‘Hard work, determination will give El Kanemi trophy’
Determined to win their first national trophy since arriving in Nigerian football in 1996, Abia Warriors have arrived in Lagos to have enough time to prepare for their President Federation Cup final match against El Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri.
Abia Warriors have metamorphosed from their foundation name of NEPA FC Umuahia to OUK United before assuming the current nomenclature in 2019. But two things have been consistent in their existence: Hard work and the desire to move to move to the next level.
That next level has arrived with the Umuahia-based team’s clash with El Kanemi Warriors at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, on Saturday.
The team arrived in Lagos on Tuesday and went straight to work at the National Stadium, where they are putting finishing touches to their strategy for their biggest day yet in Nigerian football.
Coach Bethel Orji, a former Enyimba, Iwuanyanwu Nationale and Super Eagles’ defender, is the man responsible for whatever would happen to his team on Saturday and he says they are here to win the crown.
“We are here and we’re highly motivated. We are all elated. I thank God for the turnaround in the fortunes of the team, and I am delighted to be playing my first Cup final as a coach,” Orji told thenff.com yesterday.
A great player and former Cup winner himself, Bethel Orji will be banking on the precision of forwards Samson Obi and Sunday Megwo when Abia Warriors confront the two-time champions.
“We are prepared for the game, physically, mentally and psychologically. The players are in high spirits; they are raring to go.”
Meanwhile, their opponents, El Kanemi Warriors, have their ambition, which is to win their third President Federation Cup title.
Just like Abia Warriors, EL Kanemi’s Technical Adviser, Aliyu Zubairu, credited hard work for his team’s progress into this year’s final, saying the same virtue would see the Maiduguri landlords pick up the title on Saturday.
“Hard work has been our mainstay. Everyone works for the other, including the players on the pitch. It was a tough league season, and our real objective at the beginning of the season was to gain promotion back to the NPFL.
“However, after the Round of 16, we suddenly realised that with more hard work, we could go all the way to the final.
“I commend the players for not only ensuring promotion back to the top flight, but also reaching the President Federation Cup final. Yet, it is not over until it is over. We are here and we are determined to wrest the title. We have had some days to rest and we are going to work hard to deliver the trophy to our number one supporter, Governor Babagana Umaru Zulum.”
El Kanemi won their first President Federation Cup in 1991 and successfully defended the title the next year.
They lost their third attempt at winning the crown in 2001 to Dolphin of Port Harcourt at the National Stadium, Surulere.
