*R-L: Head of Marketing Seven-Up Bottling Company, Mr. Norden Thurston; Emeka Ogbonna; Isa Abdulahi, Captain of Nigeria team and Tale Victor during the closing ceremony of 2013 Copa Lagos Beach Soccer tournament held in Lagos, Nigeria last weekend. –

With the huge patronage of the Copa Lagos Beach Soccer tournament in the last three years, Pepsi, one of the partners of the event, has called for sustained beach soccer culture in Nigeria to add to the growing tourism industry in the country.
Head of Marketing, Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc, Mr. Norden Thurston said at the final of this year’s Copa Lagos last weekend, that the large turnout of fans has shown that Beach Soccer is gaining acceptance amongst Nigerians.
He said Copa Lagos is not just about football, as there is also music, entertainment and fashion, to make it a fun weekend for families and groups of friends.
Thurston said the Copa Lagos beach soccer tournament aligns with the brand philosophy of Pepsi, enabling consumers to seize the moment and live for now.
He said Pepsi will continue to support sporting and other entertainment events that will improve the lifestyle of members of the society.
The final match between Nigeria’s Super Sand Eagles and their counterparts lived up to the hype, as the Nigerian lads had to dig deep to beat the current Africa Beach Soccer champions from Senegal 4-2.
Losing the services of their two influential players: Captain Isiaka Olawale and Bartholomew Ibenegbu due to injury, the Nigerian team overcame the hard-fighting Senegalese to win and lift the Copa Lagos Beach Soccer trophy for the third consecutive time. Lebanon beat Germany in the third place playoff match.
Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Isa Abdulahi said the team was happy lifting the cup, and also defeating their arch-rivals, Senegal in the process.
Coach of the team, Audu Adamu Ejo, said when the proposed Beach Soccer League takes off in Nigeria, the country will be able to discover new players to add to the current squad, which has been in existence for about 10 years.