Nigerian Football
Shooting Stars: Once Upon A Glorious Past
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
As the Nigerian Professional Football League came to an end for the Season 2016/17, it once again claimed a familiar victim, Shooting Stars which shot into its familiar path – relegation!
Founded in 1962, not only is the club the oldest among the elite division clubs in Nigeria, it is perhaps the most experienced, having experienced everything that is a football league – title winning, struggle to win title, losing title, battle against relegation, relegation, battle to get promotion and getting promotion.
For perspective observers, the current relegation was a disaster that waited to happen. It is the fifth time that the club has had to drop to the lower league since its first in 1986 in the then National Division 1 League.
Relegation is therefore not new to the pace-setting club in every aspect conceivable, be it positive or negative.
Just as it was the first to win continental title of the now defunct African Winners Cup in 1976 and the CAF Cup in 1992, it was also Nigeria’s first league champion to be relegated in 1999 after winning title in 1998.
Among the original clubs that started a national football league in Nigeria in 1972, it has been relegated most. Only Bendel Insurance has stayed longer in the lower division.
It is a sad commentary that a club that had produced some of the best football talents in the country had become a shadow of its glorious past.
When CAF first ranked clubs in the late 1990, Shooting Stars was among the top 10 in the continent. The saga of Shooting Stars is almost a story of once upon a glorious past.
Consider the stars that have been churned out in almost every department of football – goalkeeping, defence, midfield, attack and the wings! The goalkeeper of the Africa Cup of Nations Cup in 1980 was Best Ogedegbe of Shooting Stars.
Recall defenders like Tunde Bamidele, Samuel Ojebode and Joe Appiah of the glorious era. Who will easily forget the exploits of the inimitable Muda Lawal or the goal scoring exploits of forwards like Segun Odegbami and Rashidi Yekini?
Even Kunle Awesu emerged as the best left winger at the 1976 Africa Cup of Nation in Ethiopia.
This is a club that emerged Nigeria’s double champion in 1995 – carting away the league title and FA Cup. Those were the glorious past. In the past 19 years when the club last won a national title, Shooting Stars are noted more for tribulations than for quest for honours.
Yet, this trend is not restricted to the Shooting Stars. Until last season when Enugu Rangers won the league for the first time on 33 years, the club had been relegated to the realm of anonymity in the continent.
Yet some decades ago, the trio of Rangers, Shooting Stars and Bendel Insurance had fame that sent jitters on various fields in the continent. Insurance had since been lost in the lower league where it appeared to have taken a chairmanship position.
Lack of proper football administrative structures are responsible for the perennial decline of Nigeria’s hitherto great clubs.
They will not imbibe structures that have seen clubs in Europe and other parts of the world become well sort brands that not just struggle to win titles, but are also profit inclined.
It is not limited to just Nigeria. African football fields are littered with the carcases of former great clubs that have either gone into extinction or barely struggling for survival.
While Europe and other parts of the world boast of time-tested club sides some almost clocking the century or even beyond, clubs in Africa hardly spend three decades before decadence sets in. Few examples are sufficient.
Oryx Douala of Cameroon, founded in April 1907 won the inaugural African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1964 after beaten Stade Malien of Mali.
They have also won five league titles and the Cameroon Cup three times, most of which came in the 1960s.
They were semi-finalists and quarter-finalists in the continental clubs competition in 1966 and 1968 respectively before fading out of reckoning. Today, the maiden African clubs champions are amateurs in the lower Cameroun league.
Tonnerre Kalara of Yaoundé is another former great club from Cameroon. At its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, the club won national championship five times, the same number of times it won the national cup.
It won the African Winners Cup (now Confederation Cup) in 1975 and runners-up in 1976. Among the club’s notable players was Roger Milla, who was voted the African Player of the Century in 2000.
Others include Rigobert Song and former FIFA World Player of the Year, George Weah.
Canon Sportif de Yaoundé, commonly referred to as Canon Yaoundé, is another Cameroon football club based in Yaoundé. The club was formed in 1930.
Their most successful period was in the 1970s and 1980s when they were a dominant force in Cameroonian and African football, winning eight national championships, eight Cameroonian Cups, three African Champions’ Cups and one African Cup Winners’ Cup.
Across in West Africa are other former greats like Hafia of Guinea, Asante Kotoko of Ghana and Stade Abidjan of Cote d’Ivoire. Hafia Football Club is based in Conakry.
In the 1960s the team was known as Conacry II, and won three titles under that name. It dominated the African football in the 1970s, winning the African Cup of Champion Clubs in 1972, 1975 and 1977.
By the 1980s, Hafia has faded out of continental reckoning, managing to reach the second round of the competition in 1983. Their city rivals, Horoya even had a shorter time on the continental stage, winning the African Winners Cup in 1978.
Perhaps the situation is more pronounced in Nigeria where an army of great football clubs have been relegated almost the position of anonymity in the continent. Super Stores, the fanatically supported Lagos club side, the first Nigerian side to feature in Africa’s inter-club competition has gone into extinction.
Enugu Rangers which got to the final of the 1975 African Cup of Champions Club and holders of the 1977 African Winners Cup waited for 33 years before winning a Nigerian title in 2016.
Bendel Insurance, winners of the CAF Cup in 1994 are struggling in the lower rung of the Nigerian league. There is therefore an urgent need to have a regulated structure for our clubs. Otherwise, the same clubs that are perceived to be doing well today, will go the way of Shooting Stars and others.
Rivers United head coach and technical manager, Finidi George, has praised young defender Ochiobi Elias following his outstanding performance in the club’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over Niger Tornadoes in a rescheduled Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) fixture on Wednesday at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt.
