AMAPROBet9ja Football Championship semifinal wrap: Abraysport pips SGFC to set up final against KFA

Abraysports Football Club will be taking on Kwara Football Academy (KFA) in the final of 2023 AMAPRO Bet9ja Football Championship billed for Sunday in Ilorin. 

The final will be Abraysports' second in three years having been a losing in 2021 against NNL All Stars. 

The team led by former NPFL icon, Sarafa Usman defeated SGFC Athletics by a lone goal in the first semi-final played at the Pitch A of KFA. 

Sholabi Bode headed home a good corner from Adebayo Suraj just nine minutes into the match. 

SGFC had themselves to blame for the defeat having missed number of chances created with Samuel Bamigboye the major culprit. 

The second semifinal saw KFA recorded the same scoreline against HMK FC from Osogbo courtesy of Mukhtar Habeeb's brilliant finish as he capitalized on a lose ball in HMK defense. 

Sunday Samuel went close to doubling the lead for KFA in the second half but was denied by HMK goalkeeper.

The Coach Ladi Ojokojo boys will be playing in their first ever final of AMAPRO championship which will be against one of their city rivals, Abraysports.

According to BrainBehind of the championship, Shogo Shodunnke, fantastic prizes have been set aside for King of AMAPRO, top scorer and best goalkeeper.

Shodunnke added that Executive Chairman of Kwara State Sports Commission, Mallam Bola Mogaji, Chairman of Kwara State Football Association, Alhaji Abdullahi Idris will be among the top dignitaries expected at the final. 

NNL All Stars won the last edition of the AMAPRO Bet9ja Football Championship after beating NPFL All Stars 3-2 on penalties.

AMAPRO Bet9ja Football Championship Quarter-final wrap: Abraysports, HMK, KFA zoom to last four

 

The trio of SGFC Athletics, Abraysports and HMK FC, all from the Nationwide League One (NLO) have been joined by Kwara Football Academy (KFA) in the semi-final of 2023 AMAPRO Bet9ja Football Championship taking place in Ilorin.

The Quarter-final matches that were decided on Friday produced enthralling encounters.

Opening match of the quarter-final was between SGFC Athletics and Nigeria National League (NNL) All Stars which ended 1-0 in favor of the latter.

Samuel Bamigboye scored the lone goal of the match in the 73rd minute after both sides had fluffed numerous begging chances.

Abraysports got the better of Jazzy Stars FA from Jos with 3-0 victory in the second quarterfinal engagement. 

Two quick first half goals from Onatola Ayobami and Quadri Hammed put the NLO side in the driving seat. 

Jazzy Stars tried to stage rally in the second half but met a more resolute Abraysporty side. Subomi Olatunji put the icing on the cake with third goal to seal the last four spot.

The encounter between Dickalo FA and HMK FC from Osun State was decided on penalties with the latter winning 4-3 on penalties after 1-1 in the normal time. 

Ibrahim Akinade shot HMK to the lead in the 17th minute with a sublime free kick that left Dickalo keeper stranded.

Emmanuel Damilola got the equalizer for Dickalo within seconds into restart. Both sides would then canceled each other out for the remainder of the game until it headed to shootouts that was deservedly won 4-3 by HMK, thanks to brilliant goalkeeping by Okotore Rasheed. 

The last match of the quarterfinal between KFA and NPFL All Stars was also decided by penalties.

The young academy boys marched the NPFL big boys for strength as they held on to a goalless affair in normal time. 

The host boys won the shootouts by 5-3 to pick the last ticket for the semi-final. 

SGFC Athletics and Abraysports will square up for the first semifinal on Saturday by 7:15am at the Pitch A of KFA while HMK FC will then be taking on KFA in the second semifinal match by 9:20am. 

The grand finale will be decided on Sunday at the same venue.

Former Shooting Stars and Vandrezzer striker, Kola Daniel is currently leading the goalscorer's chart with five goals.

Nigeria Bundelisga Scouting tourney: Eintracht Frankfurt selects exciting youngsters

The maiden edition of Dino Sporting Club Nigeria Bundelisga Scouting Competition has come and gone, but the clubs will reap the benefits for long time.

The tournament held in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State had Eintracht Frankfurt Sporting Director Frank Sebastian and Chief Scout Corlineus Kruesser in attendance.

Registered FIFA German agents Darlington Omodiagbe and Lakunle Awoyale were also on ground to monitor the players for the entire four days.

Several players have been selected for further development in Germany, with possibility of signing lucrative deal either Eintracht Frankfurt or any interested clubs.

The agents also aim to send footage of the players to other European clubs for further assessments.

Speaking to the media, Frank Sebastian said, Sporting Director Frank Sebastian and Corlineus Kruesser, said :

"Our duty is to pick the best players, and the club we decide. almost all the players delivered. So it's difficult to pick, really.

"It's nice to see many kids playing with high level."

"Maybe with more work, they'll be ready for Europe. They are nice kids with great talents." He said.

Eintracht Frankfurt Chief Scout, Corlineus Kruesser also praised the competitive level of the scouting football tournament.

"We are pleased with everything we saw, the teams played great football with great intensity and tactics."

"We have identified some players, but we can't name them for now because the list is long . We will present the list to the club and we see."

"Nigeria has talents, maybe we'll come back in future." 

Brain behind the initiative, CEO of Dino Sporting Club Samuel Columbus, said the tournament exceeded expectations, stating that discovering talents for the country has always been his passion.

"It was a good tournament, as you can see we had teams from each region of the country."

"The tournament has come to stay, and we are thinking of holding another one towards the end of the year."

