Kwara United Football Club of Ilorin have emerged the 2013 champion of the Kwara state Federation Cup as they pipped hard-fighting state rivals, Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) Football Club 1-0 in the final match played at the main bowl of the Kwara State Sports Complex, Ilorin on Saturday.
Kwara United’s goal did not come until the 89th minute of play.
ABS Team Manager, Alloy Chukwuemeka, attributed the team’s loss to the large number of injured players on his side.
“My team was depleted by injuries sustained by top players as the Nigeria Premier League hots up.”
The club which belongs to the former Governor of Kwara state, Bukola Saraki had rested all its key players while they paraded mostly injured players with the club’s first choice goalkeeper David Walbe playing from the right full-back as well as hanging the captain band.
Chukwuemeka explained that first team players like Fade Adebayo, Abdulrahman Bashir, Akeem Onigbari, Idris Aloma, Abubakar Yusuf, Ibrahim Abdulahi, Akeem Audu, Zenke Thomas, Ismaila Suleiman, Ichull Lordson, Ajannah Chinedu, Jonah Usman and Emma Onyeka were all missing on the line up as the management said the state FA Cup final was not its priority. Meanwhile, ABS FC will on Monday travel to Maiduguri to face North-east opponent Elkanemi Warriors in the week 10 fixtures of the Nigeria Premier League.
ABS would leave Maiduguri after the encounter for yet another away game to Sunshine Stars of Akure next weekend.
