Emmanuel Mayuka: Premier League pro and AFCON winner

What's it like to play in the English Premier League? We'd better ask someone who's been there. . .enter Emmanuel Mayuka!

Happy moments pic.twitter.com/yzVQhcy0V0

— emmanuel mayuka (@emmanuelmayuka) August 15, 2015

We caught up with Emmanuel Mayuka, a Zambian football icon. You can currently find him in Egypt playing for heavy weights Zamalek, but before his relocation, Emmanuel spent some time with Southampton in the English Premier League. It's often tipped as the 'best league in the world', so we thought we'd ask him about his experience:

“It was a great experience for me, I thank God for everything and I am still looking forward to coming back again. When I came over it was a dream come true for me, I want more of it but at the moment I am here in Egypt. I will have to see how everything in the future works out. I would like to come back to the Premier League, it’s just a matter of how you apply yourself, it depends on how hard I work and when you believe in God anything is possible.”

Mayuka, 26, is full of confidence, a good trait for a striker, and was adamant that he would return to the top leagues in the world. As well as boasting Premier League on his CV, the finisher has also achieved glory at international level with Zambia, he spoke about winning the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations:

God is great pic.twitter.com/gexh47BdG0

— emmanuel mayuka (@emmanuelmayuka) May 4, 2016

"That was the most outstanding moment for me, it feels like it was only yesterday. It was so amazing and I enjoyed every bit of it, when I think about it now it gives me goose bumps. But I am still looking forward for more glory with the national team, I am not old yet!”

He stated that he's not finished with the Premier League or the national team, despite notching over 50 caps for them, the key behind his confidence was clear:

“Nothing is impossible if you believe in it, put all of your eggs in one basket, pray and believe that you will achieve it. You have to believe in yourself and know what you want in life and go for it. I believe that everywhere I go is where God wants me to go."

For Emmanuel Mayuka, prayer + belief = success

Who'll be The Best?

Last week, we attended the announcement of the nominees for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2017. In 2016, FIFA decided to give the game’s most prestigious individual award a bit of a refresh by introducing 'The Best' – a celebration of those who love the game the most: the fans. 

The awards up for grabs include The Best FIFA Men’s Player, The Best FIFA Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Men's Coach, The Best FIFA Women's Coach, The Best FIFA Goalkeeper,  The FIFA Puskás Award, The FIFA Fan Award and The FIFA Fair Play Award. 

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr made the final shortlist for the coveted Best FIFA Men's Player award, which means we could see Ronaldo take the title for the second year running.

The finalists were announced at a special media event held in London with the FIFA Legends Andriy Shevchenko, Peter Shilton, Jay Jay Okocha, Alex Scott and Roberto Di Matteo.

Former Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo provided his thoughts on what it takes to be the best: "To be nominated, I think you need to have success at club level and also at international level with the club. Another bonus is obviously with the national team, if you can manage to be successful with that, certainly gives you a little edge." 

The winners will be crowned at a ceremony in London on 23 October 2017.

In interview with Springbok star Pierre Spies

We caught up with South African number 8, Pierre Spies for a Planet Sport exclusive. After a recent announcement to retire, we spoke to the 32-year-old about his future plans and we look back on his memorable moments! Read the transcript below:

Pierre, where did your love for the game of rugby come from?

“In South Africa Rugby is a big sport so when you are young you want to play, my dad also played rugby for the Bulls so we grew up with it. We had a rugby ball at home and in the backyard we would act like we were running over guys and scoring tries. That’s where the love came from and I basically started when I was eight years old.”

You went to school with a few buddies who have now gone on to be greats in world sport, tell us about those guys!

"I come from a boys’ school in Pretoria and I know some proper cricketers, golfers and a well-renowned pianist. AD De Villiers was a year ahead of me and he used to play fly half, Faf Du Plessis also, who plays for the Proteas, Heino Kuhn and many good cricketers. It’s great to be part of a school with some great sports people coming out of it.”

