Kunle Adewale 

It was football at its best on Saturday at the Showtime Arena, Lekki, Lagos, in the national finals of the 5Stars Premier League 2025, as Energy FC, Abuja defeated Snow Lions, to cart away the giant trophy and a sum of N3million.

The match, which started on a high tempo with both sides trying to get the opener, but it was the Abuja side that shot into the lead midway through the game through Emmanuel Monday and all efforts by Snow Lions to equalise were thwarted by Energy FC’s goalkeeper. 

On resumption for the second half, the Abuja side scored the second and Titus Ayuba put the game to bed with the third goal. Two late goals from both teams put the scoreline at 4-1.

It therefore came as no surprise as Ayuba was voted Man of the Match. 

The 5StarsPremier League 2025 (BIG7 Season) is regarded as the best 7-A-Side competition in Nigeria and has produced some players that are now plying their football trades abroad. 

Some of such players include Ogbelu Onuche, who starred for Esperance De Tunis at the FIFA Club World Cup in United States last summer, Akem Favour is playing for Alittihad in  FC Egypt, Tahir Maigana  is in the Nigeria’s U-17 World Cup team in Chile while Papa Daniel plays for NK Celje Slovenia and also a member of the Super Eagles. 

In a chat with THISDAY, organiser of the competition, Olumide Aturu, Managing Director, 5Stars Premier League said organising the competition is a way of giving back to the community. 

“We thought of how best we could give back to the community and in 2019 with people of like minds we started this project in Abuja” Aturu said. 

For Aturu, the biggest gains of the 5Stars Premier League competition is seeing some of the products playing at the biggest stage. 

“Seeing some of the players we started with playing at the world stages has been our biggest joy at 5Stars Premier League. Money cannot buy the feelings. Some of them playing at the U20 World Cup, one at the FIFA Club World Cup and several others playing in European leagues is a big gain for us,” he noted. 

The organisers however expressed gratitude to the major sponsor of the competition, MTN Nigeria for its support so far.