3SC, Bendel Insurance, others make Naija Super Eight list

Organisers of the maiden Naija Super Eight Tournament have unveiled the names of the 12 teams that will compete in the zonal qualifier of the tournament.

The unveiling ceremony took place in Lagos and had in attendance officials of Flykite Promotions and top executives of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and ex-internationals.

A total of 41 teams were listed initially, but only 12 teams eventually made the cut after weeks of voting by football fans.

The lucky teams from North Central are City FC Abuja and Lobi Stars, while North East
produced Yobe Stars and Gombe United. From the North West are Kano Pillars and Katsina United.

The two teams from the South East are Enyimba FC of Aba, and Heartland of Owerri, just as the South South produced Rivers United and Bendel Insurance Insurance of Benin City. The South West has Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Remo Stars of Ikenne.

The selected clubs from each geo-political zone of the country will tackle each other at the zonal playoffs scheduled to hold in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, from June 23 to 25.

The six best teams at the playoffs will be joined by two wildcard entries to be revealed after the playoffs. The eight teams will participate in the tournament proper at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos between July 7 and 16.

All the matches will be broadcast live on the SuperSport. Each team will earn N3 million per game. The runners-up trophy comes with N9 million, while the winner of the Naija Super Eight Tournament will get N25m. The best player in every match gets N250, 000.

The organisers have also assured that 100 fans of each club in the tournament will be allowed to come to the venue in Lagos.