3SC Handed N100m for Winning Dozy Mmobuosi Super Cup

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Shooting Stars FC of Ibadan have been handed a cheque of N100 million for winning the recently concluded Dozy Mmobuosi Super Cup.

The cheque was received by the club’s chairman, Babatunde Olaniyan at a ceremony in Abuja witnessed by the Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, the COO of the IMC, Davidson Owumi and representatives of the sponsors led by Dr Segun Sanni.

Olaniyan thanked the organisers of the Super Cup and IMC for organising the competition.

He said the club will make judicious use of the money.

In his remarks, Elegbeleye said Nigerian football will take back its pride of place in international football only when the league is run properly as it obtained in the 1970s and 80s. 

He said Nigeria is capable of reaching the World Cup semi-final like Morocco if the domestic league is properly run and players are well motivated and the right things are put in place. 

He said the IMC is working to make the domestic league buoyant and lucrative where clubs can have more money and players pay handsomely for their efforts. He added that it should be the duty of the league body to pay referee indemnities and not the clubs to promote fair officiating. 

   “We want a league where the least paid player in the league will be earning nothing less than 1 Million. We want to bring commercial value to our league and we intend to start the league very soon. We want a league where the first, second and the third-placed teams will get prize money at the end of the season. The clubs will be mobilised with financial support to run their activities and the referees paid as at when due. We have made arrangements not to owe any referee. The club will not be in charge of referee indemnities because we have sourced for their (referees) money for the season,” Elegbeleye said.

  In his remarks, Owumi said the essence of the press conference was to do an official presentation to the winners of the Dozy Mmobuosi Super Cup which took place in Lagos recently. 

   Four traditional clubs with continental legacies were picked by the sponsors for the maiden edition of the competition. 

  He said beginning from next season, the first eight teams in the league are going to participate in the competition which the organisers have agreed to.