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‘He’s critically ill’ — Odegbami solicits financial aid for ex-goalkeeper Peter Fregene

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Segun Odegbami, the Nigerian football legend, has solicited financial assistance for his ailing colleague Peter Fregene.

Fregene, popularly known as the flying cat or Apo, is a former goalkeeper of the Nigeria national football team. During a career spanning over two decades — from the 1960s to the 1980s — the 77-year-old won the Nigerian FA Cup with both ECN and Stationery Stores.

In a statement on Tuesday, Odegbami disclosed that Fregene is hospitalised in Sapele, Delta state, and urgently needs medical attention and financial assistance.

The 72-year-old former striker said his colleague is “waiting for help to be moved by ambulance” to the Ohara Teaching Hospital.

He said although “Tony Ojesina covered the ambulance costs, more funds need to be paid before he can be moved” to the teaching hospital.

Odegbami also lamented what he described as “the lack of a functional welfare scheme for retired athletes” in Nigeria.

He expressed frustration that retired athletes now have to rely on the goodwill of “Femi Otedola, Mike Adenuga, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Babatunde Fashola, Benson Ejindu, and Allen Onyema to support Fregene’s medical expenses,” adding that they can’t keep burdening them.

Odegbami also appealed to sports enthusiasts to put Fregene in their prayers.

Read the full statement below:

I am frustrated because I am publishing this ‘horror’ picture (a picture of Fregene in hospital bed), wishing I have the capability to do what needs to be done for a colleague without having to resort to yet another public appeal to the same few Nigerians that have, through the years, intervened in the matter of ill-health of a few retired, suffering Nigerian football heroes.

By now, we must have exhausted any remnant of ‘goodwill’ we have with Femi Otedola, Mike Adenuga, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Babatunde Fashola, Benson Ejindu, Allen Onyema, and a few other Nigerians that often came to the aid of a few lucky sports heroes several times in the past.

Even if they have not complained, we are ashamed to go back to them again.

Why don’t we have, or why can’t we set up, even on our own, a simple welfare scheme for active and retired athletes across all sports in the country, to take care of our declining health in old age, long after our sports careers?

Doing so does not require knowledge of rocket science. What are needed are the will, hard work and a few good and committed people of integrity.

The danger now is that the number of retired aging sports heroes languishing in poverty, neglect and ill health is legion already, and growing. Their stories are ugly and shameful.

Government has demonstrated time and again that sport is not a priority. 64 years after Independence they cannot and will not see it differently, period.

So, Peter Fregene is a reminder to us all again. As I look at him lying comatose on a hospital bed in Sapele and sending the suffering he must be going through, my frustration is mounting.

It appears doing something for, and beyond, Peter is a responsibility that ‘fate and metaphysical aid’ seem to have put around my neck. So, we shall see, as our people would say when they do not know what’s coming next.

So, what is the situation with ‘Apo’ now? He is still waiting for help to come in order to be moved by ambulance to the Ohara Teaching hospital, Ohara, Delta State. He has been waiting since yesterday.

I hope Globacom that have been taking care of his every need in the past one year would respond once again and come to his aid.

A friend sitting next to me yesterday as I discussed Peter with his wife on telephone last night, Tony Ojesina, immediately paid for the cost of the ambulance that would convey him there. But he still has other bills to pay before he can be moved.

Fregene was the first-choice goalkeeper for the Nigeria national football team from 1968 to 1971. He was then recalled for the 1982 African Cup of Nations finals. He also represented Nigeria at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico.

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You can’t have it all – Pundit slams Iwobi’s Fulham teammate for Man City failure

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Alex Iwobi’s colleague has been blamed for the Cottagers’ loss at the Etihad Stadium.
Alex Iwobi played commendably in Fulham’s 3-2 defeat by Manchester City on Saturday, but his colleague has been on the receiving end of fierce criticism from ESPN’s Alejandro Moreno.

Despite scoring twice — and having gone ahead — through Andreas Pereira and Rodrigo Muniz, a Mameo Kovacic brace and Jeremy Doku strike sealed a nervy victory for Pep Guardiola’s men, who returned to winning ways after consecutive Premier League draws against Arsenal and Newcastle United.

Success for City means they stay level with Arsenal on 17 points with Liverpool one clear atop the standings.

However, Saturday’s match could have gone differently had Adama Traore converted his multiple chances, failing to put away three opportunities categorised as clear-cut.

According to FBref, Marco Silva’s men edged the Expected Goals (xG) 2-4-1.5 and Traore failed to take opportunities adding up to xG of 1.0.

This prompted Moreno’s remarks about the Spain international’s showing in Manchester, with the former striker focusing on the 28-year-old’s lack of composure in front of goal.

“Adama Traore is proof to the rest of the world that you just can’t have it all,” said Moreno on ESPN. “You can have the pace and you can have the strength, but when it comes to finishing…that’s the story of his career and it’s not just today (Saturday).

“This is something we have seen from Adama Traore that the final product is just not there. His ceiling is so much lower than it should be.

“If you just take the physical aspects of the game, Adama Traore is at the top of the world but when it comes to that final product, he goes all the way down to the very bottom.”

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US court orders Mayweather to pay Nigerian firm $2.4m over contract breach

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A US court has upheld the ruling that Floyd Mayweather Jr., the former world boxing champion, must pay Zinni Media Concept Limited, a Nigerian company, $2.4 million in damages for breach of contract.

According to a statement from Alex Nwankwo, the company’s media executive, Zinni Media reached an agreement with Mayweather to make various appearances in Africa, including one in Nigeria, in June 2017.

However, the former boxer unilaterally terminated the deal without cause and refused to reimburse the company for the advance payment paid for the service.

Nwankwo claimed that Mayweather’s legal representatives implied that because the company was not based in the US, the boxer could not make any refund.

“After several unsuccessful attempts to recover the appearance fees from the American boxer, the company instituted a legal action against Mayweather in 2018 where it alleged breach of contract, unjust enrichment and fraud against the former champion. We are grateful that two courts have granted a prayer by Zinni Media Ltd to impose terminating sanctions against Mayweather,” the statement reads.

In October 2023, a lower court in California ruled that Mayweather should pay Zinni $1,638,542 in damages, $721,881.32 in prejudgment interest, $16,270 in sanctioned attorney fees, and $285 in costs. The total compensation amount ordered was $2,376,978.

The boxer, however, appealed the judgment before the California court of appeals.

In the latest ruling, dated August 27, 2024, Eva McClintock, clerk of the appellant court, affirmed the lower court’s verdict.

Nwankwo added that despite the court of appeal’s ruling and the case’s finality, Mayweather had still refused to pay the judgment money, which continues to grow at 10 percent per annum.

He said the court had instructed USA attorneys to enforce the judgment by targeting Mayweather’s 2015 Bugatti GSV or his 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta, both valued over the damages.

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Manchester City midfielder, Matheus Nunes, arrested for alleged phone theft

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Manchester City midfielder Matheus Nunes has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of stealing a mobile phone at a nightclub in Madrid.

The 26-year-old Portuguese international was allegedly detained in the early hours of September 8 at La Riviera, a popular disco, and taken to a local police station for questioning, Dailymails reports.

His arrest occurred around 5:30 a.m. after Nunes was accused of taking a phone from a 58-year-old man who had attempted to photograph him in the nightclub’s restroom without his consent, according to Spanish daily El Mundo.

Born in Brazil, Nunes is said to have taken the phone in a moment of anger and refused to return it.

El Mundo stated that the police reportedly arrested him after being called to the scene and found the phone in his possession.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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