By Israel Ajise
Since the tournament began on the 29th of September, the 2023 Seals Cup continues to excite students of the University of Ibadan. The biggest inter-departmental football competition on campus hasn’t slowed down in generating drama, big talking points and highlights. After a series of spectacular matches at a well-packed SUB pitch, without shortage of controversies, the competition which started with 32 departments has now peaked to the last 4 teams.
Recall that the tournament began with a group stage (Groups A-H), before reaching the knockout stages. The Semi-Final will begin on Monday, the 23rd of October. So, let’s meet the teams raring to do battle in Round-of-four.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
The last team from the Faculty of Social Sciences left in the competition and also the current holders of their Faculty’s Deans’ Cup. No doubt, the team has earned its place in the Semi-Final stage of the competition. The Political Scientists have had a tough path to becoming semifinalists. POS secured two wins against Veterinary Medicine and Electrical Engineering before facing a final group loss to Forestry to finish second in Group G. POS were shy in front of goal, producing only two goals and conceding one in the entirety of the group stage. The second-place finish set them up with a difficult encounter against the Invincibles of Arts and Social Sciences Education, Faculty of Education’s Deans’ Cup holders.
ASSE exhibited a brilliant performance in the initial stages of the encounter and took the lead. However, Political Science handed themselves a lifeline with an equalising goal, before doubling their goals, to secure a 2-1 victory over ASSE and claim a Quarter-Final ticket.
Political Science would face another hurdle in their Knockout road, in the form of Statistics department. Prior to the Quarter-Final tie, Statistics had won four games in a row in the competition, scoring 7 goals without conceding any. Many had favoured Statistics to clinch the tie. However, a resilient performance on Thursday evening ensured that Political Science claimed a 2-0 victory against their opponent. The win saw them become the first team to book their place in the semis.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Computer Science dazzled in what many termed the Group of Death. (Group H) They secured an opening 1-0 win against Human Kinetics courtesy of a brilliant free kick goal by the CSC number 7, Grealish. This win strongly implied that CSC weren’t going to be mere spectators in the tournament, and they’ve done just that as they grabbed 6 out of 9 possible points, to finish the group only one point behind ASSE.
Computer Science played their Quarter-Final tie against Group G winners, Forestry. The game was fiercely contested by both sides, as the scoreline remained goalless at normal time. CSC eventually got past their opponent via a penalty-shootout.
In their Quarter-Final encounter versus Physiology, CSC once again needed the lottery of the shootouts to advance. Computer Science dominated the attack very early in the game, and created some good chances. However, neither Grealish’s defense splitting passes and George’s freekicks could change the scoreline. The CSC defense was barely troubled as they continued to find a goal. Despite the pressure, Physiology’s defense managed to hold on till fulltime. At the penalty-shootout, Physiology’s Adeyemo couldn’t make any save as CSC went on to win 5-4. They became the second team to book a SEALS Cup Semi-Final slot, hours ater Political Science’s feat.
PHILOSOPHY
Last year’s Finalists, Philosophy were favourites in this year’s edition. The Faculty of Art’s side boast a formidable attack, that is never afraid to score plenty of goals per match. So far, Philosophy has scored nine goals in the competition, with the Awolowo and John strike partnership contributing neatly to that statistics.
Philosophy managed two victories in Group B, a 3-0 victory against Mechanical Engineering and a controversial 2-1 win versus Adult Education. The Plato Academy would however succumb to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of MBBS. The heavy scorelinecould be said to have been what sparked a resurgence in the Philosophy squad. Their first knockout game in the tournament was a comfortable 2-0 victory over Educational Management in the RO16. None will be quick to forget John’s brilliant volley courtesy of a splendid long-ball pass. The win sealed their place in the Quarter-Final. Philosophy would once again be involved in a controversial tie. This time, it was due to inconsistent decision making by the match officials. It was questionable that the organisers sought the service of students as referees in a Quarter-Final tie. There were claims that the referee overlooked some fouls which affected the game. Players and their coaches complained to the referee and the Seals Cup Committee members stated that nothing much could be done.
