22nd June, 2012
Despite the inability of their teams to progress beyond the semi-final stage of the Ibadan zonal championship of the on-going Airtel Rising Stars U-17 male and female U-17 tournament, coaches from Oyo and Ekiti states have expressed satisfaction with the performances of their wards.
Speaking shortly after his male team lost 4-3 to Ekiti via penalty shootout, following a barren draw during regulation time, the Oyo State male team coach, Yinka Popoola said his efforts had not gone wasted despite the loss.
He said: “Like every other coach, I wanted to play in the finals in Lagos, but this is not so anymore. However, I have no regrets looking at the objectives of the competition, which are to discover and develop raw talents from the grassroots. This has been achieved. Some of my boys that were outstanding have been selected for the Lagos finals. I don’t feel bad at all.”
Also speaking in a similar vein, Olofinboba Oluyemi of Ekiti, whose team lost by a lone goal to Ondo, expressed delight at the opportunity given the girls to showcase their talents.
“Sports is not a do or die affair. We have taken our loss in good faith and will return home to our state. The programme is already achieving its aim because more talents are being fished out and trained to represent the country in future tournaments. The level of play among the girls is encouraging, considering that most of these girls are fresh legs, and this cuts across all the teams,” she said.
Coach Idris Bola whose team lost the final match 0-1 to Osun in the male category stated that he was satisfied with the outcome of events.
He said, “I would have loved to go away with the overall prize, but the ARS basically is about discovering talents. I have five boys from Ekiti already shortlisted for the National Finals in Lagos. To me, this is my satisfaction and reward.”
Meanwhile, the Ondo State female team emerged champions of the Ibadan zonal championship. They defeated Oyo 5-2 via penalties after the game ended goaless during regulation time in the final match played inside the mainbowl of Liberty Stadium, Ibadan. Also, Osun State male team defeated their Ekiti counterparts 1-0 to emerge the zonal champions.
The Airtel Rising Stars U-17 Tourney, a unique pan African initiative of Airtel Africa, is designed to provide support for the development of football talents across her African markets. It aims at discovering talented students (male and female) of secondary school age and providing them the opportunity to gain football skills and develop into renowned stars.