Sports
Ogun Praises Rite Foods’ Support for Sports
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
**As Kenyans Sweep Medals at 2021 Ijebu Heritage Half Marathon
Rite Foods Limited has been applauded by the Ogun State Government for supporting the development of sports in the state.
Last Saturday, the company, which produces Bigi drinks, Naija’s favourite carbonated soft drinks, thrown its full weight behind the 2021 Ijebu Heritage Half Marathon.
At the event, the firm provided premium refreshment and hydration for athletes and indigenes and this gesture was noticed by the state government.
The Governor of Ogun State, Mr Dapo Abiodun, who was represented by the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr Kehinde Oluwadare, said the event was in line with the vision of his administration.
Speaking on the marathon, the Brand Manager, Beverage and Bakery, Rite Foods Limited, Ms Boluwatife Adedugbe, extended the company’s profound goodwill message to the people of Ijebu and also reiterated the company’s commitment to the needs of Ijebu people and its consumers in general.
She stated that Rite Foods’ strategy will remain aligned to meeting its consumers at touchpoints that resonate with its premium brands as well as brand equity journey.
“For Rite Foods, we will always have our consumers at the depth of our hearts and we will continue to empower and support as many platforms that promote healthy competition, talents and positive energy as the Ijebu Heritage Half Marathon 2021,” she added.
Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebuland, who was ably represented by Tunde Odulaja welcomed all to the great occasion while also stating that Kabiyesi sees the marathon as a talent hunt for future Ijebu athletes who will be discovered in the process and launched into international limelight through the Ijebu marathon platform.
Mr Odulaja commended Rite Foods for the exciting refreshment it is bringing to energize all athletes, adding that the marathon will increase economic activities in Ijebuland.
At the marathon, Rite Foods provided 14 Bigi water points, to fantastically refresh and revitalize all athletes, home-based and foreign, in addition to making its array of over 15 Naija’s favourite brands readily available to energize and meet the needs of all involved in the race.
Top class runners participated in the event which was monitored professionally, as spy cameras were deployed coupled with transporter chips to track all athletes during the marathon.
It was also a clean sweep for Kenyan athletes as they claimed both the men and women categories with Hosea Kiplimo finishing the men’s race in 1:02:36 while his counterpart, Rhonzas Kilimo finished second in 1:02:57. The third position went to another Kenyan, Timothy Ronoh, who raced to the finish line in 1:02:59.
The women’s race was also won by another Kenyan, Sandra Chebet in a time of 1:10:42, with two Ethiopians, Gebaynesh Ayele and Beyenu Degefa taking the second and third position in a time of 1:10:52 and 1:11:02 respectively.
Local indigenes like Abigail Ogunbowale, an 11-year-old who finished the half marathon was rewarded with N250,000 by Rite Foods Limited, while Femi Olusanya, a police officer in Ijebu-Ode, who was the first to finish the race, will get N500,000.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
At least for the next four seasons, DStv and GOtv subscribers are guaranteed access to all UEFA men’s club matches on SuperSport.
This is because CANAL+, the parent company of MultiChoice, which owns DStv and GOtv, has secured the exclusive broadcast rights to all UEFA men’s club competitions across Sub-Saharan Africa through 2031, ensuring SuperSport will continue to broadcast the UEFA Champions, Europa and Conference Leagues live to DStv and GOtv subscribers.
The four-season agreement, which begins with the 2027/28 campaign, covers more than 40 countries across the region and includes exclusive rights to the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League.
In English- and Portuguese-speaking Africa, SuperSport will continue as the exclusive broadcaster of UEFA club competitions, bringing the continent’s biggest European club matches to DStv and GOtv subscribers. The agreement also restores full UEFA Champions League coverage on CANAL+ Sport channels in French-speaking Africa, alongside the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League.
The rights deal further strengthens CANAL+’s sports portfolio, which already includes major football competitions such as the Premier League, LALIGA EA SPORTS, Ligue 1, the Betway Premiership and the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026.
The agreement ensures football fans across Sub-Saharan Africa will continue to enjoy live coverage of Europe’s premier club competitions on SuperSport when the new rights cycle begins in 2027.
“We are very proud of this new partnership, which gives us exclusive rights to all UEFA Men’s Club competitions across more than 40 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“For four seasons, until 2031, our subscribers will enjoy the thrill of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League’s biggest matches. Today, CANAL+ offers the most attractive sports line-up across Sub-Saharan Africa, and the acquisition of these rights is a perfect illustration of that.
