Nigerian Football
ANYANSI REMAINS MY MENTOR, SAYS ABD’ALLAH
Ahead of the upcoming 2020/21 season, Wikki Tourist coach Usman Shariff Abd’Allah has yet appraise his performance in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), saying he appreciated the platform he was offered with at Enyimba under the aegis of its debonair chairman Felix Anyansi.
French-trained Abd’Allah first worked at his state’s owned Kano Pillars as an assistant while overseeing the club’s youth department programme on arrival in Nigeria after stints with clubs in France and Asia.
He then joined Enyimba initially as an assistant to Paul Aigbogun but was later promoted as Head Coach and Technical Adviser where his name travelled far and wide .
Known for his genial outlook and so much so noted for his straight-talking disposition particularly about things dear to his heart , Abd’Allah’s huge praise for Anyansi did not therefore come as a surprise.
“ No matter what anybody may say, I would forever be grateful for the wonderful times I had at Enyimba because it was there that I became famous both in Nigeria and Africa,” remarked Abd’Allah who holds dual nationality as a Nigerian-French. “How can I forget the club’s chairman, Chief Felix Anyansi for all he did for me when I was there? He gave me the platform to demonstrate what I can do and I would eternally be grateful to him.”
Following the departure of Aigbogun, Abd’Allah supervised Enyimba’s campaign in the 2018 CAF Confederation by leading them to the semi-finals where they lost 3-1 on aggregate to the eventual champions, Raja Casablanca of Morocco.
He also led the People’s Elephants to the quarter-final group stages of the 2019 CAF Confederation Cup before they both parted ways in less than satisfactory circumstances.
“I’ve heard so much since I left Enyimba and sometimes I just laughed over some of the stories,” noted Abd’Allah even as he cleared air about his relationship with Anyansi.
“Honestly, I had a wonderful experience working with Anyansi and my leaving Enyimba has nothing to a breakdown of relationship between us; he is one of the few chairmen in Nigerian football that knows their onion; we have mutual respect for each other,
“He knows what he wants and I’ll always be indebted to him for the chance he offered me to work at Enyimba; of course, no place is perfect but my leaving Enyimba was for personal reasons and it has nothing to do with Anyansi.”
It was on record that Abd’Allah handled a total of 53 competitive matches locally for Enyimba including seven as interim manager and he won 23 matches, drew 14 with 16 loses.
On the continent in both the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup , he had seven two draws, seven losses and seven wins including two away twins against Djoliba AC of Mali and TS Galaxy of South Africa.
“My impressive record at Enyimba would not have been possible but for the support of Anyansi and few others,” Abd’Allah insisted. “Who knows about the future? But my focus now is on Wikki Tourists.
“I’m looking forward to the return of football after the unfortunate COVID-19 lockdown because as we all know, football gives average Nigerian joy and hope, “Abd’Allah added.
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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