Para-soccer: I was so scared meeting Nasarawa in semi-final, Kano coach says

Coach of Kano para-soccer team, Ibrahim Musa, on Wednesday in Abuja admitted to being scared before his team faced Team Nasarawa in the semi-finals of the ongoing 2019 National Para-Soccer Championship.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Kano team, however, defeated Nasarawa 3-2 in their semi-final match played at the Old Parade Ground on Wednesday in Abuja.

Musa told NAN he was scared and afraid to meet the Nasarawa state team at this stage of the championship for the simple reason that Nasarawa have been a great threat to all in the tournament.

The coach is however optimistic that his team would have it easier on Thursday in the final match against Katsina.

“The Katsina team has never beaten Kano team and I believe we are going to beat them in our final match on Thursday to lift the trophy.

“I am sure that we will win the final match of this year’s championship,” he said.

On his part, coach Ibrahim Abdullahi of the Nasarawa team said he was not happy about the officiating in the game.

“No team had defeated my team in this tournament, except today. We played three matches and won them all. It is unfortunate that we lost in the semi-finals, but there is always a winner or a loser in every match.

“We will go back home and prepare for the next edition of the championship,” he said.

NAN reports that Kaduna will face Nasarawa in the third-place match of the tournament, while the Kano team will take on Katsina in the final match on Thursday.

NAN also reports that Team Bauchi, expected to participate in the championship, did not show up in the 10-team competition.

The teams which participated were: Kano; Kaduna; Zamfara; Gombe; Katsina; Borno; Nasarawa; Sokoto; and the FCT.

Read Also: Grassroots football development core for teams success, says Fuludu

The championship, which is the seventh edition, started on Saturday at the Old Parade Ground and will end on Thursday to mark the World Polio Day.