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By: Ebenezer Bajela
Ahead of the highly anticipated novelty match between The PUNCH and the Media Amalgamated team – which comprises journalists from other newspaper houses in the country – the PUNCHERS, under the watchful eyes of former Super Eagles midfielder Friday Ekpo, started training on Wednesday.
The PUNCHERS will go up against Media Amalgamated, a select group of journalists from Tribune, Nation, Vanguard, ThisDay, Leadership and The Guardian newspapers at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos, February 24.
The highly anticipated and potentially explosive novelty match marks the commencement of an array of epoch-making activities for the 50th anniversary celebration of Nigeria’s most-read newspaper.
The first training session held at the football pitch of the Mountain Top University along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, Magboro, Ogun State had 31 players from different departments of the company.
Leaving no stone unturned, the 1992 AFCON bronze medallist drilled the PUNCHERS as the first session of the three-day training focused on ball control, passing, shooting, defending and dribbling.
Speaking after the training session, Ekpo, a 1992 AFCON bronze medallist, said, “I am delighted that we’ve had our first training session for the novelty game in celebration of the anniversary and we want everybody to come out and cheer us and watch how the game of football is being played.
“It is not a World Cup qualifier or Africa Cup of Nations tournament but we will let people see beautiful football just the way they watch it on TV and I believe we have quality players that can deliver that.
“We are training everything gradually with the team and the players will live up to expectations and with a few more training we will be good to go.”
Meanwhile, General Manager, Digital and Publication, The PUNCH, Ademola Oni, who was in a bullish mood while addressing The PUNCHERS, said he wanted his side to show why they are the number one media firm in the country.
“I am impressed with what I saw today (Wednesday) and I am sure we will replicate that on the field of play when we come up against our opponents.
“We are not playing against women but against other media best XI and I want us to beat them silly. We have to show them that we are not just the best in the industry but also in other areas. We must beat them convincingly because we are the celebrants and we cannot allow them to spoil our party for us,” Oni told our correspondent.
Former Super Eagles forward and bronze medallist at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations, Victor Agali, has been handed the task of coaching the Media Amalgamated team.