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Tag: Eko International Cup

  • Eko International Cup success  excites Ikorodu City

    Eko International Cup success  excites Ikorodu City

    By Kareem Yusuf

    Ikorodu City football Club, a Nigeria Professional Football League outfit, have expressed excitement over winning the Eko International Cup on Sunday

    The team emerged champions of the EIC, a pre-season football tournament, after recording a 1-0 victory over Smart City FC at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan.

    Emmanuel Solomon scored the only goal of the encounter barely one minute into the game.

    Media Officer of Ikorodu City, Sam Bamisebi, said the victory was a morale booster for the team but more importantly, It was a good test for the new players.

     “The management and technical crew were delighted about the trophy. It is not about winning but the fact that the boys were all hungry for success with the team.

     “We are used to Smart City from coaches to players and so it was a tough match. The team is still work in progress because we paraded some academy players for assessment. It was a good tournament overall.”

    It was the final of a highly interesting and engaging tournament involving four top teams in the NPFL and two other teams in the domestic league.

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    SKI-Hi Entertainment, in collaboration with the Lagos State Government, staged the competition to prepare teams for the next football season and also to entertain lovers of the game in Lagos in the off-season period.

    Ikorodu City played 2-2 with Shooting Stars in the first match and also earned a technical victory over Rivers United to qualify for the final.

    Smart city however defeated 36 Lions 3-1 and Remo Stars 1-0 to book a final berth.

    In the Third Place match, Rivers United were ruthless against Remo Stars, winning 3-0 with two goals from Philip Odubia and one from Ubong Friday.

    Executive Director, Publicity and Strategy for the Local Organising Committee of the EIC, Onome Obruthe, said the tournament has achieved its purpose.

    “It was a huge success and we are very happy because all the teams had fun. Our plan is to stage a bigger pre-season tournament next year and the planning starts immediately,” Obruthe said.

  • Ikorodu City, 3SC to open Eko International Cup

    Ikorodu City, 3SC to open Eko International Cup

    The organisers of the Eko International Cup have confirmed six teams taking part in the pre-season competition, expected to start on Sunday, July 13, at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos.

    Speaking during a press parley in Lagos, the Executive Director, Publicity and Strategy for the Local Organising Committee of the EIC, Onome Obruthe, said two clubs from Benin Republic and Ghana pulled out due to other pressing issues with only FC Kallon of Sierra Leone joining other five clubs from Nigeria.

    Ikorodu City, which is the host of the competition, was joined with other super power in the Nigeria Premier Football League like Shooting Stars, Remo Stars, Rivers United and Enyimba.

    In the draws conducted yesterday, Ikorodu City, Shooting Stars and Rivers United are in Group A while FC Kallon would be joined in Group B by Remo Stars and Enyimba.

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    According to Obruthe, they are looking forward to an interesting tournament with Ikorodu City and Shooting Stars renewing their South West rivalry on the opening day of the pre-season.

    Also present at the presser were representatives of some of the sponsors with MTN, Betking and others alongside the Lagos State Football Association also around to lend their support to the international tournament.

    Speaking with our correspondent, the representative of MTN, Friday Okuwe, who is the Senior Manager, Brands & Communications at the company, said they will continue to support football in Nigeria as they believe one of the things that bring Nigerians together in football hence their involvement in a project like Eko International Cup.

  • Enyimba, 3SC begin preps for Eko International Cup

    Enyimba, 3SC begin preps for Eko International Cup

    Enyimba Football Club of Aba and Shooting Stars of Ibadan have resumed camp in preparation for the forthcoming Eko International Cup football tournament taking place in Lagos

    The two elite teams in the Nigeria Professional Football League started training last weekend respectively to gradually build up for the tournament involving eight teams.

    The pre-season football tournament, which runs between July 6 and 13, takes place at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, formerly Onikan Stadium, with two matches to be played on a daily basis.

    SKI-Hi Entertainment, in collaboration with the Lagos State Government, is organizing the competition to prepare teams for the next football season and also to entertain lovers of the game in the off-season period.

