Eguavoen, Amokachi Commend 1XBET for Sponsoring Grassroots Football Tourney
Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF), Austin Eguavoen and former Super Eagles Captain, Daniel Amokachi, have commended leading sports betting company, 1XBET, for giving opportunities to Nigerian youths to groom their soccer talents at the grassroots.
The grassroots football competition sponsored by 1XBET is scheduled for between October 3 and November 10 in Lagos.
Speaking at the unveiling of the 1BET Football Tournament trophy and draw ceremony at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Lagos yesterday, both ex-internationals said they didn’t have the kind of opportunities provided by the the sports betting company when they were growing up.
Eguavoen who is a former Super Eagles player and coach recalled that tournaments like the 1XBET Grassroots Tournament “is opportunity for players to showcase their God-given talents and possibly get the traction that will give wings to their careers as footballers.”
He therefore urged other corporate entities to emulate 1XBET in helping to grow Nigeria sports from the grassroots.
Amokachi stressed that because football unites people more than anything else, “we can use it to unite Nigerians to be great again.”
Fondly called “Da Bull”during his national team days, Amokachi also recalled how in 1996, football (the AFCON) brought South Africans together despite all that they went through in the dark days of apartheid.
“God used the AFCON in 1996 to unite South Africans. Although if Super Eagles had participated as defending champions the story may have been different, Bafana Bafana winning the tournament at home meant so much to the people,” recalled Amokachi.
Chairman of 1XBET, Dr Femi Babalola who expressed his enthusiasm over the tournament, described it as one of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibilities. The 1XBET Chairman pledged to make it a national event in subsequent editions.
Chairman of the Nigerian National League (NNL) board, Mr George Aluo and former coach and General Secretary of the NFF, Fanny Amun were amongst some of the football personalities that grace the event at Radisson Blu in Ikeja.
Also at the event were several ex-international players like Henry Nwosu, Franklin Howard, Taiwo Oloyede, Friday Ekpo, Wasiu Ipaye, Monday Kanu, Friday Elahor, Peter Nieketen, Victor Agali, and others.
Forty teams drawn into eight groups to play in round-robin format in five conferences, were selected from all the local government areas of Lagos State.
According to the CEO of Match International Limited, organisers of the tournament, Waidi Akanni, the winning team is to receive a gold plated trophy and N1million prize money. The runners up , third place winners and semi finalists will also smile home with several cash prizes courtesy 1XBET.
