Desmond Iwuchukwu
The 2022 edition of the Amayanabo Football Tournament has kicked off amid much fanfare on Bonny Island.
The Amayanabo of Bonny Kingdom King Edward Asimini William Dappa while speaking during the opening match described football as a unifying force that brings peace and development across the world.
The Amayanabo of Bonny Kingdom who was represented by the Chairman, Bonny Chiefs Council, Lt. Colonel SeAlabo Amb. Dagogo Claude Wilcox (rtd), commended the NLNG for sponsoring the tournament.
“I’m glad for the attention the NLNG pays for extracurricular activities that create opportunities for the company and its staff to interact with the host communities and other persons who are not directly involved in doing business with the company. As lovers of sports, we all know that sports particularly football is a unifying force that can break barriers and create bonds in which we can achieve great height” he said.
Tournament organizer and managing director of Grafton Entertainment, Tonye Ibiama, said the tournament was put together to unite the people of Bonny Kingdom and also discover talents.
Tonye Ibiama believes the tournament will encourage the youths of Bonny Kingdom to be more resourceful and gives them something to aspire for.
“It’s a tournament we initiated to unite the people of Bonny Kingdom and also to discover talents. The last tournament was able to identify a talent that is now playing in Portugal, you know international scouts coming in and we hope we can find another one that we can spot out and nurture them into international stars” he said.
The organizer of the tournament Tonye Ibiama also revealed plans for a possible expansion of the tournament in subsequent seasons in order to accommodate more teams and players.
The 16-team tournament currently runs on a single-match knockout format.
This year’s edition will conclude on the 17th of December, 2022, and will see the winners rewarded with 3 million Naira.
