BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Penalty Shoot-out which was initially ousted in the national preliminaries of the maiden edition of the AITEO Cup has been restored.
According to a press release by the media department of the NFF, stalemated matches in the Round of 64 and the following Round of 32 will be decided by penalty shoot-out instead a replay on the home ground of the designated Team B.
Even though no reason was given, it may be a way of avoiding possible fixture congestion.
But from Round of 16, stalemated matches will be replayed on the home ground of teams designated as B. Further stalemate at the replay will then be decided by penalty shootout.
The NFF also revealed that quarter final matches and those of the semi-finals will be played on home and away bases.
According to earlier media release, the quarter final matches will be played on September 20 and 23 meaning that the eight teams will play two matches within three days.
The semi finals are slated for September and October 4. With 18 of the current premier league football clubs in the race, at least five of them will be eliminated after Wednesday’s matches.
There are five fixtures featuring head-to-head clashes of top division sides. They are the Lobi Stars versus Katsina United in Makurdi; Niger Tornadoes hosting El Kanemi Warriors in Abuja; Nasarawa United hosting MFM in Lafia; Wikki Tourists versus Plateau United in Bauchi and ABS hosting Enyimba in Ilorin.
Two top division sides – Remo Stars and Gombe United – are not in the race.
Meanwhile, venues for the Round of 64 matches have been released. They run thus:

Round of 64 Matches & Venues

• Ngwa FC (Ebonyi) VS FC Galadima (Kebbi) – Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu (4pm)

• Heartland FC (Imo) VS Insurance FC (Edo) – Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri (4pm)

• Lobi Stars (Benue) VS Katsina United (Katsina) – Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi (4pm)

• Katsina United Feeders (Katsina) VS Aklosendi FC (Nasarawa) – Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, Katsina (4pm)

• AITEL FC (Taraba) VS Unicem Rovers (Cross River) – Jalingo Township Stadium (4pm)

• Mighty Jets FC (Plateau) VS Sunshine Stars (Ondo) – Rwang Pam Stadium (4pm)

• Bayelsa United (Bayelsa) VS FC Zamfara (Zamfara) – Sharks Stadium, Port Harcourt (4pm)

• Adamawa United (Adamawa) VS Cynosure FC (Rivers) – Fufure Township Stadium (4pm)

• Ede United (Osun) VS Sakaba United FC (Kebbi) – Oshogbo Township Stadium (2pm)

• FC IfeanyiUbah Feeders (Anambra) VS Jigawa Golden Stars (Jigawa) – FC IfeanyiUbah Stadium, Nnewi-Ozubulu (4pm)

• Samba Kurna (Kano) VS Wikki Tourists Feeders (Bauchi) – Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano (4pm)

• Ekiti United (Ekiti) VS Dolphins FC (Kaduna) – Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado-Ekiti (4pm)

• Niger Tornadoes (Niger) VS El-Kanemi Warriors (Borno) – Area 3 Stadium, Abuja (4pm)

• Rivers United (Rivers) VS FC Atete (Delta) – Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt (4pm)

• Delta Warriors (Delta) VS Ayade Babes (Cross River) – Warri City Stadium (4pm)

• FC Yarma Light (Gombe) VS FC IfeanyiUbah (Anambra) – Patami Stadium, Gombe (4pm)

• Halfa FC (Jigawa) VS Akwa United FC (Akwa Ibom) – Dutse Township Stadium (4pm)

• Shooting Stars (Oyo) VS Dynamite FC (Edo) – Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan (4pm)

• Kogi United (Kogi) VS Rangers International (Enugu) – Confluence Stadium, Lokoja (4pm)

• Nasarawa United (Nasarawa) VS MFM FC (Lagos) – Lafia City Stadium (4pm)

• Niger Tornadoes Feeders (Niger) VS FC Abuja (FCT) – FIFA Goal Project, Abuja (4pm)

• Doma United (Gombe) VS Adamawa United (Adamawa) – Patami Stadium, Gombe (2pm)

• Osun United (Osun) VS Coal City Youths (Enugu) – Oshogbo Township Stadium (4pm)

• FC Lokoja (Kogi) VS El-Kanemi Babes (Borno) – Confluence Stadium, Lokoja (2pm)

• Kwara United (Kwara) VS Sokoto United (Sokoto) – Kwara Sports Stadium (2pm)

• Wikki Tourists (Bauchi) VS Plateau United (Plateau) – Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi (4pm)

• ABS FC (Kwara) VS Enyimba FC (Abia) – Kwara Sports Stadium (4pm)

• Yobe Desert Stars (Yobe) VS Kano Pillars (Kano) – Damaturu Township Stadium (4pm)

• Abia Warriors FC (Abia) VS Crown FC (Oyo) – Umuahia Township Stadium (4pm)

• FRSC FC (FCT) VS Potiskum Academy (Yobe) – Area 3 Stadium, Abuja (2pm)

• Almar (Ogun) VS Spartan FC (Lagos) – Dipo Dina Stadium, Ijebu-Ode (4pm)

• Moyero FC (Ondo) VS Akwa Starlets (Akwa Ibom) – Akure Township Stadium (4pm)