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.
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria’s planned participation in a four-nation invitational tournament later this month is facing serious uncertainty after a significant escalation in Middle Eastern tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
The Super Eagles were scheduled to compete in Amman, Jordan, from March 27 to 31, alongside Iran, Jordan and Costa Rica, as part of preparations for future competitive fixtures and squad building. But recent geopolitical developments have cast doubt over whether the event can still go ahead as planned.
An official of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed to Sports Village Square that the situation is being closely monitored, with security and travel concerns emerging as key factors in deciding the tournament’s fate.
The doubts stem from joint military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, which triggered a sharp escalation in hostilities and sparked retaliatory actions across the region, including reports of attacks and counter-attacks in neighbouring countries.
The unfolding crisis has already led to airspace closures, flight cancellations and broader travel disruptions in the Gulf and Levant, complicating international travel plans for teams and supporters alike.
The Super Eagles had planned to open the tournament against Iran on March 27 at the Amman International Stadium before facing hosts Jordan four days later. However, Iran’s participation itself is now in question as the security situation deepens and Iranian football authorities weigh their options amid the conflict.
The tournament was seen as a valuable opportunity for head coach Eric Chelle to assess his squad in a competitive setting before the next major competitions, which include the 2027 Afcon qualifiers.
Jordan, who will make their own debut at the 2026 World Cup, was using the event to build momentum on home soil, but the escalating crisis places not just Nigeria’s fixtures at risk, but the entire mini-tournament.
The NFF has not yet announced an alternative plan should the tournament be cancelled or postponed.
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Matchday drama unfolded across centres in the Nigeria Premier Football League(NPFL) as title contenders stumbled, traditional powerhouses flexed their muscles, and the race for continental places tightened significantly.
Rivers United’s grip at the top suffered a dent after a shock 1–0 defeat to Bayelsa United in a tense South-South derby. The slim victory handed Bayelsa a crucial three points while slowing Rivers’ momentum at a critical stage of the season.
The biggest statement of the weekend came from Bendel Insurance, who dismantled Ikorodu City 4–0 in a ruthless display. Insurance were clinical from start to finish, overpowering their visitors and boosting both their goal difference and their standing in the upper half of the table. For Ikorodu City, who had been firmly in the mix near the summit, the heavy loss could prove costly in the long run.
Enugu Rangers also strengthened their position with a composed 2–0 victory over Nasarawa United. The Flying Antelopes controlled proceedings and capitalised on their chances, ensuring maximum points against a direct rival in the race for honours. With Rivers United dropping points, Rangers’ win significantly narrows the gap at the top.
In Aba, Enyimba were held to a 1–1 draw by Kun Khalifat in a fiercely contested encounter. The People’s Elephant had to settle for a point despite home advantage, a result that may affect their ambitions of climbing into the continental qualification spots.
Elsewhere, Niger Tornadoes and Warri Wolves played out a goalless draw in a tightly fought affair where defences dominated, and clear chances were scarce.
Remo Stars continued their battle against relegation with a 2–0 triumph over Katsina United in Ikenne.
Remo Stars begin redemption course with a 2-0 defeat of Katsina United
Ibadan, Shooting Stars delighted their supporters with a spirited 2–1 victory over Kano Pillars. The Oluyole Warriors demonstrated resilience and tactical discipline to edge the encounter, keeping their push for a higher finish on track.
Sunday Results
- Bayelsa United 1-0 Rivers United
- Bendel Insurance 4-0 Ikorodu City
- Enugu Rangers 2-0 Nasarawa United
- Enyimba 1-1 Kun Khalifat
- Niger Tornadoes 0-0 Warri Wolves
- Remo Stars 2-0 Katsina United
- Shooting Stars 2-1 Kano Pillars
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The race for promotion in the 2025/2026 season of the Nigeria National League (NNL) has gathered momentum, with relegated sides Akwa United and Doma United pushing strongly for an immediate return to the Nigeria Premier Football League.
Both former top-flight campaigners have shown resilience since dropping to the second tier last season. Akwa United currently lead Conference B with a game in hand, underlining their determination to bounce back at the first attempt. Meanwhile, Doma United sit atop Conference C despite suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Sokoto United on Matchday 11.
Southern Conference Delivers Drama
Matchday 11 in the Southern Conference produced thrilling encounters, further tightening the race for promotion.
In Conference A, two away wins, one home victory and a draw defined the round. The headline fixture between table-toppers Inter-Lagos FC and second-placed Beyond Limit FC ended in a goalless stalemate in Abeokuta. The result ensured Inter-Lagos maintained their grip on first place, though Beyond Limit remain firmly in contention.
Elsewhere, Smart City edged Edel FC 1-0, Gateway United secured a similar 1-0 win over Crown FC, while Sunshine Stars boosted their campaign with a convincing 2-0 triumph over Abia Comets. The victories have intensified the competition in what is shaping up to be one of the most closely fought groups in the league.
Conference B: Akwa United Hold Firm
Conference B continues to heat up as teams battle for supremacy. Osun United claimed a crucial 1-0 away victory at Abakaliki FC, while Rovers FC defeated Stormers 1-0 in Calabar.
Despite the pressure from chasing teams, Akwa United remain firmly in control at the summit. With a game in hand, the Promise Keepers are well-positioned to strengthen their promotion bid in the coming weeks.
Conference C: Doma United Stay Ahead
In Conference C, Sokoto United handed leaders Doma United a 1-0 setback, but the defeat did little to dislodge them from the top. Doma remain on 19 points, narrowly ahead of FC Basira, who climbed to 18 points after a 2-0 win over Lobi Stars.
The slim margin between the top sides suggests a tense battle ahead, with every point likely to prove decisive in the quest for a top-two finish.
Conference D: Northern Battle Intensifies
Yobe Desert Stars moved temporarily to the summit of Conference D with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Ranchers Bees, taking their tally to 15 points. Jigawa Golden Stars edged Adamawa United 1-0, while Gombe United and Kebbi United settled for a goalless draw.
Promotion Race Wide Open
With each conference producing unpredictable outcomes, the NNL promotion race remains delicately poised. For traditional heavyweights Akwa United and Doma United, the objective is clear: secure one of the coveted promotion spots and return to the Nigeria Elite League.
As the season progresses, the intensity is expected to rise further, with fans across the country watching closely to see which clubs will earn the right to rejoin Nigeria’s top-flight next season.
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