Ibile FC Crowned Champions of Second Crown 74 Football Competition

Ibile FC have emerged champions of the second edition of the Crown 74 Football Competition after a convincing victory over Victory Lions at the Ondo State Sports Complex, Akure.

Victory Lions secured a place in the final with a hard-fought 1–0 win over Saint FC, while Ibile FC booked their ticket by overcoming Benfad FC in the second semi-final encounter.

The final lived up to expectations as Ibile FC took control early, opening the scoring in the 20th minute. They maintained their slim advantage into halftime, with Victory Lions unable to find a breakthrough in the opening half.

Victory Lions returned with renewed determination and equalised early in the second half, briefly igniting hopes of a comeback. However, Ibile FC, fondly known as the Barracks Boys, responded emphatically with two quick goals to regain control of the match and secure a decisive victory.

Reacting to the triumph, Ibile FC head coach, Femi Akinribido, expressed delight with his team’s performance and dedication throughout the competition.

“I thank God for the victory. I’m very happy that we are closing the year with a trophy,” he said.

“We will not relent in our efforts to improve. We will build on this success by carefully assessing our team.”

Chief Organiser of the tournament, Gabriel Olatunji, congratulated the champions, runners-up, and all participating teams for their cooperation from the preliminary rounds to the final match.

He explained that the Crown 74 Football Competition was organised to promote grassroots football development in Ondo State through talent discovery.

“As organisers, we will remain focused on our purpose. It is a known fact that government alone cannot develop football,” Olatunji said.

“I appeal to football lovers to support the government at all levels in developing sports in the state.”

Acknowledging minor challenges encountered during the tournament, Olatunji noted that lessons learned would help improve future editions.

“We will learn from whatever happened and improve on the next edition. We will continue to get better, edition by edition,” he added.