Make someone's day! pic.twitter.com/5Tawa3IDi5

— Pierre Spies (@Pierrespies8) September 18, 2017

“Absolutely, if you are shooting at a dream then the pinnacle is where you want to be. What’s my goal? I wanted to play for the Springboks from a young age and I was fortunate enough to have it come my way. I played many games and was part of great teams. It was just an amazing journey for me.”

You recently announced your retirement from pro rugby, talk us through that process? What drove that decision?

 “Well, things don’t always work out the way that you planned, I was planning on retiring after the two years left on my contract but when we finished the season I went about praying and God told me that it was my time. So I made the decision to finish my career and prepare for the next part. I think everyone reaches this moment in different ways, for me the moment I made up my mind it was settled in my heart. I can look back on my career with fulfilment and joy.”

When rugby is all that you’ve known for so long, is the prospect of ‘retirement’ from it, scary? It must become your identity somewhat.

"Putting my faith in God & reading the Bible... helped me through tough times." Ex @Springboks player @Pierrespies8: https://t.co/wu8yMOdHI6 pic.twitter.com/ZDeI2aSXqM

— Passion for Sport (@pfsworld) September 25, 2017

 “It does but that’s where I have been quite intentional, you have to make sure that it doesn’t become your identity even though people identify you as that. I was thinking about the day that I would retire a lot and how you want to be remembered, what kind of person you want to be. Something that I also applied in my life was having friends outside of the game which keeps you in touch with normal life.”

You often speak publicly about your faith in Jesus, what was missing in your life, to make you think that you needed to put your faith in something more?

 “I was a young man with a very promising future, but I was living a life of my own, going about it how I wanted and not being focussed. After a lot of partying I reached a point where my conscience started eating me up because I knew the way that I was living wasn’t right. A friend invited me to church and it was a moment that changed the rest of my career, I was twenty years old and I became a born-again Christian. I gave my life to God and said that I would live for him and not for myself. My life was never the same again, he completely turned my life around and gave me fulfilment which is something that sport and partying could not give me.”

 People may say well the only reason you believe that there’s a God is because you were told to think that growing up, what would you say to that?

 “Your parents, whether you believe in something or not, are laying a foundation in your life, so if you are a Christian your parents will lay a Christian foundation, if you are a Muslim or if you believe nothing, you parents are still laying a foundation. But there comes a point in your life where you have to decide for yourself, what you want to believe and what kind of world view you have. For me, that day arrived when I was twenty years old, there had been some foundations laid by my parents but that didn’t make me a Christian. It was the day I decided for myself, not for my friends or my family.”

The Ghanaian Venture

My visit to Ghana brought back memories of my school days when I used to collect stamps from Africa. Ghanaian stamps were always very colourful and full of history and true to form: the Atlantic coast-line, colourful fishing boats, castles and forts reminding me of the 18th Century peak in the slave trade, and the warring factions between the European nations battling it out for control of the coastline and the gold hidden inland. It was here in 1957 that Kwame Nkrumah brought some stability to the nation of Ghana as she became the first sub-Sahara country to gain independence.

And it was here where the AbRMedia (Africa by Radio) held their three day Continental Convention, just north of the capital Accra. The theme of the Convention, 'His Story to All People', was taken up by the main speaker Pastor Shodankey Johnson from Sierra Leone who led the assembled media practitioners into considering true discipleship by telling 'His story, His way'. A number of other speakers dealt with the practicalities of fundraising, offering technical assistance to radio stations, a challenge to communicate with children, the best ways of using social media and achieving creative programme making. 

Radio stations were represented at the convention from as far south as Lesotho and as far north as Mauritania, which gave me opportunities to discuss, and offer samples of, the Passion for Sport weekly programmes we produce - Planet Sport and Planet Sport Football Africa. 

Norman Brierley and PSFA contributor Erasmus Kwaw.

