5th Okwaraji Memorial Cup begins August 28

The National coordinator of Okwaraji Foundation, Mr. Patrick Okwaraji who addressed the press in Abuja said the competition would move from Lagos to the remaining five geo-political zones of the country. Okwaraji explained that the annual football championship is organized to honour and immortalize the late soccer icon, Samuel Okwaraji who died on August 12 […]

The National coordinator of Okwaraji Foundation, Mr. Patrick Okwaraji who addressed the press in Abuja said the competition would move from Lagos to the remaining five geo-political zones of the country.

Okwaraji explained that the annual football championship is organized to honour and immortalize the late soccer icon, Samuel Okwaraji who died on August 12 while playing for the country in the 1990 World Cup qualifying game against Angola at the National Stadium in Lagos.

He said: “This press conference is part of preparation for this year’s Sam Okwaraji Memorial Football Championship. The event proper will start on August 28 in Lagos. It is going to be a three tier event starting with the South West Zonal Championship in Lagos for duration of one week.

“We shall move to Enugu for the South East zonal championship, then North Central in either Makurdi or Minna, then we come to North West at Kaduna and then we go to North East in Gombe State. We shall then return to Yenagoa for the last lap of the Zonal Championship for South-South.

“The format for this championship is going to be on preliminary basis where the states would produce champions that would represent the zones and the champions of the zones would meet in Lagos for the national championship where the national winner would emerge”.

Okwaraji further disclosed that the foundation is planning to organize a four national invitational tournament as part of activities to mark his late brother’s 22th anniversary.