Sigma Sports Festival: Grand Finale

We were at SUB on Wednesday, October 1st, for a cracking game of football. The Sigma Sports Festival had served up a too-familiar fixture—especially for long-standing fans of the competition: TomTom vs SFA. As it had been for the past three editions, these two had bested everyone else on the way to the final. The air at SUB was heavy with unspoken tension: Could defending champions SFA make it a perfect 3 out of 3? Or could TomTom tip the balance and triumph over their arch-rivals after the heartbreak of the last two finals?

But before that answer came, Forza FC and Galacticos FC, both solid teams in their own right, slugged it out for bronze in a match that set the tone for what was to come.

It was a few minutes to 1 PM when the referee’s whistle got us underway, and within minutes, Elijah put one in the back of the net for Forza. But Galacticos ensured Forza didn’t see out the half ahead, with Victor striking to restore parity. At the break, the scores were level.

Both sides came out fighting in the second half, in a tough end-to-end contest with lung-bursting runs and strong physical battles in midfield. Neither team allowed the other to dominate, and tensions flared with repeated fouls and complaints, increasing the number of cards shown. In a last push for gold, Forza player-coach Kenneth subbed himself on, but it was too late to make a difference. At the end of regulation, it finished 1–1 and went straight to penalties. Forza made a quick goalkeeper change, with defender Kesh taking the sticks—a masterstroke as he saved the deciding penalty. Galacticos took the first shot, which flew high into the heavens. The shootout saw drama to the very end, with players hitting the woodwork three times and missing six of the nine penalties taken. In the end, Kesh saved Galacticos’ fifth and final spot kick to secure a 2–1 triumph for Forza.

As anticipation built for the final, the crowd was entertained by a novelty match featuring old and current Sigma Club members (stylized as Old Sigmites and Loyal Sigmites). The referee’s whistle brought the match to a close to huge cheers.

TomTom vs SFA

Finally, the game we had all been waiting for: TomTom vs SFA at the Old Football Pitch. The ceremonial kickoff was performed by Prof Dele Ladipo, Chairman of the Oyo State Football Referees Council.

The lineups were out. TomTom used their usual 4-3-3 with Orodin in goal, shielded by VK, Kante, Deji and Sulphur; midfielders Heskeyman, Pamilerin and #20; with Mjay, Habeeb and Akinpade in attack. SFA lined up with three at the back: Olami in goal, Kester, Emeka and Bade as the 3 defenders, Afeez, #17, #20, Akandu, Mbappe, Agbowo, and Korede leading the line.

TomTom kicked off shortly after 4 PM and immediately sought to score, winning a free kick expertly taken by Habeeb but saved by Olami. Early exchanges were cautious as both sides aimed to get a measure of each other. Slowly, TomTom began to spark into life, and eventually Mjay’s determined run and cross was headed in spectacularly past a helpless Olami for an own-goal by defender Bade, giving TomTom a 1–0 lead at halftime.

The second half began with SFA pressing to level proceedings right from the restart. Orodin made a good save to keep his team ahead. Then, almost immediately, at the other end, TomTom earned a penalty after a handball in the box, which captain Mjay converted to rapturous scenes. A few minutes later, they almost made it 3, as some hard pressing forced a slip from Kester, but he recovered just in time. In search of a goal, SFA turned to their bench, bringing on Musty and Osun to heap the pressure on TomTom. The pressure would pay off eventually when Agbowo’s free kick bounced over Orodin—halving the deficit and setting up a nervy finish. With minutes left till full time, disaster struck for TomTom when Orodin was down injured and couldn’t continue, and with no substitute goalkeeper, midfielder Heskeyman stepped in between the sticks. And right at the death, there would be bedlam at SUB after captain Emeka got on the end of Agbowo’s free kick to level the scores.

Regulation ended 2–2, sending the match to penalties. Both teams traded successful and missed kicks, but in the decisive moment, Deji scored for TomTom, and Heskeyman saved from Afeez, sending the crowd into a frenzy. TomTom had finally claimed the cup that had so much eluded them, winning 4–3 on penalties.

When asked if they somehow underestimated TomTom, given that they have bested them in the last two finals, Agbowo, SFA midfield maestro, said, “No, we did not underrate them. It is a final, and both teams wanted to win.” On the issue of players graduating, he said, “Yes, I am graduating this year, but we will recruit and be back stronger. Afoo and J.Kareem set left and we recruited. After this set leaves, SFA will recruit new players, and we will be back.”

On speaking with Coach Ayobami of TomTom FC, he expressed his joy on finally getting his hands on the trophy; he emphasized that, especially for some of the boys who were there when they lost the first and second time, their joy was indescribable. When asked about the thoughts that went through his mind when Emeka grabbed the equalizer for SFA, he said, “The first thing that came to mind was, ‘so this is how we are going to lose again,’ but then I had to put up a brave face because if I showed i was disturbed, it was going to put pressure on the boys. So I just let them do their thing, and eventually we won on penalties.” Finally, on the future of TomTom FC as many of the players will be graduating, he had this to say: “The last time I counted, about 12 of us will be graduating this year by the grace of God, so yesterday was our last outing at Sigma Cup for the twelve of us. But for the whole team, we have a lot of plans; in fact, we have competitions this month and next month. So, for collegiate football, this may be the end for us twelve (except those that come back for postgraduate studies). But outside the walls of the University, we are just about to start as a team. The future is bright and planned out.” He further spoke on the role that Forza FC played, saying that they are an offshoot of TomTom FC, and they have already laid a good foundation in their outing this year.

TomTom FC left the Old Football Pitch not only as champions but also with a clean sweep of the individual awards. Orodin was named Best Goalkeeper, Coach Ayobami was Coach of the Tournament, and Akinpade finished as Top Scorer (with 4 goals) and Most Valuable Player.

The Sigma Festival closed in style, with a thrilling final befitting the tournament’s legacy.