They are just barely six months old and they are already stamping their authority as a force to be reckoned with in the community of football academies in Nigeria.
Yes, a new club is born and it goes by the name: Red And Black Flames Football Club of Otukpo, Benue State.
Red And Black Flames FC announced themselves to the football world at the ongoing Dreamland-Embassy Of Hungary Scouting Tournament as they made it to the semi final of the event, losing to NLO Division One side, Abraysports FC of Ilorin, and this, been the first organized football event they will be participating in since their creation six months ago by an individual ready to give youths in Otukpo, the Idoma kingdom to be precise, a brighter future and get them positively engaged in what they take delight in and picked as a career; which is football. That great, selfless and youth empowering individual is George Ali.
George Ali, a former local government area chairman of Otukpo LGA in Benue State narrates to www.ssimedia.com.ng, media partner to this year’s Dreamland Embassy of Hungary event, why he decides to float Red And Black Flames FC.
“Having served my people as a local government chairman, I know where the shoe pinches. I did some youths empowering programs, made the old happy, raised the standard of living for my people in the local government area I served as the Chairman. But after leaving office, apart from other things I still do to make my people comfortable in my own little way, I see Football as a veritable tool not only to empower the youths, but to also make them good ambassadors to themselves, their families, communities, the State, Country and human race at large, hence, this club is set-up.”
George Ali continues: “The name Red And Black Flames FC the club is called or known with is just to show the culture and everything about the Idoma people of Benue State. Red And Black colour is the traditional colour of the Idoma people and colour.”
“As for the club, we are not relenting. As you can see, we have some very young and talented players who are ready to take the football world by storm. We will continue to develop them, I have some good coaches in the team, we will involve them in big time scouting competitions like this in both Benue State, Nigeria and outside the country. And we are planning to embark on a foreign trip to Spain or Turkey for an invitational youth tournament.”
He concludes: “I want to enjoin club owners out there not to relent in supporting the youths because this is the only way we can free them from criminality and social vices. And apart from that, we are also helping them to fulfill their dreams of playing professional football and don’t forget that football has one of the biggest and most lucrative jobs opportunities for both old and young, male and female.”
It would be recalled that Red And Black Flames FC defeated last year’s semi finalists of the Dreamland-Embassy Of Hungary Scouting Tournament, Jamba FC of Kaduna 1-0, with Ehuma Godswill scoring the only goal for the team from Otukpo, before been ousted from the competition at the semi final by NLO Division One side, Abraysports FC of Ilorin losing 5-4 on penalties after the regulation time ended 0-0.
