The maiden edition of the Ignes Ogbonna Football Competition has debuted in Arochukwu. The competition which is the brainchild of Ignes Ogbonna Foundation officially kicked off on the 18th of October, 2020 with 17 villages registering for the competition out of the 19 villages in Aro; Amankwu and Ujari did not register.
Speaking during the kickoff, the donor, Mr. Ifeanyi Ogbonna expressed his satisfaction with the arrangements made by the LOC and promised that teams will be well taken care of. He stated that everything had been put in place for a successful tournament and announced that the winners of the competition will go home with the sum ofN1million, while 2nd place and 3rd place will go home with #500,000 and #300,000 respectively. He also added that each participating village will at the end of the tournament go home with #20,000, while the Best player and Keeper of the tournament will be rewarded with a sum of #50,000 each.
Answering questions on what motivated him to host such competition, Mr. Ogbonna said that as a lover of football and sports in general it has always been his passion to encourage young talented footballers in Arochukwu to grow in their careers. He also informed that he had invited his friends from the Ministry of Sports and scouts who will grace the final match to pick players for clubs. He encouraged players and coaches to be at their best and play with the spirit of sportsmanship.
The Chairman of the LOC of the competition, Mr. Jeff while speaking with Aro News, also emphasised on the need for players to adhere to the code of conduct of tournament. He told our correspondent that the coaches have signed an undertaking to be of good behavior during and after the competition. He informed that any team who was found guilty of misconduct will be fined or disqualified from the tournament.
As at the time of filing this report, Amoba and Amangwu were disqualified for misconduct and unruly behavior and will not take part in subsequent games organised by the Ignes Ogbonna Foundation,
Mr. Jeff also expressed optimism that the tournament will further unite Umu Aro and also cushion the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic on the youths.
The tournament is currently in its knockoutstages, while the final match is billed for the 30th of December, 2020 at ASCETA field.
No comments