Group Nigeria emerged champions of the maiden Sport On Africa Match (GOAT) after defeating Group Ghana 4–2 on penalties on Saturday. The tightly contested encounter ended 1–1 in regulation time earlier than Nigeria held their nerve within the shootout.
Group Nigeria was assembled from standout performers on the Nigeria GOAT Match, received earlier by Enugu GOAT, whereas Group Ghana was chosen via an identical course of to characterize the West African rivals within the worldwide showcase.
Talking after the ultimate, the visionary behind the GOAT challenge, Prince Emeka Nwankwo, shared the inspiration, challenges, and long-term ambition behind the event geared toward discovering Africa’s subsequent world soccer celebrity.
Nwankwo, who hails from Imo State and resides in England, stated his lifelong ardour for soccer and his need to provide again to the continent have been the driving forces behind the initiative.
“I’ve performed soccer extensively within the UK at beginner and semi-professional ranges. I all the time needed to play professionally, however age wasn’t on my facet. My ardour got here from my father, who supported me from childhood. Soccer is in my DNA,” he stated.
In line with him, the Sport On Africa Match — cleverly abbreviated as GOAT — was created with the mission of manufacturing the subsequent Best of All Time from Africa.
“In soccer, everybody is aware of what GOAT means — Best of All Time. We coined ours because the Sport On Africa Match. The thought is to create a platform that may sooner or later produce the subsequent GOAT in world soccer.”
Nevertheless, Nwankwo revealed that the journey to launching the competitors was removed from simple.
“I had no funding when the concept began. My first daughter, whose mom is Ghanaian, inspired me to start small—only a proof of idea—and develop from there. I have to respect my household for his or her assist.”
He additionally expressed gratitude to the challenge supervisor, coordinators, volunteers, and companion establishments who helped convey the maiden version to life.
“It isn’t simple to arrange something in Africa. The challenge supervisor did an amazing job bringing among the finest palms collectively. And the establishments supporting youth empowerment on the continent contributed immensely. We wouldn’t be right here with out them.”
Nwankwo praised the followers for his or her enthusiasm and promised that the subsequent version can be larger and extra refined.
“That is simply the primary version. By subsequent yr, we hope to ship a extra subtle event. The dream is to maintain bettering till we produce soccer’s subsequent best.”
The GOAT Match goals to change into a premier talent-discovery platform throughout Africa, bridging grassroots potential with world alternatives.
