THE Lagos State government has given the state Football Association a mandate to qualify for the football event of the 17th National Sports Festival tagged the Garden City Games scheduled for Rivers State later in the year.

Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Council, Hon. Agboola Dabiri stated that the mandate was from the state's helmsman.

Lagos State did not qualify for the football event of the biennial National Sports Festival in the past two editions and this has become a source of worry to the state.

’’Well this message is from the Executive Governor of the state, Babatunde Raji Fasola to the Lagos Football Association that you ‘’must” qualify the state for the football event of the National Sports Festival because; it is sad that we did not qualify for the soccer event in the last two editions; despite the fact that football is the in-thing in the state; so we are telling you (the LSFA) to ensure that the jinx is broken this time round,’’ Dabiri said.