Emir of Ilorin Cup: Police Machine revives glory after 51-Year hiatus
Police Machine Football Club has emerged as the champions of the Emir of Ilorin Cup, marking a revival of grassroots football development in the ancient city of Ilorin.
The competition, last held in 1978 when Abdusalam Rocks Football Club clinched the title, has been rebranded to commemorate the yearly coronation anniversary of the current Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim.
Chairman of the main organizing committee, Alhaji Owolabi Abdulrazak Wopa, shared the motivation behind resurrecting the tournament.
“As a young footballer then, I was happy and liked the idea of that competition,” Wopa said. “When I grew up, I recalled the days when we watched and played in the Emir of Ilorin football championship.”
“Fortunately for me, when I got elected as chairman of Ilorin West football council, I made a promise to see to the rebirth of this competition because it is a unifying factor.”
“It is a competition that brings everybody home and abroad together to felicitate with His Royal Highness,” he said.
He further expressed satisfaction with the success of the initiative, stating, “Honestly, I am more than encouraged because our primary aim and objective of staging this competition to bring the youth together and take them away from social vices has been achieved.”
“Talents have been discovered by big teams like Kwara United FC and ABS FC. This is a good development,” he concluded.
In the 2023 edition final, Police Machine FC secured victory against Musty FC with a lone goal inside the main bowl of the Kwara State Stadium Complex in Ilorin.
During the trophy and cash prize presentation, Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Victor Olaiya, praised the achievement, emphasizing the role of sports in unifying the nation.
Olaiya stated, “We feel very proud and elated; it’s a thing of joy that the Police Machine FC emerged champions of the revived Emir of Ilorin Cup under my watch. I am a sportsman; you know what it means to bring home the Cup. We are happy; it makes us very proud.” He highlighted the rich sporting history of the Nigeria Police Force and expressed expectations for more police participation in sporting events during his tenure.
At the prize presentation, Bola Mogaji, Chairman of Kwara State Sports Commission, urged football stakeholders to invest in grassroots development to discover talents that can represent the state and country.
The organizers, led by Alhaji Wopa, promised to make the tournament a yearly event and expressed gratitude for the contributions of the state government, the chairman of Kwara State Sports Commission, and the general public in making the tournament a success.
The prize distribution saw Police Machine FC receiving three hundred thousand naira for emerging champions, Musty FC receiving two hundred thousand as the first runner-up, Okaa Sports FC, the second runner-up, received a hundred thousand naira, while Adezzy FC, coming forth, received fifty thousand naira.
