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Beckham Among Mourners At Sven-Göran Eriksson’s Funeral

The funeral of Sven-Göran Eriksson, the first foreign manager to coach the England national team, was held on Friday in the small Swedish town of Torsby where he grew up before embarking on an illustrious career at the pinnacle of European football.

A soft-spoken but determined coach, Eriksson guided teams in Sweden, Portugal and Italy, winning major trophies in the 1980s and 1990s before taking on the England job in 2001, managing stars such as David Beckham, who was among the attendees at the service.

Eriksson announced in January that he was terminally ill with pancreatic cancer and spent much of the following months reconnecting with many of the places and people central to his career before he died last month.

He fulfilled his dream of managing Liverpool, after leading the club in a charity legends game against Ajax at Anfield in March.

The funeral took place in Torsby, a rural town of less than 5,000 people near the border with Norway, and was attended by several hundred people inside the church.

Some 200 seats in the neo-Gothic church from 1898 were reserved for his family, friends and players from his career in the football world, according to his agent. The remaining seats were open for the public, according to Eriksson’s wish

Others followed the service on a big screen set up outside and the funeral was given blanket coverage by Swedish media.

The wooden coffin was wheeled in by pallbearers at the church Friday morning. Next to the casket was a photo of Eriksson on a small table. The floral wreaths included ones sent by FIFA and Lazio, the Italian team that Eriksson led to the Serie A title in 2000.

Others attending the funeral included the Swedish coach’s longtime partner Nancy Dell’Olio.

Tributes flowed in from prime ministers, clubs and former players following the news of his death while national teams including England and Sweden played with black arm bands during the the September international break.

Eriksson, known in Sweden simply as “Svennis,” led England to the 2002 and 2006 World Cup quarterfinals, and to the 2004 European Championship, managing a golden generation of players that besides Beckham included stars such as Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard.

He began building his international reputation when he guided Swedish club IFK Gothenburg to the UEFA Cup in 1982 and went on to win silverware as coach of Portugal’s Benfica and Italian clubs Roma, Fiorentina, Lazio and Sampdoria.

Unable to end England’s trophy drought, he left the helm of the national side in 2006, going on to coach Manchester City and Leicester City as well as Mexico and Ivory Coast and clubs in China and Philippines.

News

Southwest Zonal Eliminations: Lagos Records Big Wins In Handball, Hockey, Football, Basketball

Lagos handball teams delivered impressive wins against Oyo State on day one of the South-West Zonal Eliminations of the National Sports Festival, holding in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The men’s team eased to a commanding 40-14 victory before the women’s team secured 23-15 victory at the handball court of Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort, Akanran.

In Basketball, Lagos women’s team defeated Ondo 47-39 after a show of resilience, commitment and determination in their first match. Their second match is against Oyo State on Wednesday (today).

Lagos hockey team also recorded wins in their games. The women’s team thrashed Oyo 3-0, while the men’s team lone goal was enough to secure three points against Ekiti.

In beach volleyball, Lagos proved the level of their performance and conveniently dispatched Oyo 2-0. In football, Lagos female team defeated Oyo 1-0 courtesy of a goal from Bada Mistura in a game played inside the main bowl of the Liberty Stadium. The male team were later forced to a 1-1 draw against Ekiti

Speaking on the first day of the South-West Zonal Elimination Ball Games, the Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu noted that the athletes have demonstrated exceptional capacity and dominance over their opponents.

“So, I think it’s a good one for Lagos state.It is the first day of the zonal elimination qualifiers. With what we have experienced today in terms of the outcomes from the different Games. We are very optimistic and positive that at the end of the day we’re going to come victorious overall.”

Fatodu added that the performance of the state athletes in their different games has been thrilling and exciting, especially with the presence of personnel of the Lagos State Sports Commission, serving as a morale booster and source of encouragement to keep soaring high.

“With what is playing out, it’s going to yield a positive results. From what we have gathered today, they are particularly appreciative and they have confide that our presence means so much to them in terms of their mental positivity, approach towards the Games and in terms of their attitude on the field of play. It is expected that it will yield positive results for us”, Fatodu submitted.

The Director General further reiterated that, “We are not in any way in doubt that our athletes will show very, very well. Because of the fact that all the necessary things that they need to do well have been provided by Mr.Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. We need to thank Mr. Governor for his commitment and always supporting sports in terms of logistics, welfare, transportation, feeding, and security. Everything is top-notch”.

Team Lagos will continue to bank on the records of dominance at the South-West as the qualifiers inch towards its conclusion, with the chance to secure slots for all ball games at the 22nd National Sports Festival – the ‘Gateway Games’ billed for Abeokuta, Ogun State in May.

News

Elo Akose, NDSF logo designer celebrates his emergence

Elo Akose, the winner of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) logo design competition, has expressed delight to see his work gaining national traction through extensive media campaign as preparations for the festival heightens.

Akose, who received a reward of N250,000 prize money, commended the organisers of the contest for providing a platform for youths to showcase their artistic talents in design.

Akose’s entry emerged the best from over 300 others that were submitted to a panel of judges set up by the project consultants, Dunamis Icon, weeks ago. The design has since been officially put to use.

“I counted myself lucky to have had my entry selected from the over 300 submitted by other contestants and would like to thank the organisers of the Niger Delta Sports Festival for the opportunity given to all of us, the contestants to be part of this project,” Akose told NDSF Media.

Akose works with Smax Digital Prints and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education (Economics) from the Delta State University.

The NDSF, the first intervention of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as part of its 25th anniversary, will hold in Akwa Ibom State from April 1 to 9. Over 3,000 athletes are expected to participate in 17 sports.