Tornadoes, Akwa battle for AITEO Cup in Lagos
History will be made on Sunday when Niger Tornadoes FC and Akwa United clash at the Agege Stadium for the right to be the first team to win the AITEO Cup, freshly delivered for the purpose.
For the umpteenth time, change was effected in the name of the oldest competition in the land in June this year when Nigeria’s leading energy solutions company, AITEO Group, signed a multi-million naira partnership agreement with the Nigeria Football Federation to take over a championship that had been known as Governor’s Cup, Challenge Cup, FA Cup and Federation Cup in its 72-year history.
AITEO’s money and result-oriented activation strategy has to a large extent restored the well-known glamour of the competition, with a modern streak added to it, and Sunday’s finale will draw the curtain on a two-month long contest that has fully lived up to the name.
A full house is expected to witness a potentially explosive encounter between two teams gunning to win Nigeria’s oldest competition for the second time.
Tornadoes, who pipped Enugu Rangers 1-0 for their only diadem in 2000, shoved Cup holders FC IfeanyiUbah out of the race at the semi final stage, winning 4-3 on aggregate.
Akwa United, who won in 2015 after edging Lobi Stars 2-1, count eight –time winners Shooting Stars of Ibadan among their victims in this year’s competition.
Apart from pride and desire for one of the most attractive trophies in world football, a princely sum of N25 million awaits the conquerors in Sunday’s battle; the loser to go home with N10 million.
There is also a further motivation of continental football, as the winner will take Nigeria’s second slot in the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup competition.
The guest list for Sunday’s epoch has Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, Youth and Sports Minister Solomon Dalung, CAF President Ahmad, his three vice presidents Kwesi Nyantakyi, Omari Selemani and Fouzi Lekjaa, CAF Emergency Committee members Musa Bility and Souleiman Waberi, FIFA Council member Hany Abo Rida, NFF President Amaju Pinnick (also member of the CAF Emergency Committee), Members of the NFF Executive Committee and NFF Management, Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser Gernot Rohr and Members of the Lagos State Executive Council.
AITEO CUP 2017 (MEN’S COMPETITION)
NATIONAL PRELIMINARIES
Minda FC (Benue) 1-3 Tornadoes Feeders (Niger)
Moyero FC (Ondo) 3-1 Fashmog FC (Ekiti)
Young Talent (Sokoto) 2-5 Halfa FC (Jigawa)
Ayade Babes (Cross River) 1-0 Lexington FC (Taraba)
Kaka FC (Kaduna) 0-0 Potiskum Academy (Yobe) (5-6 penalties)
FC Galadima (Kebbi) 1-1 Jarma FC (Zamfara) (5-4 penalties)
Sam Daddy FC (Imo) 0-2 Coal City FC (Enugu)
Spartan FC (Lagos) 3-1 JCTC FC (Ogun)
IfeanyiUbah Feeders (Nnewi) 2-2 Cynosure FC (Ebonyi) (4-3 penalties)
George Turnah (Bayelsa) 1-3 Ngwa FC (Ebonyi)
ROUND OF 64
Ngwa FC (Ebonyi) 6-2 FC Galadima (Kebbi)
Heartland FC (Imo) 0-0 Insurance FC (Edo) (5-4 penalties)
Lobi Stars (Benue) 2-0 Katsina United (Katsina)
Katsina United Feeders (Katsina) 1-0 Aklosendi FC (Nasarawa)
