Asuelimen Osasuyi
Scouts from top European Clubs have selected 33 young and talented Nigerian players from Ejike Ugboaja FC scouting programme which ended in Abuja over the weekend.
The players are expected to sign professional contracts in their respective clubs.
Out of the 33 players, 19 were picked from Ejike Ugboaja FC, EUFC, after a successful five-day intensive screening programme.
The players selected from Ejike Ugboaja FC include; Gabriel Abu Gaiya, Philip Segun, Eke Victor Elvis, Joseph Lelachukwu, Joel Ezra, Ibrahim Hussaini, Shauibu Garba and Yusuf Dami Ola.
Others are, Chukwuemeka Damian, Mohammad Abduhali, Simon Omon and Fortuna Ogbonna.
Those selected from other clubs are, Lukman Abdulhameed (Morientex FC Kaduna), Stephen Osuimori (Global Football Academy Zaria), Obere Emmanuel (Ejele Football Academy, Delta State), Benson Richmond (Ejele Football Academy, Delta State) among others.
Meanwhile, Yakubu Kenneth, Gideon Emmanuel and Emmanuel Malachi were also selected from EUFC.
Announcing the names of the successful players on Tuesday in Abuja the Chairman of Ejike Ugboaja FC, the organisers of the programme, Christopher Ejike Ugboaja congratulated the players who made the list and also showered praises on the rest of the players who participated in the programme and assured them that in the subsequent scouting programmes of Ejike Ugboaja FC most of them will be selected having put on their best performance in this first edition.
“In Scouting programmes not all the players will make the list , in this one , I saw the enthusiasm for you all to make it. There are still potential skills in some of you, which I believe with further training you will all go places”.
“I want to urge you all not to be discouraged if you do not make the list, do not give up, keep training to make it in another talent hunt exercise”
However, Ugboaja thanked the scouts for honoring his invitation for the exercise, saying that they did a very thorough job by handling scouting that involved about 500 players from 28 team under four days.
“For the scouts from Europe, I am excited and very grateful for professional exhibitions of handling about 500 players from 28 teams under one week. It’s amazing”
Meanwhile, one of the scouts Mr. Queirolo Fillipo from Italy admitted that “Nigeria has a lot of potential talents with impressive football skills.”
However, Nigerian Pilot Sports gathered scouts came from Italy, England, Spain, France and Germany.
