Nigerian Football
NFF MOURNS PASSING OF FORMER BOARD MEMBER, DEJI TINUBU
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is one of the early mourners of the deceased former Special Adviser on Sports to the Lagos State Governor, Deji Tinubu, who slumped and died on Thursday evening while featuring in a novelty football match in Epe during an executive retreat.
He was later confirmed dead at the General Hospital in the same town.
Tinubu was the governor’s Special Adviser on Commerce as at the time of his death. In release by the Media Department of the NFF, the federation remarked that “the NFF and the entire Nigerian football family are in utter shock over the death on Thursday evening of former NFF board member and immediate past Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Honourable Ayodeji Tinubu.
“The death of Ayodeji Tinubu came as a rude shock. It was like a knife through the heart. The NFF and the Nigerian Football family have lost a great member, friend and supporter.
“As Special Assistant (Sports) to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, he helped to actualize the hosting of the 2nd CAF Beach Soccer Cup of Nations in Lagos State in December 2016.
“He had also been in the forefront of other projects in which Lagos State was partnering the NFF before he was posted from Sports to become the Governor’s SA on Commerce earlier this month,” Seyi Akinwunmi, NFF 1st Vice President, who co-chaired the Beach Soccer AFCON organizing committee with Tinubu, said on Friday.
Ayodeji Tinubu served as Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission, before winning election to become a Member of the NFF Executive Committee in 2010. He served as Chairman of the Marketing and Sponsorship Committee under the Aminu Maigari administration of 2010-2014.
The NFF President, Amaju Pinnick was in grief: “Earlier this month, we were all together in Accra, Ghana for the AITEO-CAF African Football Awards. He was in the entourage of Governor Ambode, and was his usual lively self.
“In truth, we cannot find the right words to mourn with Governor Ambode and the Lagos State Government.
“This is heart –rending. However, we find solace in the fact that Ayodeji Tinubu has gone to rest, and that he left giant footprints in the sands of time.
“We pray that the Almighty God will comfort the entire Lagos State Government structure and grant his widow and the children the fortitude to bear the big loss.”
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.
Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.
It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.
Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
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