The Zenith Bank /Delta Principals Cup Football competition is getting tougher as the event enters the zonal stage tomorrow in eight different centres.
At the weekend a total of 25 teams emerged as champions in all the Local Government Areas of Delta State and they were divided into eight groups for the zonal eliminations.
The teams that qualified from the LG preliminaries are Azagba Mixed Sec Sch, Issele-Azagba from Aniocha North, Comprehensive Sec Sch, Ogwashi-Uku from Anocha South, Okoloba Sec. Sch, Okoloba from Bomadi, Ogulagha Sec Sch, Ogulagha from Burutu, Okpara Boys Sec Sch, Okpara Inland from Ethipie East, Ihwighwu Sec Sch, Ijomi-Oghara from Ethiope West, Mixed Sec Sch, Abavo, Ika South, Ezomo Sec Sch, Boji Boji Owa from Ika North East, Alaka Gram Sch, Ozoro from Isoko North and Emore Gram Sch, Oleh from Isoko South.
Other LG winners include Igbuku Sec Sch from Igbuku Ndokwa East, Utagba-Ogbe Gram Sch, Kwale from Ndokwa West, Orerokpe Sec Sch, Orerokpe from Okpe, Okpanam High Sch, Okpanam from Oshimili North and Zappa Mixed Sec Sch, Asaba from Oshimili South.
Head of the organizing team, Tony Pemu said on Monday that the LG preliminaries was the most dramatic and dicey: “It involves so many logistics here and there especially monitoring of these matches. Now, we are down to eight centres and only 25 teams and we will still continue the screening process as we move on because we want true champions to emerge.
“The competition ends this year unlike the previous ones that spill to the next year. For example, all the quarterfinal games are billed for October 30 in four different centres while the semis will take place in early November.”
The state’s Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Chief Patrick Ukah, expressed delight at the progress of the competition.
“I am very happy that things are going according to our plans and we expect that the standard will continue to increase as we move on,” Ukah said.