Following a stamina-based cycling competition recently held in Lagos, winners have emerged from the 3rd Edition of Cycling Lagos, an initiative of BrandEscort Communications in collaboration with the Lagos State Sports Commission and the Lagos State Cycling Association.

Tijani Quwam, a professional cyclist from Lagos emerged winner in the male cartigory after riding for 56 minutes, 29 seconds while Agbo Francis from Ogun State came second with 56 minutes, 34.24 seconds. Moshood Garuba, also from Ogun State came 3rd after riding for 56 minutes, 34.24 seconds.

In the professional female race, Patricia Nunachi from Lagos came first after racing for 56 minutes, 38.44 seconds, while Angulum Doris from Lagos, came second with the time of 58 minutes, 22.58 seconds. Oyewole Kate also from Lagos came 3rd with the time of 58 minutes, 28.47 seconds.

In the amateur male category, Isiaka
Ibrahim from Lagos State came first after riding for 15 minutes, 22.11 seconds, while Ajibade Ibrahim from Oyo State came 2nd with the time of 15 minutes, 22.13 seconds, and Sagiru Ibrahim came 3rd with time of 15 minutes, 28.08 seconds.

Also, in the amateur female category, Olawale Peace from Oyo State came first after racing for 16 minutes, 48.88 seconds, while Lilian Odumegwu from Lagos State came 2nd after racing for 16 minutes, 48.88 seconds, and Ejima Peter, from Lagos State came 3rd after riding for 17 minutes, 25.50 seconds.

The children demographic was not left out of the completion with Mukadan Isiaq from Oyo state, coming first with the time of 3 minutes, 41.10 secods in the under 15 male category, while Babatunde Ramadan, from Lagos State, came 2nd with the time of 3 minutes, 41.11 seconds, and Unimna Emmanuel, Lagos State, came 3rd with the time of 3 minutes, 41.15 seconds.

In the under 15 female category, Aminu Olamiposi, from Oyo state, came first with the time of 3 minutes 46.22 seconds, while Adeola Olabisi from Oyo state came second after riding for 3 minutes 47.12 seconds, and Mukadan Rodia, from Oyo state came third with the time of 3 minutes 47.14 seconds.

The male Under 10 category saw Akinola Destiny from Oyo state coming first with the time of 2 minutes, 35.22 seconds, while Emmanuel Popoola from Lagos , came second with the time of 2 minutes 35.24 seconds and Adesola Opeoluwa also from Lagos came 3rd with the time of 2 minutes, 35.25 seconds.

In the female under 10 category, Odebiyi Hikimat from Oyo state came 1st with the time of 2 minutes, 36.25 seconds, while Aminu Olamiposi also from Oyo came 2nd with the time of 2 minutes, 36.27 seconds, and Victoria Kalejaiye from Lagos came 3rd with the time of 2 minutes 36.29 seconds.

The 3rd edition of the 2024 Cycling Lagos competition with the theme: “Sustainable Healthcare” was kicked off by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Grassroots Sports Development, Mr. Adebanji Atewogboye.

The celebrity race which the Special Assistant to the Governor on Grassroots Sports Development participated in,
started from Teslim Balogun Stadium, proceeded along Alhaji Marshal Road, and returned to the stadium.

Despite a light drizzle, Mr. Atewogboye led other dignitaries, pedaling his bicycle to show support and encourage the talented young men and women participating in the event.

He emphasized that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration, through the Lagos State Sports Commission, is committed to providing a solid platform for athletes in the state to succeed.

“The event is fantastic for the young athletes participating, and our focus is on partnering with and promoting talented athletes from the grassroots. We appreciate the organizers, Cycling Lagos,” Mr. Atewogboye stated.

Regarding the main objective of the event, Mr. Bamidele Adeleye, the organizer, alongside the Coordinator, Mr. Michael Efengbe, explained that the competition aims to promote a healthy lifestyle and cycling culture among cycling enthusiasts, corporate executives, and others in the state and across the country.

Adeleye said the Cycling Lagos event has been described by many as one of the biggest cycling events in Africa.

The 3rd Cycling Lagos event is proudly sponsored by Samsung and supported by Stanbic IBTC Bank, Cway, Nutrify, Nestle Nigeria Plc, McVitie’s, ADVAN and NNPC.