On the Saturday I moved down to Accra itself to join journalist colleague Erasmus Kwaw, often contributing to our Planet Sport Football Africa programmes. A group of 18 young people joined us at the Ghana University in the afternoon to conduct Focus Groups on our programmes. We spent five hours in separate groups listening to four programmes, holding a discussion on each of the productions and then finally each person filling out an evaluation form asking more specific questions about the programmes. We hope this will help the producers improve the quality and interest the programmes raise.

In the following two days, we had great opportunities in visiting local radio stations and their managers in Cape Coast and in Accra to offer programme samples and share about Passion for Sport, discussing plans on how they could include the programmes in their broadcast schedules. Meeting the founder of seven radio stations in Ghana and Uganda gave us the opportunity to place the Planet Sport Football Africa programme on one of the stations the following Saturday.

The Ghana venture was not to stop there as, en route by taxi to the airport for the return to England, my taxi broke down with about a mile to go. The kindness and support of Ghanaians came to the rescue as I hardly got out of the taxi with my luggage and another taxi behind agreed to take me the extra mile to the departure gate!

Norman Brierley

Natasha Hastings: 'I never give up'

"I want my journey, through my experiences, to be a testimony of what God's done for me."

USA track and field athlete Natasha Hastings first came to prominence as a 16 year old when she won the girls' 400m at the World Youth Championships in Sherbrooke, Canada. Since then she has progressed into a 400m relay specialist, helping the USA team to win two Olympic and five world titles, most recently at last month's World Athletics Championships in London. Now 31, she talks to us about the joys and challenges of her career over the past 15 years and the strength she draws from her faith as a committed follower of Jesus.

Listen to the interview here:

Listen to "14 Sep: Natasha Hastings, Olympic & World 4x400m Relay Champion" on Spreaker.

DR Congo's M'Poku: 'I felt peace and joy I'd never had before'

Paul-Jose M'Poku is a name familiar to fans across Europe. The 25-year-old has played in England, Italy, Greece and is now in Belgium with Standard Liege. A forward with undoubted skill, at national level M'Poku chose to represent DR Congo over Belgium, he speaks about how he doesn't regret his choice and much more in an interview with Planet Sport.

Listen to the interview here:

Listen to "23 June: DR Congo winger, Paul-José M'Poku & Video Assistant Referees" on Spreaker.

'Shot Diva' Carter on the greatest love

"The way I'd like to be remembered ... is that I cared and that I loved."

Michelle Carter from the USA won the 2016 Olympic shot put title in dramatic fashion, overcoming New Zealand's Valerie Adams with her final throw to win the gold medal and with it claim a new American record. Michelle talked to us at the recent World Athletics Championships in London where she won the bronze medal about her role as Team Captain to the US team at the event, her passion for her sport and the difference that her faith as a follower of Jesus Christ makes to her life.

Listen to the interview here:

Listen to "07 Sep: Michelle Carter, Olympic shot put champion" on Spreaker.

Prayer for Radio Maranatha

Hurricane Irma has has caused widespread destruction in the Caribbean, affecting an estimated 1.2m people. (Photo: NOAA)

This week we read the tragic news that Hurricane Irma has killed at least five people and left a trail of destruction on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin – home to one of our radio station partners, Radio Maranatha 100.3*.

A plane comes into land at St Martin's world-famous airport.

According to reports, the island has been 95% devastated by the storm, which has seen winds of around 175 mph (290 kph) cause widespread damage across several small islands in the northeast Caribbean.

Passion for Sport has been in touch with Radio Maranatha station manager Milan Berdier, who expects them to be off the air for around 2-4 months.

We continue to pray for peace, safety and hope for the staff and ministry of Radio Maranatha – and for those across the island who have been impacted by Hurricane Irma – as they begin to rebuild their station, homes and lives.

*Radio Maranatha 100.3 broadcasts Planet Sport at 07:00 every Friday.

