Lagos – Some participants at the Copa Coca Cola U-15 Football tournament on Friday applauded the organisers of the event for their contribution toward the growth of football at the grassroots.
The participants told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the venue — the Dairy Farms School, Agege Lagos that the effort was praise-worthy.
Fasasi Elijah, a 12-year-old student of Awori College, Ojo said the tournament had improved his interest in the sport.
Elijah urged the organisers to constantly stage the tournament so that other young talents could benefit from it.
“This is a life time opportunity for me and I’m very happy to play in the tournament,’’ he said.
Makinde Samson, a 14-year-old student of Agidingbi Junior Grammar School told NAN that the tournament was an eye opener for him.
Samson urged other private bodies to emulate Coca Cola by organising more grassroots tournaments to discover budding talents.
“This is the first time I will participate in this competition; it has been a wonderful experience for me.
“So, I ‘m using this opportunity to thank Coca Cola for this initiative of discovering young talent at the basic level,’’ he said.
Ibrahim Ojurongbe, a 14-year-old student of Ifako Comprehensive Grammar School said the tournament had afforded him the opportunity to hone his skills.
Ojurongbe said that his ambition was to play for Nigeria in future, noting that his participation in the tournament was a good start for his ambition.
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“All the players in the country started somewhere and I believe this is a good start for me to develop myself and represent my country in future,” he said.
Austin Opara, a 13-year-old student of Egan Junior High School praised the sponsor for staging a hitch-free tournament to encourage young talents in football.
“It has been a great experience all through. Apart from participating, we are privilege to meet some ex-internationals that taught us a lot of things concerning football,” he said.
The completion ended today. (NAN)
