Defending champions Kano Pillars began their title defense in style, dominating Matchday One with impressive performances despite being scheduled to play two matches on the same day.
In a thrilling opening encounter, Kano Pillars edged Plateau State FC 2–1 in a fiercely contested battle. Pillars took the lead through Bethel Emmanuel, but Abdullahi Mohammed equalized for Plateau to restore parity.
However, like a cat with nine lives, Pillars fought back strongly, with Emmanuel striking again to seal his brace and hand his team a well-deserved victory.
In the second match of the day, debutants Gida Gida FC gave a spirited performance but fell short against the more experienced Niger FC, who managed to snatch a 1–0 win courtesy of a decisive strike from Mohammed Nasiru.
Meanwhile, Kaduna FC could not withstand the relentless pressure from a rampaging Kano Pillars side, who cruised to a convincing 3–0 victory in the final match of the day, further asserting their dominance in the competition.
Speaking after the matches, Paul Maduakor, President of the Nigeria Amputee Football Federation, described the ongoing championship as an important platform for scouting players ahead of the Amputee Football World Cup.
“I am impressed with the level of organization and the enthusiasm shown by the participants,” Maduakor said. “We are confident that from this competition, we will select some of the best talents to represent Nigeria at the World Cup while also blending in promising new players coming through the ranks.”
The Technical Director, Victor Nwenwe, also lauded the quality of play and commended the performance of the new teams competing for the first time, noting that the competition’s standard continues to rise each year.
“The level of play has been impressive. The new teams have shown great potential, and we’re hopeful of discovering top talents among them,” he said.
Matchday 2 Fixtures
Niger State FC vs. Phoenix FC – 10:00 a.m.
Plateau State FC vs. Kaduna State FC – 12:00 p.m.
Gida Gida FC vs. Phoenix FC – 2:00 p.m.
Six teams are participating in this year’s competition: Kano Pillars, Kaduna FC, Niger FC, Plateau FC, Gida Gida FC, and Kano Pillars 2.
