Copa Lagos Beach Soccer Begins; Nigeria Battle South Africa

The first ever Copa Lagos Beach Soccer Championship kicks off this afternoon at the Eko Atlantic City, Bar Beach, Lagos Island.

The three-day tournament which begins today will feature four countries, the hosts, Nigeria, the former world champions, Brazil, England and South Africa.

Organisers of the tournament promised fans of beach soccer a fulfilled tournament with a lot of side attractions in the competition that will end on Sunday. Naeto C, Ikechukwu, Sound Sultan, Davido, Lynxx and others are to entertain the fans during the competition.

A beach clinic was organised for the kids early today ahead of the opening match which involved Reis da Praia (Kings of the Beach) Brazil and England before Nigeria’s Super Sand Eagles take on South Africa later this evening.  The winners of the international championship are expected to be decided in a round robin.

Team Manager of the England team, David Jones, told P.M. Sports after their training yesterday that his team would give Brazil a good run for their money in the opening match today.

“We know Brazil very well. They have won the World Cup many times, but they didn’t win it this year. This tournament is another ball game. We are looking forward to a fantastic opportunity playing them which is always special. More importantly is that my team would put up a good show in the tournament,” said Jones.

He further said that England had been training for the championship for a long time and therefore, cannot afford to fail.

“We will be well-disciplined. We started training for this tournament in September in London. We are organised and have a good team spirit. We are going to perform specially in our game against Brazil and all other matches we will play,” he said.

Meanwhile, captain of the Sand Eagles, Isiaka Olawale looks forward to a good outing on home soil.

“It’s good for the game in the country and we hope this will open up beach soccer in Nigeria,” he said.

Players like Benjamin, Anderson, Buru, Oliveira, Bruno, Dos Santos and Ricardo Fonseca Ribeiro will represent Nigeria.

— Bimbo Ajayi