Though there were some gains and moments that gladdened the hearts of sports enthusiasts, 2022 served a fair deal of disappointments and heartbreaks for all.
The outgoing Year 2022 is a mixed bag for
Like other years, the sports fraternity welcomed 2022 with a great deal of optimism for an improved fortune for sports in
Though there were some gains and moments that gladdened the hearts of sports enthusiasts, 2022 served a fair deal of disappointments and heartbreaks for all.
As PREMIUM TIMES continues its review of the year 2022, here are seven of the disappointing moments in Nigerian sports.
Super Eagles cannot fulfill bilateral relations with
Without a doubt,
Aside from missing out on the unquantifiable excitement of
The '
Brands that would normally splash the cash couldn't do so because the team's players and officials, as well as the NFF, had blown a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Just like the CHAN tournament,
Super Eagles cannot soar in
The Super Eagles' Round of 16 exit at the most recent Africa Cup of Nations in
For some, the signs of a disastrous outing were clear when the NFF fired the team's coach,
Eguavoen fooled us all by winning all three group games and fuelled speculation that the Super Eagles could make it all the way to the final, where the prospect of an all-time grudge match against hosts
However, a 1-0 loss for the 10-man Eagles team against a
Super
The
In the past, the
However, right from the start of the qualification series for the 2022 WAFCON, the
Though the
Failure to win a medal in
Usman, Adesanya, and Joshua kiss the canvas
When the trio of
Though the trio have adopted other countries, they overtly identify with
However, if there is a year this trio will want to erase from their career, it would most likely be 2022 going by the enormous setbacks and humbling defeats they suffered.
Adesanya in November lost his UFC Middleweight title after Brazilian
That was the first time Adesanya suffered defeat in the middleweight category, and the first time he was knocked out or pinned for submission in his MMA career.
Though pained by the defeat, Adesanya is confident of bouncing back.
The Nigerian Nightmare, as we often refer Kamaru Usman to, was also served 'breakfast' in 2022, losing his welterweight title to Briton
It was the first time someone knocked Usman out in his career and it was brutally done by Edwards. Just like the Style Bender, Usman is also hopeful of bouncing back pretty soon.
However, the optimistic duo will have to learn from
Though we widely agreed Joshua gave a better performance in his Usyk rematch, it wasn't enough for the Nigerian-born boxer to regain his titles.
Okagbare collects record doping ban
We feared the worst when the suspension of
Okagbare, who arguably is
For seven months, there was an agonising wait for the verdict by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
And when it came seven months after in
They banned Okagbare for five years for the presence and use of multiple prohibited substances and five years for her refusal to cooperate with the AIU's investigation into her case.
With an additional year added much later after fresh discoveries, it marked an inglorious end to an illustrious career of the poster girl of
Another miss CHAN tournament
When many argue for including more home-based players in the Super Eagles, one weapon the critics use is the inability of the same set of players to qualify for the African Nations Championship (CHAN).
CHAN is the
For the first two editions,
In 2022,
Arch rivals
D'Tigress unjustly denied
With preparations well below par, D'Tigress showed they had come of age.
Then the unthinkable happened, the Federal Government, through the
Though framed as a difficult but imperative move to save the country from an impending embarrassment, it was largely seen as a selfish and egoistic trip that ended up costing the hard-working D'Tigress their place at the World Cup.
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