By Esther Egbe
Former NFF President Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi has insisted that for the country to sustain the successes recorded at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, that genuine attention should be on the development of the game at the grassroot level.
Lulu who was the Former President of the Federation from 2006-2010, Told National DailySports that if the game is properly developed at the grassroot level, with emphasis on those in the primary and secondary schools, that the chances of the country winning the senior World cup in the nearest future becomes brighter.
According to Omachi Atah of Igala land who spoke in Anyigba, Kogi state at the weekend, during the preliminaries of the 2015/2016 edition of the Kogi Zone of the FOSLA U-13 Football Competition, “we are blessed with abundant of talents at the grassroots, all we need is to put the necessary mercenaries together to identify this talents and harness them properly, and the country would be better for it in future. However, the people should be patient enough with the system, as such programmes would take longer time to yield the needed positive results”. He said that players selected at the Kogi Zone of FOSLA Academy Competition would join others in Abuja later in the new year to compete for the scholarship programme of the Academy early next year.
In the tournament which was played at the Kogi State University Mini Stadium Anyigba, Idah and Omala Local Government Areas, U-13 team qualified for the final of the tournament to be played in Idah on January 1, 2016. The Idah boys defeated Olamaboro LGA by four goals to one. Three of the goals were scored by the great sensation of the tournament Phillip Gambo, who scored nine goals in the two matches he played. In the second match, Omala Local Government Area defeated Lokoja LGA by a lone goal. The goal was scored by Mustapha Abdulkadiri.
Results of the other matches played at the one day tournament include: Dekina (2) Ibaji (1), Ofu (0) Olamaboro (2), Igalamela (1) Bassa (5), Lokoja (3), Ankpa (0), Idah (6) Dekina (1), Omala (4) Bassa (0).
Meanwhile, 28 players have been selected for the final series and common entrance examination of the school holding in Abuja next year. The breakdown shows that 8 players made it from Bassa LGA, they are Felix Talle, Joseph Shugaba, Wisdom Talle, Akowe Friday, Emmanuel Abimaje, Mustapha Yakubu and Sule Haurna. Dekina LGA will provide Alhani Sani, Hussani Musa, Victor, Mustapha Idris, Omala LGA will provide Mustapha Abdulkadiri, Eikun, Salisu Danjuma, Meshack Momoh, Samuel Abdul and Eikwu. From Ibaji, there is Isah , while Idah have Mustapha Musa, Philip Gambo, Bigman Amana, Sunday James. Olamoboro LGA have Peter Joseph, Agabi Destinyand Danujma Musa. While Isah Ismaila and Suleiman Mohammed are from Lokoja LGA.
Two girls Wusikat Abdulhassan and Usman Sumaya were identified for possible admission into the FOSLA Academy next academic session.