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Kwara State has emerged zonal champions for Ilorin Centre in the male and female categories of the just concluded ARS Ilorin Zonal Championship of the Airtel Rising Stars U-17 Tournament.
The Kwara teams also clinched the zonal tickets to the Nationa Finals in both categories after defeating their Ekiti State counterparts in separate explosive encounters decided at the practising pitch of the Kwara Football Academy (KFA), Ilorin.
In the first final match of the day, the State female team whitewashed their opponent from Ekiti 4-0 with two goals a piece in both halfs of the encounter to retain the trophy it won last year in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A brace from the boots of darting striker, Eto Deuty, and one goal each from last year’s most valuable player in the national championship, Shittu Kafayat and Hassan Sulia was all the team needed to emerge champions of the South West zone.
To get to the finals, the Kwara male team had defeated Ondo State 5-2, and Oyo 3-2, while Ekiti went past Osun 1-0 to qualify for the finals.
In the final match of the male teams, it was Kwara again who ran away victorious with a 2-0 win over Ekiti with goals coming off the boots of Akeem Salami and Taye Ayinde in the first half.
The four teams displayed good football artistry but the Kwara teams proved superior with good finishing skills that earned them the desired victories.
In the female category, Kwara State defeated Ondo State 2-1, while Ekiti State went past Osun 5-4 on penalties after playing out a goaless draw during regulationtime. They had defeated Oyo State 1-0 in an elimination match earlier played.
Meanwhile, Ondo State has won the third place match with a 2-0 defeat of Osun in a keenly contested encounter in the female category while Oyo won the male category.
A total of eighteen players have been shortlisted for the National Championship in Lagos late July. Only 16 players however, will make the final cut in a list expected to be released within the week.
Ex-Nigerian International, MutiuAdepoju is serving as the Technical Adviser to the Ilorin zonal team. Over 50 teams from Kwara, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun State participated in the week-long event.
The zonal championship is a significant stage in the ARS circle as it offers equal opportunities to all registered participants to showcase their skills under the watchful eyes of tournament’s technical advisers, leading grassroots coaches, YSFON officials and media partners.
About a thousand teams comprising 16,000 players are expected to feature in this year’s edition of the ARS. Not less than 50,000 active participants have been recorded in the last three seasons of the tournament.
The ARS U-17 tournament, a pan-African initiative of Airtel Africa, is designed to provide support for the development of football talents across Nigeria. It aims at discovering talented male and female students of secondary school age and providing them with platform to gain football skills and develop into professional footballers.
The tournament enjoys the support of football bodies such as Lagos State Football Association (LSFA), Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON), Arsenal Football Club and Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF).
