By Peter Amine
The 2025 edition of the Chief Margaret Icheen Benue State Football League kicks off on Sunday in Makurdi.
Icheen, a board member of the Nigerian Football Federation who performed the ceremonial kick-off at the Benue State University Sports Arena, commended the Benue Football Association (BFA) for naming the league after her.
The former speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly said that she was happy to witness another opening ceremony of the state league.
She said that such tournaments were beyond just playing football but were meant to discover talents who can build up the system of football.
“Because of the many talents that we have in this state, we need to have more than one team representing the state.
“I want to ask the participants to take this tournament very seriously so that they can achieve something meaningful after the tournament.
“I urged the referees to ensure that this tournament goes on successfully to the end,” she urged.
The Chairman of the Benue Football Association, Paul Edeh, said the momentum of this year’s league would be far better than the previous years because of the number of teams participating in the league.
Edeh said that more than 40 teams have registered to participate in the league, which shows the BFA’s commitment to growing football at the grassroots level.
“We will be sustaining the tournament by increasing the prize money. The winner goes home with half a million naira; the runner-up gets ₦300,000, while third place will be rewarded with N200,000.
“In addition, the eight teams that would qualify for the Super Eight will go home with a brand new set of jerseys and a minimum of 5 balls.
“All the coaches that finished in the first four would get automatic scholarships to study at the National Institute for Sports in Abuja.
“Our belief is that when we sustain coaches training, we will be able to discover talents that we need in the state,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary, Benue State Ministry of Sports Development, Philip Nongu, lauded the organisers of the league.
Nongu pledged the ministry’s support for the success of the league and other sporting activities in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Unity Football Academy defeated Sulash Football Academy, 6-1, in the opener fixture of the league.
The winners took the lead in the first minute of the encounter, but the opponent equalised halfway into the first 45 minutes.
Unity FA, however, restored their lead a few minutes before the end of the first half through a penalty.
The Match Day One winners doubled their lead a few minutes into the second through another penalty before putting the match beyond the reach of Sulash by scoring three more goals. (NAN)