Jacob Heppner: Sport of CrossFit on the rise

Meet Jacob Heppner, a professional 'CrossFitter', which is a thriving and growing sport, birthed in the USA. In his words, it can be defined as- "essentially, the sport of fitness, all about testing how fit you are in a lot of different areas".

The annual CrossFit Games is the pinnacle for all athletes, the winner of which is crowned the 'fittest man/woman alive'. Being a competitor from the 2014, 2015 and 2016 games, we spoke to Jacob about the surge of interest around the globe and what motivates him to compete. 

Listen to the interview here:

Listen to "03 Aug: Jacob Heppner and the growing sport of CrossFit" on Spreaker.

Faf Du Plessis on Captaincy, Tattoos and Christ

Faf Du Plessis leads South Africa in the Test Match arena and has long been considered one of the finest batsmen in world cricket. The 33-year-old is a sensation who has featured in global T20 tournaments such as the IPL, Ram Slam and Big Bash.

We spoke with him during the Proteas 2017 tour of England, to talk about the realities of being a pro cricketer and how his faith in Jesus is at the centre of it all. 

Listen to the interview here:

Listen to "17 Aug: Faf du Plessis & Tiffany Porter" on Spreaker.

Christian Taylor's Leap of Faith

US Triple Jump world champion leaps through the air at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London (Photo: Enigma Sports)

Double Olympic and three-time world champion in the men's triple jump, Christian Taylor recorded his PB of 18 metres 21 centimetres at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. It was (and remains, for now...!) just 8cms behind the world record set by Britain's Jonathan Edwards back in 1995. During the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London, Christian spoke to us about his hopes of one day setting a new world record, and how his life in athletics is influenced by his strong faith as a follower of Jesus Christ.

Listen to the interview here:

Listen to "31 Aug: Christian Taylor, World & Olympic triple jump Champion" on Spreaker.

"In this football world it is really tough" - Indonesia's Arthur Irawan

Everyone aspires to be the next Cristiano Ronaldo, but behind the top crop of elite players who grace our screens, there are thousands of footballers simply making their way in the game.

In a Planet Sport exclusive we caught up with Indonesia international and Persija Jakarta defender, Arthur Irawan, who spoke about his career path and the experience he has had, in professional football. This man has represented his country and been signed by a team in the Premier League, La Liga and the Indonesian Liga 1.

As a young teen he was a sharp talent who was quickly sized up by European giants Manchester United, out of the blue:

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“I was in an academy and this coach sent some of his best boys to England for some trial games. There was a Manchester United scout there who happened to be watching my game, he came up to me and asked me some questions, my parents were there too actually. He said that if I was to move here (to the UK) then I could play in the United academy. This was when I was thirteen, my parents weren’t so keen but two years later I took up on the offer.”

After this opportunity of a lifetime, Arthur was unable to obtain a work permit to play competitively in England, so had to settle for living life on the fringes at his new club.

Arthur, is a man very grateful for the opportunity, in his eyes as one door closes, another opens:

“I went to Spain for some trials, including Espanyol. So I ended up signing four years with them before I moved to Malaga. I have been through a lot of places, which is a blessing in itself from God, it’s not the typical footballer’s route, especially coming from where I do, but I don’t believe in luck, I believe in destiny. Every problem that I have faced, there has been a door to go through.”

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Destiny not luck. Arthur accredits every high and low very closely to his belief in God. This is what enabled him to accept that he couldn’t remain a Red Devil and then jump into the trials with La Liga outfits Malaga and Espanyol. A move that ultimately gave him the best years of his footballing education.

Currently, still only 24, he plays back home in Indonesia and is helping to raise the profile of Liga 1, which is now attracting top players such as Michael Essien (ex-Chelsea), Carlton Cole (ex-West Ham) and Didier Zokora (ex-Tottenham).

