It’s that time of the year again.
For those who know, the dopamine release from the afternoon/evening walks to the SUB Old Football pitch to cheer their departments, make new friends, and hate-watch other departments cannot be gotten elsewhere. For those who don’t, they are about to find out why the Seals Cup attracts the biggest football crowd at the University of Ibadan.
The Seals Cup is an interdepartmental football tournament (there’s an esports inclusion this year) at the University of Ibadan. 32 departments contest it by playing 64 matches from the group stages to the finals, where a champion is crowned.
Since its revival three years ago, it’s been a gift that has kept giving. There will be banter between friend and foe alike, bragging rights, curses at referees and players, cries to the heavens, camaraderie between classes in the same department and between hate-watchers, sand and sweat on the pitch and in the stands, shouts of victory, and screams of disbelief. Without a doubt, it is the full package.
With less than 2 hours to the opening ceremony and then the fiery opening cracker between MBBS and I.P.E., this writer aims to analyze some of the ‘top male departments’ going into the tournament. How graduation may have left them depleted, how incoming transfers may have bolstered them, and finally, how these factors have influenced the expectations of many UI football faithful ready to support their departmental teams every game day.
The MBBS team begins the defense of their Cup against longtime rivals and last year’s finalists, Industrial and Production Engineering (I.P.E.). When the trophy was lifted last year, the MBBS team was looking at the possible loss of key players like Karbon, Ramoni, and Teslim, and the coach, Liam (all final-year students), to induction. Fortunately, or unfortunately, a 4-month strike delayed this occurrence, pushing forward the induction date of these students and, by extension, allowing them to participate in this year’s Seals Cup. This means that the MBBS team competing this year is just as strong as the one that won it last year. A notable difference in the team will be the absence of Behemoth, who has been replaced in a like-for-like substitution by the transferred player, Alonge Rasaq from Dentistry.
I.P.E. has lost its star striker and highest goalscorer in the history of the Seals Cup, Paragon, to graduation. However, they were able to snap up Agbowo from Science and Technology Education, one of the best midfielders on campus. This bolsters their already airtight midfield and makes them even stronger challengers. Will Agbowo be able to finally push V.K.’s I.P.E. over the line and get them the elusive gold medal? Political Science also remains just as strong, although their registered goalkeeper for the competition is Adeniyi Mobolaji. He will have big shoes to fill if he is to match the heights of Olami, who has been one of the best goalkeepers on campus in recent times. They, however, have retained the services of postgraduate midfield maestro Pogba and secured the signing of SFA’s prolific centre forward Korede from Educational Management.
The gradual loss of the ‘golden generation’ of Plato boys has left the left Philosophy deeply depleted. Adding to this loss is dynamic forward Papi, who will not be featuring for them this year. They remained quiet during the transfer window and, by all indications, look set to have a repeat of their outing last year. Or do they have a trick up their sleeve?
Over at Wood and Biomaterials Engineering (W.B.E.), Akinpade and his boys have secured the services of the versatile Akandu from Food Technology; this immediately makes them a more formidable side, as he will plug holes in both their defense and in their midfield. After having lost their goalkeeper, Evidence, Arts and Social Science Education (A.S.S.E.) bolstered their side by signing their faculty’s sports director and U.I.’s starting centre-back, Jay. His inclusion adds experience and strength to their backline, increasing their chances of making it out of Group A (the group of death).
In another case of shopping close to home, Sulphur of Wildlife and Ecotourism Management agreed to pen down his signature for departmental neighbours, Forestry. It will be interesting to see how much impact he’s going to have on their chances of challenging for the Cup. Economics secured the services of Shelby, from Special Education, in a bid to shore up their backline and prevent conceding as much as they did in their last outing in the competition.
Heskeyman’s Civil Engineering has also brought in quality into their midfield in the name of Daniel from the postgraduate hall. The highly technical midfielder will elevate the ceiling of the technology side. In addition to their postgraduate and distance learning players, in a bid to cushion the effect of the loss of star players like Oscar, Tolu, and Portable, Human Kinetics and Health Education (H.K.E.) looks to add to their goal-scoring exploits with the addition of Segun, a forward from Agronomy.
The loss of Ibrahim, former UI football team captain, from the department of Law will prove to be such a huge loss for the department as they look to qualify from their group. Abollo from Computer Science has migrated to Microbiology (MCB) in his search for Seals Cup glory; the versatile goalkeeper/defender teams up with fellow faculty players in MCB.
The time has come for departments to show their mettle on the pitch. Can MBBS defend their title? Has Agbowo been the missing piece that has prevented the I.P.E. side from lifting the trophy? Will Plato boys remember who they are? Can Korede fire Political Science to victory? Or is there a dark horse we haven’t even considered at all? All these answers and more will begin unraveling from 4 PM today.