Chemistry, especially, were on the receiving end of some wrong decisions made by the centre referee. They had taken the lead against Philosophy before the opposing team completed a 2-1 comeback. One of the Philosophers’ goals agitated the Chemistry players as they deemed it should have been ruled out for offside. However, the cries from the Chemistry players was waved off by the referee. Philosophy managed to get past a good Chemistry team.
MBBS
Medicine & Surgery are debutants in the SEALS Cup, however, they have shown no signs of naivety. They remain the only team in the competition yet to concede a goal or taste defeat. They are also the highest scoring team in the tournament. With their Quarter-Final win against IPE on Friday, the Mark Obeya led side has now won 5 games in a row, scoring 10 goals.
The MBBS team, well known for their ‘obeya-ball’ brand of football have become strong favourites to win the competition. Their coach, Mark Obeya not only emulates Pep Guardiola’s style of football, but likewise, in his off-field persona as he engages his peers in mind games, including sarcastic praises. In their group, MBBS thrashed Mechanical Engineering 4 goals to nil, put two goals past Adult Education and masterminded an eye catching 3-0 scoreline versus Philosophy. In the Round-of-sixteen, MBBS went head to head against the Faculty of Science Deans’ Cup Champions, Microbiology. The game proved to be a true test for the medical students as Microbiology matched what they had in attack with defense. Centre back, John inspired Microbiology to a goalless draw at normal time with a defensive masterclass. The was the only game in the competition thus far, that MBBS failed to score in. Medicine & Surgery eventually clinched the penalty kicks to book a blockbuster Quarter-Final tie against IPE.
On Friday, the QF tie between Industrial & Production Engineering and MBBS drew a jaw breaking attendance at the SUB pitch. So many football enthusiasts made their way to the pitch to witness the highly anticipated encounter. Both teams had scored a lot of goals, they were also yet to concede prior to the game. The game lived up to the hype and there was no shortage of controversy. IPE started well in the encounter and managed to narrowly edge possession. The Ibadan Medicine side did not sit back as they managed to carve a few chances of their own, most especially from the left flank. The pacy winger caused the IPE defense some troubles with his daunting runs. Close to the halftime whistle, MBBS nearly got a goal through midfield player, David. The tall man managed to shrug off two defenders before striking the post with his shot. The scoreline was 0-0 at halftime.
The second half happened to be even fiercer than the first, much to the delight of the large number of spectators. IPE dictated more of the attack, as they tried to find Kenneth on the wing. The Engineering department also struck the crossbar as they intensified their attack. Following a quick counter, MBBS player, Karbon found himself with a scoring opportunity. The striker displayed his strength as he managed to withstand the pressure of two IPE defenders, before taking his shot to give MBBS the lead. The MBBS supporters went wild as they celebrated a very brilliant goal. IPE seemed rejuvenated by the goal, as they continued to play good football and create more scoring opportunities. However, close to the end of the game, IPE felt they should have been awarded a penalty for a handball by an MBBS player. The referee however, waved play on and this led to the invasion of the pitch by a large number of aggrieved fans. It was also alleged that one of the fans slapped the referee and the said individual was given a chase by angry students but managed to escape. There were also reports by both fans and players of IPE that the referee overlooked numerous fouls in the spectacular encounter. The IPE captain, Victor Kolawole, said he complained to the organisers about the quality of the match officials, but his pleas were ignored. The opposing team’s coach, Mark, however stated that although there was an handball during play, it was well outside the box.
The game would have no proper conclusion, no thanks to the chaos caused by the fans, with MBBS having the narrow lead. It was later reported that the misconduct of the fans was under investigation by the SEALS Cup organisers and the University of Ibadan Students’ Union. With much confusion surrounding the outcome of the match, an official flier of the Semi-Final draw sent by the Organising Committee confirmed that MBBS had won the match against IPE 1-0.
Here are the Semi-Final Fixtures:
Political Science VS MBBS
Computer Science VS Philosophy
The Final of the competition will be played on the 27th of October.