When asked would he be where he is today without his faith:

“No, no chance, imagine you have nothing to work for, where do you find the sense to get out bed in the morning and go train? In this football world it is really tough, you’ve just got to not doubt and trust in God.”

'Faith plays a big role in my life'

On our latest Planet Sport programme, we talk to Ruhan Nel (above), from the South Africa Rugby 7s side that recently won the 2016/17 World Series title about his rugby and faith as a follower of Jesus Christ. He told us how important his faith is to him and about the role it plays in his life.

We also hear from Indonesian International footballer Arthur Irawan. As a young boy growing up in Indonesia Irawan dreamed of one day playing football in Europe. In his teens he was spotted by a football scout and joined the Manchester United Youth Academy where he made a good impression. With tight work permit controls Arthur was unable to play competitive football in England so went to Spain before returning to Indonesia where he now plays for Persija Jakarta. He talks to us about his life and career in football. 

Listen to the programme here: 

Listen to "15 Jun: Indonesian Footballer Arthur Irawan & Ruhan Nel, South Africa Rugby 7s" on Spreaker.

Humble Beginnings: Bayern Munich's Sammy Kuffour

As this year’s UEFA Champions League Final draws ever closer, football fans from around the globe are itching to see who will stride out in competition for the Cup.  Will it be a clash of the titans as Real Madrid and Juventus battle it out together? 

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A man who knows only too well about the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with a Champions League final is Sammy Kuffour.  The former Bayern Munich and Ghana defender has seen it all. We recently caught up with the man himself to talk about his tough start in life and how things were transformed by the beautiful game.  

Kuffour, raised in Accra, Ghana, spoke of his humble beginnings and the strain that everyday living had on the family: 

“We were living in an uncompleted house, my upbringing was tough. My father was nowhere to be found and my mother would wake up early to do her job.” 

His desire to play football was clear, but before school he would shine the neighbours’ shoes, going door to door.  Attending school at that point was just a necessity.  

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“Whatever you set your eyes on, with your faith behind you, you can achieve”, he said, never losing sight of his real ambitions. His mother was supportive and encouraged Sammy to ‘do what pleased him’.  When he made the Ghana U17 squad this resulted in his mother selling the family TV so that she could buy Sammy some football boots! 

He told us about the change professional football made to his life and how his faith in God was growing in strength alongside. He recounts the U17 World Cup triumph over Spain in 1991 with his beloved Ghana, then later signing for European heavyweights Bayern Munich. Talking of the change in his life the former defender stated: 

“People may doubt you but nothing happens by accident, God knows why it happened like that. God is God and we have to respect him.” 

Fellow players were surprised at the sight of him kneeling down in prayer, before his debut in the Bundesliga against Stuttgart, teammates that would become his close friends, particularly those who shared his faith, Brazilian icons Jorginho and Ze Roberto.   

He would go on to play 175 times for Munich and spent twelve years contracted to the club, an emphatic rise from a shoe-shine boy.  

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When asked about his Champions League final experiences he has contrasting tales, first of a hurtful defeat at the hands of Manchester United in the '99 final. However, two years later he lifted the trophy second time around. This is his take: 

“It wasn’t our day, I was hurt, but two years later I had my hands on the trophy which tells you that there is a time and a season for everything. In life you can never doubt God, he can turn things around. Everything is possible for him.” 

Kuffour has always remained fully grounded in his faith in God and knows where the credit lies, on and off the pitch. 

His advice is simple, “Give God a chance to come into your life and see what he can do for you, God knows better than we do in all circumstances so we should just rely on him.”

London Marathon 2017 Special

London Marathon 2017 elite men's and women's winners Daniel Wanjiru (above left) and Mary Keitany (above right) from Kenya.

The London Marathon took place last weekend seeing thousands of runners and spectators take to the streets of the UK's capital. In a special Planet Sport programme, we hear from some of those participants and spectators and talk to the winners of the men's and women's elite races, Daniel Wanjiru and Mary Keitany from Kenya and pre-race favourite Kenenisa Bekele from Ethiopia about running the second fastest marathon of all time last September in Berlin and his career highlights including world records and Olympic titles. 

