AXA Mansard battles Mutual Benefits as maiden ARIAN Cup ends tomorrow

Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Oshodi, Lagos, will come alive tomorrow when two of the biggest insurance firms, AXA Mansard and Mutual Benefits, slug it out in the final of the maiden Association of Insurance Agents of Nigeria (ARIAN) cup.

Tomorrow’s final is the decider of a competition, which started last month with seven teams as part of ARIAN’S 22nd yearly anniversary celebrations.

According to the organisers, the grand finale of the competition will start with the third-place game between AIICO and Tangerine Life by 10.00 a.m., while the title match will start by 2.00 p.m.

Speaking on the competition, ARIAN President, Kunle Odewunmi, said the football competition is a way of getting its members to bond and also boost insurance penetration.

He said: “We decided to use football to push our agenda because football has a uniting effect on people.

“Apart from the winners’ trophy, there are other individual awards like golden boot, most valuable player and best goalkeeper awards.”

Each award comes with some cash rewards, while all the participating teams and players will get a certificate for their efforts.”

Explaining the criteria for participation, ARIAN PRO, Kayode Ogunwuyi, said: “All the players were verified to be members of staff of the companies they represent. That is why we have only seven teams in this maiden edition because some of the other companies could not raise teams.

“But after seeing what the participants have done, more companies have started encouraging their staff to start training ahead of the next edition.”

He assured the participating teams of their safety during the final day, adding that playing inside the Armed Forces Resettlement Centre is a guarantee that everybody would be safe.

“We are also coming with medical personnel equipped to handle any emergency that might arise, but before then, all the players will be tested to ensure they are fit for the exertions.

“Because of the calibre of people playing in the competition, we have restricted the matches to 30 minutes for each half, while extra time is 10 minutes for each half. And if there are no clear winners, we will settle the matter through a penalty shoot out.”