Queens College, Ansar-Ud-Deen Girls, St. Gregory Boys and the foremost secondary school in Lagos, St. Finbarr’s, are the finalists in the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Masters Cup Season 4.
The Masters Cup that was formerly known as The Heritage Cup, formed for first generation heritage schools and private schools. It has also become a football championship for secondary schools as it serves as a platform for healthy sportsmanship and ultimately discovers raw football talents by scouts.
In the girls’ first semi-final match, Queen’s College, Yaba, defeated Ansar-Ud-Deen Girls High School, Isolo, 4-0 to book a berth in the final.
In the second semi-final match, Ansar-Ud-Deen Girls High School, Itire, defeated debutant, Federal Government College (FGC), Ijanikin, 3-1 in a game that saw both sides scoring in the first six minutes. Fatima Oyebanji opened the score line in the third minute. FGC replied minutes later through Toyosi Towoju’s free kick.
However, the Ansar Ud-Deen girls dominated the entire match, and Fatima got two more goals to complete the domination.
Queens College will now tackle Ansar-Ud-Deen Girls High School, Itire, in the girls’ final.
In the boys’ first semi-final match, St. Gregory’s College defeated hard-fighting Western College, Yaba, 2-1 to book the final ticket, while in the second semi-final match, St. Finbarr’s outscored Jibril Martins Memorial Grammar School, Iponri, 5-3 through penalty kicks after the match ended 1-1 at the regular time.
St. Finbarr’s will now lock horns with St. Gregory’s in the boys’ final.
At the finals, the winners will be rewarded with the sum of N750,000 (first), N500,000 (second) and N350,000 (third) in both the male and female categories.
Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) is one of the few Nigerian financial institutions that have maintained a defined Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, especially in sports education.
The Masters Cup and the Principal’s Cup in Lagos and Ogun states are some of the projects the bank has taken up in this regard.
Managing Director, GTBank, Segun Agbaje, said: “At GTBank, we believe that sports and education are fundamental in fostering cohesion among youths and imperative to their development. We are therefore proud to be pioneers of this initiative that provides an avenue for students to showcase their talents and passion for the game of football, while stressing the importance of education in nation building.
“This competition also serves as a platform for the players and students of participating schools to interact with one another in sharing ideas, and creating an atmosphere that promotes team work and encourages fair play.”
