FEDERATION CUP
Draw for Nigeria Federation Cup holds on Thursday
The National Draw for the men’s and women’s versions of this year’s Federation Cup competition will take place on Thursday, 18th April 2024 at the NFF Secretariat, Abuja.
Already, the field for the national competition in the men’s draw has been trimmed to 64 following last week’s Play-off matches that saw the elimination of Classic FC of Adamawa, Simon Ben Academy of Kaduna, PRO Line of Kano, Crusaders FC of Bayelsa, KC FC of Kogi and Flight FC of Benue State.
From those games, Warinje FC of Bauchi, PCM FC of Ebonyi, Ine Stars of Edo, Zamfara United Feeders, Fr. Eburuaja of Imo and Gamji Eaglets of Taraba emerged to confirm their slots in Thursday’s draw ceremony.
The men’s competition will begin with Round of 64 matches, before the Round of 32, and then Round of 16 dovetailing to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the Grand Finale.
The women’s competition, which has 31 entries, will begin with Round of 32 games, then the Round of 16, before the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the Grand Finale.
States & Representative Teams (Men Competition)
Abia State: Enyimba FC, Abia Warriors
Akwa Ibom State: Akwa United, FC One Rocket
Anambra State: Solution FC, Edel FC
Bauchi State: Wikki Tourists, Warinje FC
Bayelsa State: Bayelsa United
Benue State: Lobi Stars
Borno State: El-Kanemi Warriors
Cross Rivers State: Rovers FC, May Frank FC
Delta State: Warri Wolves, Delta Marine FC
Ebonyi State: Cynosure FC, PCM FC
Edo State: Bendel Insurance, Ine Stars
Ekiti State: Ekiti United, Ekiti United Feeders
Enugu State: Rangers Int’l, Coal City FC
FCT: EFCC FC, Sporting Supreme FC
Gombe State: Gombe United, Doma United
Imo State: Ikukuoma FC, Fr. Eburuaja FC
Jigawa State: Lautai FC, Dutse Strikers
Kaduna State: Green Beret FC
Kano State: Kano Pillars
Katsina State: Katsina United FC, Jr. Danburan FC
Kebbi State: Discovery Talent Academy, Kebbi United
Kogi State: FC Bako
Kwara State: Kwara United, ABS FC
Lagos State: Inter Lagos FC, Ikorodu City FC
Nasarawa State: Nasarawa United, FC Basira
Niger State: Niger Tornadoes, Niger Tornadoes Feeders
Ogun State: Beyond Limit FC, Stormers Sports Club
Ondo State: Sunshine Stars, Adanimogo FC
Osun State: Osun United, Hammola Int’l FC
Oyo State: Ilaji FC, Shooting Stars
Plateau State: Plateau United, Mighty Jets
Rivers State: Rivers United, Ofirima FC
Sokoto State: Sokoto United, Jedo Academy
Taraba State: Gamji Eaglets FC, Karim United
Zamfara State: Zamfara United, Zamfara United Feeders
States & Representative Teams (Women Competition)
Abia State: Abia Angels, Ahudiya Nnem Queens
Bayelsa State: Bayelsa Queens, GoldenSun Sports Club
Benue State: Honey Badgers
Delta State: Delta Queens, Delta Ladies
Edo State: Edo Queens, Fortress Ladies
Ekiti State: Ekiti Queens
Enugu State: Bright Future FC, Greenfoot FC
FCT: Naija Ratels, ON Youth Academy
Imo State: Heartland Queens
Kaduna State: Kada FC, Gallant FC
Kogi State: Confluence Queens
Kwara State: Kwara Ladies FC
Lagos State: FC Robo Queens, Dannaz Ladies
Nasarawa State: Nasarawa Amazons
Ogun State: Remo Stars Ladies
Ondo State: Sunshine Queens, Onimang FC
Osun State: Osun Babes
Oyo State: Suit De Queens
Plateau State: Plateau United Queens, Mighty Jets Int’l Mata
Rivers State: Rivers Angels, Oske Lean FC
FEDERATION CUP
Nigeria football national cup changed name to give it presidential might, says sports minister
Eloquent-speaking Nigeria sports minister, John Owan-Enoh under whose supervision the Nigeria football knock-out competition changed name for the sixth time.
What began as Governor’s Cup and later changed to Challenge Cup, Coca-Cola FA Cup, Federation Cup, Aiteo Cup and Tingo Cup is now President Federation Cup.
The minister explained that the essence is to return charm to the competition that was previously very glamorous.
At a simple, but colourful event packaged by the GTI Asset Management and Trust Ltd, the NFF and the Ministry of Sports at the Westwood Hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos, the sports minister harped on the need to rejuvenate the Nigeria national football cup competition which is open to all clubs irrespective of their status.
He recalled the thrills and frills of the competition which had all the ingredients of knock out games with the attendant upsets. Foremost was when the then Leventis United of Ibadan rose steadily from the third division and became the first lower- division team to win the then Challenge Cup in 1984.
“Today we gather to relaunch the competition as the President Federation Cup, honouring Nigeria’s highest office holder and aligning with the renewed hope agenda of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, fostering national unity and emulating the American Super Bowl as a national football extravaganza.”
The minister stated further that his initiative of the agreement with GTI was to raise the standard of the national football cup competition.
“We aim to reestablish the renamed competition on the national and international football calendar, involving grassroots teams, creating employment for approximately 500,000 Nigerians, engaging a hundred million football enthusiasts, rejuvenating talent pipelines, fostering national pride, and showcasing Nigeria’s greatness globally.
“The President Federation Cup will become President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s legacy.”
FEDERATION CUP
Why ‘Federation’ is inserted in President Cup, says Gusau
It took a while before the new name of the all-Nigeria national football competition was arrived at. President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau explained that when the discussion to rebrand the national cup began, it was just to be called President Cup.
That was to give it a presidential backing by the highest office in Nigeria. It would have been similar to “The Throne Cup” in Morocco.
Gusau explained that not putting ‘Federation’ in the official name could lead people to mistaken that the NFF was not involved in the competition.
It was for that reason that the name was elongated to read: President Federation Cup.
From the quarter-finals stage, the clubs will be taken care of and also supplied with jerseys. Although the prize money was not announced, it was stated that ‘it will be good.’
FEDERATION CUP
BREAKING! Federation Cup acquires presidential nomenclature…7th name since inception
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
For the sixth time, Nigeria’s oldest football competition has had a change of name as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and GTI on Friday announced a new nomenclature for the knock-out competition.
The competition which national draw for the Round of 64 was conducted on Thursday will now be known as President Federation Cup.
It is the seventh name for the competition which began in 1945 as Governor’s Cup. But following the changes in the Nigerian Constitution, the Annual General Meeting of the then Nigeria Football Association (NFA) on February 28, 1955 opted for another name – the All Nigeria Challenge Cup (simply called the Challenge Cup).
The name endured for decades until it was changed to changed the name to Coca-Cola FA Cup in 1996 for sponsorship reasons.
On June 3, 2008, Ademola Olajire through a press release announced the third change of name to Federation Cup following the adoption of a new nomenclature by the governing body which is now known as Nigeria Federation Cup.
The name endured till June 28, 2017 when the NFF conferred the naming right to its lead partner, the AITEO Group and competition became the ‘AITEO Cup’.
The agreement was for five years and it lapsed in 2022. In 2023 it was called the Tingo Cup. The President Federation Cup is the seventh name that the competition has adopted.
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