It was fanfare at the Yaba College of Technology sports complex at the weekend where Unilever defeated Nestle 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out to win the 2019 Remita Corporate Champions Cup.
Watched a large number of football fans, including students of Yabatech, the match ended 0-0 at a regulation time before both teams settled for the penalty kick.
To get to the final, Unilever defeated FrieslandCampina and IHS Towers, while Nestle beat First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and Union Bank in the qualifying rounds.
The championship regarded as the Champions League of corporate football, was graced by dignitaries and senior corporate executives, including the Managing Director of Wema Bank, Ademola Adebise, Executive Director of SystemSpecs, Deremi Atanda, legendary former Super Eagles goalkeeper and tournament ambassador, Peter Rufai, an array of Ex-Super Eagles and Falcons players, among others.
Speaking at the event, Managing Director of SystemSpecs, who is also the tournament sponsor, John Obaro said the championship has helped to unite corporate organisations in Nigeria.
“We are committed to the promotion of a productive workforce capable of accelerating advancement in Nigerian, African and global economies as a whole.
“Through RC3, for five seasons we have reinforced our commitment to provide a fun-filled platform for workforce across various brands in diverse industries in Nigeria to relax and bond in a way that ensures work-life balance, without official duties coming in the way.
“Families are also given the chance to watch their loved ones play football which brings joy to them,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, Peter Rufai said he was delighted to part of the championship, adding, “the quality of football seen so far has been great and I will like to applaud all the teams for putting so much effort in ensuring a great tournament.
“I will also like to thank SystemSpecs and Media Vision for hosting such a tournament.”
FCMB defeated Friesland Campina 1-0 in the third-place match.
Ebuka Daniel of Unilever was adjudged Most Valuable Player of the tournament and Best Midfielder, while Yusuf Rasheed, also of Unilever, was named Best Goalkeeper of the championship.
At the event, other games were decided, including the final of a four-team Campus Challenge featuring the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Lagos State University (LASU). LASU triumphed 3-1 on penalties in a keenly contested matchup.
Story Credit: Guardian.ng/sport
