Nigerian Football
VIDEO: IT’S UNMISSABLE MATCH AS MASTER DRIBBLER, OKOCHA CLASHES WITH ACE DEFENDER PUYOL
It promises a thrill of epic proportion when two globally iconic footballers featuring in contrasting positions clash. This is the setting at the “Unmissable Match” holding in Uyo on April 16.
Austin Jay Jay Okocha, a master dribbler, will be leading an array of stars who will attempt to break a defensive wall marshalled by former FC Barcelona central defender, Carles Puyol Saforcada who is better known as Puyol.
He was a three-time winner of the UEFA Champions League trophy with FC Barcelona in 2006, 2009 and 2011.
On the other hand, Okocha featured in three straight World Cup competitions for Nigeria in 1994, 1998 and 2002 and was one of the top 125 living footballers in the world named by the legendary Brazilian football icon, Pelé some years ago. Significantly, only five players from Africa made the list.
That is the setting when Nigeria’s Austin Jay Jay Okocha leads the ‘Shine Shine Bobo’ squad, depicting the Star Lager Beer, to face a Puyol “The Wall” -inspired team, tagged The Chairman Team.
The ‘Chairman Team’ depicts Heineken, the Chairman of International Premium Beers and official partner of UEFA and UEFA Champions League since 1994.
The “Unmissable Match” is part of the UEFA Champions League Tour. Football fans will be the major beneficiaries when both brands from the stable of Nigeria Breweries line out iconic stars to feature in “Unmissable Match” on April 16 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo.
The match will feature 20 minutes each half, with a mixture of footballers from Akwa United Football club, selected Heineken consumers and ex-Nigerian international footballers such as Mutiu Adepoju, Daniel Amokachi, Austin Eguavoen and Uche Okechukwu playing for either either side of Unmissable Match.
Carlos Puyol will captain the Chairman team of Heineken while former Super Eagles captain, Okocha will captain the Shine Shine Bobo team of Star.
Already, in a trending video on social media, Okocha is calling on the public to be part of the excitement. Tickets, are already in distribution to fans via outlets in Uyo and environs, just as listeners have been engaged on radio programmes with several tickets already won and some lucky fans have won the right to be at the Consumers’ later in the evening.
The Unmissable Match is a complimentary moment to the visit of the UEFA Champions League Trophy for the third time since 2009 and 2014.
It is the first time the tour would be held outside Lagos and it will give teeming football fans the unique opportunity to come close to the iconic trophy and have photo opportunity to it and its ambassador, Carlos Puyol courtesy of Heineken, the International premium lager beer.
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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