Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, on Monday in Lagos said there was no need to beg Arsenal wing-back Bukayo Saka and other footballers of Nigerian descent to pledge allegiance to the Sup Eagles following the revival of the National Principals’ Cup football competition. Dare stated this during the unveiling of the official logo and Brand Ambassadors for the National Principals’ Cup at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

He said, “In my one year as the minister, i have asked the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick to get on the plane and travel to England to try and convince Saka to play for Nigeria. But with the revival of the National Principals’ Cup, i want to believe there won’t be any need to beg the likes of Saka and the rest to play for Nigeria again”.

The ministry, in partnership with the organizers of the event, HideaPlus, said the new format of the grassroots football event was aimed at reviving the glamour of the competition.

“WE must return to hunting for talents at the grassroots level because that is where the strength of sports development is. Like i always say, the goal is in the child so we catch them young and then, they can become stars.

Also speaking at the event, NFF President, Amaju Pinnick said that the federation would provide the needed support to the organizers. He said, “We have a synergy with the Principals’ Cup organizers and we will provide them with technical support in terms of a Technical Study Group that will go round and have data of best players at the event collated and upload them into FIFA connect programme, where they will be monitored until they attain stardom”.

Atlanta ’96 Olympic gold medalists, Daniel Amokachi and Dosu Joseph and Nigerian former sprinter  Onyali-Omagbemi were also unveiled as ambassadors of the grassroots competition.