Lagos to Host Yobo Testimonial

The Lagos State Government has agreed to host a testimonial match in honour of former Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo for his service to Nigeria. The date of the match is yet to be revealed but is expected to feature top footballers like Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o and others. The game will be a celebration of the former defender who was the first player to make a century of appearances for the Super Eagles. According to Mr Adeboye Anthony Adeyinka, Senior Special Assistant on Sports to the Lagos State Governor, the Lagos State Government, are trying to use sports as a platform to market the metropolis. This comes after Lagos State Government successfully staged the Lagos Marathon last weekend. “The match will be played in Lagos but it will not be a Lagos thing alone because Yobo played for Nigeria so it will also be a Federation event,” Adeyinka reportedly said. “When he was playing in Nigeria, he was a respected person. When he played abroad he was never red-carded in any match. All his coaches will testify to what I have said and they will be invited to the testimonial,” He continued. Yobo came to the limelight back in 1999 when Nigeria hosted World Youth Championship, featuring alongside Pius Ikedia, late Sam Okoye and Julius Aghahowa, in the Men’s U-23 team. His impressive displays earned him a call-up to the senior national team back in 2001 and he went on to make 101 appearances, scoring seven times. His best stint in Nigerian colours was back in 2013 when he led the Super Eagles to victory at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, almost 20 years since their last triumph. He called time on his international career after Nigeria’s second round elimination by France at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The 35-year-old, who is married with kids, also had a good club career. He played in Belgium, France, England and Turkey with varying degrees of success. A testimonial match, originated in the United Kingdom, is like a retirement package where a club typically grant testimonials to players upon reaching ten years of service with the club, although they sometimes are given to players with less service under particular circumstances such as approaching retirement. All proceeds from the match normally go to the player.       About the Writer: Arinze Ude (@arturozinga) is an aspiring cancer research scientist with a master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences (Haematology). He is keen on building partnerships and managing the careers of Nigerian sportsmen and women. He blogs at http://arturozinga.wordpress.com and tweets @ arturozingaa

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This article was first published on 11th February 2016

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