ABUJA – Katsina Para-Soccer Team on Friday in Abuja pipped Borno 1-0 to lift the 2014 National Para-Soccer Tournament.
The tournament is being organised by the Para-Soccer Federation of Nigeria (PFN) in collaboration with the Association of Polio Survivors of Nigeria (APSN) to mark the World Polio Day.
The final match played at the Package B of the National stadium saw Umaru Idris of Katsina scoring the only goal of the match at the dying minutes of regulation time.
The game indeed lived up to its billing as both sides displayed both tactical and technical skills as they tried to out-do each other.
It was a cagey affair as the defence of both sides stood their ground to keep the attackers at bay.
Idris however got the much needed break for his side after a goal mouth scramble just one minute away from regulation time.
The Borno goalkeeper misjudged the ball and could only parry it into his own net to hand a hard fought victory to the Katsina team.
Addressing newsmen after the match, Sir Emeka Offor, the Rotary International Polio Ambassador to Nigeria, who was represented by Rosaline Agiamoh, said that the idea behind the tourney was to create awareness about the disease.
“The fight against polio starts with vaccines, but the real challenge is in supporting those already affected.
“We want to let polio survivors know they are not alone or forgotten. We are here to help them through their daily struggles,’’ he said.
He said the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation was interested in supporting good projects, especially when it has to do with polio survivors and disabled people.
“We’ll do whatever we can to help them because their success will encourage other survivors to develop confidence in themselves and come to the understanding that there is ability in disability.”
He added that the Foundation was becoming more robust in its project scope, noting that they were set to roll out a number of new programmes in the months ahead.
Katsina Para-Soccer was crowned the new champions of the tournament and presented with the winners’ trophy and gold medals by Misbahu Lawan-Didi, the President of Para-soccer Federation of Nigeria (PFN).
Borno received the runners-up trophy with silver medals, while the erstwhile defending champions, Kano Pillars, which defeated Osun 4-0 earlier in the day in the third place match received bronze.
Osun, which finished fourth as well as other states were presented with certificates of participation.
The tournament, which started on Oct. 19, came to an end on Friday.
NAN reports that no fewer than nine teams took part in this year’s tournament.
The teams were: Kano, Anambra, Osun, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Borno, Zamfara, Katsina and Niger. (NAN)
