By Daily Sports on February 28, 2019

Grassroots football in Benin City has produced another player in the professional ranks of world football.

One of Benin City’s most complete grassroots attacker Uche Ekpete has recently joined Mozambique’s top side Ferovario De Maputo from his youth team BJ Foundation FC of Benin City – the same team that has turned out some fine internationals over the years for Nigeria, including English premier league’s Watford striker Isaac Success as well as Victor Moses of Chelsea.

Ekpete is a young, tall and aggressive striker with a knack for scoring goals with relative ease. He has been part of a formidable BJ Foundation team that stunned many by winning the Edo State FA Cup in 2015 and went as far as the quarter finals of the Federations Cup that year, beating then NPFL team Heartland of Owerri 3-1 in the process before losing narrowly 1-2 to another NPFL side Lobi Stars.

For many who have been fascinated watching 19-year-old Ekpete waltzing through defenses of big teams, taking the defenders to the cleaners and profitting from his great athletism to bang in goals with assured ferocity against top teams in recent years, it was not a matter of if but when Ekpete would turn pro and get his career up a notch.

Now, Mozambique’s perennial CAF Champions League representatives have offered him the platform to shine as a professional player.

“I signed for Ferovario not long ago. I’m happy to join the club. They play in CAF competitions and this will give me the opportunity to test myself against top African clubs. There’s always a starting point for every young professional and fate has chosen Ferivario for me and I’m excited about the challenge,” Uche tells me.

Ferovario have a new foreign coach, Daude Razaque, who was formerly coach of Portuguese Primeira Liga side Portimonense SC. He’s a well-respected coach in Mozambique and Uche is relishing the chance of working with him.

Already, Uche has scored eight goals in three preseason matches for Ferovario as the club’s build-up for the Mozambique league season scheduled to kick off in March continues.

It’s not difficult to see Ferovario and Razaque enjoying the services of Uche when the league starts. The young man fits the bill of the strong African striker of the Didier Drogba mould. With the qualities of fierce shots, strong hold up play, good balance while pacing with the ball and an ability to always find the back of the net that Uche possesses, Ferovario and hopefully Nigeria’s national under-20 and under-23 teams can benefit from having him.

Talking of the national under-20 team under coach Paul Aigbogun, there is a general consensus that the team needs to beef up its attack to stand a chance of doing well at the junior world cup coming up in Poland.

Uche Ekpete is the strong forward player that surely can make an input in that team.

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Bendel Insurance Embark on Recruiting Young Under-15 Players

‘Catch them young’! That’s the policy Benin City-based Nigeria professional league side Bendel Insurance are pursuing now as they bid to reposition themselves as a club that develops young talents who would make the transition in the future into being capable professional players for the club.

Towards this end, Bendel Insurance have been  reaching out to young under-15 players all over the country,with particular focus on Benin City to come to screening exercises organised by the club in order to select the best young legs.

A statement by a Bendel Insurance club official Kehinde Osagiede issued on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 reads:

“Bendel Insurance U-15 Screening exercise Begins in Benin

“Bendel Insurance Football Club of Benin will today, Tuesday, February 26 commence screening of players under 15 years of age in Benin city.

“The football screening exercise under LA Liga /NPFL development programme is expected to end on March 1st, 2019.

“Venue is Emotan College, Wire Road, Benin City, beginning by 3:30pm daily.

“Insurance, therefore, invites eligible football players in Edo state to come for the exercise which will prepare them for national screening exercise later.

“According to Bendel Insurance under 15 coach, Osazee Stanley Francis, 35 players will be picked for the national screening exercise in Asaba, Delta State on 16th and 17th of March, 2019. The national screening will be supervised by the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL)

“It will be recalled that Insurance Under 15 coaches Osazee Stanley Francis and Kushimo Olawole Rafael were part of LA LIGA/NPFL Advance coaching course held in Abuja From 20th to 26th of January 2019.”

Many talented young payers of the under-15 category already belong to some youth teams and Insurance may need to find a good working relationship with these youth coaches to encourage their finest talents to pick up the offer of joining the ‘Benin Arsenal’.

•Photo shows Ferovario striker Uche Ekpete

Source Daily Sports

Posted February 28, 2019

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