…All Stars President,Nasir Jubril Emphasizes Participation and Networking Over Winning
Defending champions Abuja All Stars and City Gate All Stars are set to ignite the opening day of the fourth edition of the Abuja Veterans Tournament. This was announced during the world press conference and draws held Wednesday at the FIFA Goal Project Center in Abuja.
The tournament, which now features 20 teams vying for the ultimate prize and bragging rights for the next year, has seen significant growth since its first edition, which only had 8 teams. Speaking at the event, Abuja All Stars President, Nasiru Jibril, emphasized the importance of participation, networking, and fostering camaraderie among former international and retiring footballers.
“Abuja All Stars won the last edition of the competition, but I truly hope another team can claim the title this year. The goal should go beyond winning; it should be about participating, building new networks, and creating a spirit of camaraderie among members. I hope everyone keeps this in mind,” Jubril stated.
Patrick Bassey, Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) and national U15 coach, highlighted the unprecedented increase in participants for this edition. He also mentioned that, due to capacity constraints, some teams had to be turned away. To address this issue, a qualifying round will be introduced in the next edition to determine the final participants.
The competition kicks off on August 31, with six matches scheduled for Saturday and four for Sunday. The winner will take home one million naira, while the runner-up will receive seven hundred and fifty thousand naira, the third-place team five hundred thousand naira, and the fourth-place team two hundred and fifty thousand naira.
Here’s the grouping for the fourth edition of the Abuja Veterans Tournament:
Group A
- All Stars international FC, Abuja(Champions)
- City Gate Sports Club.
- Corporate Kickers Sports Club
- Jabi All Stars FC Group B
- Nyanya All Stars FC
- All Stars, UATH Gwagwalada
- Mc Steve FC
- Lugbe All Stars FC Group C
- Gwagwalada All Stars FC
- Unity Sports Foundation (USF) Club
- LikeMinds AllStars, Kuje
- Capital Sportiff Sports Club Group D
- Apo Fitness Club
- Kuje All Stars FC
- Police Machine Legends
- Nurudeen Veterans FC
Group E
- Games Village FC
- Karu All Stars
- Ex Professionals FC
- Capital City Club AllStars FC