Adefuye @ 80: Grassroot Football Tournament

By: Blessing Famose and Faith Enang

The 8th edition of the Senator Anthony Adefuye Grassroots Football Competition took place today at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Sports Complex. The tournament is the second activity of his one-week 80th birthday celebration. 

It should be recalled that Senator Adefuye, an alumnus of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, UNILAG, has always had a passion for sports.

The event was graced by distinguished guests including Senator Adefuye’s children, Honorable Adebayo Adefuye, Mr. Adetokunbo Adefuye, and Mrs. Lola Ekundayo Adefuye, alongside other notable figures like Bros Olu, Pastor Ademola Olisa, and Chief Mrs. Yetunde, the event’s planning committee chairperson, amongst others.

The day kicked off with a novelty match between FC Phoenix Queens from Shomolu and Jagunmolu Queens from Bariga. In a tense atmosphere, both teams played a draw which led to a penalty shootout. Phoenix Queens emerged as the winner, after scoring eight goals to Jagunmolu Queens’ seven.

While speaking to our correspondent, the captain of Phoenix Queens, Hasana, declared the win as a fulfilment of the promise they made to themselves.  

“Some days ago, my team and I came back from Igbora where we lost our match, and we made a promise to ourselves that we would win the next match we play,” she stated.

The final showdown was between the Unique Football Club of Nigeria and the Blue Liners. It was a survival of the fittest as both teams took to the field, displaying a high level of expertise and team spirit while heavily guarding their goalposts.

Again, the match ended with neither team scoring any goals, leading to a penalty shootout. The Blue Liners emerged victorious with a 4-2 goal points.

Speaking to the captain of the blueliners team, Ibrahim Musa, he expressed his joy at the victory. He said, “We’ve been training for so long and finally, the hard work paid off.”

As the day’s events ended, Senator Adefuye awarded the winners a trophy and cash prizes. Additionally, all the players were recognised with certificates of participation, and medals were presented to the players and their coaches.