We also hear from two top Kenyan athletes, who talk about their anger and disappointment following the suspension of last year's London Marathon winner and 2016 Olympic champion, Jemima Sumgong following a doping offence.

You can listen to the programme, here:

Listen to "27 Apr: London Marathon & Sri Lankan Swimmer Julian Bolling" on Spreaker.

Memories from Athens to Beijing

This year, Passion for Sport is looking back at 25 years of broadcasting from major sporting events. The mission of Passion for Sport is to use media to introduce sports fans to Jesus. This started out as producing radio programmes but today also includes content for social media and online platforms as well.

Passion for Sport media teams at major sporting events provide reports, interviews and special interest pieces such as insights into the local culture and particularly what followers of Jesus are doing to share their faith. The team can often be made up of a mix of nationalities, producing programmes in different languages for different broadcast partners. This can bring its challenges along with technical and practical issues.

Clayton Bjelan broadcasts from his ironing board!

Clayton Bjelan from Australia remembers joining the media team for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. They were all living and working in a tiny apartment, resulting in Clayton broadcasting from an ironing board!

Part of Clayton’s role involved doing phone pieces for nine radio stations back home starting at 4:30 in the morning - much to the ‘delight’ of the others still trying to sleep. “My now infamous start to each break - “Live from Beijing!” – haunts many a person’s dreams, I’m sure,” he surmises.

Andy Atkinson from the UK was on the media team for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. He remembers: “We were going to a country where people have not seen a lot of people with a disability. While we were there everyone treated me like royalty. They were asking if I needed help or if they could help me. As an independent person, I found this very heard to deal with.”

This wasn’t Andy’s first experience of the Passion for Sport media team as he had previously raised his own funds to join the team reporting from the Paralympic Games in Athens in 2004. Also on the team for the first time was Pete Ellis (below left) who remembers:

“A team of five of us, three of whom were disabled, took on the challenge of getting around the often congested and not very well maintained streets of the city with a wheelchair and prosthetic limbs. We were based in a church building in Athens with a makeshift shower block, camp beds in Sunday school rooms and lots of stairs! Each morning we prayed together for the day’s events and trusted that God would lead us to the right people to interview.”

Unfortunately the Paralympic Games were not very well attended by the world’s media, however that gave the Passion for Sport media team more opportunities for access to venues and athletes. “Our journalists did a very professional job of getting on the court at the end of one particular basketball match to get some great interviews with the athletes, and photos alongside them with gold medals and victor’s headbands,” remembers Pete.

The 2004 Paralympic Games proved to be a life-changing experience for Andy (right). “After I came back from Athens, I was hooked on radio work and how God can reach people through radio. I volunteered for Christian radio producers HCJB (now Reach Beyond) in Bradford, working as an editor on their radio show. I did that for three years.”

It also made an impression on Pete: “Interviews from Paralympians are especially powerful because of the additional obstacles they have had to overcome in their lives as well as the hard work that any athlete has to put in to be the best in their sport. It was a great privilege to see them in action and to hear what they had to say.” 

'I grew so much in my faith'

Passion for Sport is looking back over 25 years of reporting from major sporting events such as the Olympic Games, Fifa World Cup™, All Africa Games, the Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Championships to name just a few.

The Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992 was the first major sporting event when a team of Christians worked together to produce radio programmes about sport with a Christian perspective. Passion for Sport grew out of this with its mission to use media to introduce sports fans to Jesus.

French language programme producer, Vivian Dinan (below left) looks back on his time in the media team at various events with joy and gratitude, saying: 

“Those who led the teams at these different events contributed a lot towards me being able to cherish those priceless moments . . . Their inspired leadership, their human relations approach and their professionalism made things easier, particularly when I had to go to bed very late because I had to upload reports and woke up early to attend events. I also appreciated the daily morning briefings, where we first listened to what God had to say to us through the sharing of the word by one of the team members and then take note of the tasks for the day.”

