Eight football clubs will participate in the maiden Coal City International Cup in Enugu, Enugu State.
The eight football clubs selected first edition of the pre-season competition that would take place in August, 2024, are from Basil’s Serie A, Kenya, Benin Republic, Sierra Leone and Nigeria Professional Football League.
Addressing a press conference in Enugu on Wednesday, the spokesman of the management team of the competition, Ifeanyi Ogbu, said that teams from the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) that will participate in the competition include: Rangers International of Enugu, Enyimba Football Club of Aba, Kano Pillars and Remo Stars of Abeokuta.
According to Ogbu, the teams would be joined by a Brazilian club side, Esporte Clube Vitoria, Gor Mahia of Kenya, FC Kallon of Sierra Leone and Cotton FC of Republic of Benin in the competition sponsored by Ski-Hi Entertainment in partnership with the Enugu State government.
He disclosed that that a total of 15 matches would be played at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu in nine match days with each club receiving N5 million as appearance fee per match.
“This means that each club will get at least N15 million because they will play at least three matches.
“Also, the winner of the competition will pocket the sum of N50 million while the runners up will get N10 million,” he said.
Ogbu stated that the tournament would be used to boost the entertainment and economic profile of the state with Enugu expecting to rake in a whooping sum of N3.5 billion before the end of the competition.
He said: “With the successful hosting of this tournament, we can start talking about hosting international matches at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium. It will also be a way to announce Enugu new stadium, which has been roundly and tastefully equipped by the state government”.
He commended the state government for allowing them the use of the stadium and free publicity and other supports.
The state commissioner for sports, Loyd Ekweremadu, commended the organisers for the effort already put in place to host one of the best international club competitions.
While expressing happiness for the partnership, Ekweremadu stated that the state had already started looking at sports and sports development as a business.