“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to UC3 and to the teams at Relevent for once again placing their trust in CANAL+, following our recent agreements in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland and Austria,” the chief executive of CANAL+, Mr Maxime Saada, stated.
The start of a football season always tricks people a little. Everything looks fresh. New shirts, new signings, clean tables, confident managers, fans talking themselves into hope again. Then the first few matches arrive, and half the predictions start wobbling. That is what makes early-season betting interesting. It is not tidy yet. Manchester City may still be Manchester City, but that does not mean they are sharp from the first whistle. Arsenal might look strong on paper and still need time to settle. Chelsea can have another summer full of noise and still leave bettors guessing. Real Madrid might have the stars, but even stars need minutes together. The first weeks are not about certainty. They are about spotting who is ready before the market fully catches up.
New Signings Need Time
Transfer excitement can make people rush. A new striker arrives at Arsenal and suddenly every goals market feels tempting. Manchester United sign a defender and people start talking about clean sheets. Chelsea add another expensive player and the same old question comes back: does this actually fix the team, or just add another name? Sometimes a signing changes everything quickly. More often, there is an awkward stage first. A forward needs to learn where the passes come from. A midfielder needs to understand the press. A centre-back needs to build trust with the goalkeeper and full-backs. That is why early-season betting after the Betway app download should not treat a new signing like a finished answer. The name matters, but the fit matters more.
World Cup Legs Will Matter
This season also carries the weight of the World Cup. Some players will come back flying. Some will come back flat. Some may start the season with managed minutes because their clubs cannot afford to burn them out early. That can change player markets fast. A bettor looking through the betway app before a weekend card should not only check the famous names in the lineup. Look at who played deep into the World Cup, who missed pre-season, who came back late, and who is being protected by the manager. A star on the pitch is not always a star at full speed.
Early Tables Can Lie
The first league table always looks more dramatic than it is. One big club drops points, and everyone starts asking if there is a crisis. One promoted side wins at home, and suddenly people talk about momentum. A striker scores twice, and the golden boot conversations begin before anyone has really learned anything. That noise can be useful, but only if bettors do not get swallowed by it. Early results need context. Did the team actually play well, or just finish two chances? Did they control the game, or survive pressure? Was the opponent missing key players? Did the manager rotate because of fitness?
Patience Beats The Big Prediction
The new season will settle. The strong teams will usually rise, the weaker squads will get exposed, and the table will start to make more sense. But the opening weeks are different. They are full of strange fitness levels, overhyped signings, tired stars and teams that are still trying to remember what they are meant to be. That is why betting on the upcoming season should start slowly. Do not fall in love with last season’s form. Do not trust every transfer story. Do not assume every World Cup star is ready to carry club football straight away. The value is often hiding in the messy part, before everyone else agrees what the season really looks like.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federation of the International Football Association (FIFA) will not proceed with its proposal to sell a piece of its business operations to outside investors after the project was met with fierce resistance from some of its member associations.
FIFA’s plan was to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling about a 20 per cent stake in a new unit that would run FIFA events, including the World Cup, valuing it at $20 billion.
The proposal was strongly opposed by the Union of the European Football Associations (UEFA), European football’s governing body, which voted on Thursday to boycott FIFA competitions. There was also opposition from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the English FA.
In a statement, UEFA said that it was “irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret”.
The Switzerland-based organisation’s statement also accused FIFA of putting the sport’s “soul” up for sale.
“Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement announcing the cancellation.
“Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”
UEFA welcomed the decision to scrap it but said it had lost confidence in FIFA’s current leadership, while AFC, while welcoming the decision, said that it expected any initiative of such magnitude to be discussed with its members in a “timely, transparent and meaningful manner”.
Mr Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro had resigned with immediate effect, calling the plan “a bad deal for football”.
FIFA’s Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour said staff were “deceived” by Mr Infantino, describing the proposal as a “project of one person”.
The development has now raised eyebrows against the FIFA President, especially his relationship with US President Donald Trump.
The planned FIFA private investment scheme involved Mr Joshua Kushner, the founder of Thrive Capital, who would lead the proposed venture capital group via a fund called Thrive Eternal. He is the brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Trump.
Mr Infantino said in April he would seek a fourth term as FIFA president, with the election scheduled to take place in Morocco on March 18 next year.
The deadline for potential candidates to declare in a presidential vote of the 211 members is November 18.
Observers now wonder if there will be fresh competition to the Swiss’ ambition to lead the world’s football authority for another
