SPIRES 5-Aside: Elaho, Ilaboya thumb up organizers
It was excitement galore on Wednesday when All Saints & White Tigers secured their spots in the finals of the on going Spires 5 Aside tournament.
The semi-final final matches played at the lush green Stable Pitch, saw a gritty & determined All Saints edged ASD Academy by 1-0 while the 2nd semi- final fixture saw the biggest drama of the tournament as 2 ODDs came from 3-1 down against White Tigers to level scores and it took penalty shoot out to settle scores with White Tigers emerging victorious.
The Saturday final showdown promises to keep fans on the edge of their seats. Meanwhile, both finalists were mentored on Thursday and Friday by ex international Friday Elaho and mid field dynamo, Friday Ekpo respectively.
The Former Chairman Edo State Football Association Hon. Frank Ilaboya who was the Special Guest in the semi-finals said the Spires 5-Aside Tourney has raised the bar for street soccer tournament in Nigeria.
“This is absolutely a new level for street soccer tournament in Nigeria and I must commend Spires Media for making this happen. Tournament of this nature is all we need to propagate the true essence of grassroots football development in the nation,” Ilaboya added.
On his part, ex international Friday Elaho was full of praises for the creative and innovation that the organisers brought into the tourney.
“I am excited with the level of innovation I am seeing here,” explains the Algiers ’90 Nations Cup revelation. Elaho who mentored the players of All Saints FC and White Tigers FC in their camp added; “This Mentorship aspect is a big innovation in this tournament. I had fun with the players and officials as they were all excited to see me. In fact most of them were seeing me for the first time and you could see the joy in their faces.
“Like I said earlier, I am thrilled with this new dimension the organisers have brought into the game, kudos to them.”
The Director of Protocol for the tournament, Akin Odunsi promises a thrilling finals on Saturday.
“The finals is going to be nothing short of world class as all the logistics have been put in place”.
“Also, we are happy to announce that all the top dignitaries invited have confirmed their attendance.”
The Director General of the National Sports Commission, Chief Bukola Olopade, is the Special Guest of honour as all roads lead to the Stable Football Pitch, formerly Union Bank Sports Complex on Saturday.
Director of Protocol for the tournament Mr. Akin Odunsi, said all is set for the grand finale as he urged football fans to be present in their numbers at the Stables sports center in Surulere on Saturday.
” The final is going to be nothing short of a world class event this I can assure you, as we speak all the logistics are in place and over 90% of our invited guests have also confirmed their availability”.
In the closing events of the tournament, 2 Odds FC will Lock-horns against ASD Academy in the third placed match by 3:pm on Saturday December 7th, while the grand finale between All Saints FC and White Tigers FC will get on the way by 4:10 pm at the Stables football pitch in Surulere.
The winner of the Spires 5-Aside Naija Street Soccer Tournament will receive the sum of 5 million naira in prize money. The runners up will pocket 3 million, while the third placed team will get 1 million naira.
There will also be individual prizes for the MVP, the most outstanding goalkeeper, best coach, the Top goal scorer, as well as the team of the tournament.
