The second edition of the President Bola Tinubu under-18 boys’ football tournament has kicked off at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina.

The tournament, which was kicked off by Governor Dikko Radda on Monday, commenced with a match between the host team and their visitors from Bauchi.

Mr Radda welcomed all the participating states, saying that Katsina remained a home of hospitality and heritage.

The governor described the tournament as an avenue to nurture young talent, foster sportsmanship, and cultivate cordial relationships among participating states.

He assured the state government’s readiness to continue hosting and sponsoring the tournament to complement the federal government’s efforts to promote football at grassroots levels.

The national president of the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria, Nasiru Gawuna, acknowledged the effort and commitment of the Katsina State government for hosting the tournament.

Represented by the YSFON vice president, North-West, Aminu Ahmed-Wali, Mr Gawuna restated his readiness to ensure fairness among all the participating states from the beginning to the end of the tournament.

He explained that so far, about 15 states had arrived in Katsina for the tournament, adding that more participants were expected to arrive in the state on Monday.

According to him, the states include Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Kwara, Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, Gombe, Sokoto, Yobe, Niger, Kogi, the FCT, and the host state.

The opening match ended 2-0 in favour of the Bauchi YSFON team. 

(NAN)