Lagos Supremacy Cup 2024: Top European Scouts Poised To Unearth Nigeria’s Grassroots Football Talent
Cem Sagar, head of Diamond Sports Management, will lead a team of 10 European scouts, including representatives from top football markets, to Lagos for the Lagos Supremacy Cup, running November 27-30 at Mobolaji Johnson Arena.
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The event, organized by the Lagos State Football Association, will showcase 10 elite grassroots teams, aiming to bridge the gap between local talent and international opportunities.
Among those confirmed for the event are Dan Smejkal, Tomas Syrovatka, Pape Cissokho, Toni Bilandzic, Dennys Dilettosso, Nenad Sarcevic, Zdenek Mikyska, Jan Prosek, and Florin Biba.
The tournament is set to take place from November 27th to 30th at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena.
Organizers have indicated that the scouting tournament will feature some of the top grassroots teams.
Cem emphasized that the purpose of the program is to identify talent at the grassroots level and provide them with opportunities to play internationally.
He stated, “Our goal is to discover talent and promote them to European markets.”
“This is why nine additional scouts have been confirmed for the event.”
Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) Chairman, Hajji Olawale Liameed Gafar, who is the Chief Convener of the highly anticipated tournament, shared that each match will consist of two halves lasting 30 minutes each. Notably, there will be no offside calls during the games, which is expected to minimize unnecessary stoppages and increase both playtime and scoring opportunities.
In discussing the significance of the tournament for the advancement of football in Nigeria, he emphasized that only 69 youth players can represent the national U15, U17, and U20 teams in any given generation.
“Our primary goal is to create more opportunities for youth footballers in Nigeria. We have only three youth national teams: U-15, U-17, and U-20. Each of these teams can only feature 23 players per tournament per generation. What happens to the remaining one million active semi-professional players?”
“The solution lies in the Lagos Supremacy Cup. While the 10 teams participating in this tournament do not encompass the entirety of Nigeria’s youth football landscape, they have been carefully selected based on their track records in identifying and nurturing top talent,” he added.
The tournament will include defending champions Dino FC, Ikorodu City FC, Broad City FC, and Real Saphire FC, along with Beyond Limits FC, Seamoriow FC, 36 Lion, Bethel FC, MS Success FC, and Charlesann FC.
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