By Paul Bassey
This week, I have a double header. I want to talk about a veteran called Calabar and a fresh air that is the programme entitled Women on The Ball.

Three days ago, the Nigeria Football Association announced Calabar as venue of the much heralded Word Cup qualifier between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Namibia.

The decision, finally put paid to the high level politicking that accompanied the scramble to host the new look Stephen Keshi’s Eagles, given FIFA’s pressure for the venue to be fixed and forwarded.

Tears for Kaduna whose last hosting of the Super Eagles, the friendly against Zambia was so near perfect that the NFF did not mind going back. However, going by the need to guarantee security, the NFF had no choice but be counted on the side of caution.

For the joy and celebration that is following the choice of Calabar, I pause to say that I would have been surprised if a contrary decision had been taken, given the track record of this ancient city that we sometimes seem to relegate.

Emotionally, I cut my professional teeth in Calabar where as Sports Editor  of The Nigerian Chronicle, we made the paper a must read on the nation’s newsstands.

I punctuated my stay in The Chronicle when I gained admission into the Department of Modern Languages of the University of Calabar to study Modern Languages and Linguistics………

Go ahead, call me a Calabar man and I will take a bow, with due respect to my beloved Akwa Ibom Roots.

Briefly, I stayed, worked and studied in Calabar long enough to take more than a passing interest in the fortunes of Cross River State and in relation to sports which is my culture medium, there has been a lot of pluses and cheers.

The construction of the U.J Esuene stadium in Calabar was the motivation Cross River State needed to fast track sports boom in the state. As early as the late seventies, Cross River hosted the National School Sports which was repeated last year. We will not forget in a hurry the Obudu Mountain race pioneered in 2005 and today has become a world class race duly reflected and acknowledged as a permanent fixture in the IAAF calendar.

Three years ago, Cross River went for a sports revolution when it employed a sports consultant in the person of Bruce Ejirigbo who in turn recommended the hiring of world class coach, the American Lee Evans to handle the rejuvenation of track and field even at a time the national athletics body was dilly dallying over the possibility of employing him.

Last year, the state took over the hosting of the National Track and Field trials for four years in the first instance, and is in line to host the next National Sports Festival, which will necessitate the proliferation of the much needed sports infrastructure.

Among others perhaps Calabar’s reputation as a wonderful host shot up in 1999, when as one of  Nigeria’s host cities  of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, Calabar was not only adjudged the most hospitality conscious centre, it’s organizational savvy was commended by FIFA.

This feat, Calabar repeated in 2009 when it was also, based on past experience chosen as one of the cities to host the FIFA U- 17 World Cup and again Calabar excelled. Crowd and fans support that provides the needed ambience, dedication of the organization team all compliments a city that has become a tourist destination and contends for the title of one of the cleanest and aesthetic capitals in the country.

Given all these antecedents, we could not have been surprised when Calabar did not bat an eyelid in deciding to host the country’s U- 17 squad as they prepare for the continental and world assignments and it was therefore very natural to turn to experience and ability to ask Calabar to host the Super Eagles.

With due respect to the silent sports revolution of Governor Liyel Imoke and his Sports expert of a deputy Effiok Cobham, I announce the arrival on the scene of a young man who will help to amplify and raise the standard of the sports fortunes of the state.

The newly appointed sports Commissioner Patrick Ugbe, a product of the legendary Hope Waddell Training Institute and Theatre Arts Graduate of the University of Calabar got into government in 2007 as Press Secretary to Governor Liyel Imoke from his base as MD/CEO of DBS Media, whose accounts were mostly sports friendly. Coincidentally even as press secretary, his sports interest and involvement was not lost on the Governor and when there was a cabinet reshuffle, Honourable Ugbe was moved to the sports ministry and you could hear the cheer far and wide.

When I put a call to him last week, I congratulated him for the choice of Calabar as Super Eagles base and in his characteristic soft spoken manner gave all the glory to God, to his boss the Governor, to the cooperation of the Deputy Governor and in deed all the good people of Cross River State.

He is set to not only welcome the Super Eagles, but indeed all Nigerians to Calabar on June 3.

I fear that before we get there from all other parts of the country, the stadium would have been jam packed. That is  Calabar  for you, the Cannaan City.

Women on the ball

Last Saturday, I watched with regrets the rounding up of a unique programme called Women On The Ball. It is unfortunate that the programme had to be tied to the football season as I and thousands of other Nigerians would have wanted it to go on and on.

That Aisha Falode and her Amazons decided, based on popular decision to award the Premiership trophy to Manchester City ( Instead of my beloved Man United ) did not also deter me from watching a programme which since its inception in November last year has captured the interest and attention of Nigerians with respect to its uniqueness and emphasis on family relationship.

At a time when men seem to use football as an excuse to “wander and stray “  on week ends, Women On The Ball has forged family unity and values using the platform of football.

Aisha Falode, Kibati Bankole, Ann Chiejine, Candace Ebhomielen  ( latest addition ) and stand by anchor Nneka Anibeze have given our women a voice and a sense of belonging with their expert knowledge and treatment of top and complex football issues. This programme has helped to rekindle football interest in our wives, sisters, daughters and girl friends and the family is the major beneficiary.

Then the stage. A delight. Its feminine touch, the presence of ball girls that help to highlight and bring to life the stadium atmosphere is accentuated by colours that do pride to MTN as the foremost football promoter in the continent.

I can’t wait for next season, even as I am looking forward to a bigger spread beyond AIT, STV and Galaxy and please thirty minute flies too fast when those girls are on…….

See you next week.