De-Royal FC wins Football Fives Championship

DEFENDING Champion, DE-Royal FC of Lagos Island at the weekend successfully defended its title at the second season of the Nigeria’s Premier National Football Fives Championship played at the Compos Mini Stadium.

The Lagos team defeated its Ogun State counterpart, Ago FC, in a penalty shootout after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time.

With the victory, DE-Royal FC won a cash prize of N1.5 million and will represent Nigeria at the forthcoming 2016 F5WC finals holding in Bangkok, Thailand between March 2 and 6.

Kabiru Nasiru of DE-Royal FC was voted the MVP and his seven goals at the national finals won him the Golden Boot award.

The tournament, which witnessed the participation of over 1000 registered teams from across the country, saw teams competing in the six geo-political zones. And from the regional qualifiers, 16 teams qualified to compete in Lagos for the title of national champion.

Speaking at the Olympic Milk-sponsored event witnessed by a large turnout of fans, the organisers of the event and boss of FiveSports, Mr. Bayo Akande said: “We would like to thank our sponsors, Olympic Milk, for their immense support. We really appreciate the fact that the brand has come to identify with Nigerian sports through their various sponsorship of sporting events.

“Our plan is to grow Football Fives in Nigeria, we intend to take it to such lofty heights that it would become the most popular form of football in the world.

“We brought the Amputee Soccer players here today for an exhibition game just so we can show the world a snippet of what we have planned for five-a-side football,”