Ondo Wins Men’s Football Title at Niger Delta Games

By Kanu Samuel

Ondo State has been crowned champions of the men’s football competition at the second edition of the Niger Delta Games in Edo State, increasing their gold medal tally to seven, while the women’s team settled for silver.

The Banjo Adepoju-led side, supported by Ondo State Sports Council Head Football Coach Akinwande Akintomide and Tajudeen Tunde Olayinka, had earlier defeated Bayelsa State 3–0 to set up a clash with Edo State, who were subsequently disqualified for fielding ineligible players.

The Ondo State coaching crew guided the team to the final of the ongoing 2026 Niger Delta Games on an unbeaten run.

According to the Football Technical Lead of the 2026 Niger Delta Games, Henry Abiodun, following the disqualification of Edo and Abia in the men’s category, and Abia and Rivers in the women’s category, the Organising Committee reviewed the applicable tournament regulations and relevant international competition principles to determine the final standings in a manner that preserves integrity and fairness.

The decision was guided by Section 5 (Tournament Progression) of the 2026 Niger Delta Games Football Regulations, which states that qualification for the semi-finals is determined by group-stage points total (Article 5.1). It further provides that ranking and progression are based on points earned, with tie-breakers outlined in Article 5.2.

Reference was also made to Article 30.04 (Refusal to Play and Similar Cases) of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) competition regulations, which stipulates that if a team is unable to compete, necessary measures may be taken to safeguard the integrity of the competition.

It states: “If an association that has qualified for the final tournament does not compete, the UEFA administration may replace it and, if so, decide which association takes its place according to the results achieved by the associations eliminated previously.”

Men’s Category Situation
Semi-final fixtures:
Bayelsa vs Ondo
Abia vs Edo
Outcomes before disqualifications:
Ondo won and progressed to the final.
Bayelsa lost and moved to the third-place play-off.

Abia and Edo were subsequently disqualified for breaching eligibility rules (Section 2 of the 2026 Niger Delta Games Football Regulations).

The standings were therefore determined as follows:
First Place: Delta (remaining eligible finalist).

Second Place: Ondo (remaining eligible semi-finalist)
Third Place: Edo (next eligible team based on highest group-stage points apart from the disqualified teams).

The Committee stated that the resolution maintains the integrity of the competition, avoids reinstating disqualified teams and recognises the performances of eligible sides.