Football fans in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, have praised Mobile Telecommunication Network (MTN) for hosting a watch party during which Chelsea and Liverpool clashed in a thrilling encounter in the English Premier League on Sunday.
The event attracted hundreds of football enthusiasts especially supporters of both English clubs to Pyramid Lounge and Grill along Udo Udoma avenue who watched the match on a big branded MTN screen.
Officials of MTN said the watch party was brought to Uyo to strengthen brand affinity, deepen on-ground activities as well as a broaden football engagement.
The venue of the watch party beamed with pre-match activities as fans awaited the 4.30pm kick-off time fans for the showdown between the top teams in the EPL.
While some fans said that it was going to be an interesting game to watch since Liverpool have already gathered enough points to win the league, others said Chelsea would be pushing for a place in European top flight football competition next season, thus making it more interesting.
Before the match, fans were given the opportunity to predict the outcome of the match both at the end of the first half and at full time which created more anxiety and ignited the passion among the fans.
Other engagement activities included asking fans to name the team list for both clubs and giving the opportunity to show their football skills in front of the fans.
Those who got the prediction correct smiled home with beautiful prizes like MTN branded gift items including umbrellas and fez caps.
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The gathering on a cold Sunday evening came alive when the match started with fans cheering their teams, and though the rain came intermittently, it did not take away the shine of the game as fans savoured the moment with glee.
And when Chelsea took the lead within the third minute of the first half, the arena erupted in jubilation.
“Though I am a Liverpool fan, I want Chelsea to win the match,’ an excited Liverpool fan who was donning their jersey said.
Asked why he wanted Chelsea to win, he said his club (Liverpool) were sure to win the English Premier League this season as they were currently topping the table with less than four matches to go.
“Though I want Chelsea to win, I also want Mo Salah, Liverpool’s top striker to score today so that he would be in contention for the highest goal scorer award,” he said.
The officials of the company who were on hand to give the fans an impressive experience maintained that the watch party showed the company’s love for “supporting sports and engaging with fans across the country, ” as a way to show depend brand affinity.
At the end of the game, Chelsea thrashed Liverpool by 3-1, as one of the fans had predicted and he was rewarded with prizes handsomely.
Speaking in an interview, one of the fans who predicted that Chelsea would lead in the first half, Paul Ufot lauded the company for bringing the watch party to Uyo, as the city has known has huge football followers.
“I am excited to have won a gift item based on my correct prediction, I have been using MTN for a long time, it is the best network and this watch party says it all,” he said.
Another fan, Ekpe James said bringing a life match to fans on a big screen was special in the sense that it made the match more exciting adding that it was as if they were at Stanford Bridge, Chelsea’s stadium in London.
“This is the kind of experience that has been lacking here. We don’t get to watch matches on the big screen, MTN has created an experience that we will cherish for a long time,’’ he said.
At the end of day, Chelsea fans were the ones who made “some noise” as they beat Liverpool 3-1 with goals from E. Fernandez in the third minute, Quansah (own goal) in the 56th minute and Cole Palmer, scoring from the spot while Liverpool pulled one back in the 85th minute with a goal by Van Dijk with Chelsea fans feeling on top of the game.