The 7th edition of the Mailafia Peace and Unity football tournament came to light with Thunder FC of Agyaragu town defeating Keana Selected FC 1-0 in the final played at Daddare in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, North-Central Nigeria.
The game saw Thunder FC’s Abdullahi Suleiman scoring the only goal of the match in the 7th minute, which gave victory to the club. Although Keana Selected FC strived hard to score in both the 1st and 2nd half, they were unable to make any meaningful impact as the game finished 1-0 in favour of Thunder FC.
The match attracted many football lovers who came out in their numbers to support their teams to victory, with the best of grassroots football on display in Nasarawa State.
Voice of Nigeria reports that the winner of the tournament, Thunder FC, were given the sum of N700,000 while runners-up, Keana Selected FC went home with N500,000.
Meanwhile, the 3rd position, Giant Killers FC of Agyaragu FULafia was given the sum of N400,000 while the 4th position went home with N150,000.
The organiser of the tournament, Yakubu Mailafia, stated that the competition’s primary objective was to give young people a stage on which to showcase their talents and promote football at the local level, considering the growing global connection between sports, social and economic transformation.
According to Mailafia, he was impressed with the performance of the players at the 7th edition and hoped investors in the football industry would be able to discover hidden talents in the players and sign them.
“I am satisfied with the conduct of the 7th edition of this game. I can say that there is a great improvement compared to the last edition,” Mailafia said.
“At the end of the tournament, I shall look at the areas that are lacking and put them in the front burner and make sure that I perfect them in the next edition,” he added. “Definitely, by the grace of God, the next tournament will be better than this one.”
Also speaking in an interview, the Chairman of Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB), Muhammed Dan’azimi (Barayan Daddare) commended the sponsor of the tournament. He called on the people of the State to support the initiative.
Dan’azimi said Governor Abdullahi Sule was committed to the development of sporting activities in the state. The NSUEB Chairman added that the governor had approved the commencement of all primary school football competitions which according to him would begin in no distant time.
He, therefore called on stakeholders to support the growth and development of grassroots sports for the good of the state.
The President of the Nigeria Coaches Association, Dr Ladan Bosso, also said the tournament which has become an annual event was providing opportunities for investors in sports to pick the best talent from the grassroots and called on stakeholders to support the founder of the tournament.
Bosso noted that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was committed to grassroots development through football, saying that coaches will ensure that the best players are selected to play for both national and international football clubs.
“The football players at the grassroots have the potential to do better even at the intentional level,” Bosso added. “And from what I have seen here, some of the players are potential World Cup players.”
Also speaking, the Nasarawa State Chairman of the Football Association, Salisu Galadima, commended the founder of the tournament for organising the game which is aimed at building peace and unity among the youths of the state.
He said that competition would no doubt harness talents that will stand a chance in national and international football competitions, assuring of his continuous support to enable the sustainability of the game.
There were other awards given to both players and the officiating team of the game, including the highest goal scorer of the tournament, Bilyamu Musa, who went home with a golden boot and a jersey from Dr. Bosso. Others awards are best keeper, best referee, among others.
