The All Nigeria Football Players Union, Ondo State chapter, on Wednesday presented an Award of Recognition and Excellence to the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, for his selfless service to football development in the state.
Chairman of ANFPU, Ondo chapter, Kayode Julius, said Aiyedatiwa had contributed greatly to grassroots football development in the state.
“He was the interim Chairman of Ondo State Football Agency and in charge of Sunshine Stars FC and Sunshine Stars Academy. Last season when Sunshine Stars were about to be relegated, he was there for the club and managed the club effectively,” ex-junior international Julius stated.
“He has started paying the backlog of salaries owed to ex-coaches of Sunshine Stars and the academy and with his remarkable achievement, the ANFPU decided to appreciate him.”
In his response, the Deputy Governor thanked the body for deeming him fit for the award.
“I want to thank Kayode Julius, ex-international and former coach of Sunshine Stars and ANFPU for recognising my contribution to football administration and development in Ondo State within the short time I spent with Sunshine Stars.
“When I took over as the chairman of the interim committee to manage the football affairs of the club, the team was having a major crisis and it was tending towards relegation, but we were able to save the club from relegation. We managed the team to play a full season where they finished 11th on the table.”