SPORTS minister Sunday Dare has reiterated his commitment to the continuing development of Nigeria’s sporting infrastructure.
The minister expressed his pleasure with the return of competitive football to the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja after years of neglect.
The stadium’s pitch was recently rehabilitated and handed over to the ministry by Dangote Industries Group, who fixed it under Dare’s ‘Adopt-a-Pitch’ initiative.
The stadium successfully hosted the Presidential Cup pre-season tournament over the weekend.Dare told reporters after the final match of the tournament on Sunday that the return of football to the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja is confirmation of the committment of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to overall infrastructural development, especially in sports.
“This Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja is now an actualized dream,” an excited Dare said.
“This is what this administration is committed to. The next stop is Lagos.
“Look at the pre-season tournament, the Presidential Cup, it was used to test this pitch, to make sure it comes alive fully.
“You can see the excitement in the footballers and their teams as a whole. We have now seen the impact of a good pitch on the game and we hope very soon this will also happen to the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.”
Kano Pillars won the tournament, which also had in attendance Sunshine Stars, Akwa United and Lobi Stars, all Nigeria Professional Football League clubs.
The three-day competition was in a round-robin format, meaning six matches were played on the turf over three days.
Kano Pillars emerged winners after two victories and a draw, with Sunshine Stars finishing second with two wins and a loss, while NPFL champions Akwa United were third with one win, one draw and one defeat.
Lobi Stars, with three defeats, finished in bottom place.
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