 Thursday plus sports and plus TV Africa welcome on the show. My name is Wally Scott Mookael It's something that I mean I'm impressed with when we're growing up. I don't know about you though when I was growing up The only sports that we knew Was football and table tennis. Yes, and you see football easy because you just get a ball and all of you all kick it around Table tennis just get a plank and a couple of if it was a plank If it was good most times most houses that used to go and visit them. It was on their soccer way Just gets something to demarcate it and then I remember back in secondary school Jess is one the very first sport that PE teachers taught was table tennis football was year two so Those were the only two sports that got us out of the classroom and you could find People play football people playing table tennis everywhere Anywhere there could be a convert anything that could be converted literally a Slim plank like this could be converted into table tennis and all you needed were just two a small pieces of board The most critical element was the ping-pong Yeah, after that you like it does the rest, you know really what the good news is and the people don't notice that When is a football competition these days a basketball competition? Everybody notices what table tennis this is the 15th edition now the 15th Assault table tennis championship will serve off later today With no fewer than 300 players competing for hundreds as a national tournament Now the annual championship which holds in the federal capital territory Abuja will feature competitions in cadets junior and senior categories Following the arrival of the players of fishes and other delegates on Wednesday Hostilities will begin today at the gymnastics hall package B of the MK. Oh, I'm your national stadium in Abuja Now speaking of the press conference ahead of the commencement of the tournament Chairman Assault table tennis championship Dr. Olisha goon I do want said the organizers are delighted to stage the event again this year following the Excitement and success of the last edition in 2021 the host also revealed that mouth-watering prizes Our own offer for winners in the senior junior and cadet Categories adding that all the players will be accommodated and fed by the organizers for the period of the tournament organized in conjunction with the Nigerian table tennis Federation Also speaking at the press conference president of the Nigeria table tennis Federation Engineer ishaku tick on Lorded Assault table tennis clubs efforts towards the development of the game in the country Stating that the Federation will continue to throw its weight behind the tournament The sensational Matthew cutie who won the MVP at the last edition alongside authorizing youngsters Will be ruffling shoulders in the cadet's category when the championship gets on the way Well Aziz Shulanke and Fatima bellow will hope to defend a ticket titles They won last year the finals in closing ceremony of the tournament is expected to hold on Saturday, May 7th While players and officials will depart for their various states on Sunday, May the 8th my present year symbolizes the good intention of our sort of tennis club The G20 club is my own personal club will also be having their 11th edition this year goes willing and You'll be amazed the number of clubs that have spring out in a booger It's just for us to as a federation to come up with a template and see how we can begin to support him to produce The stars we are expecting to do at least the one that can come closer to our in a quadri and support needed Like I said again, that is what I'm here. I've seen from preparation level To just starting on the vein tomorrow. I will personally be there myself It's also an avenue to evaluate these young players that are coming up. We have fantastic player in Nigeria Be it by being Nigerians already taking over Africa as a continent Interpretedness we have become a hope of there within is in Africa and we are going beyond that now We are facing the wall with what our own is doing now in the world We now know that our benchmark is no longer Nigeria is no longer Africa We are looking towards the wall to take over the wall. The intention is to keep it going because Before it was just fun Because it was just friends that gathered But then we extended to states to schools Around in a bit around abuja, then we say look why not let's Make it states around the FCT and now it is federal So we don't intend to stop and our intention was actually even to say Let it be open Let anybody that you know wants to come and compete compete But we shifted our focus a little in the last three editions that want to concentrate more on cadets and the junior So that we can raise them we can not show them But there are so many people Nigerians that are gifted in table tennis, but I think time has Cut off with them They can go they they are not able to grow They are good So we can use them as coaches and trainers to these young ones that we can capture early And what we have done why we want to continue to be very close to the national federation Is that as we discover them we hand them over? as we discover them we hand them over so I'm happy the the federation is also seeing our small effort and giving us all the support that When we do not only just identify them and keep them as soon as we identify them we hand them over so We also expect that very soon it will be international which means you know Economy improving else in you know in Nigeria and elsewhere People can come from around from anywhere in especially from West Africa. That's our aim. But for the time being let this Simple effort continue to grow in Nigeria We also hope that if we can influence Somebody who become a sponsor a regular sponsor either a bank or individual or our industries We can Think of having an academy That we will discover the young ones and We'll keep them in school while they are also improving on table tennis. That is a dream But for the time being we will continue to do what we are doing now Now the man said initially they were just a group of friends in Abuja who came together To play table tennis. It was just fun but now the 15th year running except for last year because of COVID This is the 15th edition and now it's federal said it gradually they actually invited states from Around the FCT, but it's federal everybody and you can play good table tennis be there You know, it's personal responsibility at this point We have to accept that the government the Administrations either do not have the resources the personnel or they do not have the will to To ensure that every form of sport that we love that we that That we think of is being taken for granted They don't have what it takes to really structure it to the best of their abilities now Personal responsibility taking gathering along with friends and saying let's do something Let's bring our resources and even if all we can do is not Nurture the young the those who are in primary school in secondary school Help them find their path and maybe one day when the when the avenue is more much more open for them They will be able to be Available to represent