Nigeria Pitch Awards ceremony to hold December 22

Organizers of the Nigeria Pitch Awards have revealed that the seventh edition will hold on December 22 at the Ibis Hotel Ikeja, Lagos.

Nigeria Pitch Awards President, Shina Philips, said in Abuja yesterday that the ceremony, which had earlier been scheduled to hold in March, was postponed and rescheduled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant cancellation of major football events across the world.

“It has been our tradition since 2013 to schedule our award ceremonies to coincide with major Super Eagles match engagements,” Philips said, adding, ‘‘the seventh award ceremony was to honour deserving award winners for the year, 2019. Unfortunately, the circumstances engineered by attempts to halt the spread of COVID-19 forced a major postponement of the event.”
 
Philips also stated that this year’s event, the first in Lagos, would have a few guests and sports editors and journalists only in attendance.

He revealed that the contenders for the King of the Pitch Award are Super Eagles and Leicester City midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi, Manchester United striker, Odion Ighalo and Super Eagles and Napoli sensation, Victor Osimhen.

In the women’s category, the Queen of the Pitch Award will be a straight battle between Onome Ebi, Super Falcons, and Henan Huishang FC player, Chiamaka Nnadozie of Rivers Angels and the Super Falcons and Barcelona Women sensation, Asisat Oshoala.

Football fans also expect tough contests in the Striker of the Year, Defender of the Year, Midfielder of the Year, Coach of the Year, and the Football Friendly Governor of the Year categories. Other categories to be decided at the Award Ceremony include the Sam Okwaraji Award for commitment to Nigerian Football, State with the Best Grassroots Football Development Programme and the Football Journalist of the Year in the Print, Radio, TV, and Online categories.