The 2024 edition of the event with the theme: Sustainable Healthcare is aimed at promoting a healthcare policy that can deliver high quality care without damaging the environment.

Speaking on this development recently in Lagos, Micheal Efengbe, Project Coordinator, Cycling Lagos said the event will include; the Celebrity Race, Professional Challenge, Amateur Race, Corporate Contest and the children race.

“The Mini Tour of Lagos, a promotional race designed to demonstrate readiness for the final race will hold on May 18, 2024.

“For the first time, the children race will hold simultaneously with the main event on May 25 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium,” he said.

Efengbe said: “At Cycling Lagos, we are very much concerned about the environment and that is why we are looking at a Sustainable Healthcare as a theme for this year’s event, to drive conversations on the need to
embrace a healthcare policy that is environmentally friendly, a healthcare system that ensures the health needs of the current population are met, without compromising environmental, economic or social resources for future generations.”

He said the event which is expected to further promote cycling as a major sporting activity in the country was designed to encourage Nigerians to embrace the culture of riding bicycle in their various communities for its health benefits.

He urged corporate organizations to participate in the corporate race category of the competition to promote a lifestyle that is environmentally friendly as the event is also aimed at championing healthy competition among corporate organisations in the country.

“Corporate organisations through their participations are to encourage the general public to engage in cycling in their various communities for healthy living. Corporate representatives will compete for medals, it will provide a platform for talent discovery and grooming (Children and Youth Participation), and professionals will compete for various category of prizes,” Efengbe stated.

He urged interested participants to visit www.cyclinglagos.com to register for the event.

The grand finale of the 2nd edition was held in Lagos on December 23, 2023 The 2nd Cycling Lagos event was supported by the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lagos State Cycling Association, Seven Up Bottling Company, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, Nestle Nigeria Plc and others.

Following the Super Eagles’ opening game against Equatorial Guinea at the 2023 AFCON which resulted in a draw, the official beer partner of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Life Lager Beer has urged the Eagles to draw positives from their performance and charged them to go all out for a win against their next opponents, the Ivorians.

Commenting on the performance of the Eagles, Senior Brand Manager, Life Lager Beer, Chima Dim said, “The next match presents an opportunity to show the African continent the resilient spirit that flows in our veins as Nigerians. Life Lager has always been about progress and resilience, values that are deeply ingrained in the DNA of the Super Eagles and their fans and we are positive that our hopes will be rewarded.”

The Eagles who were without Kelechi Ihenacho for the opening game went behind after 36 minutes when Iván Salvador slotted into the bottom corner. But it didn’t take long for the Nigerian side to equalise when in-form Eagles striker and African footballer of the year, Victor Osihmen scored two minutes later.

The Super Eagles missed a couple of chances in the second half to take the lead with chances by Victor Osihmen and Ola Aina squandered and the opposition keeper making crucial saves in the game. Ademola Lookman looked the brightest on the field of play for the Eagles but nothing was made of the chances the Atalanta forward created for the team.

The Eagles play their next game at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan on Thursday, January 18 by 6pm against the Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire who now lead Group A following their 2-nil victory.

CAF announces that the media accreditation application process for the CAF Awards 2023 is now open.

The accreditation window will close on 25 November 2023.

The prestigious Awards Gala will be held on Monday, 11 December 2023, in Marrakech, Morocco.

Media interested in covering this event can apply for accreditation via the CAF Media Channel (cafonline.com/mediachannel)

The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”), today announced that it is delighted to recommit to its partnership with beIN after the parties reached agreement on the matters that were in dispute.

beIN and CAF conducted discussions which resulted in the re-establishment of a mutually beneficial partnership between the parties.

The President of CAF Dr Patrice Motsepe said: ”CAF is deeply committed to promoting and advancing the interest of all its sponsors and partners and building mutually beneficial relationships with them and with all our stakeholders. The adherence to good governance, ethics and global best practices is an essential and crucial part of the culture and the manner in which CAF operates and conducts its business. In order for football in Africa to be globally competitive and self-supporting, the quality of African football must be world-class and appealing to football spectators, sponsors and partners. Significant financial resources are also required for investments in youth academies, football clubs, national teams, CAF Member Associations, stadiums and other football infrastructure and facilities. CAF is delighted about its

partnership with beIN and is committed to growing and expanding this relationship for the benefit of both parties.”

In another first, the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) will launch online tickets sales for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 at the weekend towards attracting football fans across the continent and beyond for the showpiece African football event.

