Iseyin City wins Peller Unity Cup opener

The much-awaited Peller Unity Cup (PUC) season two kicked off on Tuesday at OYSADEP Stadium, Saki, Oyo State as Iseyin City pipped Iwajowa Diamond FC 2-1 in the opener.

All 10 local government areas in the Oke-Ogun axis are participating in the football tournament and they are: Olorunsogo, Itesiwaju, Irepo, Olorunsogo, Saki East, Orelope, Kajola, Iwajowa, Iseyin and Saki West.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Honourable Shina Peller representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency disclosed that the tournament will feature 440 players from 20 teams as the winner will smile home with N750,000.

He stated that competition was aimed to engage the youth meaningfully and unearth football talents from the grassroots.

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“I see football as a tool for us to develop unity among the young minds, and this is the time we should banish all the hatred within us. This is the time we must invest in peace building and it starts from youth engagement because they occupy a large percentage of our population. This is time we must engage our youths meaningfully because we must also encourage them to combine sports with academics.

“Now, we have a former international, Mutiu Adepoju, as our scout, he has come here to help us discover talents and Dosu Joseph has also promised to send the best player of the tournament to Europe,” Peller said.

Meanwhile, 1994 Africa Cup of Nations winner, Adepoju, has charged the participating teams to explore the tournament and give it their best.

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“I’m very happy to be here and I must commend the donors of this tournament because this is a huge investment for our youths. Talents are abound here at Oke-Ogun, the likes of wasiu Taiwo, Taye Taiwo are from here and they represented the country at the highest level. So, I urge you to put in your best in this tournament,” Adepoju, who featured at the 1994 and 1998 World Cup finals said.