigns. Ghana’s Black Stars finished the year ranked 77th, a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles within the Black Stars setup.

At the continental summit, Morocco retained their status as the continent’s best, finishing as Africa’s top-ranked team in 14th place globally.

Senegal (17th), Egypt (33rd), and Algeria (37th) rounded out the top four, with Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, and South Africa completing the top 10.

Globally, Argentina retained their position as FIFA’s top-ranked team, followed by France, Spain, England, and Brazil.

With 1,181 international matches played across the calendar year, the rankings reflected consistent dominance from the world’s elite teams.

As Nigeria enter 2025, all eyes will be on the Super Eagles to reignite their competitive spark, with the World Cup qualifiers returning in the first quarter of the year.

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Mbappé: Would Have Been ‘Fun’ To Play With Cristiano Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappé has said he wishes he could have played with Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s all-time leading scorer.

The France international has been a teammate of other football icons but would have relished playing alongside Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and Portugal captain.

“I’ve played with great players: Lionel Messi, Neymar, [Antoine] Griezmann, [Paul] Pogba, [Karim] Benzema…” Mbappé told BeINsports.

“It would have been fun to play with Cristiano Ronaldo — it’s going to be very difficult now — but I was lucky enough to play against him, a legend of the sport.”

Ronaldo, 39, left the Spanish giants in 2018 now plays for Saudi Pro-League side Al Nassr.

Mbappé helped Madrid win the Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday, his second title since joining the Spanish giants in the summer after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired.

Speaking to young people with disabilities as part of the BeUNITED program, Mbappe, 25, said he would have never left Paris Saint-Germain had it not been to join Madrid.

“I went to the biggest club in the world,” the 2018 World Cup winner said.

“I have always said that it was the only club I would have left PSG for. If I hadn’t been able to go to Madrid, I would have stayed at PSG all my life.”

Although Mbappé has been prolific for Madrid so far, he has faced criticism for his all-round performances with the team having suffered some high-profile defeats earlier in the season.

“Since I was 14, everyone told me I was going to be great,” Mbappé said.

“But when you’re big, sometimes you feel small…At first I was too hungry and it played tricks on me because I was impatient. But I have passion and this competitive side.

“My dream now is to win trophies with my team, not individual awards. What great title is left for me? The Champions League, but I’m in the best club in the world for that.”