Sales will go online on Saturday, 11 November 2023, with the first phase open exclusively for VISA payment card holders.  Two days later, thus Monday, 13 November 2023, public sales will go live on the platform.

Tickets can be purchased on http://tickets.cafonline.com/AFCON

The move – a first ever in the history of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, seeks to provide fans an opportunity to secure their tickets well in advance for the tournament scheduled for 13 January to 11 February 2024 in the Ivorian cities of Abidjan, Bouake, Korhogo, San Pedro and Yamoussoukro.

As a sequel to the successful launch for the ongoing CAF Women’s Champions League, a dedicated fully functional and user -friendly platform has been developed on the CAF website to create a pleasant and seamless fan experience for interested persons.

CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba said CAF was committed to creating access to thousands of football fans who will travel to Cote d’Ivoire to watch the event next year and also ensure that Ivorians have easy access to the competition.

“Online tickets will enhance ticketing experience for fans of African football and the general public. The support from the stakeholders has been great and we are hopeful of meeting the increasing demands of the fans and the general public,” said CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba.

25 per cent of the tickets for the group stage will be available for this phase of sales for fans to secure their seats for the 34th edition of the biennial football fiesta.

Ticket prices range from 5000 FCFA (about 8 US Dollars) for Category Three (3), 10000 FCFA (about 16 US Dollars) for Category Two (2) and 15000 FCFA (about 24 US Dollars).

Fans will have the opportunity to purchase tickets for the group stage with an opportunity of six tickets for each household.

The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) has launched a ticketing platform for the CAF Women’s Champions League Cote d’Ivoire 2023 in a move to make match tickets accessible for fans across the West African country and beyond.

As part of creating a pleasant and seamless fan experience, the fully functional and user-friendly ticketing system will enable fans to purchase match tickets at their comfort and convenience anywhere and anytime.

Fans will be able to access tickets for the third edition of the CAF Women’s Championship scheduled for 5 -19 November 2023 in the cities of Korhogo and San Pedro via the website,

www.cafonline.com/wcl-tickets

CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba is optimistic the pioneering initiative will be a good test opportunity as Cote d’Ivoire prepares for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2023.

In addition, several sale points have been identified in Korhogo and San Pedro where fans can purchase physical tickets with prices as follows:

The CAF Women’s Champions League marks an exciting time for the Ivorian nation as it will afford CAF and the Local Organising Committee the ideal environment to assess its state of readiness ahead of next year’s TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations.

The latest revolution in Nigerian football has begun! Voting portals are now open for football fans to get their favourite football teams into the NAIJA Super 8 tournament. You can get your club to get a share of the over N100 million prize money in the NAIJA Super 8, to be held at Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos, from 17-25 June.

But first, you need to ensure your team gets the needed number of votes to get into the play-offs. Two teams with highest votes in each region will qualify for the play-offs, scheduled to hold at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, from 1-3 June.

Here is the information you need to get your club to be a part of the NAIJA Super 8 tournament.

Voting Period: Voting starts on Monday April 10 and ends at 9pm on May 12 2023. Votes made or received outside of this time will not be counted.

Who can vote: Only fans resident in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Libya, and Egypt can vote for clubs into NAIJA Super 8. Fans in South Africa, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Libya, and Egypt can vote via the NAIJA Super 8 website and mobile site. Fans in Nigeria can vote on all available platforms.

Where to Vote: You can vote on the website www.naijasuper8.ng , the mobile site and via the MyDStv and MyGOtv app only. MyDStv and MyGOtv App voting are open to active DStv subscribers with eligible packages.

How to vote: You can vote for a team of your choice from the six geopolitical zones of the country. The teams eligible for voting in each region have been listed on the voting platforms. All you need to do is vote for your preferred team as many times as you are permitted. To vote via the website and the mobile site, you will need to register with your name, surname, email, year of birth, gender, location, and cell phone number. A One Time Pin (OTP) will be sent to update your password for your user profile. To vote via the MyDStv and MyGOtv app, you will need to download the app from Google Play or the Apple store.

Vote Limits: You are entitled to 100 votes each on the web and mobile sites. Premium DStv subscribers have up to 2500 votes, Compact Plus subscribers 1500 votes, Compact 750 votes, Confam/Family 500 votes, while Yanga/Access customers have 250 votes. GOtv Supa customers have 500 votes, GOtv Max 350 votes and GOTV Jolli/Plu customers have 200 votes.

