The organizer of the Babatunde Mario Football Tournament for teams in Ondo State’s Ile-Oluji and Okeigbo areas says the competition is intended to discourage youths in the area from engaging in social vices.
This is stated in a statement released to the media on Monday in Akure by the Chief Organiser, Babatunde Mario.
Mario stated that he has been investing in grassroots soccer development in order to divert youths away from crime and other social vices associated with unemployment and idleness and to engage them in sports activities.
He stated that the third edition of the football competition, which is set to begin on December 6 and end on December 29, will include players from Ile-Oluji and Okeigbo.
He stated that the competition would begin in Ile-Oluji, the headquarters of Ondo State’s Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government Area, at the Ile-Oluji township stadium.
According to him, the annual football tournament arose from his passion for sports, particularly football, in order to identify young talent and develop the game at the grassroots level in the region.
Mario went on to say that this edition would be one-of-a-kind because of the fantastic prizes that would be awarded and the talents that would be discovered by clubs both within and outside of the state.
He stated that grasses had taken over the Ile-Oluji township stadium some time ago, but he accepted the challenge and cleared and cleaned the football pitch as well as the entire stadium to its current condition.
As a result, he urged well-meaning Nigerians to invest in sports, which he claimed would go a long way toward eradicating unemployment in the country.