It was all glitz and glamour on Saturday at the Sheikh Abdulkadir College, Ilorin, when the Taiwo Awoniyi sponsored football tournament kicked off amidst pomp and pageantry.
Tagged ‘Never stop dreaming cup’, nothing short of great display of soccer artistry and excitement in the opening match where Unicorn Football Academy defeated Sunshine FC 2-0 via a spot kick scored by Shuaib Mujeeb in the early minutes of the game.
Speaking at the colorful event, the Chief Coach of Unicorn FA, Coach Abdulrazaq Olojo, who is also the grassroot Coach of Taiwo Awoniyi, expressed his delight at the tournament.
“I am very happy about this tournament. This is one of the many gestures of Taiwo Awoniyi in giving back to his society and we believe that this competition will still offer us the opportunity to discover more talents like the sponsor,” he said.
While urging all the teams to take advantage of the tournament to expose their players, he commended the organizing committee for ensuring a hitch-free exercise.
“I want to specially thank Awoniyi for not forgetting his background. He has always been an inspiration to many youths and I believe that this championship will help other footballers to emulate him and spur them to do more,” he added.
The Chairman of the organizing committee, Coach Mustapha Olokode, admonished all the participating teams to be of good conduct and behavior during the course of the tournament.
“We will give a level playing ground to all the teams and ensure that we deliver the best of event” said Olokode who urged all the teams to cooperate with the organizing committee.
The 26-team format tournament is expected to pull no fewer than 500 players across the state together.
While the eventual winner be smiling home with a cash prize of N1 million, the runners-up will get N700,000 while the third place winner will scoop N500,000.
Outstanding players at the end of the tournament are also expected to bag home many gifts, including cash prizes and football materials.
