Secretary General of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mohammed Sanusi
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) yesterday revealed that the draw for the first round matches of this year’s AITEO Cup competition would hold in Lagos today. According to the NFF, the first round matches, which will involve the 64 surviving teams following the preliminary round played last week, will hold on August 16.
The draw for the second round matches will take place on August 18, while the matches will come up on August 30. The draw for the third round matches will be conducted on August 31, while the matches will be played on September 13 and 16.
The NFF said the draw for the quarterfinals and semifinal matches will hold on September 14, with the quarterfinal matches coming up on September 20 and 23. The semifinal matches, it added, are scheduled for September 27 and October 4.
The final for the men’s event will take place on October 8, while the final for the women’s event has been scheduled for October 2.“As part of innovations to restore the glamour of the oldest football competition in the land, now bankrolled by Nigeria’s leading energy solutions company, AITEO, matches that end in a draw, from the first round, would not go into penalties as has been the case over the years,” the NFF said.
NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, who is also secretary of the Organizing Committee, explained, “From the first round stage, teams would be designated A and B. Team A will have the prerogative to choose the centre for the match against Team B, from the pool of designated centres. If the match ends in a draw, Team B will now have the prerogative to pick a venue from the designated centres as its ‘home’ for the replay.“This will apply to all matches from the first round stage.”
Source: G Sport
