Nigerian Football
EKEJI DELIGHTED TO FEATURE IN WORLD CUP SEMINAR
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
One of the best sports technocrat to have come from Nigeria, Chief Patrick Ekeji has confirmed his participation in the landmark World Cup seminar that The Sun Publishing Limited has put together.
The seminar with a general theme: “That Super Eagles may excel in Russia 2018 and beyond” is holding in Port Harcourt on May 22.
Chief Ekeji spoke from the United States to confirm his participation at the seminar. His contribution is bound to add to the robust deliberations expected at the epoch-making seminar. Ekeji’s profile speaks volumes.
Perhaps, apart from the Great Zik, Ekeji is the only other person that had been involved in all facets of sports, especially football.
He was a footballer for clubs and national team having played for both the Vasco da Gama FC and Enugu Rangers as well as the national team, the Green Eagles with which he made a winning debut on July 13, 1975 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Congo in Brazzaville.
Ekeji was also a coach for both clubs and the national team. Ten years after his Green Eagles debut in Brazzaville, he mounted the saddle as the national team coach in 1985.
Before handling the Green Eagles, he had coached ACB of Lagos where Henry Nwosu was one of his star players.
The University of Nigeria Nsukka graduate of Physical and Health Education later became a lecturer at the Nigeria Institute of Sports teaching football as a discipline and helping to breed another generation of coaches.
He was a sports journalist, writing column for The Punch newspapers in the early 1980s. He administered sports at the state level in Imo before coming to the national level.
At the national level, Ekeji rose through the ranks heading various departments – Research and Documentation, Facilities, etc. – before getting to the zenith as Director General. The novel idea in creating Team Nigeria is one indelible mark that he made on Nigerian sports. It is also on record that it was during his tenure as the Director of Sports that Nigeria eventually topped the medals’ table at the All Africa Games after previous seven attempts.
According to the Managing Director/ Editor-in-Chief of The Sun Publishing Limited, Eric Osagie, Ekeji will discuss the paper that the lead speaker, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde will present.
“The seminar is timely”, remarked Ekeji. “Baba Onigbinde is a man that has seen it all in our football. Danladi Bako is a veteran broadcaster that has been involved with football for over three decades. I think we are in for a good event,” Ekeji said.
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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