Late Tony Onyeagwu Football Tournament To stimulate Football In Nigeria
By: Jude Agbeyeke
Sports remains an elixir for engendering unity in a society as it has the ability to build bridges that unites the people.
The Chairman of Ika South Local Government Hounourable Jerry Ehiwario stated this during a Press Briefing for the Maiden Edition of the Late Tony Onyeagwu Football Tournament for Public Primary Schools in Ika South Local Government Area.
Hounourable Ehiwario said there was need for the regeneration of the mindset of the future generation through a calculated programme aimed at discovering and harnessing the potentials in the children at an early stage in a bid to give them a direction that would help them become better citizens.
The Ika South Local Government Chairman while expressing grief on the loss of the Late Tony Onyeagwu thanked the family for immortalizing him saying he had impacted positively on the lives of several people as well as the society and his indelible footprints cannot be forgotten.
He however assured that the Tony Onyeagwu Football Tournament for Primary Schools in Ika South Local Government would get the support of his administration.
The Chairman of the Delta State Football Association Chief Ken Nwaomucha represented by the Vice Chairman, Mr Steve Cole lauded the Onyeagwu family for taking up the venture of investing in the football sector saying the DFA would lend it’s support to the project as it had the potential to transform cadet football in the state.
The Chairman of the Organizing Committee Mr Hilary Onyeagwu who is an elder brother to the Late Tony Onyeagwu thanked the Ika South Ocal Government Chairman for the support given to the tournament saying the decision to immortalize his younger brother was aimed at celebrating the virtues and lifestyle he lived as well as discovering young talents from Ika South who would someday become global stars.
According to Mr Onyeagwu the Late Tony Onyeagwu was a passionate sportsman and had a serious love for football hence the decision to organize the tournament that would galvanize young Ika sons towards attaining heights unknown in Nigerian football.
He assured that the competition would be annual event even as he enjoined the over 60 Primary schools that would be taking part in the competition to see the tournament as a platform to showcase the immense talent in Ika South.
Mr Onyeagwu urged them to desist from acts that could undermine the tournament saying the organizers would not hesitate in banning any school seen to be engaging in age cheat or making use of mercenaries.
The Head Technical Committee of the Late Tony Onyeagwu Football Tournament, Mr. Lucky – Sunday Ikeki assured that any school involved in age cheat or use of mercenaries would be found out as mechanisms have been put in place to fish such individuals out saying the Committee had some veterans of the sport as well as administrators who are conversant with age grade competitions.
Mr Ikeki who is a former football international said assured that the tournament would reinvigorate football not only in Ika South but across the nation as its product would take the nations football by storm in the near future.
Others who spoke including Me Desmond Ebede said the tournament was a welcomed one as it would further entrench the need for people to show to one another s depicted by the Late Tony Onyeagwu who reached out to the needy and downtrodden especially widows and orphans.
The maiden edition of the Late Tony Onyeagwu Football Tournament for Primary Schools in Ika South is expected to kickoff on September 30 with the final taking place at the Agbor Township Stadium on November 5.
