Kanu kicks off Imo Football League

FORMER Super Eagles Captain, Nwankwo Kanu, who is now the Special Adviser on Sports to the Imo State Governor, will take the traditional kick off of the Imo State League on Saturday, officials of the Imo Sports Council have revealed.The league, which will feature teams from all the 27 local government areas under a four-zone structure, is the state government's initiative aimed at locating and grooming talents at the grassroots from across the state.Speaking during a conference to herald the kick- off of the competition over the weekend, Kanu's Personal Assistant, Ray Ebede explained that the project was to enable the state groom more Kanu Nwankwos and also to engage the youths in a productive venture in order to reduce the unemployment rate, as well as curtail crime in the society. Expected to run for eight months, the winners and runners-up from each of the four zones will converge in Owerri, the state capital, for the final phase of the league.Although, no specific cash prize has been named for the winners and runners-up of the competition, Ebede said such could not be ruled out as the Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha had given his full weight and backing to the project.He revealed that 25 players selected from the competition would be sponsored on a tour of Europe next season by the State government, adding that Kanu has already finalized agreement with a number of English Premiership clubs to train players chosen from the competition.The competition will run from Saturday to June 2012..
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