• Eyo Masquerade is mascot
By Onochie Anibeze
Lagos State, under Governor Babatunde Fashola, has continued to build foundation for the rebirth of the state as the home of football in the country.
Eyo Masquerade, mascot of the Lagos International Youth Cup. Photo: Diran Oshe.
They long lost their place even in sports generally. But Fashola has continued to march on. The state hosts the FA Cup final on Sunday. On August 2, the youth teams of Valencia of Spain, Genoa of Italy, Supersport of South Africa and Team Lagos will vie for honours in the Lagos International Youth Cup, a competition commissioner of sports Adeniji-Adele hoped would outlast Fashola’s second tenure as governor of the state.
He said it was part of the government’s programme to develop sports in the state and that it was open to sponsors. And with the tax holiday soon to be extended to corporate sponsors, Adeniji-Adele hoped that many companies would associate with Lagos State to make the Lagos International Youth Cup an event Nigerians would look forward to every year. He spoke during the unveiling of the mascot for the competition at the Metropolitan Club in Lagos.
The draws were also held. The Lagos team will engage Valencia in the opening match on Sunday, August 2 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium at 2 pm. The second match same day will be between Supersport and Genoa. Supersport and Team Lagos will kick off the next tie of the competition on Wednesday and it will be followed by Valencia-Genoa match. The competition ends on August 8 with Team Lagos and Genoa playing the first match. Supersport
and Valencia will end the show thereafter.
The Eyo Masquerade, playing a soccer ball, is the mascot of the competition. Eyo is the iconic symbol of a rich culture in Lagos State. Adeniji-Adele explained that the Eyo Masquerade is also a sign of peace and friendship which are the attributes Lagos State is poised to achieve with the competition that will be of international standards.
“This is to foster good relationship and to associate with the best in the world. We have chosen to start with youth teams and what you will see of the Lagos team will be an extension of the Principal’s Cup. Our team has been in camp for about two months now and they are the real Under-17 players. It will all be fun when the games begin.”
This is a sign of good things coming the way of Lagos and Nigerian football as a whole. Bravo governor Fashola. I hope the Valencia team wins the cup. For our Lagos team,the experience will do them a lot of good.
Abomination !!! Adeniji-Adele should know the culture & tradition in Lagos. The Eyo masquerade only comes out as final rites performed on the death of famous Lagos chiefs or heads of Lagos Igas or compounds. Adeniji-Adele’s Dad who was an Oba of Lagos will be turning in his grave to find one of his children is compromising Lagos culture.
Using Eyo as mascot in a football game is a No No.
No doubt, Fashola is a visionary leader…testimonies abound to this…but lagosians should be ready to face a similar test like the one in EKITI…they should remeber that wars are not fought on the pages of newspapers like it happened in Ekiti..their vote is their destiny and freedom, their right to be free should be protected with their lives when the PDP hawks come down to pick the chicks..I mean they should be ready to start and sustain the struggle till the end or face the death of Awo’s leagcies….
The Italians are very good soccer players and it would be fun for those of us that are soccer fans to see them play against our boys.Gov fashola and Commissioner Adele we thank you for this wonderful sports initiative.The Under-17,world cup event in Lagos would also bring in fans,supporters and tourist from around the world suppoting their national teams.We hope the Lagos Satte tourism department would inspect the hotels,and instruct all the Taxi drivers to be well behaved,as this events will bring in billions of Naira into the state treasury…I will certainly be at the games to root for TEAM LAGOS..Eko Oni Baje O. Governor Fashola we love you..