Tayo Ogunseye
The maiden edition of the Lagos MiniFootball League got off to a colourful start on Friday at the newly constructed playing field at Keke Primary School, Agege, with former Super Eagles striker Victor Ikpeba, Lagos State Football Association Chairman Hajji Liameed Gafar and other prominent sports personalities gracing the opening ceremony.
The historic championship, organised by the Lagos MiniFootball Association under the leadership of Agege Local Government Chairman, Hon. Abdul-Ganiyu Vinod Obasa, attracted a large turnout of spectators, particularly residents of the Agege community, who were treated to the fast-paced excitement of MiniFootball at close range.
MiniFootball is a six-a-side version of football played on a reduced-sized pitch under its own Laws of the Game. The sport is governed globally by the World MiniFootball Federation (WMF), continentally by the Africa MiniFootball Confederation (AMC), while the Nigeria MiniFootball Association oversees its administration in the country.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Hon. Obasa stressed the importance of sports as a catalyst for youth development, saying grassroots competitions provide opportunities to discover talents, empower young people and create economic pathways through sports. He added that the introduction of MiniFootball in Agege would encourage school-age children to embrace sports as a means of personal growth while helping steer them away from social vices. He also appreciated residents of the local government for supporting initiatives aimed at improving the community.
The opening league fixture lived up to expectations as Moonlock Football Academy and Shuffle Select produced a thrilling 5-5 draw. After falling behind, Moonlock staged a spirited comeback to earn a share of the points in what became an entertaining curtain-raiser for the competition.
A novelty match also formed part of the celebrations, with the Lagos MiniFootball Association Chairman leading the Agege All-Stars against the Lagos All-Stars captained by Nigeria MiniFootball Association President Alhaji Umar Datti Yusuf. The Lagos All-Stars featured Hajji Liameed Gafar, Victor Ikpeba and several former Nigerian internationals.
After the exhibition game, Yusuf praised Hon. Obasa for staging the league, describing the initiative as a major boost for the growth of MiniFootball in Nigeria. According to him, the competition will provide an avenue to identify talented players who can strengthen Nigeria’s squads for the upcoming Africa MiniFootball Confederation Women’s Nations Cup in Cameroon later this year and the Men’s Nations Cup in Guinea next January.
He also commended the impressive turnout at the opening ceremony, noting that the large attendance reflected the growing popularity of MiniFootball among football lovers.
“Chairman Hon. Abdul-Ganiyu Vinod Obasa is a blessing to Nigeria MiniFootball Association for what he’s doing by hosting the Lagos MiniFootball League in Agege. This is very unprecedented. He’s touching lives with the great things he’s doing in Agege even beyond. This League is exciting to us because it will help us in getting the right players who will represent Nigeria at the AMC Women’s Nation Cup in late September this year and Men’s Nations Cup in January next year. I’m also very happy at the turnout and the attendence at this opening ceremony. This only means that MiniFootball is attractive to all and enjoyable as well.”
The Lagos MiniFootball League will be played every Saturday and Sunday throughout August, with participating teams competing for prize money and the opportunity to showcase emerging talents in one of Nigeria’s newest grassroots football competitions.
