Sixteen male grassroot football teams will showcase their quality brand of football artistry with the target of claiming the ultimate prize, as the maiden edition of the Obasa Cup kicks off at the Okusanya Primary School pitch, Orile-Agege, Lagos State.
Powered by Kings Sports International, the tourney kicks off on Monday with the game between Premier Skills and Lapero.
Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Mr. Abdulganiyu Obasa rolled out the essence of the grassroot football tournament, and what they hope to achieve at the end.
“The Obasa Cup is in honor of the Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Rt. Honorable Mudashiru Obasa.
“Obasa, a seasoned lawyer and lawmaker representing Agege Constituency 1, is the highest ranking member of the house and was re-elected as Speaker for a third consecutive term in the 10th assembly.
“Obasa Cup is a platform for these grassroot teams, and players to showcase their talent and in the end, a career pathway for them to bigger teams in Nigeria and Europe.
“We are expecting a few football scouts (local and foreign) and football managers to be at match venues during the tourney to identify raw talents.
“This is the maiden edition, the plan is to expand it beyond the nooks and crannies of Agege to other parts of Lagos, as the season comes.
“Lack of funds is a major barrier for most grassroot teams, the N1 million largesse that has been set aside for the winners, 1st and 2nd runners-up will massively make an impact on them going forward.
“For the reward of football excellence, the winners of the tournament will take home N500,000, while 1st runners-up and 2nd runners-up will smile home with N300,000 and N200,000 respectively.”
For Coach Ogundele Rotimi, a member of the LOC, “This tourney will stand out from others that have been hosted before in Agege when you look at the age cap we have set, 21years below, and the standard we want to achieve in terms of play from the teams.”
As regards officiating and security measures the LOC put in place, Mudashiru stated, “Top quality grassroots referees will be used during the matches as they are a key element in any championship.
“The safety of the teams, match officials and indeed fans is a top priority for the Local Organizing Committee, as we have assurances from both Agege Local Government and Orile-Agege LCDA, the Nigeria Police, and Lagos State Neighborhood Watch to provide adequate security on every match day.
“We are lucky that there are functional Police Stations located in Agege and its environs. From Isokoko, Elere, Railway, and Dopemu. We do have backup plans, in terms of providing protocols and stewards during matches at the different locations.”