Taurai Manonge, a video cameraman who joined the team for a week during the London 2012 Olympics made a similar comment: 

“Working with other believers, sharing the faith and encouraging each other in the Lord, while enjoying one of the greatest sporting spectacles was indeed a prayer answered. I grew so much in my faith during that week and seeing the commitment and dedication of the other members who chose to serve God using their profession was a great testimony to me.”

Members of the media team have opportunities to interview top sportsmen and women, officials and fans but also the dignitaries attending the events. Vivian recalls such opportunities:

“I had the privilege at the London Olympics to interview Mr Francois Hollande, the French President. At the Beijing Olympics, I interviewed the President of the Republic of Mauritius, Sir Anerood Jugnauth. In Maputo, Mozambique I had the privilege to interview the Minister of Sport of Congo Brazzaville, Mr Léon-Alfred Opimbat. I also met and interviewed the former President of the IAAF, Mr Lamine Diack.”

As well as getting on with the job of reporting from the event and producing radio programmes, the times together as a team are special, and it seems Vivian has some memorable episodes:

Solomon Ashoms (left) and Vivian Dinan (right).

“My time . . . allowed me also to work alongside some wonderful team mates. One of them is dear to my heart – Solomon Ashoms. He has always been my room-mate and also my driver! He drove me from Johannesburg, South Africa to Maputo, Mozambique, for the All Africa Games in 2012. A trip of four hours but which took us more than eight hours. My dear driver lost directions! I must admit the return trip was much better.

“Another team mate dear to me is Pedro Arias, our Spanish language reporter. Each time we were on the team, we had fun exploring together what we think was the best place to eat. In Beijing I guess we missed our target. I think we ate dog meat in one place!”

Donate today to support Passion for Sport at major sporting events!

Celebrating 25 years!

Summer 2017 marks 25 years since the radio partnership that grew into Passion for Sport reported from its first major sporting event, the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Since then Passion for Sport has reported from a variety of events including the Olympic and Paralympic Games, FIFA World Cup™, All Africa Games, Commonwealth Games and the World Athletics Championship.

The media teams at each of these events have been made up from a variety of people, nationalities and skills. Some are staff, others volunteers or freelancers – many giving up their time and funding themselves to be involved. As a media team, they gather interviews from sportsmen and women, officials and fans, as well as local churches and Christians who view the events as outreach opportunities. The team produce programmes and then upload them to our dedicated website for broadcasters to access so they can use the material, as well as to our own website - www.planetsport.tv – for listeners to access online.

With now a quarter of a century of reporting from major sporting events, we asked some of those who have been in our media teams for their memories of their time with Passion for Sport, and over the next couple of weeks we will be sharing them with you.

Today Norman Brierley, a regular Passion for Sport reporter, looks back particularly on the All Africa Games.

“At the Africa Games, we had much easier access to athletes for interviews although technically we had greater difficulty in getting our recorded and live material back to the centre for distribution to stations.

A storm leaves the Velodrome roof in tatters at the All Africa Games in 2003.

“I remember well the Abuja, Nigeria All Africa Games in 2003 when the velodrome canvas awning was ripped apart one night by a devastating storm! We didn’t have internet access at our main centre of operations but just down the road there was a satellite link to the internet which we were able to use – when it worked.

“Nigerian roads are always full of people and vehicles and it was quite a task getting to the stadium each day. However, access into all venues, athletes and even on the sacred soil of the main stadium to celebrate the occasion was relatively easy. At the Maputo, Mozambique All Africa Games in 2011 journalists were actually surrounding the basketball court as all the seats in the auditorium were taken by spectators!”

Passion for Sport uses media to introduce sports fans to Jesus and Norman remembers when he first took hold of the evangelistic opportunity that sport broadcasting offers.

