By Paul Akhagbemhe
Soccer fans in the ancient city of Kano got a full dose of action today Sunday 13th, 2022 as the 39th edition of the annual Ramat Cup Boys U-16 International football tournament kicks off at the Kano Pillars Stadium in Kano.
The much orchestrated tournament, put together by the Youth Sports Federation Of Nigeria (YSFON) started with the usual screening exercise which was thorough.
Some of the states were disappointed as a couple of their players could not scale through the exercise,.while the affected states were fined for going against the rules.
In all it was worth the time. Only Adamawa, Abia and Rivers states that arrived late didn’t feel the heat.Immediately after, the technical team put together the formidable fixtures
The first match of the day was between defending champions, Kwara and Ekiti U-16 team. It was a breath-taking encounter. but the Agbana boys of Ekiti could not live up to their expectations as Kwara defeated them by 3-0.
In the same vein, the much advertised Plateau youth team underrated their Jigawa opponents.They were also humiliated by 3-0.
Kaduna state had to fight back from a goal down to overpower Sokoto by 3-1.
Kebbi U-16 team were not fully tested as Nasarawa’s resilience only yielded 1-1 draw.
At a post match briefing, YSFON’s Technical Director, Abdulgafar Agboola called for patience and cooperation so that the participating teams will get the fullest followership as we await more upsets.
So far, 20 teams have arrived for the tournament and the boys are eager to go despite the caressing harmattan.