us on a federal level on an international level and at the very least as individuals We would have The good news is yes, I run a cadre. Yes, and has become the first African to a First African first Nigerian first black person in the world. Yes, and when you hear stories like that, it is It is this kind of program that can help us breed more More on occurred yes now the legacy to football Association has released the Statements condemning the violence during the Nigerian professional football league game between Mfmfc and Enogu rangers at the Tesla in Balogun stadium in Lagos on Sunday and vows to punish offenders The match day 24 involving Mfm arrangers ended in the goal as draw but was marked by violence as video footage and pictures Showed the macro facial being manhandled by a fan in Lagos While the league management companies yet to announce whether any action will be taken against the home side LSF is condemned as such an act while also apologizing to the law abiding fans Okay, I'm sure you should be asking why I'm laughing It goes without saying we don't We don't have a data in Nigeria. We don't have the best we can do is to punish the team the fan who Attacts the referee Find him for me Find him now, you know, even it would be said in Europe And I don't want to make this sound Like I'm taking it lightly this offense Even when it's just words being thrown in the direction offensive racist words even homophobic words when they are being thrown at Players at coaches at referees the individual who throws those words can be found. Yes, there's video footage They investigate critically. There's police at the venue and he's escorted out and he's banned for life and They go beyond that in certain instances where they decide it's not it's not enough to ban him from his home stadium They send his picture around the country Well, they have Photos they are still what who are waiting to match him out of the stadium We don't have all that here. We don't have all that and the technology our matches are not even on television and you know, that's the number one thing I don't understand because across Africa Even if let's say we are spoiled to Nigeria and we don't watch our own football Across Africa a lot of countries look up to us True that and they would watch our football So why aren't we doing the bare minimum the due diligence of airing our matches because that's Broadcasting right money being left on the table and that's money that could be funneled into the league and help improve it help Secure the wages of the players help avoid the embarrassment of teams all in past due payments and Being deducted significant amounts of points going into administration That's the kind of thing we can avoid if we just do the bare minimum of airing our own football It's like we're trying to Forget that we play for we have to actually bring us ourselves. No one is gonna help us do it We have to do that ourselves It's like they say if a tree falls down in the forest and there's no one to hear it did it fall down There's no point Real Madrid fans erupted in joy as the spilled out of the Santiago Benabao Stadium After their side fought it back from the brink of elimination to beat what went wrong Mokail What something must have gone wrong, you know, what's ironic? I can't explain it for man I was always expected a chapel in the creative room and I'm talking to Joe and Tony and they were all like it's the curse of Yahya Ture over Okay, okay, you know what the truth be said what went wrong is God you luck cursed That's one explanation another explanation is that on the night they went up against the greatest Champions League team In the world ever in history This is the team that brought dominance and significance to the competition making sure that we till today Revered even though it started in the old format of European football till today They have 13 Champions League titles to their name in the last Decade they've gone for Champions League Finals and won four Champions League finals The question we'll ask now is is Pep Guardiola cursed. Let's listen to him. We'll come back Stay with us This is a man who looks and talks like he's defeated if if Pep Guardiola is cursed It makes sense to accept that explanation. He has been knocked out of six Champions League finals. No one else has ever experienced that much and the fact is you could also say That if not by the grace of Lionel Messi may have never won a Champions League final ever So and he's always had the resources always has a coach. He's a great coach He's a fantastic coach, but that extra spirit some magic some managers just have it on lock And so lots he has reached his fifth Champions League final the first coach to ever do it He has won every league every major European League five league titles It's some managers have a knack for running the marathon and Getting the gold at the end some managers know how to create tactical philosophy that will make your mouth Salivate and water and you're just like oh, this is beautiful football That is what Guardiola can give you and along the way he can win trophies But when it comes to the Champions League, he's not a master at it. He's still learning work Which means he has more work to do to do. Okay. Now I'm the Bremium Commonwealth Games coming up and Students are the ones who actually students are in jewelry school actually where the ones who actually came together to actually Create the medals of events. Wow, that's impressive So the event was the medals were presented now They were designed locally by students from the City School of jewelry the medals will be manufactured by Toya Kenan and Spencer a firm based in Bremium's world of famous jewelry quarter It was interviews with Amber Alice who led the design team alongside Francesca Wilcox and Katerina Roger Goyer's accessory and Hannah Cockfrot Seven-time Paralympic champion who talks about the adjustable ribbon with para-athletes in mind and the fact Parasports will be integrated with able-bodied sports So quickly forward go on the show Mikhail stephano Cesar pass into the last 16 in the Madrid open He's doing well, but like we've said recently There there are no favorites when it comes to tennis right now. They are no favorites Djokovic is having his longest period as a world number one one hundred and eighty nine days, I believe and Obviously Nadal is still Nadal Federal is the one we're waiting for to get back from his injury layoff, but Cesar pass Medvedev rublev Murray set up a match with a With a Djokovic we'll see but it's always just we should just enjoy the matches because a lot of what I'm seeing is great tennis Thank you very much Mikhail The man behind the cameras a tire is named you can't see him, but he makes you see us. Thank you very much Kyle DK. I call him. Thank you very much Tony. Thank you very much. Damn me. Lola. Thank you very much for the package Thank you very much downstairs the powerhouse Peter. I call him Piro. Thank you very much. You're not same time tomorrow I'll leave you with Stefano Cici pass. My name is Wally Scott Like I was advice you at the end of every show if not for anything at least for your heart do some sports