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EX-INTERNATIONAL GOALKEEPER, RAYMOND KING DIES ON NEW YEAR DAY
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
At the dawn of 2018, a pall of darkness fell as Nigeria lost one of its former junior international and flamboyant goalkeeper, Raymond King. He was reportedly 52 years. The mystery about him was that some people though his name was Ramoni Oba which he reportedly anglicised as “Raymond King”.
But www.sportsvillagesquare.com gathered from an interview the deceased granted years ago when he said: I am the son of Okon Willie King in Akwa Ibom State. His adopted home was however, Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State.
He was in goal for the then IICC Shootings Stars in their march to the final of the then Africa Cup of Champions Clubs in 1984 where the club lost to Zamalek of Egypt.
He was also a goalkeeper for the now defunct Abiola Babes of Abeokuta. Www.sportsvillagesquare.com gathered that King died on New Year’s Day just as help was around the corner for the ailing ex-international who reportedly suffered from stroke.
He died of stroke and memory loss on his way to Lagos University Teaching Hospital just before adequate treatment was about to be given to him, Completesportsnigeria.com quoted his former teammate, Tajudeen Disu as saying.
According to information, the late King was receiving treatment at the General Hospital in Ijaye in Abeokuta South West Nigeria about a week ago, but his conditions did not improve.
So, he was transferred to Ikorodu General Hospital in Lagos State. According to another online publication, TheCable, his former teammate, Tajudeen Disu said: “When the commissioner for health in Lagos State heard the news, he asked that the ailing former goalkeeper be transferred to LASUTH (Lagos State University Hospital.
“It was after the scan and series of tests carried out that we were told that there was no light and bed space for him and that we should take him to LUTH (Lagos University Teaching Hospital).
“In such a serious situation, we left LASUTH for LUTH. It was during this period we noticed he started gasping till we got to LUTH.
“The rigours of the journey from LASUTH to LUTH were too much for his frail condition and he gave up in the process.
“It is painful to have lost him at this point that help came to him. But we thank God for his life.
According to information gathered, the dead former player had shown signs of mental instability for about a month before he was taken to the hospital.
According to Kayode Tijani, a sports journalist who spoke to over 20 people on the condition of the dead former player, King did not have a wife staying with him but had had two women as wives who each bore two children for him.
But the marital lives did not last. He played school football across South West Nigeria and was called into the 1979/80 class of the Flying Eagles.
He shot into limelight while featuring for Shooting Stars of Ibadan from where he moved to the mega-paying Abiola Babes of Abeokuta.
He was reported to have worked with the Pepsi Football Academy and later the Ogun State Sports Council where he was later relieved of his duties. Jobless and financially broke, he found succour in local gin popularly called ‘Paraga” which apparently compounded his state.
One of his estranged wives, a policewoman working in Ikorodu reportedly came to his rescue by taking him to the General Hospital in the town. The only known rallying point for him was Tajudeen Disu, a former teammate.
The late King played briefly abroad, featuring for Tonnere Kalala of Cameroon in 1989 before moving to Greece in 1990 to play for Aris Sportiif of Salonika.
UEFA appears poised for an emergency vote on suspending Israel from European competition next week, with national federations scrambling to position themselves amid mounting political pressure following calls for action.
The brewing crisis intensified this week when United Nations experts called for Israel’s suspension from international football amid the unfolding genocide in occupied Palestinian territory.
A source confirmed that Europe’s soccer body could potentially decide next week to vote on whether to suspend Israel from European competition.
Should UEFA vote to ban Israel, it would put the organisation on a collision course with the government of the United States — co-hosts for the 2026 World Cup — which is vehemently against such a motion.
“We will absolutely work to fully stop any effort to attempt to ban Israel’s national soccer team from the World Cup,” a spokesperson for the U.S. state department told Sky News.
But even though UEFA has the power to suspend Israel or its clubs from their competitions, it may not be able to stop them from competing in World Cup qualifiers, which fall under the ambit of global soccer body FIFA.
The general secretaries of all UEFA national associations are meeting this week in Marbella, where Israel is not officially on the agenda, but officials expect UEFA to call an emergency vote next week.
FIFA did not respond to a Reuters request for comment while UEFA declined to comment.
Palestinian Football Association president Jibril Rajoub said Israelis should not be allowed to participate in any matches, whether they are under UEFA or FIFA.
“Israel has violated the principles, values and FIFA’s statutes. Therefore, I believe that Israel should be sanctioned,” Rajoub told TV2.
