The 4th season of the Afinni Unity Cup (Under-19), tagged 'The Price before the Prize,' roared to life at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Arena, Onikan, with four electrifying matches on the opening day. The Massey/Branco football team made an immediate statement, emerging as the top-scoring side after a dominant 4-0 victory over Phase 3 & 4, reports Sport@ITREALMS.
The tournament's first day saw a mix of high-scoring action and thrilling upsets as Massey/Branco secured the biggest win of the day, netting four unanswered goals against Phase 3 & 4 (4-0).
In a major shocker, the defending champions, Ricca/Odunfa, were knocked out of the competition after falling to PikeForsythe following a decisive penalty shootout.
Faji/Evans put up a strong offensive display, outshining Tinubu/Luther with a 3-0 win.
Ebuteelefun/Sura also showed their dominance, scoring two goals to thrash Anikantamo/Swamp (2-0).
Kicking off the tournament, the Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, expressed great optimism about the initiative, noting its critical role in fostering community cohesion.
Fatodu strongly emphasized the evolving status of sports, stating, "Sports is no longer a hobby but a 'Global Currency'."
He highlighted the power of sports in engaging youth: "Sports has helped in community engagements, a powerful tool in engaging young people to direct their energy and focus into something more positive, as Sports is very useful in shaping one ideology and curb social ills in the society."
The DG commended the tournament’s organizer, Hon. Afinni, and his corporate supporters for investing in the young participants' future.
Addressing the young athletes, Fatodu urged them to look beyond the field, emphasizing the intersection of sports and education.
"I know some of these young people are drawn from schools, as we know that there is a strong intersection between Sport and Education. So, if you are not going to have a career in football, you can also have a career in many areas of Sports," he advised.
He listed several lucrative career paths in the industry, including Sports Medicine, Sports Psychology, Sport Marketing, and Sport Public Relations (PR), encouraging the youth to tap into the broad opportunities available.
The organiser of the event, Hon. Suleiman 'Lanre Afinni, a member of the Lagos House of Assembly representing Lagos Island II, stressed that the tournament successfully attracts people across the Islands, thereby "forging community engagements."
Disclosing the core rationale behind the tournament, Hon. Afinni confirmed its paramount goal is to promote talented players by providing them a platform to be seen by scouts.
"It is good to promote the talented ones among them, so this is the platform for them to be seen. We have International agents and local agents that are scouts here to watch their football performance, see if they can pick them to the next level to boost their career," he disclosed.
Hon. Afinni concluded by urging the young athletes to fully utilize the tournament opportunities, reiterating, "Sport is a big one, a worldwide currency, at Lagos Island, we are glad to tap into it."
The Afinni Unity Cup was initiated in 2021 with the dual aim of engaging youths desirous of a football career and curbing social vices within the community.
Gbemi Omotoso/Editor
The controls in slope rider are simple but very sensitive, meaning even a small tap can make a big difference in your direction on the steep track.
ReplyDeleteFor a long time I was chasing big sign-up bonuses from various platforms, believing they were the best way to maximize profits. But after repeatedly encountering delayed withdrawals, inflated wagering conditions, or odds that vanished suddenly — even on major football weekends — I finally understood that bonuses are worthless if the bookmaker doesn’t respect players. That’s why I turned to bookmaker rating Dailysports and began verifying each site through https://dailysports.net/ before committing money. I now consider factors like past payout reliability, transparency of terms, speed of deposit and withdrawal, Indian-friendly banking, and how precisely odds reflect real match developments. Since I follow football news regularly, I often compare bookmaker odds with official info — and only those rated by Dailysports tend to match logic instead of arbitrary changes. As a result, my betting experience became far more reliable: wins actually get paid out, odds remain stable, and customer support doesn’t disappear when you ask questions. For anyone tired of empty promises, this method is a game changer.
ReplyDelete