Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God has commended President Bola Tinubu for rewarding the Super Falcon Team for their outstanding feat at 2024 African Women Cup of Nation while also recommending more reward for the coach who led them to victory.
Adeboye gave the commendation while ministering on Sunday August 3 at the church’s headquarters in Ebute Meta, Lagos.
He preached on “the winning team” at the service which was dedicated to sports men and women.
A one-time boxer, Pastor Adeboye said there are so many lessons in sporting activities adding that coaches deserve more honour.
More reward. For coach
Commenting on the recent victory of the Super Falcons at the Women African Cup of Nations, Adeboye thanked President Tinubu for the huge reward recalling that , “in our own days all we got was a handshake.”
He however suggested that the coach ought to have gotten more reward than the players because the coach made the victory happen.
It will be recalled that after their victory at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), President Tinubu announced that each of the 24 players on the team would be awarded the naira equivalent of $100,000.
In addition to the cash prize, the players were also given: A three-bedroom apartment in the government’s Renewed Hope Housing Estate and the national honor of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).
The coach Justin Madugu is to receive a cash prize of $50,000. It was later reportedly upgraded to exceed the $100,000 given to the players . A three-bedroom apartment and The national honor of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).were to follow the cash gift.
Adeboye said, “I thank the president for the gift to the falcons however. I don’t agree that the coaches should get less than the players. Without coaches the team will not succeed. God bless the coaches. God bless them because we need them.”
He recalled how as a sportsman in the 60s he was subjected to stringent training sessions by his coach. “Way back in 1960 I had a coach who gave us tough time. At a stage we confronted him and wondered if we being prepared to join the army.
“Today, I thank him for the strength he built in me. He would ask me to push the wall as if I want to pull it down. Your coach knows you can be better. If he does not push you hard then he is not a good coach.”
Go for the prize
While noting that victory is sweet and desirable, he said, “Don’t believe them that all that is important is taking part in a sporting event. If that is all that is important, how come they don’t give medals to failure. Nobody celebrates a loser.
“Years ago Nigeria won the world cup. The winning team were paraded all the way from the airport. When they lost in another match nobody knew when they entered the country.”
Making reference to the Bible he said every believer that overcomes will be given the hidden manna and a new name ”
He said however that winning does not come easy. “ You must know how to win in life. It is not everybody who contest in a race that will win. To win you need wisdom. It is the principal thing. Get wisdom. Wisdom is better than strength. If you don’t know how to win you will lose.”
He recalled how he lost the opportunity of being selected for an exchange programme with a US university while at the UNN because he failed a test on how to eat at a dinner set before prospective students for the programme.
In another selection exercise he was successful because he got wind on what to do ahead of the competition.
He submits, “The way to succeed is “Know how to win.”
He emphasised the place of hard work. “You cannot be a winner if all you do is normal practice. 90 minutes should be your half time. In our days we practiced for 180 minutes so that the 90 minutes allotted to the football game would not mean anything to us.”
NUGA Games
Adeboye said it was because of the extreme preparation of sportsmen at the University of Nigeria that made them lead the first Nigeria University Games in 1965.
“There were 12 universities in those days. All of them competed in the event. Of the 12 trophies, UNN alone cleared 7 trophies.”
Still on winning strategy, Adeboye said, “In life you need divine involvement to win. The one who wins the race may not be the fastest or strongest. The one who makes it to the top may not be the brightest. Whether you become a winner in life depends on God.”
He shared the story of the fastest girl in at the UNN in the 60s. “Before we left Nsukka we sat down and examined our possible area of victory. The fastest girl was on our campus. So we took it for granted that we would win in the athletics.
That was however not to be. In the course of running during the competition the lady according to Adeboye fell about three times. At the end she did not come first in the race. “She made it to the finishing line but not as the first.’
Adeboye then stated that the God factor is very critical while adding that the race is not for the swift but for the person whom God has shown mercy .