Olawale tips Copa Lagos to drive African beach soccer

LONG-SERVING captain of the national beach soccer team, the Sand Eagles, Isiaka Olawale, believes the Copa Lagos Beach Soccer tourney is the perfect vehicle to drive the growth of the game not just in Nigeria but also in the whole of Africa.Olawale captained the Sand Eagles to Copa Lagos glory in last year's edition, where the Sand Eagles overcame former world champion, Brazil, in a final. The team won 9-4, with Olawale equally on the score sheet.Commenting on how Copa Lagos has aided the Sand Eagles' development in the game, Olawale said, 'it helped the team a lot, especially in getting exposure for beach soccer. Nobody believed Nigeria could host and win the tournament, and achieving that feat has given us great confidence.'On the growth of the game, Olawale said, 'a lot of people now have interest in beach soccer, especially after we defeated Brazil in the final.'The organiser of Copa Lagos, Kinetic Sports, has revealed its plan to expand the tourney in order to attract more sponsors, a plan Olawale sees as sign of better things to come.'I believe if we can start a league in Nigeria, it will help the country a lot, it will help to discover new talents and also help us to get sponsorship to improve our training,' he said.The three-day tourney kicks off on December 14 and ends on the 16th. Nigeria will battle Argentina, Lebanon and a yet-to-be-known team for the trophy.
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