Aitel FC (Taraba) 0-0 Unicem Rovers (Cross River) (3-5 penalties)
Mighty Jets FC (Plateau) 1-2 Sunshine Stars (Ondo)
Bayelsa United (Bayelsa) 3-0 (W/O) FC Zamfara (Zamfara)
Adamawa United Feeders (Adamawa) 2-1 Cynosure FC (Rivers)
Ede United (Osun) 2-0 Sakaba United FC (Kebbi)
FC IfeanyiUbah Feeders (Anambra) 2-1 Jigawa Golden Stars
Samba Kurna (Kano) 2-0 Wikki Tourists Feeders (Bauchi)
Ekiti United (Ekiti) 3-2 Dolphins FC (Kaduna)
Niger Tornadoes (Niger) 2-1 El-Kanemi Warriors (Borno)
Rivers United (Rivers) 0-0 FC Atete (Delta) (6-7 penalties)
Delta Warriors (Delta) 2-0 Ayade Babes (Cross River)
FC Yarmalight (Gombe) 1-3 FC IfeanyiUbah (Anambra)
Halfa FC (Jigawa) 1-3 Akwa United FC (Akwa Ibom)
Shooting Stars (Oyo) 3-1 Dynamite FC (Edo)
Kogi United (Kogi) 0-3 (Decision after abandonment) Rangers International (Enugu)
United (Nasarawa) 3-0 MFM FC (Lagos)
Niger Tornadoes Feeders (Niger) 1-4 FC Abuja (FCT)
Doma United (Gombe) 1-1 Adamawa United (Adamawa) (4-3 penalties)
Osun United (Osun) 2-0 Coal City Youths (Enugu)
FC Lokoja (Kogi) 0-2 El-Kanemi Babes (Borno)
Kwara United (Kwara) 4-0 Sokoto United (Sokoto)
Wikki Tourists (Bauchi) 1-2 Plateau United (Plateau)
ABS FC (Kwara) 2-1 Enyimba FC (Abia)
Yobe Desert Stars (Yobe) 1-1 Kano Pillars (Kano) (6-5 penalties)
Abia Warriors FC (Abia) 1-0 Crown FC (Oyo)
FRSC FC (FCT) 1-0 Potiskum Academy (Yobe)
Almar FC (Ogun) 0-0 Spartan FC (Lagos) (5-3 penalties)
Moyero FC (Ondo) 0-2 Akwa Starlets (Akwa Ibom)
ROUND OF 32
Sunshine Stars 4-2 Nasarawa United
Akwa United 4-2 Yobe Desert Stars
Osun United 0-0 Kwara United (4-3 penalties)
Niger Tornadoes 1-0 FC Atete
Ngwa FC 0-0 Lobi Stars (4-3 penalties)
Unicem Rovers 1-1 Rangers International (6-5 penalties)
Ekiti United 1-1 Abia Warriors (4-2 penalties)
FRSC FC 1-1 Heartland FC (4-5 penalties)
FC IfeanyiUbah Feeders 0-2 FC IfeanyiUbah
El-Kanemi Babes 1-1 Almar FC (4-2 penalties)
FC Abuja 2-0 Samba Kurna
Plateau United 1-0 Ede United
ABS FC 6-3 Adamawa United Feeders
Katsina United Feeders 1-1 Bayelsa United (4-3 penalties)
Akwa Starlets 4-2 Doma United
Delta Warriors 0-2 Shooting Stars
ROUND OF 16
FC Abuja 0-0 Niger Tornadoes
Akwa Starlets 1-2 Plateau United
Ngwa FC 1-3 Sunshine Stars
Osun United 2-1 El-Kanemi Babes
Unicem Rovers 0-1 ABS FC
Akwa United 5-1 Shooting Stars
Ekiti United 1-1 Katsina United Feeders
FC IfeanyiUbah 3-1 Heartland FC
Round of 16 Replays
Niger Tornadoes 1-0 FC Abuja
Katsina United Feeders 3-1 Ekiti United
QUARTER FINALS (1ST LEG MATCHES)
Niger Tornadoes 2-0 Plateau United
Osun United 1-0 Sunshine United
FC IfeanyiUbah 3-0 ABS FC
Akwa United 7-0 Katsina United Feeders
QUARTER FINALS (2ND LEG MATCHES)
Plateau United 2-2 Niger Tornadoes (Aggregate 2-4)
Sunshine United 3-1 Osun United (Aggregate 3-2)
ABS FC 0-1 FC IfeanyiUbah (Aggregate 0-4)
Katsina United Feeders 2-1 Akwa United (Aggregate 2-8)
SEMI FINALS (1ST LEG MATCHES)
Niger Tornadoes 4-2 FC IfeanyiUbah
Sunshine United 1-0 Akwa United
SEMI FINALS (2ND LEG MATCHES)
FC IfeanyiUbah 1-0 Niger Tornadoes (Aggregate 3-4)
Akwa United 3-1 Sunshine Stars (Aggregate 3-2)