From Nabob Ogbonna, Abakaliki
The Ebonyi state government yesterday assured that outstanding players discovered from the various grassroots football competitions ongoing across the 13 local government areas of the state will be integrated into the state owned Abakaliki FC team.
The state further noted that local talented prayers would form 90 percent of the team in the next Nigeria National League season.
The commissioner for Youths and Sports, Hon. Richard Idike disclosed this while addressing journalists during the official flag-off ceremony of the FON Youth Movement Ebonyi North Constituency Competition, sponsored by Chief Chikadoli Ojemba, and was held at Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium, Abakaliki.
According to him, “Yes, professional football is not local football. It has its own techniques. However, they have good prayers here but they still needs more training to fit into and represent the state in the national league.
“So by the end of the whole competitions including that of Enviable FC, Darlington etc, we will assembly all the local best players.
“So we are watching all the matches and by so doing we are promising that the good players will still compete for jersey in Abakaliki FC or the Feeder team.
“But, as it stand presently we are at the middle of the season and it is this time you can take in players”, he state.
Also, Senior Special Assistant to the state governor on youth Mobilization, Comrade Emerike Chinedu who represented the organizer of this year FON Unity football competition, assured that the tournament would next be extended to existing 13 local government areas of the state.
“We have mapped out plan to ensure the continuity of this competition and to further extend it to all the 13 local government areas of the state, why because it is a truly unifying factor and an avenue of engaging the youth of this state,”he said.
First position would smile home with the sum of 5 million naira, second 3 million and the third gets 2 million naira.