“My first introduction to using sport as a platform for spreading the gospel was at the India Ocean Games in Victoria, Seychelles in 1993 where Feba Radio started Creole broadcasts to Mauritius; we produced a nightly 30-minutes results-based programme with interviews.

“Then two years later came a much broader involvement by various groups, in using sport in Christian broadcasting, at the All Africa Games in Harare, Zimbabwe, in September 1995. I feel that Passion for Sport must have initially instigated this in some way. Several Christian organisations joined together, hosted by Feba Radio and in co-operation with the BBC, and were able to broadcast sports interviews and features over the Zimbabwe government radio stations in several local languages including English. We were also able to have a greater Africa-wide television outreach over CBN’s 700 Club.

“That was the beginning of an association with Passion for Sport over succeeding years at major sporting events such as further Africa Games, Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

“Reporting from an African sporting occasion is full of fun and incidents, and there seems to be a natural camaraderie and repartee between athlete and reporter. Many athletes would share their faith in Jesus in a very natural and convincing way and this was not only evident in their words but also by their faces.

“Our goal on every occasion is to obtain interviews with athletes who have ‘something to say’ from a spiritual perspective. When we are able to sit down with an athlete and dig a little deeper, beyond the sporting aspect of their lives, nuggets of gold are realised. This was my experience when interviewing the 2008 and 2012 Olympic 100m gold medallist, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (right) from Jamaica. The ‘Pocket Rocket’ as she was known, bubbly and full of life expressed the joy of knowing her Saviour very clearly. This interview can be heard in the latest Planet Sport programme, following the announcement that she’ll be missing the World Championships this summer as she’s pregnant.

“Passion for Sport has not only been introducing sports fans to Jesus through the testimonies of Christian athletes, it has also been challenging athletes themselves to think carefully about a lasting relationship with their Maker.”

By Norman Brierley

Fifa President 'optimistic' about African football

“When it comes to African football I’m very optimistic from what I’ve seen. For me, it has been, from the beginning one of the priorities.” 

So says Fifa President Gianni Infantino, successor to Sepp Blatter and in the role for a year now, when he was in Zimbabwe recently as part of his African tour. Planet Sport Football Africa producer Steve Vickers (who’s based in Harare) had the opportunity to ask him about his vision for African football, leading Infantino to list a number of positive developments. 

Fatma Samoura was appointed to the position of Fifa Secretary General last year.

First he mentioned Fatma Samoura from Senegal who was appointed to the position of Fifa Secretary General last year saying she “has international experience and experience in development programmes in general which will help the football development.”

He then went on to mention the Fifa Council, which shapes the sport around the world. “We have increased the number of members from Africa in the Fifa Council from four to seven . . . This gives more voice and more inclusion to the African membership.” Another increase on the horizon is the number of teams participating in the World Cup™. Currently Africa has five teams but with the final number still to be decided upon, it is clear that come 2026 it will be more than they have now.

Most significantly is the increase in financial investment that Fifa is making in African football, from $27 million a year to $94 million a year, for football projects in African Football Associations. Investment available to each Federation has increased five-fold from $250,000 a year to $1,250,000 a year.

Infantino with Zifa president Phillip Chiyangwa (right) and Zimbabwe Sports Minister Makhosini Hlongwane.

Infantino finished by saying: “I’m really convinced that when I see the passion that there is in this continent for football, if we manage to put some structures and channelling a little bit of this passion, with a little bit of work and goodwill, the results will be fantastic. And we are already seeing some of that.”

To hear Solomon Ashoms, Planet Sport Football Africa football analyst, consider whether Infantino will be good for African football, and FIfa Secretary General Fatma Samoura speak about developing women’s football in Africa, listen to Planet sport Football Africa programme 10th March 2017:

Listen to "10 Mar: Fifa President Gianni Infantino's Vision for Africa" on Spreaker.