Aiteo Cup Final: Niger Tornadoes, Kano Pillars in quest for second Cup success
Preview
By Victor Okoye
Abuja, July 26, 2019 (NAN) The Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna is the centre of attraction on Sunday when Niger Tornadoes and Kano Pillars clash in the final match of the 2019 Aiteo Men’s Cup Competition.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the final of the national Cup competition has 2017 losing finalists Niger Tornadoes up against last year’s losing finalists Kano Pillars.
While Kano Pillars’ faithful are perhaps yet to recover from last year’s shock, their foes’ fans too have bitter memories, and this should help set the tone for Sunday’s game.
In 2018, Pillars led Rangers International of Enugu 3-0 for one hour at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba.
But the 1977 African Cup Winners Cup champions stormed back to equalise and then win on penalty kicks shootout.
The Minna-based Tornadoes almost have a similar tale, after having played delightful football under floodlights at the Agege Stadium in Lagos in 2017.
They were put to the sword by Akwa United after a penalty kicks shootout, following a scoreless regulation period.
Now, they will have to appease their fans, especially after they surprisingly lost their Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) status at the end of the recently-concluded season.
Niger Tornadoes have had a title triumph in the competition before, after defeating Rangers International 1-0 in the 2000 final.
Kano Pillars have also won the trophy once, even though it was in the old FA Cup competition and their defunct side, when they edged out Lagos Dynamos 2-1 in 1953.
With only two runners-up position to their name, this may however not be enough for them, in spite of their tremendous success in the local league.
But Kano Pillars, having finished second in the 2018/2019 NPFL to be guaranteed a spot in next year’s CAF Champions League, are just like Niger Tornadoes in this game.
The Minna-based Niger Tornadoes are also guaranteed a place in the CAF Confederation Cup competition, no matter the outcome of Sunday’s confrontation.
Both sides will therefore only be hungry for the trophy and title, as well as the bragging rights.
The proximity of Kano and Minna to the Kaduna venue is one factor that will guarantee the game a sizeable crowd, and this will no doubt help the match’s intensity.
However, Niger Tornadoes are already talking tough, with veteran goalkeeper and team captain Mustapha Aliko saying “many people believe that Kano Pillars will have it easy against us simply because we got relegated to the lower division.
“But we have won the Cup before and, technically, I don’t think we are inferior to Kano Pillars.
“It is true that they parade some of the best players around but that is not to say we won’t be able to play our game.
“If they believe we are underdogs in this match, they will receive a rude shock. In addition, AITEO Cup is always full of surprises.”
However, in the camp of Kano Pillars, there is robust optimism. “What Kano Pillars have achieved is a unique feat,” Kano State’s Deputy Governor Nasiru Gawuna was quoted as saying.
“They have made it back-to-back to the final and the Cup can be theirs with such a quality.”
The cash prize available for the winning team is another big incentive to push both sides to optimum performance, with N25 million for the winners and N10 million for the runners-up.
In the women’s final, Cup-holders Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt will clash with Nasarawa Amazons of Lafia in an early kick-off game.
Rivers Angels have maintained a vice grip on the women’s competition, having won eight of the past nine finals, with only Sunshine Queens of Akure breaking it in 2015.
NAN reports that the final matches in the men’s and women’s competitions indeed promise to be cracking and mouth-watering.(NAN)
VO/AMM/KOLE/OLAL
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(Edited by Abiemwense Moru/Remi Koleoso/Olawale Alabi)