Nigerian Football
Channels Kid Cup Goes International
BY CHINWE EDOGA
Like a mustard seed that grows into a big oak, the Channels Kid Cup which is in its ninth edition is going international.
The novel grass root project which had a humble beginning as a competition for primary schools in Lagos State gradually expanded to become a national competition now endorsed by the Nigeria Football Federation.
The growth did not stop there. According to a media release sent to Sports Village Square, the organizing committee of the Channels Kids Cup has confirmed readiness for the first international edition of the grassroots football tournament.
“This is the ninth edition of the competition and the first in its international series after schools from Ghana and Benin Republic confirmed availability to compete with fourteen schools chosen from the six geo-political zones in Nigeria.
“The competition is for pupils in primary school under the ages of thirteen and operates with a philosophy of zero tolerance to age cheat.
“The tournament has a strict screening policy and the process is repeated on match days to ensure schools comply to the rules and regulations of the tournament” the press release signed by Austin Okon-Akpan, head of Sports Department of Channels Television, read.
According to the chairman of the organizing committee, Steve Judo, this year’s edition has a major objective of promoting football at the grassroots.
”It goes beyond playing football. We are teaching these kids the core values that will make them good sportsmen and also making them understand the essence of combining education and sports from an early age”.
The Channels Kids Cup has also been endorsed by the Nigeria Football Federation. 1st vice chairman of the federation, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi, who also doubles as the Chairman of the Youth development committee described the competition as a model for football development in the country.
”Every year, the Channels Kids Cup keeps getting better and the NFF will continue to support the project the best way we can. It is a laudable platform to discover and nurture future champions. We should monitor it closely”. Akinwunmi concluded.
Some players from the Channels Kids Cup are already having promising football careers. The 2013 most valuable player, Million Koma is now a player of Enugu Rangers and emerged the highest goal scorer at the recently concluded NPFL U-15 promises tournament.
Simon Akpomedaye also featured in the 2013 edition with the Ogedengbe Primary School from Delta. After the tournament, he has featured for the National U-17 team, the Golden Eaglets and currently plays for Warri Wolves.
In 2015, St. Paul’s Anglican’s Afolabi Yusuf dazzled at the Lagos Preliminaries and was awarded scholarship to play football and further his education. The Channels Kids Cup is already a winning brand.
Schools will start arriving in Lagos for season nine of the competition from Saturday, May 20th 2017. The draw ceremony and unveiling of jerseys will be done on Sunday, May 21st while action will commence on Monday, at the Teslim Balogun Stadium. The final game will be played on Children’s day, May 27.
The following schools that will compete at this year’s edition.
(1) Niger State – Waziri Primary School, Minna
(2) Kwara State – Burhanudeen LGEA Primary School, Ojagboro, Ilorin
(3) Sokoto State – Turaki Model Primary School, Sokoto
(4) Ekiti State – St Augustine’s Catholic Nursery & Primary School, Osun Ekiti
(5) Edo State – Paragon Demonstration School, Benin City
(6) Rivers State – World Book Capital City Model Primary School, Port Harcourt
(7) Abia State – City Primary School Umuahia, Abia State
(8) Imo State – Community School, Ezima Obaire, Imo State
(9) Ogun State – African Church Primary School, Onibuku, Ado Odo Ota
(10) Osun State – Islamic Government School, Modakeke, Osun State
(11) Kaduna State – LGEA Jaafaru Primary School, Kaduna
(12) Kogi State – Islamiya LGEA School Kabawa, Lokoja
(13) Lagos 1 – Xplanter Primary School, Ikorodu
(14) Lagos 2 – Community Primary School, Abule Egba
(15) Ghana – Abeka 4 Basic School, New Fadama Accra
(16) Benin Republic – Saint Louis de Seme Krake
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.
It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.
Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
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