By: Kazeem Ajibola Shoyebo (KAS)
The Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos was agog on Sunday as ex-football players under the aegis of IbukunOluwa, Obanta United, Vigilant Insurance & Verobim FC came together to honour their mentor and benefactor Chief Adewale Teluwo in a novelty match. The philanthropist and football aficionado, Teluwo, was honoured for his immense contribution to grassroots football development and professional football in Nigeria.
The novelty match well attended by prominent football stakeholders and ex-Nigeria Internationals had players of defunct IbukunOluwa FC file out against former players of Stationary Stores in a frenzy mood.
Players like Godwin Okpara, Festus Odini, Victor Ehinmen, Yinka Kelvins amongst others dawned the jersey of IbukunOluwa while the likes of Taiwo Oloyede, Santos Ajighevi, Julius Akpele, Dikko Moshood, Koya Dosunmu makes up the Stationary Stores team. The match ended 2 goals apiece in regulation time before it was decided by penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Yinka Kelvin’s heroic performance by saving the spot kick twice propelled IbukunOluwa to victory as the shootout finished 4-2.
A giant trophy was presented as a precursor for an annual grassroots football competition which will be participated among leading football clubs in Lagos state.
Speaking at the event, Chief Adewale Teluwo expressed his happiness to see his former players of the 80s and 90s and the giant stride that they have achieved in their respective careers. He further stated that the novelty match would metamorphose into an annual football event whereby talented grassroots footballers would be discovered for the cadet national team.
“I want to make this competition an annual event (and) I will make sure each club gets one million naira each.
I want to make sure we produce some young lads from this competition.”
Chief Teluwo expressed the initial skeptic reactions that trail his action to invest in grassroots football over three decades ago but he was happy to see the likes of Odini and others developed into a reckoning force.
Other prominent figures who spoke at the event include former U-17 World Cup winning coach, Fany Amun (MON) who led the Golden Eaglet to Gold medal outing in 1993. Amun extolled the virtues of Chief Adewale Teluwo as a man who selflessly dedicated his life to football development at the grassroots level.
