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*Mutfwang Unveiled as One-Goal Plateau Patron, Backs Football Development, Unity Tour*
Chief Daniel Manasseh Mutfwang, a National Sports icon, having famously Captained the Nigeria National Hockey team to continental and international competitions with some heart warming and spirit uplifting results, has been unveiled as Patron of One-Goal Plateau, who inturns pledged his support for the initiative’s drive to discovering young talents, mentor emerging players and restoring Plateau State’s reputation as one of Nigeria’s major football talent hubs.
Daniel Mutfwang, who is the elder brother of Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, accepted the appointment while receiving a delegation of football stakeholders and former players, including Football Legends on the Plateau, led by PFA Chairman, Hon(Dr) Prince Suleiman Yahaya Kwande at his residence.
He expressed delight at being reunited with several veterans of Plateau football and said their experience could play an important role in creating opportunities for younger players.
Chief Mutfwang particularly welcomed the proposed Grassroots Football Development and Unity Tour, saying it should be structured as more than a conventional football competition.
“It’s about grassroots football development and unity tour. Not a competition,” Mutfwang said.
“Everywhere we go, we’ll play a small tournament. If we go to Qua’an Pan, depending on the state constituency, we’ll gather the teams and play. They will also have the lectures.”
He said combining community mini-tournaments with mentorship, football education and talent identification could provide opportunities for promising players who might otherwise remain undiscovered.
Mutfwang urged the organisers to carefully structure the initiative to ensure it delivers sustainable results.
“If you sit down that things will happen, nothing will happen,” he said, stressing the need for former players and other stakeholders to take an active role in rebuilding football development structures.
Recalling an initiative he previously organised in Qua’an Pan, Mutfwang said a four-team knockout tournament demonstrated to him how relatively small competitions could uncover promising players.
“I said, ‘Okay, get four teams for me. I want to do a mini tournament, knockout, and give them some prizes.’ And I thought I saw some talents,” he recalled.
He also reflected on Plateau State’s football history, noting that previous generations of players emerged from deliberate development programmes rather than by chance.
Mutfwang cited initiatives such as Greater Tomorrow, which provided platforms for young footballers to showcase their abilities.
“We will go back to those days where Plateau was known to produce many players. It didn’t come by magic,” he said.
He argued that the decline of such structures has affected the state’s ability to consistently identify and nurture emerging players.
“All these things, we have diverted from that. That’s why we’re struggling in many departments,” Mutfwang said.
“I believe that if we go back and look at this again and come up with ideas, it will go a long way.”
The One-Goal Plateau patron also challenged former footballers to use their experience to mentor the next generation.
“At this age, our own age, all that we want to do is to see that we raise the younger ones,” he said.
“We that have known it, we have gone to places; let’s give them a platform to excel.”
He urged members of the initiative to make talent identification a priority as the Unity Tour moves through communities across Plateau State.
“Most of us with our exposure, if you see talent, you know. You see a good player, you know,” he said.
“So as you go around, be on the lookout. Definitely there are many, many players.”
Mutfwang thanked the delegation for appointing him patron and for bringing together former footballers, including some he had not seen for several years.
“There is a big work ahead of us,” he said. “It’s for us to go back and strategise very well.”
He expressed hope that One-Goal Plateau would achieve its aim and target and also provide a sustainable platform for former players and other stakeholders to help discover, mentor and create opportunities for the state’s next generation of footballers.
