Nigerian Football
AGOYE ASSUMES DUTY ON WEDNESDAY AS 3SC BEGINS LIFE AT NNL
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The newly appointed coach of Shooting Stars, Edith Agoye will have his first official interaction with his players as they report to camp on Wednesday.
According to a media release by the club’s media officer, Jubril Arowolo, the players have been directed to report in camp in preparation for the new football season at Nigeria National League, the second tier of the Nigerian football league.
According to the release, the directive came on Sunday from the Team Manager, Dimeji Lawal. Meanwhile, Agoye is still enjoying the overwhelming acceptance from all quarters since the announcement of his appointment.
Jubril Arowolo remarked that in spirit of sportsmanship, Agoye’s former boss in the club’s technical crew, Fatai Amoo joined the multitude to congratulate him shortly after his confirmation.
Others who have hailed the appointment include Shooting Stars former General Manager and also former Super Eagles coach, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, who Sports Village Square learnt, called to express his confidence in Agoye.
It was Chief Onigbinde who gave the club its acronym, 3SC when the club dropped its former name of IICC at the advent of professional football in Nigeria in 1990. According to Arowolo, Onigbinde called and remarked that he believed Agoye, a former player of the club, will bring his experience to bear in the resurgence of the team.
“Congratulations on your appointment and I pray you succeed in steering the team to glory. With your knowledge and experience in the game, I believe you can do it”, Onigbinde was quoted to have said.
Also, Agoye’s former coach while still playing for Shooting Stars, Niyi Akande, commended the club’s management for making the right choice. “I made bold to say on behalf of the club’s ex players and coaches that the choice of Agoye was timely and we shall do everything to support his to succeed”, he concludes.
Former skipper and later General Manager of the club, Taiwo Ogunjobi who was also a former general secretary and member of the NFF, reportedly described Agoye’s choice as perfect. “Honestly, the appointment of a perfect choice and we must all do everything to make him succeed”, Ogunjobi remarked.
A renowned U.S. based photo journalist, Raheem Olatunji who is popularly called “Socrates” described Agoye as a round peg in round hole.
“Congratulations on your new appointment as the head coach of our darling team may your tenure bring the desired goal and blessings for all. I sincerely wish you best of luck in all your endeavours”.
Nigerian champions, Enugu Rangers have been beaten 4-3 by visiting Kano Pillars in the Match Day 7 of the Nigeria Premier Football League.
The visitors went into the lead in 15th minute when Rabiu Ali converted a penalty kick. They doubled the lead in the 28th minute through Zulkifilu Rabiu before Rabiu Ali extended the lead to 3-0 in the 37th minute after converting another penalty kick.
The game turned into a nightmare for Rangers as Ahmed Musa made it 4-0 in the first minute of the added time.
Rangers began a fight back in the opening minutes of the second half as Isaac Saviour pulled a goal back in the 47th minute. Twelve minute later he scored a second goal to reduce the tally to 4-2. Emmanuel Silas Nenrot made the score line a more respectable for Rangers when he scored a third goal in the added time.
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
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