    Five NPFL teams have been confirmed to take part in the tournament with two others coming from outside the country.

    They are Remo Stars, Ikorodu City, Shooting Stars, Enyimba of Aba, and two other teams expected to be unveiled soon. The two teams expected from other parts of the continent are FC Kallon of Sierra Leone and Heart of Oak of Ghana.

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    Originally, FC Dadje of Republic of Benin were on the cards for the highly-anticipated event but only last week, the team wrote a letter to the organisers to be excused due to a clash of events involving the team which won the league title last term in Benin Republic.

    The Executive Director, Publicity and Strategy for the Local Organizing Committee of the EIC, Onome Obruthe, said the late withdrawal would not affect the scope of the tournament.

    Obruthe said: “We had some teams on standby in case of issues like this, and we are bringing them in once we tidy all discussions with their respective management teams.

     “We are counting down already and can’t wait to get started. We are excited about the support coming from our partners and sponsors like MTN and Bigi Drinks.”

  • Eko International Cup: Organisers confirm Kotoko, other continental teams for Eko Cup

    Eko International Cup: Organisers confirm Kotoko, other continental teams for Eko Cup

    The organisers of the forthcoming Eko International Cup have confirmed that three teams from outside Nigeria will take part in the highly anticipated pre-season football tournament.

    SKI-Hi Entertainment in collaboration with the Lagos State Government is staging the competition expected to feature a total of eight teams.

    After consultations with the originally invited teams,  the organisers  yesterday confirmed that five teams from the Nigeria Professional Football League will take part in the tournament.

    They are; Remo Stars, Ikorodu City, Shooting Stars, Enyimba of Aba and one other team expected to be unveiled soon. The three teams expected from other parts of the continent are FC Kallon of Sierra Leone, Ashanti Kotoko of Ghana and FC Dadje of Republic of Benin.

    The Executive Director, Publicity and Strategy for the Local Organizing Committee of the EIC, Onome Obruthe, said there have been so much work on the logistics of the participating teams.

    Obruthe said: ”It is not as easy as we look at it ordinarily. Each of the teams have plans but the template we put before them is also a progressive one aimed at boosting their preparations for the new season.

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     “Many other factors will have to be considered but we are happy to have three teams coming from outside Nigeria while our original four teams in the NPFL have signified intention to take part. The new addition in Nigeria will be confirmed officially later this week.

     “We are excited about the progress so far and we intend to create more awareness in the coming days with the help of our sponsors and partners respectively.”

    The pre-season football tournament which runs between July 6 and 13 takes place at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, formerly Onikan Stadium with two matches to be played on a daily basis.

    Apart from telecommunications giants, MTN, Bigi Drinks and Lagos State Government are also partners of the project.

  • Eko International Cup: Remo Stars confirm readiness for big pre-season tourney

    Eko International Cup: Remo Stars confirm readiness for big pre-season tourney

    Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) champions, Remo Stars of Ikenne, have confirmed readiness for the  forthcoming Eko Cup International Football Tournament (EIC).

    The  big pre-season tournament is billed to take place between July 6th  and 13th  at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos In collaboration with the Lagos State Government, SKI-Hi Entertainment is staging the competition expected to feature a total of eight teams.

    Aside  Remo Stars,  other teams  expected to feature at  include Ikorodu United, Shooting Stars and Enyimba of Aba. The four teams expected from other parts of the continent are FC Kallon of Sierra Leone, Accra Hearts of Oak, Ghana, SuperSports United FC of South Africa and FC Dadje of Republic of Benin.

    Incidentally, the organisers of the highly-anticipated tournament recently  got confirmation from the top management of Remo Stars about the readiness of the team to take part in the competition.

    It was further revealed that Remo Stars management is already working on strengthening the team in readiness for the continental assignment of the league champions.

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    The Executive Director, Publicity and Strategy for the Local Organizing Committee of the EIC, Onome Obruthe, said the EIC is a preparatory event for the new season for all the teams,

    “For Remo Stars as a team expected to campaign in the CAF Champions league, it is a good opportunity not only to play against other Nigerian teams but against the teams coming from other parts of Africa.

