11th September, 2013
Despite not having any of its team in the finals of this year’s Federation Cup, Lagos State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, Wahid Oshodi, has assured the finalists that they would get massive support from fans.
He said that all arrangement have been put in place to ensure security during the final ceremony holding on Sunday 15 September at Teslim Balogun Stadium with Enyimba International and Warri Wolves battling for the trophy in the men’s final, while Nasarawa Amazon will confront Rivers Angels in the women’s grand finale.
“We hope the games will be exciting as the women final is a new innovation and we hope that Lagos fans will give a warm welcome to all the participating teams. It is important to note that the advantage Lagos holds over every other state is that large numbers of Nigerians from the participating states are resident here in Lagos. With respect to the male finals, we have a perennial contenders in Enyimba and the exciting, Warri Wolves team, so we hope there will be two good attacking matches. The management of all the teams are in touch with us and they assure us that they are coming to lift the trophy. They will be coming with loads of their supporters and we are ready to welcome them,” Oshodi said.
The Commissioner reaffirmed the state’s willingness to continue to stage the finale of the championship, saying, “Lagos will continue to host the games as long as tNigeria Football Federation, NFF, and the state can continue to reach agreement as to the importance of the Federation Cup final being played in its traditional home.”
He added: “A great example is the FA Cup final in England, which has Wembley as its traditional home. The same is the case in Nigeria. Lagos is the home of football in Nigeria especially the FA cup. It enhances the Fed Cup when all teams that enter all over Nigeria know that they are battling to get to the Centre of Excellence. The people of Lagos are fantastic hosts and they enjoy their football. I personally believe that the Fed Cup has found a great home at Teslim Balogun Stadium, which is coincidentally named after one of the greatest heroes of the Challenge Cup (Fed Cup). The NFF has been a great partner and we hope his will continue.”