THE inaugural Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu (BOS) Youth Cup came to a head on Sunday, December 5th, 2021, when the final round’s team competed for the first prize.
The finale took place at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Arena in Onikan, formerly Onikan Stadium, with a final match played between the Surulere and Ifako Ijaiye-Ojokoro teams.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu personally declared the event open with a kick of the ball.
Ex-international goalkeeper of the Nigeria national team, Dosu Joseph, Technical Director of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Austin Eguaveon, Coach of the National Under-17 team, Fatai Amoo, and members of the State Executive Council attended the final fixture.
Youths under the age of 21 across the State’s 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) took part in the football contest organised by the Governor’s Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) to complement youth development programmes of the Sanwo-Olu administration.
The final round started after Team Agege came victorious over the Lagos Island East side in the third place fixture.
About 30 minutes into the first half of the final, Team Surulere, led by Yusuf Lukman, unsettled their opponent with a goal.
On the 77th minute, the Ifako Ijaiye-Ojokoro team led by Marvelous Ajayi, however, came back with an equaliser.
The match ended in a tie, resulting to penalty shootout at the end of which Team Surulere grabbed the victory with a 5-4 result.
The winning team, Team Surulere, went home with a cash prize of ₦1.5 million and a golden trophy. Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, presented the trophy on behalf of the governor.
A member of the Ifako Ijaiye-Ojokoro team, Timilehin Lawal, got the prize for the Most Valuable Player (MVP), while Abdulazeez Agbaje of the Surulere team went home with the Highest Goal Scorer prize.
Also, Akpan Oyena of Agege team was rewarded with Best Goal Keeper of the tournament.
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Sports, Mr. Anthony Adeboye, said:
“In the last three week, we have seen our young people coming to the field to display great football skills and pour out energy that could have been diverted to vices. Having participated in all activities that culminated into the final round, I have no doubt that the objectives of the tournament have been realised, as we witnessed excitement on the faces of all participants.
“Inclusion is part of the ‘Greater Lagos’ agenda of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration and this football competition has further bridged the gap between the Government and the youth. We are highly elated that the maiden edition has been widely received by young people across the State. The subsequent edition promises to be bigger and more impactful.”
The first runner-up, Team Ifako Ijaiye-Ojokoro, got ₦1 million cash prize and silver medals, while the second runner-up, Team Agege, got ₦750,000 cash prize and bronze medals.
