Taiwo Afolabi U-17 Tournament Produces New Champions as Fortune FC and Labro Girls Shine
Fortune FC and Labro Girls have emerged champions of the 10th edition of the Taiwo Afolabi U-17 Football Tournament for Boys and Girls after winning their respective finals at the Onikan Stadium in Lagos on Sunday.
In the boys’ final, Fortune FC of Oshodi defeated FC Dynamos of Iwaya 2-0 to lift the trophy, while Labro Girls from Ipaja beat Starlet Girls from Ididmu on 5-4 penalties after a goalless 90 minutes to claim girls’ title.
The Winners from both sides received N400,000 cash prizes for their victories while Runners-up in both categories went home with N300,000.
The grassroots tournament, which was organised by the Lagos State Grassroots Soccer Association and sponsored by SIFAX Group, featured 56 clubs — 32 male and 24 female — drawn from across Lagos State, making it one of the largest youth football competitions on the state’s grassroots calendar.
The competition is being staged annually
to celebrate the Executive Chairman, SIFAX Group, Dr Taiwo Afolabi’s birthday.
Speaking at the final match yesterday, Dr Afolabi said his decade-long investment in youth football was aimed to motivate and encourage young players as well as to complement the Federal Government’s investment in Sports.
”I decided to sponsor this tournament for the past 10 years because we use it to celebrate my birthday every year, but more importantly, we need to motivate and encourage these players because they are our future,” Afolabi said.
”What unites the world is football. There is no doubt about that. People like the legends Amokachi, Okocha, Kanu — they travelled out of this country and made us proud. I am doing this to support and complement what the federal government is doing.”
The 64-year-old said he was pleased with the growth of the competition and hinted at plans to expand participation and attract additional sponsors for future editions.
Dr Afolabi urged the winners not to relax on their oars while advised the losers not to be discouraged with the defeats.
”My message for the winners is that they must continue to be the best. And the losers, once you fail, you can still rise up again. There are still opportunities for them to win this tournament in the subsequent editions,” he said.
The tournament has built a strong record of producing players who have gone on to represent Nigeria and secure contracts abroad. Notable alumni include Super Eagles midfielder Samson Tijani, who was discovered at the 2019 edition and currently plays for Dukla Prague in the Czech Republic, Soliu Afolabi of Slovan Liberec, Chijioke Light, who has represented Nigeria at the WAFU Championship and the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, and Ebenezer Ojo, discovered in 2022 and now playing in the Norwegian league.