Exhilaration was the pervasive feeling at the Yabatech Sports Complex on Sunday as fans of corporate football witnessed endless entertainment at the grand finale of the 2019 Remita Corporate Champions Cup (RC3), where Unilever edged Nestle to the trophy.
The match, which was enjoyed by a near-capacity crowd, was as tactical as it was exciting. Four converted penalty kicks by the Unilever team deprived former champions, Nestle of the dream to lift the new Koenig Trophy for the first time after a goalless draw in regulation time.
Unilever defeated FrieslandCampina and IHS Towers en route the final while Nestle bested First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and Union Bank to make the final of the RC3, a tournament regarded by pundits as the Champions League of corporate football due to eligibility granted to winners and runners-up of sectoral championships.
The event was graced by the presence of dignitaries and senior executives including the Managing Director of SystenSpecs, John Obaro; Managing Director of Wema Bank, Ademola Adebise; Executive Director of SystemSpecs, Deremi Atanda; legendary former goalie of Nigeria’s Super Eagles and tournament ambassador, Peter Rufai; Chief Operating Officer of Media Vision Limited, Jimmy Shogbesan, Ola Ehinmoro, HR Director, Ghana & Nigeria, Unilever; Sola Akinsoye, Country HR Manager, Nestle and an array of Ex-Super Eagles and Falcons Internationals.
Reacting to the quality of football on display throughout the course of the competition and the commitment of his organisation to promoting worthy CSR causes around the nation, Managing Director of SystemSpecs, the tournament sponsors, John Obaro said: “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”
Also remarking on the tenacity of both teams to arrive at the final and put up a strong showing of themselves, Tournament Ambassador and Ex-Super Eagles International, Peter Rufai noted: ’’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”
Unilever and FCMB competed for third and fourth places in the tournament, with the bankers defeating its on-field adversary 1-0 in a fast-paced game.
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.
Kicking off the proceeding of the day was a final of a 4-team Campus Challenge tourney featuring the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Lagos State University (LASU). LASU triumphed 3-1 on penalties in a keenly contested matchup. The Remita Eagles of SystemSpecs also played a novelty match with RenMoney that finished in a 3-2 penalty shootout defeat for the hosts.
Furthermore, charged with the task of intensifying the festivities were talented musicians, L.A.X and Victor AD, who kept the crowd on their toes with some well-choreographed performance. The crooners thrilled fans with popular tunes such as Ginger, Wetin We Gain, and Vanessa.
The famous Peter Rufai challenged where top executives had the chance to put penalties past the legendary Goalkeeper. The Executives emerged on the winning side as they scored more penalties than they lost.
Prizes were not limited to the footballers alone as special games and activities were organised to ensure attendees went home with broader smiles. Among such were raffles, eating competitions and eating competitions.
