HIFL best 11 to represent NUGA at FISU Games

ORGANISERS of the Higher Institutions Football League (HIFL), which semifinals conclude next week, have revealed that the best players from the competition will form the Nigerian team to next year’s International University Sports Federation (FISU) Games.

The HIFL, owned by Pace Sports and Entertainment Marketing (PSEM) in alliance with the National Universities Games Association (NUGA), debuted this year with 16 universities from across the country vying for the coveted trophy and other awards. The final will hold on November 3 at the Agege Stadium Lagos.

Unilorin holds a 1-0 advantage over Unical in one of the HIFL semifinals, which second leg will hold in Calabar next week. The second semifinal will see University of Agriculture Makurdi attempting to overturn its 35 deficit against OAU at home.

The competition, according to the organisers, is aimed at giving talented players in Nigerian universities to window to showcase their talents, as well as opening an avenue for students in all the country’s higher institutions to interact and cultivate lasting friendships.

Speaking in his office on Tuesday, Director, PSEM, Sola Fijabi enthused that the competition has thrown up some fantastic players, whose talents would otherwise have been wasted. He said the competition has “been so wonderful and we are so happy also with the support from our sponsors, which made everything easy for us from one centre to the other.”

Fijabi revealed that the Main Organising Committee (MOU), which comprises NUGA and PSEM officials, has directed its technical arm to monitor the matches for players that would form the NUGA team to the FISU Games.