By Iyke Nwokedi

Ozalla Football Academy of Onitsha says it is all but set for the commencement of football activities upon lifting of ban for contact sports by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and getting the nod from the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development. These were the assertions of the Proprietor of the Onitsha-based club, Mr. Ikenna Osueke, during an interview with Sports Writers in Awka last Friday.

Mr. Osueke stated that no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic had a huge hit on all sporting programmes across the nation and the world which led to the stoppage of all sporting activities for almost a period of six months, a tough period for the players and officials of the team who rely on football as a means of livelihood and career.

The proprietor of the Onitsha based football academy and clubside who play her matches at the Imeobi Stadium Onitsha said that the COVID-19 did not deny it the opportunity of reaching out to its supporters and teeming fans. Osueke said: “The advent of the novel COVID-19 and the difficult moments it posed made us strengthen our resolve in reaching out to our supporters, teeming fans and immediate community. We as a football club and as part our corporate social responsibility gave out palliatives to cushion the effect in the form of bags of rice, various edibles and complementing that with cash/fund support not only for our playing personnel but to our teeming fans and the community where our club is domiciled”.

Osueke further revealed: “We will ensure that we put in place necessary measures in place in compliance with all COVID-19 health protocols and guidelines before the return of our players and officials to camp for the football programmes even as we look forward to participating in the Season 5 of the prestigious Anambra Independent Football League (AIFL)”.

Osueke also said that upon the anticipated lifting of ban for all contact sports, the club will embark on a scouting programme to recruit talented players for its main and feeder teams to strengthen the core of the present team for the task ahead. He said: “We will be having a week-long scouting programme to select young, talented and promising prospects to strengthen our main and feeder teams. The best amongst those selected will go straight into our main team while we also hope to have a strong back up with our feeder set up, we will ensure that the players who will eventually be part of the setup are players who are disciplined and dedicated to the values and objective of our brand,” Osueke said.