By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki
Izzi Football Association, IFA, yesterday kicked off its football novelty match for the 2024 season at Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium Abakaliki Ebonyi State capital.
The football match, flagged off by the Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Francis Nwifuru, saw the Ekumenyi and Izzi Development Centre United Football Clubs as the first-hand competitors, among other teams.
Governor Nwifuru described the grassroots football competition as part of his administration’s plans to harvest the talents in the state, especially the youths in different areas of human endeavors.
He appreciated the first take-off competitors who ended up with zero goal scores and advised them to engage their best legs this season while assuring handsome prizes for the winners, among other players who performed excellently well in the tournament.
Recall that the ceremony was chaired by the Principal Secretary to the Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Matthias Adum, who described sports as a hallmark of entertainment, peace, unity, and prosperity in the society.
Former Chairman of Revenue Mobilization, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission, Engr Elias Mbam, encouraged the football players to be very active in the competition, noting that the celebrities in the football game began at the low elbow like them.
He observed that football players have an encouraging potential that needs to be developed, ‘but it only requires discipline for them to reach the zenith of the sports world.’
He advised the players not to abuse the opportunity and commended Governor Nwifuru for his determination to develop talents in footballing and other sports activities.
The State Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Barrister Richard Idike, described the football competition as an annual event. He recalled that it started in early a year 2000, saying Governor Nwifuru has been the frontline sponsor right from the time he was the speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly.
He added: “The football match is a kind of encouraging our youths to key into sports and they have been doing well. In fact, among those who played today, two of them have been selected to play for Abakaliki Football Club, AFC and it’s a thing of joy that our people are springing up to join sports activities at the national level.”
The IFA President, HRH Barrister Boniface Ezzagu expressed gratitude that the beginning of the Izzi football novelty match for the 2024 season was flagged off by the first citizen of the state, Governor Nwifuru.
Talking about the benefits, Eze Ezzagu said the football competition would be used to reduce youth reactiveness, help in exposing and harnessing talents, encourage them to grow up economically, and noted that some of the IFA members are currently out of the state playing for the national and international football leagues.
Meanwhile, the Coordinator of Echiaba Development Centre in Ebonyi local government area of Ebonyi State, Prince Friday Daniel Oketa has adjudged that the football competition would bring a healthy relationship to the Izzi communities, Ebonyi and Nigeria at large. Oketa urged all and sundry to invest in harnessing football talents in considering its benefits of promoting crime-free community, peace, unity, and prosperity in society.