Nigerian Sports Minister tips Chukwueze’s Villarreal to win Champions League

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has tipped Samuel Chukwueze’s Villarreal to win the 2022 UEFA Champions League.

He said he was supporting the club as Chukwueze is the only Nigerian youth left in the competition.

Chukwueze’s goal on Tuesday night qualified Villarreal for the Semifinals of the competition.

According to a statement by the Ministry’s Press and Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Manga, Dare stated this while receiving the UEFA Champions League trophy in Abuja.

The statement partly read, “The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, who received the trophy presented to him by Heineken, in his office at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja, expressed his excitement over the choice of Nigeria for the touring of the trophy, describing it as the second most important trophy in football after the FIFA World Cup trophy.

He expressed optimism that Samuel Chukwueze, who is the only Nigerian youth left playing in the Champions League today, will be the next Nigerian after Finidi George, Nwankwo Kanu and John Mikel Obi to put his hands on the trophy.”

Dare stated that Nigeria is a football-loving nation that has had a strong attachment to the Champions League over the years.

The Minister called on Nigerian youths to get themselves involved in sporting activities, stressing that the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was committed to the development of sports in the country.

Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation and the Corporate Affairs Manager of Nigerian Breweries, Shade Morgan, while officially presenting the trophy to the Honourable Minister, said that the presentation of the trophy was, among other things, aimed at boosting the morale of Nigerian youths towards sporting activities to make themselves self-employed and self-reliant so as to contribute to the growth and development of Nigeria economy.

PUNCH/Nnenna.O