The Togolese Maracana Federation launched its inaugural championship in the discipline this Saturday at the venue of the Togolese Handball Federation.
Originally slated to commence in early March, the first edition kicked off with 11 teams from Lomé, including MCL, JDJ, Rangers, Elites, Zamalek, Etécon, Sao, Botafogo, Fraternité, Red Star, and ABC.
Etienne Bafai, the president of the federation, emphasized the importance of fair play among players in this discipline: “Beyond the competitive aspects, Maracana competitions provide an ideal platform to foster camaraderie, unity, and friendship among national youth athletes. We urge all players on the field to embrace sportsmanship and prioritize tolerance and Fair Play,” stated the president of FETOMA.
This inaugural edition aims to identify new talents to strengthen the national team, which is set to compete in the 3rd edition of the African Cup of Nations in Niger. Togo emerged as the champion in the 2013 CAN Veterans category and was a finalist in the Seniors category (35 to 44 years old).
To ensure the smooth progress of the competition, FETOMA has divided the national territory into six zones: Lomé, Aneho, Atakpamé, Kpalimé, Sokodé, and Kara. The Lomé zone will produce three teams, while the other zones will each have one champion for the final phase scheduled for April.
The championship will consist of two phases. Following the zone championships, the final phase will be held in a city yet to be determined. The overall champion will be crowned at the conclusion of this second phase.
Here are the results of some matches from the first day:
MCL vs. JDJ: 3-3 (penalty shootout: 3-1)
Rangers vs. Elites: 1-1 (penalty shootout: 3-2)
Zamalek vs. Etécon: 0-6
SAO vs. Botafogo: 1-2