    “Other teams are expected to also use the tournament to evaluate their wards and make adjustment before the domestic and continental games start.

    “On our part, we are working hard with the Lagos State Government to make this tournament have a good impact on the teams and all the participants as a whole including the spectators,” Obruthe stated.

  • One-month countdown begins for Eko International Cup

    One-month countdown begins for Eko International Cup

    The organisers of the forthcoming Eko International Cup will  tomorrow , June 6,  begin a massive awareness and sensitization initiatives  one month to the  kick-off of the eagerly-awaited tournament.

    SKI-Hi Entertainment in collaboration with the Lagos State Government is staging the competition expected to feature a total of eight teams including  Remo Stars, Ikorodu United, Shooting Stars and Enyimba of Aba. The four teams expected from other parts of the continent are FC Kallon of Sierra Leone, Accra Hearts of Oak, Ghana, SuperSports United FC of South Africa and FC Dadje of Republic of Benin.

    The Executive Director, Publicity and Strategy for the Local Organizing Committee of the EIC, Onome Obruthe, said  the LOC has been doing so much underground and will unfold further initiatives for the countdown.

     “Not many people are aware of so many things we have done including road show and fans sensitization. One of our partners, MTN, made it happen among other things,” Obruthe said. “This time, we are ready to create more awareness in the days ahead starting from June 6, which is exactly one month to the beginning of the competition.

    “So many things are on the cards and we will be unfolding our plans as we move on,” Obruthe noted.

    The pre-season football tournament which runs between July 6 and 13 takes place at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, formerly Onikan Stadium with two matches to be played on a daily basis.

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    As part of the awareness initiative of the organisers, the ticket sales for the pre- season tourney will also start on June 6, online, exactly one month to the kick off.

    Apart from telecommunication giants, MTN, Bigi Drinks and Lagos State Government are also partners of the project.

    Joseph Otugbe of MTN said  the support coming from the telecom outfit was in continuation of its support for football in Nigeria.

    The Eko International Cup (EIC) is fast generating discuss in football scene as fans of the game are looking forward with high expectations.

  • Eko International Cup: South West derby looms with Shooting Stars, Remo Stars  clash

    Eko International Cup: South West derby looms with Shooting Stars, Remo Stars  clash

    The forthcoming pre-season tournament, the Eko International Cup (EIC) is fast generating interest as fans of the game are looking forward with high expectations.

    One remarkable fixture in the minds of many is the new South West derby in the domestic league which will be rekindled in the tourney.

    Shooting Stars of Ibadan and the Nigeria Professional Football League champions, Remo Stars, are the latest rivals in the domestic league from the south west zone.

    In the just concluded season, Remo Stars achieved a double over Shooting Stars by beating the Ibadan based team 2-1 in Ikenne and 1-0 in Ibadan.

    With the two teams in the highly anticipated pre-season tourney holding in Lagos, a tough encounter is expected especially with the pedigree of the two coaches.

    Gbenga Ogunbote of Shooting Stars is one of the most respected coaches in the country while Daniel Ogunmodede is also among the top coaches in the country.

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    “This is one big match I look forward to in the tournament just as I expect to see the teams coming from other parts of the continent, give them a good run,” a Lagos-based football said .

    The Eko International Cup take a centre stage between July 6th and 13th at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.

    SKI-Hi Entertainment in collaboration with the Lagos State Government is staging the competition expected to feature a total of eight teams.

    They are; Remo Stars, Ikorodu United, Shooting Stars and Enyimba of Aba. The four teams expected from other parts of the continent are FC Kallon of Sierra Leone, Accra Hearts of Oak, Ghana, SuperSports United FC of South Africa and FC Dadje of Republic of Benin.

    The Executive Director, Publicity and Strategy for the Local Organizing Committee of the EIC, Onome Obruthe, said the tournament would be a game changer  as arrangements are in top gear. 

    “We have been working so hard on the pre-season tournament and we appreciate the strong support of Lagos State Government in getting us to where we are today. Fans of the game will have a good dose of exciting football in July, I am sure about this,” Obruthe noted.