The popular approved school playground in Borokiri Port Harcourt was the ideal place to be last Saturday July 26, 2025 as five notable All Stars International Football Clubs in Port Harcourt came out with their best element to engage in a high profile novelty match put together by members of Crystal All Stars FC targeted at celebrating one of their own, High Chief Dr. Otonye Obom (Agba Wariboko 1) who has successfully retired from public service.
Call it a carnival of football match if you like considering the number of All Stars team that were on parade on that penultimate Saturday, the truth remains that the setting and trapping of the Novelty game could be likened to what we used to see at the Nigeria Professional Football League.
Expressing his feelings in an interview at the sideline of the field, the visibly elated High Chief Dr. Otonye Obom said he cannot thank members of Crystal All Stars enough for taking a bold step in organizing the Novelty Football Match in his honour, a gesture according to him that is being done for the first time since the formation of the club.
“Truly, I can unmistakably state here that what we have seen today has never been experienced in the history of the club and therefore, I’m very much overwhelmed with joy”.
“In fact, this show of love from the members of Crystal All Stars are wonderful and I can assure you that right from my youthful age, my live has been built around football and will hardly disassociate myself from anything call football”.
“Indeed, being an ex-International in the then Green Eagles team, I have great passion for the game of football particularly as it concerns Nigeria Football. However, through the game of football, we socialized, which undoubtedly is the bedrock through which Crystal All Stars FC was formed,” he said.
Continuing, Dr. Obom, encouraged individuals aspiring to get to greater heights in life to always be upright in their conduct, even though that the much expectation of riding to the high level may not be immediate but with time, the good result he said will manifest in a big way.
Reacting to the possibility of Super Eagles qualification for the 2026 World Cup to be co-hosted by USA, Mexico and Canada, he said he is not losing sleep over the chances of Eagles qualification, having seen the way everything is playing out despite the early set back in the qualifying match.
“I think the contraction of Coach Eric Chelle is paying off well gradually and I’m still hopeful that if the Eagle can win her remaining few World Cup qualifying matches, the team is sure to qualify for the tournament”.
“Unarguably, Coach Eric Chelle is presently doing well in tinkering the Super Eagles team and I’m sure that the NFF Board that employed him must have known his track records and capability to deliver”.
“Therefore, it behooves on teaming Nigerians to accord coach Chelle the maximum support to enable him actualize his target of guiding the Eagles team qualify for the 2026 World Cup”, the self confident Dr. Obom frankly stated.
