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Sports News of Tuesday, 3 August 2021

Source: punchng.com

Akwa United embark on trophy parade

Akwa United team Akwa United team

Akwa United on Monday had a colourful trophy parade across Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital and its environs, with the pictures of the parade flooding the social media space.

The trophy is the club’s first since its establishment in 1995. Parading the trophy across streets is not a tradition in the NPFL, but Akwa’s carnival-like show on Monday is in sharp contrast to that of Enugu Rangers, who were crowned the Nigeria Professional Football League champions in 2016, after a 32-year wait.

The parade in Enugu, which was much talked about, ended in farce as the then NPFL champions paraded the major streets of the capital city in a worn-out open truck with angry fans reportedly howling at the team.

Some others took to social media to vent their anger at what they termed a disgrace. Touched by the public outcry, Enugu Rangers apologised through their Twitter handle for the show of shame.

“We are sincerely sorry for the embarrassment yesterday during our victory parade. God bless you all,” @RangersIntFC tweeted on October 16, 2016.

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An Akwa United fan in Uyo, Emem Itu, who described the trophy parade as a “carnival” said it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for him.

“I’m so happy, never knew I would ever see such in my hometown. I only see European clubs parading their trophies, I never knew it could happen in Uyo. This is a wonderful innovation by Akwa United management,” Itu said.