Tonye Orabere
The maiden editon of Simplified (Governor’s) Football Cup Competition organised by Rivers State Football Association (RSFA) set to kickoff tomorrow with Ogu/Bolo and Etche to play the opening game, at Sharks Stadium in Port Harcourt.
The competition is for the 23 Local Government Areas in the State, with the view to promote and develop grassroots football in the State.
Speaking during the draws ceremony held RSFA Office, NUJ complex Moscow Road, in Port Harcourt, on Friday, the acting Chairman of RSFA , Ibigoni Benjamin-Akobo, revealed that this was the first time a Governor has approved and agreed to support the competition.
According to him, all participating LGAs will be given the sum of N200,000 for logistics following the high cost of transportation, adding that three matches would be played in each day.
“I must tell you that this is the first time a Governor in the State has approved and agreed to support the competition. Besides, each of the registered LGAs will be given N200,000 for transportation, as soon the money is released ” he said.
Earlier in a seminar lecture presented by retired FIFA graded referee Innocent Solomon Wokoma, revealed some of the new rules guiding football, saying that the discision of the referee is final and must be respected.
He stated that delay of restart of a play by an opponent attracts outright red card and wearing a captain band doesn’t give the captain to talk to the referee, saying that the captain responsibility now was to talk to his players to behave well in the field.
Wokoma further said that in his lecture, mistakes made by referees makes them to improve and grow, as he made reference to Howard Web who is currently the best referee in the world.
” Football rules are dynamic because they wanted it to be played in a more friendly manner. I say that mistakes in officiating sometimes happens because referees are human beings but those mistakes made makes referees to improve and grow”, he said.
Also speaking at the event the Chairman of Football Coaches Association in the State , Stanley Eguma, use the forum to call on organisers to ensure that the competition is annual.
He stated that the Simplified Football Cup Competition would assist the association to discover good Coaches, and advice all Coaches to register with the association to enable them participate in the competition.
Eguma emphasised that any coach who has not registered with the association will not be allowed to stand at the technical area in the football Stadium.
” We believe that this tournament will help the association discover talented coaches. I commended the initiators of this competition and we will like it to be annual because no doubt it will produce talents.
” We advice coaches who has not registered with the association to do so because we will not allow any coach who has not registered to be at the technical area”, Eguma said.
