Nigerian Football
AS ROMA HEAD OF STRATEGY SPEAKS AT THE AFRICA DIGITAL SPORTS CONFERENCE
Paul Rogers, Head of Strategy at Italian Serie A club side, AS Roma will be speaking at the forthcoming Africa Digital Sports Conference (ADSCon) scheduled for 19 and 20 September.
Paul joined Roma in January 2015 and is currently based in Boston, where the Italian club’s ownership is headquartered.
He is responsible for the club’s business and
international strategy as well as Roma’s award-winning digital and social media
activities globally. The club set up a Pidgin language Twitter account in 2019
that has received great engagement among its Nigerian followership.
Prior to joining Roma, Paul spent 14 years working for Liverpool Football Club
in the English Premier League.
In the role of Head of Content at Liverpool FC, Paul was responsible for editorial content on TV, website and social media before being promoted to develop and lead Liverpool FC’s international media strategy – helping the club to communicate with over 25 million followers in 18 different languages every day.
He also helped to launch the youth portal Liv4now before joining Liverpool FC in 2001.
He has also worked at Condé Nast as a writer and sub-editor for GQ magazine as well as contributing weekly music columns and articles for the likes of The Independent and Guardian newspapers, New Musical Express, iD magazine, The Face, Sky Magazine, Echoes, Blues & Soul, Hip-Hop Connection, Q, Smash Hits, Just Seventeen and Match.
Paul expressed excitement at joining the Africa Digital Sports Conference in what will be his first time in Nigeria.
“I’m feel incredibly honoured to be invited to speak at the Africa Digital Sports Conference,” said Paul Rogers, Head of Strategy at AS Roma.
“This will be my first time in Lagos and I’m really looking forward to meeting and spending time with so many people working in the digital and sports world.”
“Our line-up of speakers is getting more exciting as we move closer to the conference.
“I am confident that sports businesses, federations and sponsors will gain useful insights on how to take advantage of available digital opportunities for growth. At CampsBay Media, we are proud to be leading the conversation on monetizing sports in Africa in the digital era,” said Lolade Adewuyi, Chief Strategist at CampsBay Media and convener of the Africa Digital Sports Conference.
Other confirmed speakers include, Mario Leo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Germany-based RESULT Sports, Managing Director of Nielsen Nigeria, Ged Nooy, General Manager Digital, Airtel Nigeria, Bankole Alao, Head of Digital Services at 9mobile, Bola Afuye, and director at Digital Sports Africa, Emeka Enyadike.
Registration to attend the event is ongoing on the Africa Digital Sports Conference website, www.africadigitalsports.com/register.
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.
It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.
Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
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