Oba Adeyemi: I Could Have Become A Great Football Star

Bothered by the decline facing our sports in Nigeria, a Sports body, Links Youth Sports International of Nigeria (LYSIN) has finalized plan to institute a sports foundation in the name of the sports loving respected Yoruba monarch, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, the Alaafin of Oyo.

This was disclosed when the executives of the body led by the President of LYSIN, Niyi Dada were presenting a giant trophy procured to commence a national soccer tournament tagged ‘Oba Adeyemi Under-13 Unity Cup’ to the Monarch in his palace in Oyo town yesterday, which according to Dada is one of series of grassroots sports competitions lined up in name of Oba Adeyemi.

Oba Adeyemi in his address to the sports body delved into his background as a young footballer around Lagos Island in the early 50s before he decided to take to boxing.

''If there was an organization like this during our days as a footballer, maybe I could have become a great star in world of football, as people always sing songs to appreciate my football dribbling skills during my youthful days popularly known as ‘Ade one’.

''All the stakeholders in our sport life have a share of the blame in the decline noticed in our sports, we are not always sincere with our grassroots development and that was why we are not getting the desired results.

''But permit me to say that what is happening here today is a step in the right direction, development of sports is capital intensive and that is why we cannot leave it to the government alone to shoulder,''Alaafin noted.

He however urged the body to intensify their effort in discovering more talents in every area of sports that would take over from the aging ones presently representing the country.

Akanbi Agiri