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Defending champions Suicide Jubril seem on their way to another title after kicking off the 2022 Merrybet 5stars Premier League season with an easy win on match day one.
Two-time winners and current holders of the Merrybet 5Stars Premier League Suicide Jubril are off the mark for the 2022 season.
Suicide Jubril defeated Planet Futsal 2-0 to get their title defence off to the very possible and brilliant start on Saturday at the AstroTurf in Wuse, Zone 5, Abuja.
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Pulse Sports Nigeria was in attendance as six teams battled it out in three (3) matches on the opening day of the 2022 Merrybet 5Stars Premier League campaign.
The Merrybet 5Stars Premier League is Nigeria’s pioneer 5 and 7-aside football league organised to promote the growth and profitability of grassroots football in Nigeria and beyond.
The 5Stars Premier League provides a viable platform for teams and players to showcase their talents while entertaining football lovers, sports enthusiasts, fostering unity, and swiftly creating ROIs for investments in the sports sector.
Catch up on what the key talking points from the season opener which was well-attended.
Let's dive into those talking points starting with the results.
- Defending champions set example, dispatch Futsal
After receiving a special guard of honour, defending champions, Suicide Jubril, wasted to time to get their season off to a winning start.
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Suicide easily rolled over their opponents, Planet Futsal, sending them back to wherever they came from with a 2-0 win.
Both goals arrived early in either half as the champions laid down a marker on day one.
- 2021 finalists Theo FC held by Paul E Academy
Beaten finalists last season, Theo FC, will have to up their ante if they are to make it all the way to the final again and better the performance of last season.
Theo survived a scared to snatch a point after a four-goal thriller against the Academy boys from Paul E.
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Twice Paul E took the lead and twice Theo came back to equalise to ensure a share of the spoils.
Paul E netted two outstanding screamers but couldn't just hold on for a famous win over the losing finalists from last season.
The final game of the opening day saw Virtual FC go head-to-head with TBT FC.
While the best, they say, is always saved for the last, this particular one was anything but that after a barren draw.
It was the only game that failed to produce at single goal after a 0-0 affair between Virtual and TBT.
- 5Stars Premier League is coming to Lagos
According to Olumide Aturo, the MD/CEO of 5Stars Football, organisers of the Merrybet 5Stars Premier League, the premium five-a-side competition is on its way to Nigeria's economic capital, Lagos State.
"It's an annual 5-a-side tournament which is for the grassroots," he exclusively told Pulse Sports Nigeria.
"You can see a lot of grassroots teams and players. We play for a whole 16-17 weeks."
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"This edition we have expanded to Lagos. We started from Abuja, we are now going to Lagos and the grand finale will be in Ibadan."
Olumide on expectations for the season
"To ensure that we get more participation from youths in the grassroots, more talented guys and girls to be a part of what we are building because the more games like this, the more exposure. With more programmes like this, we will be able to unravel more talents."
- 'Underrated' 5Stars Premier League a junior league and helping Nigeria grow Futsal
Speaking on their role and the impact of the 5Stars Premier League, Chief Operating Officer of the NLO, Shola Ogunowo had this to say;
"We (NLO) are technical partners with 5Stars events - technical partners, so to say. So, we render technical support to them, they are like a junior league to the national league that i am its chief operating officer."
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On the impact of the Premier League, he adds;
"You won't be able to know the detailed assessment for now because what 5Stars are doing is highly underrated, I must tell you and that's why we had to partner with them because for the areas that we are not catching up on, he is already on ground there."
"So, that means there is that marriage between what they are doing and what we are doing."
"At the same time, he's helping Nigerian football to grow futsal game. This is the only league in Nigeria that is Futsal and on several occasions the national team coach has always been in this event to pick players that can fit into the national team. I'm sure you know there is a World Cup for Futsal and they have been participating in it. So, the grassroots impact is good."
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