Winner of the upcoming 2023 Dozy Mmobuosi Super Cup Football Tournament is expected to smile home with a whopping N1billion star prize.
The tournament, organised by The Dozy Mmobuosi Foundation, in partnership with the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), is under the aegis of Nigeria Premier Football League Limited.
The organisers in a statement made available to journalists said the number of participating teams has been expanded to 12, adding that all teams were selected from the NPFL, Nigeria’s top tier league.
The statement added that the first runner-up team will smile home with ₦200m while the sum of ₦20m will go for each of the 12 teams for their participation.
Dozy Mmobuosi said the decision to expand the tournament to include 12 top teams from the previous season was made in response to overwhelming demand from fans and stakeholders for more high-level football action.
“Following the huge success recorded in the maiden edition last December, it became necessary to increase the funding and allow teams to invest more resources in players, facilities, and infrastructure to attract top talents to the league, and raise the overall standard of football in Nigeria,” Mmobuosi said.
The Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NPFL, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, described the development as a huge impetus to the evolving reforms to stabilise the league.
While expressing gratitude over the development, Elegbeleye commended The Dozy Mmobuosi Foundation for the partnership with the NPFL.
“The Dozy Mmobuosi Foundation Pre-season Tournament is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talent in the league, promote Nigerian football to a broader audience, and inspire teams and players to contribute to the growth of the sport in the country,” remarked Elegbeleye.
In his reaction to the first of its kind partnership, Davidson Owumi, the NPFL Head of Operations, described the development as consistent with the IMC vision to reposition the league to become financially rewarding to clubs and by extension, the players and coaching staff.
Towards a seamless organisation of the tournament, an organising committee comprising representatives of Dozy Mmobuosi Foundation and the NPFL has been constituted to manage various aspects of the event.
CEO of Dozy Mmobuosi Foundation, Ebuwa Martins Agbonwaneten, has reiterated the Foundation’s commitment to using sports as a vehicle to support social and economic development in Nigeria.
“The Dozy Mmobuosi Super Cup Football Tournament is an excellent platform to promote the growth and development of football in Nigeria and we look forward to another successful tournament and the opportunity to showcase the best of Nigerian football,” Agbonwaneten stated.
The inaugural edition of the Dozy Mmobuosi Super Cup took place in November 2022 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos, where Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan emerged champions to claim the ₦100 million top prize with all the four participating teams receiving an appearance fee of ₦10 million.
LEADERSHIP reports that Dozy Mmobuosi is a Delta State born Nigerian businessman and tech entrepreneur based in the United Kingdom. He is an advocate for technological advancement and industrial revolution in Africa. He is the founder and CEO of Tingo Inc.
The Nigerian billionaire, with strong passion for football, is seeking to acquire English clubside Sheffield United in a deal said to be worth around £90million.
The ground-breaking/foundation laying of his multi-million Tingo Foods Processing factory in the agrarian Ishiekpe community in Onicha-Ugbo, Aniocha North local government area of the Delta State, was celebrated amidst pomp and pride recently.