Former Super Eagles players, most especially those of the USA ’94 and Atlanta ’96 fame, teamed up with sports writers, music stars and other On Air Personalities (OAPs), for a rare appearance in a football match recently, at the Campos Mini Stadium, in Lagos Island. The novelty match was organized by Nigeria’s leading telecommunications and ICT Company, MTN, to commemorate its launch of the MTN Best 11 Promotion, an initiative that enables subscribers who tap into the new MTN Trutalk proposition, stand a chance of winning eye-popping prizes ranging from houses to cash gifts.
Speaking on the rationale behind the MTN Best 11Promo, MTN’s Chief Marketing Officer, Bayo Adekanmbi stated that the Company introduced MTN Trutalk, a value proposition that enables subscribers to register 11 numbers and make calls to those numbers at 50% discount. Speaking further, Bayo said, subscribers on the MTN Trutalk proposition will therefore qualify for the MTN Best 11 Promo, where one winner will become a landlord every week and 24 winners will win N11, 000 every hour daily for the next 11 weeks. The promo is also extended to non TruTalk customers on the MTN network; customers who continue to use their phones regularly to make calls and customers who consume the 11MB data also stand a chance of winning these exciting prizes in the promo.
To enjoy the MTN Trutalk proposition, subscribers are to dial *400# or send 400 to 131.
The match which attracted a sizeable crowd featured notable ex-internationals like Nwankwo Kanu, Austin Okocha, Mutiu Adepoju, Daniel Amokachi, Garba Lawal, Celestine Babayaro, Victor Ikpeba, Taribo West, Jonathan Akpoborie, Peter Rufai and a host of others. Also featured were top-most football analysts, MTN musical ambassadors and TV presenters such as Charles Anazodo, Wole Opatola, Frank Edoho, Harry Iwala, Praiz, Sound Sultan, Doctor Sid and Harrysong.
The two teams that traded tackles, Team Saka and Team Nedu both had a combination of the soccer stars, sports writers/analysts and On Air Personalities present. In a match where Austin Jay Jay Okocha’s deft skills on the ball brought nostalgic feelings of the good old days of Nigeria’s entertaining football, Team Nedu took the lead through two first half goals by Garba Lawal. However, the introduction of Nwankwo Kanu in the second half of the highly entertaining encounter changed the tempo of the game as his combination with Jay Jay Okocha saw Team Saka equalizing via two well taken goals by Okocha, thereby ensuring that the match ended in a two all draw.
Also present at the event was former Super Eagles coach, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde and comic act, Saka, who ran the match commentaries in his usual comical manner to the delight of the spectators.