The left-back, who played the full 90 minutes, was instrumental in helping Rivers United maintain a clean sheet, marking one of his most confident outings since his promotion to the senior squad.
Finidi, visibly impressed after the match, revealed that his decision to give Elias a full game was driven by trust in the player’s potential, despite his limited minutes earlier in the season.
“I think he did well. Normally, we should have been bringing him in gradually — maybe 15 minutes before giving him a 90-minute match,” Finidi said. “But I trust him, and I’ve spoken to him. He should be relaxed, calm down, and play his football.”
The coach also highlighted a near-miss moment when Elias came close to scoring late in the game, a chance Finidi felt could have crowned his stellar performance.
“I think today he would have scored a goal at the last moment, but he still wanted to square the ball, look for somebody,” Finidi added. “I’m quite happy with his performance, and we will keep encouraging him to do better. I am very, very pleased.”
Elias, a product of the Rivers United youth team that won the NPFL Youth League in 2024, has been gradually integrated into the first team under Finidi’s guidance. His performance on Wednesday is seen as a major step forward in his development and a sign of his growing confidence.
The youngster is now expected to retain his place in the squad as Rivers United travel to Aba this Sunday for a crucial NPFL clash against Enyimba.
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Strategic partners of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on the President Federation Cup, GTI Group, have congratulated the football governing body on the successful hosting of its Annual General Meeting (AGM) held last weekend in Ibadan, Oyo State.
In a press statement issued on Friday in Lagos, GTI’s Head of Media and Publicity, Andrew Ekejiuba, lauded the NFF Board under the leadership of Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau for the smooth conduct of the AGM and the significant progress made in Nigerian football development.
According to Ekejiuba, the Ibadan meeting reflected Gusau’s commitment to engaging stakeholders and strengthening unity across the football ecosystem.
“GTI Group congratulates the Nigeria Football Federation on the successful outcome of its Annual General Meeting held in Ibadan, which the President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, used the occasion to demonstrate his commitment to engaging positively with football stakeholders, including state football associations, clubs and fans,” he said.
“His interactions with the various groups at the AGM showcased his impactful leadership and dedication to promoting Nigerian football and fostering a collaborative environment.”
Ekejiuba also highlighted the Super Falcons’ recent achievements and the growth of domestic competitions, particularly the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), as key milestones recorded under Gusau’s leadership. GTI serves as a strategic partner of the NPFL, supporting its structural and commercial transformation.
The statement further expressed appreciation to Governor Seyi Makinde and the people of Oyo State for their hospitality and support during the AGM. Ekejiuba noted the governor’s commendation of the improved standard of refereeing in the NPFL under the administration of Otunba Gbenga Elegbeleye.
However, GTI also used the opportunity to express disappointment over the early exit of Kwara United and Abia Warriors from the CAF Confederation Cup, urging Nigerian clubs to raise their competitive standards on the continental stage.
“It is unfortunate that both Kwara United and Abia Warriors crashed out at the preliminary phase of the CAF Confederation Cup last weekend. This clearly shows that Nigerian clubs must raise their game in order to compete favourably,” the statement read.
“The future remains bright, but that is why GTI has been calling on Corporate Nigeria to invest more in our football, just as is done in thriving leagues across the world.”
Ekejiuba also extended words of encouragement to Remo Stars and Rivers United, who are still flying Nigeria’s flag in the CAF Champions League.
“We encourage them to dig deep and remain focused to ensure successful campaigns. They should give Nigerian football fans something to cheer this season because we understand how demanding continental competitions can be,” he concluded.
GTI Group reaffirmed its continued commitment to working closely with the NFF to advance football development, promote professionalism, and attract sustainable investment into the Nigerian game.
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The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has queried Warri Wolves following reports of the suspension of their head coach, Aluma Napoleon, faulting the club’s failure to comply with established procedures for contracting and registering technical officials.
In a letter titled “Notarization and Registration of Contracts” and signed by the NPFL Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi, the league body directed the Delta-based club to regularize all contractual documentation with its technical and management staff in line with NPFL regulations.
The NPFL’s letter stated:
“Information reaching us from the media space suggests that the Delta State Sports Commission has suspended your head coach, Mr. Aluma Napoleon, with immediate effect.”
Citing Sections B, Articles 6 and 11 of the NPFL 2025/26 Framework and Rules, the league reminded Warri Wolves that all clubs are required to submit notarized contracts of their officials for registration and record purposes.
“You are, however, in breach of these sections as Warri Wolves FC have not submitted the contracts of its officials to the League Board. You are hereby requested, within twenty-four hours of receiving this letter, to submit all relevant contracts of your technical team, including that of the assumed suspended head coach, Mr. Napoleon Aluma, to the NPFL Secretariat,” the letter warned.
The NPFL further cautioned that failure to comply could lead to sanctions, including restricting Warri Wolves’ technical crew from accessing the bench in subsequent league matches.
“Note that failure to comply with this instruction will lead to the restriction of your technical team from accessing the technical area in future NPFL matches,” the league stated.
In a related statement to NPFL Media, COO Davidson Owumi stressed that the Warri Wolves case was not isolated, adding that all clubs yet to register the contracts of their technical officials must do so without delay.
“I must admonish all coaches to get hold of their contracts and lodge a report with the NPFL when there is a violation of the terms. It is the responsibility of the aggrieved to petition the league at all times,” Owumi emphasized.
The NPFL has been tightening administrative controls in recent seasons to ensure transparency, professionalism, and adherence to contractual obligations across all participating clubs.
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