FEDERATION CUP
President Federation Cup: At least five Premier clubs are doomed for elimination
No fewer than five clubs in the Nigeria Premier League will be eliminated this week from the President Federation Cup.
At the moment, 11 of the 17 premier league clubs are on course as the knock-out competition gets to the Round of 32.
Undoubtedly, the non-application of seeding has seen five fixtures pitching the top clubs together while another five pitched lower division clubs against one another.
The remaining six pairings have premier league clubs facing lower ranked teams. These include: relegation-threatened Akwa United facing Zamfara United in Abuja and Gombe United facing former top division sides, El-Kanemi Warriors in Kaduna.
Another ‘mixed fixture’ will see Premier sides, Kwara United facing Warri Wolves while Abia Warriors will face Sporting Supreme of the FCT.
Premier sides, Bendel Insurance will face Wikki Tourists of Bauchi as Enyimba are pitched against Akwa Ibom’s FC Rockets.
But nothing is guaranteed to the Premier League sides as knockout competitions are replete with underdogs upstaging power houses.
No matter the situations, five of the Premier League are doomed for elimination. Former champions Lobi Stars and Shooting Stars in a “Star War” in Awka.
Plateau United and Sunshine Stars are meeting in Abuja just as Rivers United will face fellow Premier League sides, Niger Tornadoes in Auchi.
Katsina United and Bayelsa United will play in Abuja while Doma United face Kano Pillars in Bauchi.
MEN’S ROUND OF 32 FIXTURES
Bendel Insurance (Edo) Vs Wikki Tourists (Bauchi) – Abuja Area 3 – 22/05/24 – 4pm
EFCC FC (FCT) Vs Edel FC (Anambra) – Ilorin – 22/05/24 – 4pm
ABS FC (Kwara) Vs Kebbi United (Kebbi) – Abuja Goal Project – 23/05/24 – 4pm
Akwa United (Akwa Ibom) Vs Zamfara United Feeders (Zamfara) – Abuja Bwari – 23/05/24 – 4pm
Gombe United (Gombe) Vs El-Kanemi Warriors (Borno) – Kaduna – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Lobi Stars (Benue) Vs Shooting Stars (Oyo) – Awka – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Ikorodu City (Lagos) Vs Coal City (Enugu) – Benin City – 23/05/24 – 4pm
Hammola Int’l (Osun) Vs Inter Lagos (Lagos) – Ibadan – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Warri Wolves (Delta) Vs Kwara United (Kwara) – Enugu – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Abia Warriors (Abia) Vs Sporting Supreme (FCT) – Benin City – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Nasarawa United (Nasarawa) Vs Sokoto United (Sokoto) – Kano – 22/05/24 – 4pm
FC One Rocket (Akwa Ibom) Vs Enyimba FC (Abia) – Yenagoa – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Plateau United (Plateau) Vs Sunshine Stars (Ondo) – Abuja Goal Project – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Rivers United (Rivers) Vs Niger Tornadoes (Niger) – Auchi – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Katsina United (Katsina) Vs Bayelsa United (Bayelsa) – Abuja Bwari – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Doma United (Gombe) Vs Kano Pillars (Kano) – Bauchi – 22/05/24 – 4pm
FEDERATION CUP
Rivers Angels Crowned 2025 Female Federation Cup Champions After Penalty Shootout Thriller
Rivers Angels have clinched the 2025 Female Federation Cup title following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Nasarawa Amazons at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos.
The pulsating final lived up to expectations, ending 2-2 in regulation time after both sides traded goals in a fiercely contested encounter. With no breakthrough in added time, the match proceeded to penalties, where Rivers Angels prevailed 4-2.
This latest triumph reinforces the Port Harcourt-based club’s dominance in Nigerian women’s football. Already one of the most decorated teams in the country, Rivers Angels have now added yet another prestigious trophy to their ever-growing silverware collection.
Their resilience and composure under pressure once again highlight why they remain a benchmark in the domestic women’s game
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FEDERATION CUP
Kwara United Clinch Historic First Title as President Federation Cup Final Goes to Penalties for the 18th time
For the 18th time in history, Nigeria’s national cup final was decided by the lottery of penalties, and on Saturday in Lagos, it was Kwara United who emerged victorious, claiming their first-ever major trophy.
The President Federation Cup final between Kwara United and Abakaliki FC ended goalless after regulation time at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, prompting a shootout to determine the 2024 champion. Kwara United triumphed 4-3 in the tense penalty decider.
This latest penalty shootout marked the 18th time since 1983 that the cup final has gone down to spot kicks. The first such instance was 41 years ago when Enugu Rangers edged DIC Bees of Kaduna 5-4 after a 0-0 draw.
Kwara United’s triumph writes them into Nigerian football history as the 33rd different club to win the country’s oldest football competition, previously known as the Challenge Cup and later the FA Cup.
With the victory, Kwara United also secured a continental ticket and will join Abia Warriors in representing Nigeria in the 2024/25 CAF Confederation Cup.
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A rich blend of political heavyweights, football stakeholders, and entertainment stars will converge on the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos, this Saturday for the grand finale of the 2024 President Federation Cup.
In a throwback to the competition’s original identity as the “Governor’s Cup” in 1945, no fewer than four State Governors will grace the final, which pits surprise package Abakaliki FC of Ebonyi State against top-tier Kwara United.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos will serve as host, welcoming his counterparts — Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, and Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (rtd) — to the historic venue.
Also expected at the event are high-ranking government functionaries, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Seyi Tinubu; the President’s Senior Special Adviser on Grassroots Sports Development, Anthony Adeyinka Adeboye; and other prominent figures in the Nigerian political and sports landscape.
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President and WAFU B boss, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, will lead the football governing body’s Executive Committee and Management to the event, while Alhaji Abubakar Lawal will head the delegation from GTI Asset Management, strategic partners of the NFF.
The Lagos State Football Association and the Lagos State Sports Commission will also have a strong presence, with several members of the State Cabinet scheduled to attend. Football greats, including former WAFU President Chief Jonathan Ogufere and sports journalism icon Segun Adenuga, have also confirmed their attendance.
As part of the celebration of Nigeria’s football heritage, the Lagos FA will honour Pa Biliaminu Thanni, the oldest living winner of Nigeria’s national cup competition.
Saturday’s spectacle will kick off with the women’s final at 1 p.m., featuring defending champions Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt against Nasarawa Amazons of Lafia. The men’s final between Abakaliki FC and Kwara United follows at 4 p.m.
The Mobolaji Johnson Arena, formerly known as King George V Stadium, is steeped in history. It hosted the inaugural national cup final in 1945 and remained the sole venue until 1972 when the final had to be replayed in Ibadan after a 2-2 draw between Bendel Insurance and Mighty Jets.
This year’s final promises to be a nostalgic yet contemporary celebration of Nigerian football, enriched by the presence of key political figures and icons of the game.
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