Some of the football clubs that qualified for the Naija Super 8 zonal play-offs have expressed delight at the opportunity to be part of the competition.
While expressing their delight, the clubs also thanked their fans, whose votes earned them slots in the tournament play-offs scheduled to hold at the Eket Township Stadium, Akwa Ibom State, from 23-25 of June.
In a statement on the club’s official Twitter handle, Lobi Stars Club Vice-Chairman and CEO, Dominic Iorfa, dedicated the play-off slot to the club’s fans.
"We dedicate this to the fans because their votes made it for us. Now they can enjoy the excitement with us.
"Moreover, this will serve as a morale booster as we prepare for the Federation Cup Quarterfinals. Our players have been exceptional this season and are determined to make the fans and Benue State government, who sponsors Lobi Stars proud,” he wrote.
Commenting on the club’s qualification for Naija Super 8 play-offs, Heartland FC General Manager, Promise Nwachukwu, in a statement posted on the club’s official Twitter handle, expressed appreciation the club’s fans for their unwavering support during the hard times.
“Our fans have been very supportive even in difficult times. The love passion and commitment are unprecedented. They travel with the team and they have voted massively for us to participate in this Naija Super 8. I cannot thank these fans enough,” he said.
Shooting Stars FC (3SC) also credited the fans with a post on its official Twitter handle which read: “To our ever supportive and trusted fans and supporters, we have been picked as one of the two clubs from the South West to take part in the play-offs for the Naija Super 8 tourney. We counted on your votes and we are glad your votes made it possible.”
Twelve teams from the six geo-political zones of the country emerged from the voting process, which produced a total of 1,926, 495 valid votes. Two teams that emerged from each zone will face each other in a knockout match to produce the team that will represent the zone in the main tournament.
Naija Super 8 play-off fixtures as voted by the fans are: City FC of Abuja Vs Lobi Stars of Makurdi; Heartland of Owerri Vs Enyimba of Aba; Shooting Stars Vs Remo Stars; Kano Pillars Vs Katsina United; Yobe Stars Vs Gombe Unite and Rivers United Vs Bendel Insurance. The play-off matches will be broadcast live on SuperSport channels on DStv and GOtv.
The six winners of the play-offs will be joined by two wildcard teams for the main Naija Super 8 tournament to be held from 7-16 July, at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos.