OML 58 Football Tournament Kicks Off

The 2025 edition of OML 58 football tournament   kicked off last weekend with plans to develop more talents.
According to the Executive Director JV Asset of Total Energies, Mr. Obi Imemba, the tournament has improved in the past 13 years and has discovered several football talents, three of whom are currently undergoing training at a football academy outside the country.
Speaking through the General Manager Community Affairs Dornu Kogam, the JV Asset director said that this year’s theme is geared towards promoting peace and harmony among the selected communities, adding that two teams that defaulted were dropped from the competition.
He urged the 18 teams participating in this year’s competition to focus on the theme of the event by displaying camaraderie and love among themselves.
Imemba said that,” my advice to the participating teams is that you should not be preoccupied with winning, rather focus on the theme of the event”.
Earlier, Chairman of the Organising Committee, Saheed Ogunsanya stated that the competition had evolved over the years and has become an under 18 competition, witnessing total elimination of over aged players.
“With this, he said, ‘talent hunt and development of youngsters have become a major goal of the competition, which goes beyond sowing peace and harmony to  improving and providing career platforms for youths for the future”.
Meanwhile, at the opening match last weekend at Obite Civic Centre in Ogba/ Egbema /Ndoni Local Government Area defending champions, Odiemerenye FC and Abarikpo FC locked horns to kickstart this year’s edition. The match was scoreless as at half time.
Recall that Odiemerenye FC were 2024 champions, and they were the first Ekpeye community to lift the OML 58 trophy since the inaugural edition in 2002.

By: Kevin Nengia