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We Handled Scholarship Grants To Athletes With Transparency – NOC

The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) has said that the body used to handle scholarship grants to Nigerian athletes with transparency.

The NOC says it obtains scholarships from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through its affiliate bodies, namely Olympic Solidarity and the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOCA).

These scholarships are directly deposited into the athlete’s accounts.

According to the NOC, the selection process involves a complex but meticulous system evolved over the years by the Olympic Movement. The recommendations commence from the respective federations, continental and international federations.

Athletes must meet specific criteria set out by awarding bodies to be considered eligible for the awards of scholarships.

Once the awarding bodies process the funds, they, then, inform the National Olympic Committees about the athletes who will receive the scholarships.

The NOCs, then, ensure that verified athletes’ accounts are provided for the funds to be dispatched.

Athletes are expected to confirm the receipt of their funds to both the NOCs and the awarding bodies.

Deliberately spreading misinformation about such an important but complex matter without contacting the Custodians of the Olympic Movement in Nigeria shows a lack of knowledge and understanding of the Movement.

The NOC accredits all recommended athletes, who have met the minimum Olympic standards and qualifications to be in the Olympic Games and this case the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The Ministry of Sports Development pays the Athletes their due and deserved allowances as and when due at Games times.

Today date, there is no Nigerian athlete now or in the past known to the NOC that has ever complained about not being paid their Olympic Grant.

This is exactly what transpired in Ghana at the 13th African Games and the previous Games. We in the NOC are satisfied that the current Sports Minister, Senator John Enoh followed a transparent process in granting athletes and officials their allowances and winning bonuses.

The NOC says it disheartened that esteemed organizations, like Channels TV, promoting fake news through their London-based sports Correspondent, Austin Okon Akpan, who described the NOC officials and those of the Sports Ministry as ”incompetent”. This is a strong language easily associated with the ‘street’ media.

“In this modern era of journalism, there is no place for practices that aim at undermining a credible non-governmental organization like the NOC by Channels TV that has deliberately misinformed the general public,” NOC said through its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Tony Nezianya.

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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.”