Remo Stars defeated Kwara United in the second semifinal game to seal their spot in the final 4-2 via penalties after the dramatic game ended 1-1 at duration time.

The newly promoted NNL side, Smart City will battle the CAF Confederation Cup campaigner, Remo Stars in the grand finale on Friday at 3pm.

“I want to congratulate the two clubs that made it to the final, and we are looking forward to an explosive final. We appreciate all the clubs that participated in the tournament, they made the tournament competitive. I love the passion and emotion of the clubs and their sportsmanship behavior,” said Chairman of the ValueJet Cup organizing committee, Otunba Tade Azeez. 

Smart City walked over Vandrezzer FC in the first semifinal game due to a sponsorship agreement with ValueJet Airline.

“ValueJet Airline are the premium sponsor of the tournament, and we must protect our agreement. The first communication to all the clubs was an invitation letter, and we invited 18 clubs to participate in the tournament. 10 clubs responded to our invitation and we invited all the clubs to our unveiling ceremony of our sponsor and the draw which was the platform we used to communicate the framework and sponsorship terms to all the clubs.

“We informed the clubs about the clause in our agreement with ValueJet Airline that all participating clubs would play with a branded jersey at the ceremony. Vandrezzer FC just like the other 9 clubs had a representative at the ceremony, we informed the clubs that the ceremony was important to clarify the rules and benefits of the tournament. We presented the jersey to Vandrezzer FC officials at the ceremony and they accepted our sponsorship terms which include the appearance fee and prize monies. 

“They (Vandrezzer) communicated to us after playing with the jersey in the first game without any issue and we further explain to them about the agreement with our sponsor. They had the opportunity to pull out of the tournament after the sponsor ceremony, we had the clubs and Airline management present at the ceremony in case of any dispute but we had none.

“We apologize to the football fans that came to the stadium to enjoy the game and those watching via our YouTube channel. We regret the unfortunate incident, we must protect the framework and sponsorship terms of the tournament after official communication to all the clubs. We understand and respect Vandrezzer’s decision to discontinue the game and we wish them success,” Tade added. 

The tournament logo designed by foremost Sports Content Agency, Out of Line Media represents the tournament premium sponsor, ValueJet Airline, and the strength of champions for the participating clubs.

“We have been organizing the preseason tournament to project the brand image of Ogun State, and after years of successful organization our focus has shifted to make the preseason tournament a legacy project. 

“We are honoured to welcome ValueJet Airline to drive our dreams, they have given us an identity that will outlive different generations. Our target is to make the tournament lucrative and a world-class platform to prepare our clubs for the season,” said Chairman of the ValueJet Cup organizing committee, Otunba Tade Azeez.

The ValueJet Cup logo will be fully integrated across all media sectors which include; Television Graphics, Print Materials, Tournament Branding, Digital, and Social Media.

ValueJet Cup head of communications, Mr. Tobi Adepoju has said, there are plans to grow the new identity that will encourage cooperate sponsors. 

“We witnessed this year’s Emirates Cup in London and that is the level we want to be in years to come. We are learning from several branded preseason tournaments, and our target is to build this new identity to a top level. 

“Apart from creating the best environment for domestic clubs to prepare for their new season, we want to create a culture out of this new identity and we are excited about the prospects with ValueJet Airline,” said Adepoju.

Official hashtag >>> #ValueJetCup22 

The first whistle at the competition will be blown 4 days from today and with the draw for the tournament set for August 23, the Organizing Committee Coordinator has reported good preparations for a mind-blowing competition.

2022 ValueJet Invitational Pre-Season Football Championship, will take home total prize monies of N3.5Million, with the champions going away with a cash prize of N2 Million, the first runners up take home N1Million and third place team get N500,000.

Badawiy said, “Preparations are going well as planned. From the onset, there have been communications between the Organising Committee and ValueJet.”

“The number of days that the competition would take place promises moments of exciting football at this year’s Tournament.”

Badawiy thanked Hon Kunle Soname for his financial and moral support in ensuring that this year’s event becomes a reality.

“Hon Kunle Soname is a Sports loving man. On behalf of my committee members, I’m using this medium to thank him for his support.”

“He deserves an applause for working around the deck to ensure that we don’t lack anything. The crucial role of my team of organizing committee gives me joy.

The money spinning tournament will take place from August 24th to September 3rd at Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State.

Remo Stars, Kwara United, Lobi Stars, Plateau United, Niger Tornadoes, 3SC and Sunshine Stars have already confirmed their participation for the competition.

Others are Gateway United, Bayelsa United, Ijebu United, Bendel Insurance and Vandrezzer.

The venue of the tournament is Remo Stars Stadium.

The Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Otunba Tade Azeez disclosed that the prestigious preseason tournament will feature top Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) and Nigeria National League (NNL) clubs.

“We have invited 18 clubs to participate in the tournament, and we are offering them the platform to prepare for the new season. We appreciate ValueJet for coming on board, and we have put together a solid Organizing Committee to deliver a top-notch tournament,” said Azeez.

The winner of this year’s edition of the ValueJet Cup will cash home Two Million Naira (N2,000,000), the first runners-up and second runners-up will be rewarded with a cash prize of One Million Naira (N1,000,000), and Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000) respectively. 

All the participating clubs will get Two Hundred and Fifty Thousands Naira (N250,000) as appearance fees that will ease the club’s logistics.  

“We are investing ValueJet sponsorships to support the clubs, we want them to experience a top-quality preseason tournament and our objective is to ensure the clubs have the best preparation ahead of the new season, especially for our clubs that will participate in the continent. We have cash prizes in millions and all the participating clubs will get an appearance fee to make their preparation easy,” Azeez added. 

The Organizers have confirmed Mr. Bashir Badawiy and Mr. Oye Bawala as the Tournament Coordinators.