[Editor’s note: This story has been updated with the correct spelling of names.]
The 2019 All Nigeria Soccer Tournament was held at Chittick field in Long Beach on Saturday, Oct 12 and Sunday, Oct 13 to honor Nigerian Independence Day, which took place earlier this month on Oct. 1, and raise money for charity.
Twenty teams from across the United States, consisting of Nigerian players, competed while spectators sat in the stands eating traditional African foods and listening to live music.
“We had 20 teams competing on Saturday, each playing four games and on Sunday the eight best teams advanced to the elimination rounds” Local Organizing Committee Chairman of the 2019 All Nigeria Soccer Tournament, Christian Ojogho stated in an email to the Signal Tribune.
The participating Nigerian soccer teams hailed from Illinois, Texas, Maryland, Georgia, New York and California.
The event raised a total of $2,500 for the nonprofit organization Africkicks, which collects and redistributes new and lightly used soccer shoes and other footwear to underprivileged people in African countries such as Niger and Nigeria, Ojogho told the Signal Tribune in an email.
According to Africkick’s website its founder Oumarou Idrissa, an immigrant from Niger, created the nonprofit organization to help meet the basic needs of underserved African communities as well as to enable impoverished children to participate in the sport of soccer.
Before the final match on Oct. 13 Ojogho, shared a quote by professional soccer player Lionel Messi with the crowd.
“If a football has taught me anything it is that you can overcome anything if, and only if, you love something enough” read the quote by Messi.
The two teams who made it into the finals were the Stores Inter FC team from College Park, Maryland and the Super Green FC Eagles Athletics team from Montgomery City, Maryland with the Super Green FC Eagles emerging victorious.
The 2019 All Nigeria Soccer Tournament organizers requested that the City of Long Beach create certificates of recognition for those who helped make the event possible, according to Isabel Arvea, Chief of Staff for the Office of Vice Mayor Dee Andrews.
Ojogho presented one of the certificates to the musician Jeri Jheto and his band, Jeri Jheto Project, who provided live music for the event.
“From the bottom of my heart I want to say thank you. Its an honor to have you among us to provide us with your beautiful talent and music” said Ojogho. “As you can see we have people from all over the states, they had a chance to listen to your music and everyone just whispers into my ear ‘man those guys can play!’ So thank you.”
Jheto thanked Ojogho and the crowd for the opportunity to share his music with them and spoke about the importance of supporting Nigerian culture and the Nigerian community.
“I need your support as my brothers, lets lift ourselves up, our culture, our music, our football, our soccer. Everything Nigerian, lets raise it up” Jheto told the crowd.
The Jeri Jheto Project plays music from the genres of highlife, reggae and afrobeat. While the band usually performs as a six person ensemble, the size of the band can change according to the performance, and can reach up to 12 band members.
“We just want to maintain African culture to the fullest” said Barry Uba, manager of the Jeri Jheto Project and a guest drummer for the tournament.
Chief Larry Okoh, All Nigeria Soccer Tournament President, thanked Ojogho for all his hard work in planning and organizing the event.
“I want to tell you Chris that being chairman of this tournament, its not been easy. For the past year we have been working together to make this happen, to have lights, to have radios, even for us to get this place, people don’t understand, to get this location did not just come easy. We came here several times working as a team. There were so many things that had to be in place for us to get this” said Okoh.
Shola’s African Cuisine, owned by Shola Ajijedidun, was among the caterers present at the tournament and served African dishes such as meat pies, jollof rice and chin chin.
Shola’s African Cuisine caters local events and Ajijedidun expressed enthusiasm over participating in an event that celebrates African culture.
“You meet different people, its great” said Ajijedidun.
Nigeria gained its independence from the British in 1960 and the occasion is celebrated by the Nigerian community on Oct. 1 each year.
I am Fatai Atere ( MON)the commissioner for the organization, for the past eleven years, I play and won the u 17 world for Nigeria in 1985 and captain Nigeria in1987. The story is not complete and you need to ask the proper people before you put your story together. Thanks