The 68th Federation Cup Finale

I am talking about the 68th Federation Cup grand finale, which happens at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos tomorrow and which for the first time, will also take in the final of the Women’s competition.Football, as we have come to know it, is an automatic source of great excitement and expectations, and tomorrow’s event […]

I am talking about the 68th Federation Cup grand finale, which happens at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos tomorrow and which for the first time, will also take in the final of the Women’s competition.
Football, as we have come to know it, is an automatic source of great excitement and expectations, and tomorrow’s event at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, is no exception.
I have followed the progress of this year’s competitions right from the State preliminaries, through the State finals, and then to the different rounds of the National competition, and can testify that the shock element for which the FA/Federation Cup is known is still very much with us.
Teams like Niger Tornadoes, Abia Warriors, Samba Kurna FC and MFM Lagos showed great promise in the Round of 64, and in the Round of 32, Akwa Starlets and Gombe United were very impressive, alongside Enyimba FC and and Enugu Rangers.
But by the Round of 16, Enugu Rangers (the most telling performers of the 1970s) and Gombe United had been shoved aside, and Akwa United, Kano Pillars, Nasarawa United and Akwa Starlets looked very promising.
The quarter finals, however, came with long knives. Cup holders Heartland FC of Owerri and Nasarawa United were booted out of the race, while last year’s runners-up Lobi Stars accounted for the youthful Akwa Starlets side.
We know the story of the semi finals. While Enyimba FC and Lobi Stars fought out a straight ‘war’ in Benin City, the former edging the tie by a long goal, Warri Wolves and Akwa United battled over two days in Bauchi, with Wolves coming tops courtesy of a goal scored on the second day when the last 15 minutes was played. By the way, heavy downpour truncated the match on the first day after 75 minutes, with Wolves having equalised an earlier goal by the Akwa Ibom boys.
In the Women’s competition, Ibom Angels dismantled their opponents, Dynamic Sports 8-1 in the preliminary round, but found themselves on the wrong end of the stick after a 10-9 loss to Rivers Angels in the Round of 16. At the same stage, Nasawara Amazons were able to get rid of Sunshine Queens and Delta Queens smashed C. I. Angels 6-0.
But in the quarter finals, Delta Queens were themselves bundled out after a 3-1 defeat by Pelican Stars, and promising Martins White were trounced 3-0 by Bayelsa Queens.
The semi finals were packed with drama and spectacle. Nasarawa Amazons saw off Bayelsa Queens in what many saw as an upset, while Rivers Angels eliminated Pelican Stars, despite the latter team Coach’s boast that he was going to ‘deal’ with the girls from Port Harcourt.
As we can see, predicting the outcome of any of the finals in tomorrow’s grand occasion will be risky business. Warri Wolves are hugely determined to win their first-ever Federation Cup title while Enyimba FC, which have won two titles, want one for keeps!
During the week, I had a chat with Delta FA Chairman, Amaju Pinnick, and he told be his boys are adequately prepared for the match, as they countenance a first win for Warri in the FA/Federation Cup.
A cursory look at the past winners show that teams from Warri reached the final SIX (6) times between 1948 and 1969, and did not win ANY. It is a memory that could motivate the Wolves of today to go all out.
I also had a chat with the Chairman of Enyimba FC, my colleague on the board of the NFF, Chief Anyansi-Agwu. Now, Anyansi-Agwu is one of the most respected administrators in the country given his accomplishments with the People’s Elephant, which includes back-to-back wins in the CAF Champions League. He has led Enyimba FC to win the League title and also the Federation Cup on two occasions, and says he trusts his boys to win on Sunday so they can keep the trophy.
Enyimba has lost on two occasions in the final: on penalty shoot-out to Kaduna United after a pulsating 3-3 draw in the 2010 final, and 0-1 to Heartland FC in the 2011 final. However, Anyansi-Agwu contends that his boys actually scored an equaliser in the 2011 final which was, to him, wrongly disallowed by the referee.
All these points to a potentially-explosive men’s final on Sunday.
In the Women’s Final, Rivers Angels look so high and too much for Nasarawa Amazons, but football is nothing if not a terrain for upsets, shocks, dramatic conclusions, dazzling outcomes and the unpredictable.
I hereby use this opportunity to commend the Government of Lagos State, led by Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) for total commitment and support for the NFF to bring back the glory days of the Federation Cup, which the Government has done so well over the past three years of hosting the grand finale.
Every year, the Lagos State Government brings something new to the table and it is to their eternal credit (that of Governor Fashola especially) that a number of heroes of the Cup are picked and honoured each year, with others retaining the hope that the following year could be their turn.
Considering the calibre of the two teams competing in the men’s final especially, there is no doubt that the 26,000-capacityTeslim Balogun Stadium will be filled to the brim come Sunday. And as we all know, a full house sets the tone for a marvellous day of football at any venue.
Here is wishing the better team in each final carries the day.
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