Chief Kachi Atufule, says the ongoing maiden Imo Super League for 16 grassroot football clubs in the Eastern Heartland is committed to discovering of young talented footballers that will soon make their families, the nation and global community proud.
Atufule who’s popularly known as Malick is the Chairman, Imo State Football Club Owners Association, the group sponsoring and organizing the historical league as well as, the CEO of Malick Pro FC and City Cruz Hotel, Owerri,
The football administrator youthful chairman, disclosed this during an exclusive interview with a Sports Journalists at Onwubiko International Soccer Academy, (OISA), Okpala in Ngor Okpuala LGA of Imo State the venue of the two weeks long football league event.
“The league will give greater opportunities to football scouts to harness budding stars, being discovered, so that in the nearest future, you will see some of the players discovered in the course of this league trading their feats abroad.
“It’s obvious, that at the end of the league, more than10 players will have the opportunity of being registered with professional clubs and earn good living, as many national and international scouts are around watching the players.
“It’s also a historical fact, that Imo State, has been a name when it comes to football development, growth and transformation, but unfortunately, the glory of the yester years seems to be dwindling, because both the government and private sectors are no longer giving the much needed attention and investment to grassroot sports development, especially football.
“The hallmark of the league is to catch them young and make them excelled professionally, you see in the match between, Giant Brillars FC and Captain Marvel FC, last Sunday, a player scored fantastic hat-trick, we want to discover the likes of Victor Osimhen , Kanu Nwankwo, Jay Jay Okocha, Emmanuel Amunike etc. We’re on a mission to discover their latent talents, then expose them to greater opportunities, that’s our gain, honestly, am satisfied with the artistry, skills and enthusiasm being exhibited by the players” he passionately stated.
Atufule also pointed out that, football is a serious business, that deserved sacrifices, in terms of commitment, discipline, tolerance, perseverance and endurance while advising football players to always adhere to the tenets of the game and never relent.
“It’s our vision and mission for every State in South East geopolitical region to annually organize similar Super league on their own, so that at the end of the State’s tournament, the winners from each of the State will now come together and compete under the Zonal Super League level so as to have the Zonal champions that will represent each of the Zones at the national level, this will definitely produce a zone that will be the national champion for the year, in this way, the league will be more competitive and grow seamlessly, many more talents exposed and harnessed” he assured.
Photo description: Chief Kachi Atufule, the Chairman, Imo State Football Owners Association by the left with the Most Valuable Player, MVP of a match and Lady Jennifer Anusiem, CEO, Imo Angels FC, Owerri. Pix by Everest Ezihe.