Multiple Voting: Subscribers with multiple smartcards or subscriptions who wish to vote using all available smartcards must register each smartcard number on the voting system separately with a unique mobile number, which can be verified via OTP.

Vote Restrictions: On the mobile site, website, MyDStv/MyGOtv app platforms, each participant may only vote from up to a maximum of ten verified profiles per device. Registered user profiles may log in and vote ONLY with up to 10 devices. Each user may access ONLY up to 10 verified profiles per device. Votes that are identified as receiving more than ten verified profiles per device will be disqualified.

The Naija Super 8 tournament is a Flykite Production brought to you by DStv, MTN, SuperSport, GOtv, and Moniepoint. To vote, visit the Naija Super website www.naijasuper8.ng and follow NAIJA Super 8 on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook handles, or visit https://www.naijasuper8.ng/ for more information

MTN Nigeria, the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) and La Liga, the men’s top professional football division of the Spanish football league system, have announced the 2023 edition of the U-15 youth league tournament. The tournament kicked off on April 13, 2023, after a press briefing at the Remo Stars stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State.

The U-15 tournament, which features 16 teams, will showcase the sport’s best and brightest young talent. The tournament promises to be one of the most exciting sporting events of the year, with 16 youth football teams from across the country competing for a month to be crowned champions.

According to Harry Iwuala, Head of Communications for the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL), the tournament provides an opportunity to further invest in and develop grassroots football in Nigeria.  “The philosophy behind this tournament is the same as the philosophy behind every global youth football development program: find tomorrow’s professionals today and hone their skills to become tomorrow’s professionals. We are excited to see how this tournament has grown over the years. We will continue to improve the tournament and be a true platform for developing football in Nigeria.”

Representing the Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, Adia Sowho, at the press briefing, Njide Ken-Odogwu, Manager, Sponsorship and Promotion, MTN Nigeria, spoke about MTN’s commitment to the development of grassroots football in Nigeria, “MTN is committed to the growth of sports in Nigeria, with a particular focus on grassroots football. At MTN, we believe everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life, and we bring this to light by becoming an enabler of these young Nigerians’ dreams and aspirations. We are partnering with the NPFL and La-Liga for the U-15 Promise Youth League because we believe there are many undiscovered raw talents out there waiting to be discovered, and this is the right platform to help them reach their full potential. We remain committed to the development of football in Nigeria because we believe that this is Naija where football lives.”

The U-15 tournament ensures that Nigerian youth football receives ongoing local and international exposure, as well as capacity building for players and coaching talent, all of which contribute to the advancement of developmental football in the country.

Mutiu Adepoju, La Liga Global Ambassador for Nigeria, adds that the tournament is critical for identifying future football players in the country.  “Since 2016, La Liga has supported the development of football in Nigeria because we recognize how much talent exists in the country, and with more tournaments like this, we will be able to do more than we are currently doing. We will continue to offer support in ensuring that Nigerian football thrives.”

In addition to the competition on the field, the tournament will include a one-week coaching seminar where seasoned La Liga coaches will interact with their local counterparts on modern youth coaching techniques.  The seminar will benefit over sixty NPFL coaches, national team coaches, and other youth coaches from across the country.

The matchup is an exciting one, with two of Europe’s most successful clubs taking on each other in the UCL quarter final leg 2 of 2. Chelsea and Madrid have a long history of success, and fans will be hoping that their teams can continue that tradition on Tuesday, April 18th 2023. It promises to be an exciting game for any football fan!

Heineken will be hosting football fans at Owerri to a memorable viewing experience as part of its “Cheers to all fans” campaign tour. Owerri is known for its atmosphere of excitement and passion for the game of football. This is why it provides a safe and secure environment for fans to enjoy the match.

The unique viewing experience will see guests treated to a relaxed and entertaining ambience, exclusive access to the Heineken UCL Lounge, a variety of mouth-watering foods and refreshing bottles of Heineken. It promises to be a viewing experience like no other.

The event will take place at Chilis Bar, a location that many have described as cozy and serene. The location is also easily accessible making it seamless for fans who want to watch the match and have a good time to attend.

The Heineken UCL Owerri viewing experience will kick off by 6pm on Tuesday, April 18th 2023.