Brazilian, Kenyan clubs for Enugu pre-season tourney

Eight football clubs will participate in the maiden Coal City International Cup in Enugu, Enugu State.

Addressing a press conference in Enugu on Wednesday, the spokesman of the management team of the competition, Ifeanyi Ogbu, said teams from the Nigeria Professional Football League that would participate in the competition include Enugu Rangers, Enyimba, Kano Pillars and Remo Stars of Abeokuta.

According to Ogbu, the NPFL teams would be joined by a Brazilian club, Esporte Clube Vitoria, Gor Mahia of Kenya, FC Kallon of Sierra Leone and Cotton FC of Benin Republic in the competition sponsored by Ski-Hi Entertainment in partnership with the Enugu State Government.

He disclosed that that a total of 15 matches would be played at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu in nine match days with each club receiving N5m as appearance fee per match.

“This means that each club will get at least N15m because they will play at least three matches. Also, the winners of the competition will pocket the sum of N50m, while the runners-up will get N10m,” Ogbu said.

He stated that the tournament would be used to boost the entertainment and economic profile of the state with Enugu expecting to rake in a massive N3.5bn before the end of the competition.

He said, “With the successful hosting of this tournament, we can start talking about hosting international matches at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium. It will also be a way to announce Enugu’s new stadium, which has been tastefully equipped by the state government.”

The state commissioner for sports, Loyd Ekweremadu, commended the organisers for the efforts put in place to host the competition.