”We got a new dimension to scouting activities and development of young players, We will continue to do our best to ensure that talented players reach their goal."

Recalled Box2Box defeated Abray Sports Club at the mainbowl of Otunba Dipo Dina Stadium, Ijebu Ode to win the Nigeria Bundelisga Scouting Competition.

Box2Box FC wins inaugural Dino Nigeria Bundelisga football tournament

 

Box2Box FC are the winners of the inaugural Dino Sporting Club and Nigeria Bundelisga Scouting Competition.

The Lagos State based side clinched the title after defeating Abray Sports Club of Kwara state 5-4 on penalties in the final of the tournament held at the Otunba Dipo Dina Stadium, Ogun State on Friday night.

Enrout to final, Box2Box defeated Sporting Bethel FC 3-0 in the first semi-final, while Abray Sports Club edged hosts Dino Sporting Club 2-1 in a closely contested second semi.

The title match however was a cagey affair, with both side cancelling each other out during the regulation time.

There was nothing to separate them after 90 minutes and the tie was decided with penalties.

Box2Box held their nerves in the penalty shootout, and won 5-4 to the delight of the crowd in the stadium.

It was a fantastic and thrilling end to the first edition of the tournament, which had ten teams in attendance and lasted for four days. 

Eintracht Frankfurt Sporting Director Frank Sebastian and head of scouts Corlineus Kruesser were in attendance.

Registered FIFA and German agents Darlington Omodiagbe and Lakunle Awoyale, were also in attendance alongside Sportacus boss Seyi Jones.

Evolution Cup: Organisers conclude draws, set sights on biggest NLO preseason tourney

 

All is now set for the maiden edition of the NLO Preseason Invitational tournament, Evolution Cup to take centre stage with the draws of the competition being decided on Saturday.

The draws which held at the Remo Stars Stadium Complex in Ikenne was witnessed by the organisers and the representatives of the participating teams.

Speaking at the brief event, Olatoye Olawale, the Project Strategist thanked the teams for embracing the tournament which aims at creating a veritable avenue for them to prepare for the league, network among themselves and develop their players.

"We need to celebrate NLO; not just as a foundational league for Elite football in the country but as a pool of talents where exceptional players are being produced for the top teams within and outside the country" said the Project Strategist

Stressing the need for maximum cooperation from the teams in a bid to achieve success, he urged them to engender an healthy rivalry and imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship, saying the tourney is not 'a do or die affair'.

The climax of the event was the unveiling of the giant trophy and presentation of souvenirs to the  teams representatives present at the draws.

For the draw proper, the ten invited teams were divided in to groups A and B and will seek to edge out each other in a thrilling and fun filled 5-days soccer fiesta.

Highlighting group A are Hammola FC and Olansile FC from Osun State; Ilaji FC from Ibadan; Ekiti based Olukismet FC and SGFC Athletic from Lagos.

Others that would be doing battle in group B are Rolly FC from Edo State, Right2Win FC of Abia State, Abraysports FC from Kwara State with Magic Stars FC and Beyond Limits FC from Lagos and Remo respectively.

For the opening game billed for Monday, February 21, it's going to be an Osun derby when Hammola FC takes on Olansile FC. And while Ilaji FC will be trading tackles with Olukismet FC, SGFC Athletic will be out of Group A schedules in the first day.

In Group B, Rolly FC and Right2Win will be rolling out their aces for maximum points while Abraysports and Magic Stars will lock horns in another encounter. Beyond Limits FC are drawn Bye in the first day.

The competition is billed for Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne from February 21-26.

Organisers announce date for Evolution Cup draws

The draw for the maiden edition of Evolution Cup will be held at Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne on Saturday, 5 February, 2022, the organizers announced. 

Evolution Cup 2022, which is scheduled to take place from 21 February to 26 February at Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne will see Nationwide League (NLO) teams battle in a preseason tournament ahead of the new season. 

“We are ready for the draw on Saturday and I believe the teams can’t wait to see their pairings too. It will go down at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, which is also the venue for the tournament. 

“We want to use this tournament as a platform to make good preparations for NLO teams going into the new season”. Project strategist, Olatoye Olawale said. 

The draw is expected to start by 2pm on Saturday, 5th of February, 2022 with teams representative and other stakeholders in attendance.

The tournament, sponsored by Alphakay International Sports and Packaged by Sportflames communication will feature Abraysports FC, Right 2 Win FC, Olansile FC, Hammola International FC and Beyond Limits FC.

Other teams that would be rolling out their aces for the 5-day soccer fiesta are Rolly FC, Magic Stars FC, Olukismet FC, Ilaji FC and SGFC Athletics .

LiveScores donates customized kits to Abraysports to strengthen ties

 

The club has received a donation of jerseys from the popular sports update website, Livescores.

Livescores donated the jersey to the club to test run a relationship that might yield more possible benefits in the future.

The colour of the jersey is black with an orange stripe at the neck which represents the colour of the website. The black and yellow colour represents the identity of the club.

Speaking on the gesture from Livescores, Abdullahi Yusuf, the Chairman of Abraysports commends the website and believes this will be the beginning of more collaboration between both parties.

"Actually, this is the first step to create a relationship between the club and the website.

"However, I must commend the website for the jerseys and the trust they have with the club. As a club, we believe both parties will benefit from future collaboration. 

Abraysports is an NLO side that compete in the Amateur 1. They narrowly missed out on the qualification playoffs on goal difference at Fed Poly Ekiti in Ekiti center.

The youth side of the team are currently third on the Kwara Youth League table and will play against ZA'AJ FA on Saturday 15, 2021.