Anambra Sports Commission Woos FC Bayern To Establish Academy In Awka

Anambra State Sports Commission, through it’s Chairman Chief Tony Oli, has appealed to German Bundesliga champions, FC Bayern, to consider the state first for the establishment of its flagship football academy in Africa, Completesports.com reports.

Oli spoke at the newly commissioned Awka City Stadium during a media briefing heralding the FC Bayern Youth Cup Nigeria.

The tournament is slated for Saturday April 30 and Sunday May 1, 2022.

The two-day festival of football for youths will afford the organisers opportunity of selecting 10 best players for global showpiece billed for October this year.

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The program is being jointly organised by Aspire Foundation and VOE Foundation in conjunction with Anambra State Sports Development Commission, ANSSDC.

Oli pointed out that the South East State has abundant talents and has equally put in place a modern sports [stadium] facility to drive its policy of youth engagement through sports.

“Anambra is blessed with abundant football talents,” Oli said.

“Over time, the state has produced a large chunk of players that have represented Nigeria at all national team levels.

“Although this chain of sporting talents’ incubation appeared to have lulled, but we are determined to bring it back on stream.

“Establishment of this modern stadium here in Awka is an eloquent testimony to that.

“So, what we are saying is that we should be considered first in FC Bayern’s plan to establish a football academy in Nigeria”.

Spanish giants and most successful club around the globe, Real Madrid, is top among European clubs that have already set up football academy in the country including Italian Serie A side, AS Roma.

FC Bayern Youth Cup Nigeria Tournament Director, Victor Obinna Edeh, disclosed that they are looking forward to selecting the very best 10 players from the two day event.

“These 10 players would be part of the 100 youth players from across the continent of Africa that will represent the continent at the global tournament in Germany in October this year,” he said.

Edeh, who is the CEO of VOE Foundation, revealed that similar exercise had taken place in other Nigerian cities, including Jos, Kano, FCT, Enugu, amongst others.

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He further hinted that since the inception of the program in 2018, over 45 players from the exercise have been discovered and have grown through the rank to play in the various levels of their respective country’s national teams.

“In 2018, we had 45 players, 10 have featured in the U17 level of their national teams.

“Some have even featured in the Junior World Cup.

“Unfortunately, the outbreak of Coronavirus in 2020 put the exercise on hold.

“We’ve about 20 players from this program who are scattered all over the Nigerian National League, NNL and Nationwide League One”.

Tobechukwu Onubuche, Director of Program and Design and Implementation, Aspire Foundation who stood in for Dr Emeka Okeke (Chairman, Aspire Foundation Board of Trustees), promised that the program would be sustained.

He also urged the corporate bodies should key in on the program.