Joel Ajayi
MOP Stars Football Club Academy is preparing for a landmark European tour later this month, with confirmed fixtures against top English sides including Brentford FC, West Ham United, Charlton Athletic, and others.
The tour, scheduled to kick off on October 25 in London, is designed to showcase Nigerian grassroots talent on the global stage.
Announcing the development after his academy side played a goalless test match against the U-17 Golden Eaglets at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, Chairman of the Academy, Dr. Sulieman Adejoh, described the trip as a great opportunity to give his players international exposure while making Nigeria proud abroad.
“We have a tournament in London starting October 25, and the fixtures have been finalized. By the grace of God, we will go there, compete well, and fly Nigeria’s flag high,” Adejoh said.
Reflecting on the growth of his academy, Adejoh noted that since its establishment in January, the MOP Stars have remained unbeaten, except in a training match against the Super Eagles. He added that their ability to hold the national U-17s to a draw showed both the academy’s progress and the Eaglets’ urgent need to improve in the attacking third.
Head Coach of MOP Stars FC, Toyin Lawal, praised his young players for holding their own against the national cadet side.
“We are still a new team with a lot of work ahead, but it’s a joyful thing that we were able to match the Golden Eaglets. I believe they will go on to represent Nigeria well,” Lawal said.
One of the academy’s stakeholders, Mr. Ekpang Adejoh, also commended the team’s discipline and raw talent.
“Fantastic defensive discipline, strong midfield play — and from street footballers — yet they held a national U-17 side to a goalless draw. That’s remarkable. The Eaglets did well too, but you cannot overlook the raw talent in these MOP Stars. This is why we are urging the NFF to look into the streets, because there are hidden footballers everywhere, even players capable of becoming future Super Eagles stars,” he stated.
He emphasized that though the academy is less than a year old, their progress has been extraordinary. “With the dedication of the founder, in the next two years we could see players from this academy rise to the level of Jay-Jay Okocha or Kanu Nwankwo,” he added.
