THE international friendly encounter between Nigeria's Shell Cup selected side and Ghana's Valco Cup selected side has brought tremendous joy to the Shell Petroleum Development Company.

The company's managing director, Mr. Ron Van den Berg expressed this through his deputy, Mr. Egbert Imomoh at the final of the 2002 Shell Cup competition in Lagos last Sunday.

"We (Shell) are happy that the competition between Nigeria Shell Cup selected side against Ghana selected side has blossomed into a full-scale international friendship between the two soccer loving nations," the Shall boss enthused.

He added that it is the hope of the oil company that the two-nation friendly grows into a multi-national competition in the nearest future.

The idea of extending the competition to other West African countries was first mooted in Accra, Ghana last year during a dinner organised for the Ghana and Nigeria academicals by Valco, organisers of the Ghana version of the Shell Cup.

Mr. Van den Berg reassured Nigerians that the annual Shell Cup which throws up talents for the junior national teams would be sustained as he commended the ministries of Education and Sports which through the National Schools Sports Federation (NSSF) "have provided tremendous support throughout the championship." He also commended the state government and the NFA for their co-operation.

Meanwhile, the final list of 22 players selected by the technical committee of the competition is yet to be released, Shola Akinwale, national co-ordinator of the competition said in Lagos.

The selected players are expected to regroup in Lagos for a week's camping before moving to Accra for the first leg of the international friendly with Valco selected.