All is in top gear for a successful hosting of the Nationwide League One (NLO) Super 8 which kicks off in Lagos from 3rd to 8th October.
A total of 8 teams secured promotion to the NNL after they finished the season top of their groups and emerged victorious in the promotion playoffs.
The playoffs, which was hosted at neutral venues, had Smart City FC (Lagos State), Madiba FC (Lagos State), FC Ebedei (Ogun State), Police Barretta FC, Kun Khalifa FC (Imo State), Aspire FC (Anambra State), Jnr Danburan (Katsina State) and Mailatarki Care FC of the Federal Capital Territory, earning promotion to the Nigerian National League (NNL).
The eight teams will at the Legacy Pitch in Surulere, Lagos will slug it out in the championship play-off to determine the overall winner for the NLO 2022 season.
With arrival date for teams fixed for Sunday October 2nd, the opening fixtures of the championship play-off are JNR Danburan versus Madiba (10am), Aspire FC versus Police Barreta (12noon), Mailatarki Care FC versus FC Ebedei (2pm) and Smart City versus Kun Khalifa FC billed for 4pm respectively on 3rd October.
Below is the profile of the eight promoted teams:
MAILANTARKI CARE FC
Founded in 2021, the name Mailantarki Care FC was derived from the owner’s name – Hon Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki – who created the football academy from his Foundation, Mailantarki Care Foundation, in order to discover and promote young talented players to professional level locally or internationally.
Mailantarki Care FC is affiliated to the FCT Football Association and duly registered and participated in both the FA Cup and Division I of the Nigeria Nationwide League One, where it was promoted in 2022 to the 2nd Tier Nigeria National League (NNL) in its first ever appearance in the NLO.
Nigeria’s U-17 World Cup winning coach Manu Garba OON is the club Technical Director and he guided the team to the achieve the aforementioned promotion as well as other international achievements in the 2022 Dana Cup and Norway Cup in Hjørring and Oslo respectively.
FC EBEDEI
FC Ebedei was founded in 1998 in Lagos, from where it moved to Sagamu in Ogun state. FC EBEDEI graduands regularly appear in the prestigious UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE for several European clubs as a result of the success of the club in selling players to clubs in Europe.
From inception FC EBEDEI has consistently graduated her alumni to the very top of World football, including the five top leagues of Europe and the senior national teams of Nigeria, with notable players such as Obafemi Martins, Ayodele Makinwa, Oluwafemi Ajilore, Paul Ebere Onuachu, Frank Onyeka, Raphael Onyedika Nwadike among others having their roots in the club. Interestingly FC EBEDEI has been champion of all tiers/divisions of the Nationwide League One.
MADIBA FOOTBALL CLUB
Madiba Football Club (often nicknamed ‘The Moving Train’) is a Nigerian football club based in Oshodi, Lagos state.
Founded in 2017 by Alhaja Adebisi Adeyemi Basirat, the club is primarily set up as an initiative to have a grassroots football club as a platform for recreational activity among the youth and also to serve as an avenue to discover talents and provide a pathway for such talented youth to keep away from anti-social vices and behaviour in the community.
In 2018, the continuous hard work of the club saw them finish 2nd in their first season in the Nationwide League One (NLO). In 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 season, Madiba FC also finished second in the NLO.
In the 2021/2022 season, Madiba FC maintained an unbeaten record in fourteen league matches in their C1 group, and on August 20, 2022, after topping the table, Madiba FC secured promotion to the Nigeria National League (NNL) after beating Beyond Limit FC from Ogun state on penalties at the NLO play-off held at the Lekan Salami stadium, Adamasingba Ibadan.
KUN KHALIFAT FC
Kun Khalifat Football Club was founded in 2020 by Mr. Michael Chukwudi Amaefula (Chairman). The club is based in Owerri, Imo State and they play their home games at (OISA) Onwubike International Soccer Stadium Ngor-Okpala, Imo State.
The club reached the NLO play-off in 2021 and won the AITEO Cup 2022 in Imo State, also topping their group at the end of the the Nationwide League One (NLO) 2022 season to gain Promotion to Nigeria National League (NNL).