“The sanctions should come from UEFA and FIFA.”
WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Israel’s national team are set to face Norway and Italy, the top two teams in their World Cup qualifying group, next month.
“We don’t have any indications that we are facing such an act (UEFA suspension),” a spokesperson for the Israel Football Association told Reuters.
“We are focusing on our international matches against Norway and Italy.”
Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) is one of the member associations that have been the driving force behind calling for a meeting on the Israel situation. The NFF declined to comment.
Lise Klaveness, the president of the NFF and a member of the UEFA Executive Committee, has also been vocal about the crisis in Gaza ahead of her country’s home game against Israel on October 11.
“Neither we nor other organisations can remain indifferent to the humanitarian suffering and disproportionate attacks that the civilian population in Gaza has been subjected to for a long time,” Klaveness said in a statement last month.
“We want to donate the proceeds (from the game) to a humanitarian organisation that saves lives in Gaza every day and provides active emergency aid on the ground.”
The Dutch football federation (KNVB) said it knows nothing about a vote to suspend Israel.
“As soon as the football association receives a message about this, it will take a position,” the KNVB told Dutch outlet NOS.
Last week, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Israel should be banned from international sports competitions. However, officials from the Spanish FA (RFEF) have kept a low profile on the matter.
Israel maintains that its war is not against the population of Gaza but against the Hamas militant group whose fighters led the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and precipitated the war.
The subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 65,000 people, according to local health officials.
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A hat-trick from George Agha and a sublime free-kick goal from David Edeh ensured a comfortable start for five-time world champions Nigeria in the WAFU-B U17 Championship, as the Golden Eaglets routed Baby Cheetahs of Benin Republic 4 -1 in Yamoussoukro on Wednesday.
Agha converted from the spot three minutes into the game after Boluwatife Thompson was hacked inside the box.
Edeh displayed fantastic football artistry to score from a free-kick in the 5th minute of the encounter.
The Eaglets were in cruise control as Agha bagged his brace in the 14th minute. The charges of Manu Garba were very dominant with a three-goal advantage.
Warris Soumanou in goal for Benin Republic was caught napping and his error of judgement gave the Eaglets another goal after a beautiful exchange of passes and dribbles between Thompson and Edeh, which set up Agha for his hat-trick in the 32nd minute.
It was raining goals and it was the turn of the Beninoise in the 45th minute, as a low drive from Jeremy Zannou gave the Baby Cheetahs a consolation goal.
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Mohamed Salah’s dramatic stoppage-time penalty ensured Liverpool maintained their winning start to the Premier League season with a 1-0 victory at promoted side Burnley on Sunday.
With British record signing Alexander Isak forced to wait for his Liverpool debut having been left out the squad for the trip to Lancashire, the champions struggled to break down a dogged home side in the first half.
After a regroup at the break, the visitors upped the ante in the second half, with Dominik Szoboszlai finally forcing a fine save from Martin Dubravka in the Burnley goal.
Burnley were holding on for a well-earned point with ease, before the ball agonisingly struck substitute Hannibal Mejbri’s arm in the penalty area and Salah slotted the spot kick into the net in the 95th minute to break home hearts.
Liverpool are still to really get going this season, requiring a winner in the last 10 minutes of all four of their league victories so far. The goal that clinched an undeserved success at Turf Moor was certainly the most fortunate.
After one of the longest transfer sagas in Premier League history finally reached its expected conclusion, Liverpool supporters were forced to wait two weeks for their first glimpse of their 125-million-pound ($169.45-million) goal machine due to the international break.
While coach Arne Slot said this week that Isak would have to be utilised carefully due to his previous injuries and lack of action so far this season, the Swede was still expected to at least be on the bench at Turf Moor.
The wait goes on as, without their expensive new forward, Liverpool mustered just one shot on target in the first half, from left-back Andrew Robertson.
Burnley, who conceded the fewest goals in English football league history last term to earn them promotion, otherwise frustrated the champions with ease. Even Lesley Ugochukwu’s red card for two bookings in the 84th minute did not seem to fluster them.
Even without Isak, Liverpool still had much attacking talent on the Turf Moor pitch but they just could not find that killer pass.
Salah was especially below par but he made no mistake in the most pressurised moment after Hannibal had stuck up an arm to block Jeremie Frimpong’s cross
The champions’ impressive Premier League goalscoring streak stretches to 38 games nonetheless, their longest such run in the competition.
-Reuters
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