Lagos To Honour Odegbami, Rufai At Fed Cup Final

Taiwo Adelu

The Lagos State Government has said it would honour some Nigerian football legends who once featured in the FA Cup, now Federation Cup during the final of this year’s tournament at Teslim Balogun Stadium on Sunday, 26 August.

The Secretary, Local Organising Committee, LOC, for the final, Mrs. Oluyomi Oluwasanmi disclosed that Chief Segun Odegbami MON, and 13 other football legends have been penciled down for honours during the finals.

She said the honour, which will now be given to Nigeria’s past and present footballers on a yearly basis, is in appreciation of their outstanding performances in the country’s oldest football tournament.

The list of those to be honoured in this year’s final include, Segun Odegbami, who played for Shooting Stars of Ibadan, former Super Eagle coach, Christian Chukwu, former Eagles’ goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, former coach of the Super Falcons, Ismaila Mabo, ex-internationals, Victor Oduah, Muyiwa Oshode, Sani Mohammed, Moses Kpakor, Alabi Aisien, Coach Amodu Shuaibu and veteran sports journalist, Fabio Lanipekun.

The late Nigerian players, Teslim ‘Thunder’ Balogun and Haruna Ilerika will also be given posthumous awards for their contributions to the FA Cup.

The late Thunder Balogun won the FA Cup title seven times and coached the national team to the 1968 Olympic Games, while the late Ilerika, a former Vice-Chairman of Lagos State Football Association, featured for the defunct Stationery Stores of Lagos in the championship.

“We are doing this to motivate the present crop of players to show that their efforts in the competition will not go unnoticed, even after they retire,” Oluwasanmi said.