The Patron and star player of the Kaduna El-Amin Polo Club, Mohammed Babangida has described winning Africa’s most prestigious polo trophy, the Georgian Cup at the 2020 edition of the Kaduna International Polo Tournament as special.
Kaduna El-Amin on Sunday defeated the defending champions, Kaduna Rubicon 9-7 to reclaim Africa’s most prestigious polo trophy, Georgian Cup for a record 15 times.
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El-Amin parading Nigeria’s best player, Bello Buba (19 times winner of Georgian Cup), Argentine imports, Raul and Martin Sowedo, as well as hard hitting Mohammed Babangida (15 times winner), were fired up to reclaim the trophy and avenge their 2019 loss to Abuja Rubicon.
The 2019 winners led by patron and Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, who did not play, starred the Badamasi brothers, Abdulmalik and Idris as well as Argentine imports, Sylvester Donovan and Manuel Crespo put up a huge fight to retain their trophy but it was the star studded El-Amin that carried the day.
In an interview yesterday, the Patron of El-Amin and son of former Nigerian Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) said “Crowning it up with the 15th Georgian Cup victory on our 25th anniversary makes this win even more special.
“Playing our first ever tournament in Kaduna Polo Club in the second and third highest cup, and winning them both 25 years ago marked the path to success of the team.
“Interestingly, the team has been together for 25 years now with the same players, myself , Ibrahim Mohammed and Bello Buba.”
“The team had appeared in the Georgian Cup 20 Times and won 15 Times. It is the only team to have won all high goal cups across the country; Lagos, Minna Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Katsina, Abuja, etc.”
Interestingly, three of the El-Aminwit players played for the Nigerian team in Dubai Gold Cup 2008, Olympics qualifiers 2012 in Malaysia and the African Open Cup in South Africa 2018, amongst many other achievements.
Babangida has won the Georgian Cup for a record 16 times. He won it 15 times with El-Amin and once with Kaduna Kakuri in the year 2000.
