Ex-Super Eagles midfielder , Ebenezer Oluwafemi Ajilore, has commended the standard of FC Ebedei Stadium, Sagamu, Ogun State, stating it equates to that of many stadia in Europe.
Ajilore during a visit to the football academy where he started his professional career before his sojourn to Europe at Danish FC Midtjylland in 2004, noted that the academy has contributed a lot to take youths away from the streets while inadvertently curbing crime.
The midfielder, who got his call up to the senior men’s national football team in 2008 and earned five caps during the period until 2011, applauded the CEO of FC Ebedei Academy, Barr Churchill Oliseh for the laudable strides and values added to give quality to FC Ebeide Stadium.
“I feel highly privileged to have passed through this academy and I owe my successes and all that I have achieved in life to FC Ebedei and club President Barrister Churchill Oliseh, who’s like a father figure to many of us,” Ajilore said according to Niyi Busari’s report.
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“The visit to my boyhood club is memorable for me, and also to have a view of the FC Ebedei Stadium and of course the players who for me are the next football stars of tomorrow,” he recounted. The Olympian, who was among the Nigeria U23 squad that won a silverware at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, advised the youngsters to be focused on the training, adding that they are the future of Nigeria’s football.
Furthermore, Ajilore said the playing turf was standard and stressed that the academy has provided a platform for the trainees to pursue their professional careers. He continued: “I had a pep talk with them, all geared towards motivating and encouraging them to make the best use of the FC Ebedei platform, they keep focus, believe in themselves and give their best in training and matches.
“The facility I have seen at FC Ebedei is world-class and the same as what you find in some parts of Europe. The playing turf is standard and it’s practically what I have played on with some of the teams I featured for in Europe. As a player, you can’t ask for more than this quality. “Such good facility brings out the best in players as they would want to give more in training and matches.
“A big kudos to Barrister Churchill Oliseh for thinking this big by investing into this multi-million Naira project. FC Ebedei is a platform that has helped a lot of youths in Nigeria. “The academy has taken many youths off the streets, which in the long-run has helped to curb crime as many of these youngsters are no longer idle but engaged as they pursue a career in football,” he reiterated.
The Trumpet reports that Ajilore, who also played in the Dutch league for FC Groningen in five seasons within which he featured for Danish topflight club Brondby IF on loan, ended his career in 2016 at the Danish third tier league with Middelfart Boldklub.
