Sports

W/Cup Qualifier: Soname boosts Flamingos with N2.5 million

Published

3 months ago

February 26, 2025

Joel Ajayi

Founder of Remo Stars Football Club of Ikenne, Ogun State, Hon Kunle Soname has pledged N2.5 million to the Flamingoes as they prepare to face their South African counterparts in the first leg of a second- round qualification fixture for this year’s FIFA U-17 women World Cup.

The Flamingos are presently camped at Remo Stars facilities in preparation for the match to be played at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in South Africa’s administrative Capital, Pretoria.

Hon. Soname made the donation Wednesday after watching the girls play out a 1-1 draw with Beyond Limits Football Academy.
” I’m very happy with the performance of the Flamingos against Beyond Limits. What they’ve done is what my senior team could not do and I believe with this performance, they’ll do well in South Africa.

” As a way of encouraging them, I’m giving them N500,000 for the good performance against Beyond Limits. I will also give them N1 million if they win in South Africa and another N1 million , if they win the return leg on March, 13 here at Remo Stars Sports Stadium”, he stressed.

Earlier while addressing the players and their officials after the friendly match, he charged them to go to South Africa and do Nigeria proud since according to him, Nigeria is not only the best female playing nation in Africa but one of the best in the world

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Sports

NLO’s Shola Ogunowo Earns Praise for Driving Grassroots Football and Exemplifying Integrity

Published

3 hours ago

June 7, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Nigerian football community has lauded Mr. Shola Ogunowo, Chief Operating Officer of the Nationwide League One (NLO), for his unwavering commitment to integrity and the development of grassroots football, earning him widespread respect and admiration across the sporting landscape.

In a statement released in Abuja and signed by Okechukwu Okebugwu, Mr. Ogunowo was praised as a transformative leader who has redefined the ethics and standards of football administration at the grassroots level. According to the release, Ogunowo has emerged as a “leading figure in the fight against match-fixing, bribery, and all forms of corruption” that have plagued the lower tiers of Nigerian football for decades.

Through consistent enforcement of transparency, fairness, and accountability, Mr. Ogunowo is steering the NLO toward becoming a credible platform where talent can be discovered and nurtured based on merit, rather than manipulation or favoritism.

“In an environment where shortcuts and compromises are all too common, Shola Ogunowo has remained a pillar of integrity,” Okebugwu stated. “He is restoring credibility to grassroots football by ensuring that fair play, discipline, and professionalism are non-negotiable.”

Since taking over as COO, Ogunowo has spearheaded a number of structural reforms aimed at instilling discipline and operational excellence among participating clubs. These include stricter licensing requirements, performance audits, and compliance monitoring to ensure clubs uphold the league’s code of conduct. His administration has also emphasized youth development, with a renewed focus on coaching education and player welfare.

The result is a reinvigorated Nationwide League One that is beginning to attract renewed attention from fans, corporate sponsors, and local communities. Observers say Ogunowo’s leadership is helping reshape perceptions of grassroots football—not just as a stepping stone to the elite leagues, but as a vital foundation for the future of Nigerian football.

“His leadership is not only impacting the pitch—it’s rebuilding trust, creating real value, and setting a good standard for sports administration in Nigeria,” Okebugwu concluded.

As the NLO season progresses, many stakeholders believe that with figures like Shola Ogunowo at the helm, the future of grassroots football in Nigeria is not only secure, but promising.

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