Twenty-five teams at the weekend qualified for the zonal preliminaries of the 2019 Zenith Bank/Delta Principals Cup football competition, which begins tomorrow in eight different centres.
The teams that qualified from the local council preliminaries are Azagba Mixed Secondary School, Issele-Azagba from Aniocha North, Comprehensive Secondary School, Ogwashi-Uku from Aniocha South, Okoloba Secondary School, Okoloba from Bomadi, Ogulagha Secondary School, Ogulagha from Burutu, Okpara Boys Secondary School, Okpara Inland from Ethiope East, Ihwighwu Secondary School, Ijomi-Oghara from Ethiope West, Mixed Secondary School, Abavo, Ika South, Ezomo Secondary School, Boji Boji Owa from Ika North East, Alaka Grammar School, Ozoro from Isoko North and Emore Grammar School, Oleh from Isoko South.
Other local council winners include Igbuku Secondary School from Igbuku Ndokwa East, Utagba-Ogbe Grammar School, Kwale from Ndokwa West, Orerokpe Secondary School, Orerokpe from Okpe, Okpanam High School, Okpanam from Oshimili North and Zappa Mixed Secondary School, Asaba from Oshimili South.
Head of the organizing team, Tony Pemu yesterday disclosed that the local council preliminaries was the most dramatic and dicey.
Pemu said: “It involves so many logistics here and there, especially monitoring of these matches. Now, we are down to eight centres and only 25 teams and we will still continue the screening process as we move on because we want true champions to emerge.
“The competition ends this year unlike the previous ones that spills to the next year. For example, all the quarterfinal games are billed for October 30 in four different centres, while the semifinals will take place in early November.”
The state’s Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Patrick Ukah expressed delight at the progress of the competition.
“I am very happy that things are going according to our plans and we expect that the standard will continue to increase as we move on,” Ukah said.
