The first football match at the ongoing South South Zonal Trials in Asaba for the National Youth Games coming up in less than a month from now in Ilorin, Kwara State is to be contested between Bayelsa and Edo State.
The fixtures for the U-15 elimination for boys as released by the organisers and signed by Azuka Ogosi, the co-ordinator for football showed that there are only 3 states, Bayelsa, Edo and Delta participating in the boy’s category while only Akwa-Ibom and Delta will contest in the girl’s category.
The opening match is scheduled for 8am at the St Patrick’s College Asaba and already the odds seem to be in favour of Bayelsa State as they take on a badly depleted Edo State side having lost no fewer than 9 players at the age screening exercise which took place inside the Stephen Keshi Stadium Asaba on Thursday Morning.
A visibly worried Coach of the Edo State U-15 team, Anthony Emediofu known as Poropi Poropo disclosed to scorerfootballmagazine that the decision to disqualify some of his players is one that has not gone down well with him. “It is like a film trick. We can not understand how these players were disqualified. 3 of them just returned from the NFF U-15 championship where they were thoroughly screened. We have sent in our appeal. We are hopeful the decisions will be upturned” the coach sounded faintly optimistic.
Only 2 teams per category will pick qualification tickets for the National Youth Games proper in Ilorin, Kwara State from the 7th-17th September 2019.