COPA Lagos… Evening of fun at Eko Atlantic

Lagos, the entertainment capital of Nigeria, was in frenzy mood recently, as football stars, fashion designers and musicians stormed the Eko Atlantic City for this year’s Copa Lagos show. As expected, guests were treated to a variety of spectacular events including football, and runway fashion.

The event, which had in attendance notable dignitaries, including the Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, featured top Nigerian designers and upcoming talents, who thrilled the audience with beach-friendly designs with a COPA lifestyle theme, personified by carefully curated pieces from clothing to accessories. The designers are Raya, Kinabuti, Krushil, Assian, Dap Mod and The Weave Hat Company.

The day began with a thrilling beach soccer match between Enyimba FC Beach Soccer Team and the Pepsi Football Academy. Next was a celebrity match between Team Dbanj and Team Victor Ikpeba. Team Dbanj had the likes of Peter Okoye of P-Square, Samson Adamu, CEO of Kinetic Sports, organisers of the event, and popular Beat FM OAP, Jimi, while Ikpeba’s team had other ex-Nigerian internationals such as Aloy Agu in goal, Waidi Akanni, Victor Agali, Mutiu Adepoju, Ifeanyi Udeze and popular celebrity, Frank Edoho of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire fame; the Ex-Internationals won the match by 2-1.

However, the main competition on the day was a game between Nigeria’s Super Sand Eagles and the Switzerland National Beach Soccer Team. The Swiss lived up to their pre-tournament billing, beating Nigeria 8-3 in an electrifying encounter that saw Noel Ott emerge Man of the Match.

Speaking at the event, the CEO of Kinetic Sports Samson Adamu said COPA Lagos was much more than a football tournament, as it has grown over the years to become a major show capable of putting Nigeria on the global tourism map.

“Despite this being a one day event, this year we had a huge turnout and the experience this year not only focused on football, but on the different things our people are really very passionate about. We have since moved from being the first ever international beach soccer event in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa to being one of the most attended entertainment events in the region,” Adamu said.

Other notable highlights of this year’s COPA Lagos included a concert with performances from top Nigerian artistes, a food fair as well as dedicated fan zones where sponsors like FCMB, Pepsi, Wakanow and Hero Lager treated fans to different games and contests, with exciting gift items for guests. The event was wrapped with an all-night open-air music concert with DJ Obi on the console.