International Football
It’s another Super Eagles’ anniversary
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
While this Monday 28 June brings back the sad memory of Super Eagles’ biggest World Cup flop, a 4-1 defeat by Denmark on this date at France ‘98, the team can also look back at its own anniversary as the Nigerian national football team became 72 years old at the weekend.
It was on 26 June 1949 that the team, then referred to as the ‘International Group’ was first composed when the Selection Committee of the then Nigeria Football Association, (NFA) announced the names of 17 of the 18 players that composed Nigeria’s first national team, which became the famed UK Tourists.
The 18th player, Okoronkwo Kanu whose surname was often anglicized as Kanoo was added five days later (2 July 1949)
Even though his choice was controversial as he was perceived to have passed his prime, he was the most learned of the lot and acted as the team secretary.
The Nigerian first ever national team was selected after the existing three regions – North, West and East as well as the then Lagos and Districts Football Association were asked to present the best players in their regions for inter-regional matches.
On June 26, 1949 the names of the players selected from those matches were announced as the first Nigerian national team composed to go on a goodwill tour of the United Kingdom. That was the beginning of what is now the Super Eagles.
Thirteen of the 18 players were from Lagos clubs. Two, Isaac Akioye and Olisa Chukwurah, were from the West. Two were from the East and one from the North.
Led by Captain Donald H. Holley, the NFA Chairman, the team travelled out of the country on August 16, 1949 and arrived Liverpool on Monday August 29. While on board of the Elder Dempster ship, MV Apapa, the players kept fit by running round the deck four times every morning and evening during the two-week voyage.
The tour by the Nigerian team to the UK was the first by any black or African country. It was later followed by those of Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1951, Uganda in 1956 and The Caribbean in 1959.
For their matches, the Nigerian team wore olive green jerseys atop white shorts. Symbolically, it is the olive green shirt that current Super Eagles have inadvertently adopted as their second strip.
While in the UK, the Nigerian team played nine matches against British amateur clubs. Those matches are however not regarded as official games. Nigeria’s first Grade A match was played on October 8, 1949 with Sierra Leone while the UK Tourists made a stopover in Freetown in their return voyage.
Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been named the new head coach of the England national team, the country’s Football Association said in a statement on Wednesday.
The German, who is England’s third foreign manager, after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello, will be assisted by Englishman Anthony Barry, the statement added.
“We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him,” FA CEO Mark Bullingham said.
Tuchel replaces Lee Carsley, England’s under-21 manager, who has been in temporary charge since the resignation of Gareth Southgate after England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in July.
-Reuters
German Thomas Tuchel has been appointed head coach of the England national team on Wednesday.
Born: Aug. 29, 1973 in Krumbach, Germany.
PLAYING CAREER
* Tuchel played for his local club TSV Krumbach, before moving to FC Augsburg’s academy at the age of 15.
* He never played for Augsburg’s senior side and joined German second division team Stuttgarter Kickers in 1992.
* After eight league appearances for Kickers, Tuchel moved to fourth-tier SSV Ulm.
* Tuchel made 69 league appearances for Ulm as a central defender before he was forced to retire in 1998 at the age of 25 due to a knee injury.
COACHING CAREER
* Tuchel began his coaching career with a youth team role at VfB Stuttgart in 2000, working with future Germany internationals Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber.
* He returned to Augsburg and took charge of their reserve team for the 2007-08 season.
* Tuchel was appointed Mainz 05 manager in 2009, replacing compatriot Juergen Klopp.
* He guided Mainz to Bundesliga stability during his five-year stint at the club, gaining plaudits for his team’s high energy, attacking style of play.
* Tuchel took over from Klopp as Borussia Dortmund coach in 2015.
* He led Dortmund to a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2017 German Cup final. He was sacked by Dortmund three days later.
* Tuchel joined Paris St Germain in 2018 on a two-year contract, replacing Unai Emery.
* He won two Ligue 1 titles, including a domestic quadruple in his second season, and guided the club to their first Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
* Tuchel was sacked by PSG on Christmas Eve in 2020, despite the club finishing top of their Champions League group and sitting third in the Ligue 1 table.
* He was named Chelsea manager in January 2021 on an initial 18-month contract following the dismissal of Frank Lampard.
* Tuchel revived the team’s Premier League season and guided the London club to the Champions League final, where they beat Manchester City. Chelsea also won the Super Cup and Club World Cup.
* Chelsea sacked Tuchel in September 2022 following a shock 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in their opening Champions League group game.
* Bayern Munich appointed Tuchel to succeed Julian Nagelsmann in March last year.
* Bayern decided to let Tuchel go at the end of the 2023-24 season despite a contract until 2025. Tuchel steered Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 2022-23, but they finished the last campaign without any silverware for the first time in more than a decade.
* Tuchel will become England’s third foreign manager after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello.
* Tuchel will take over the team in January ahead of the qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.
-Reuters
Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.
Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.
Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.
He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.
With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.
Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.
While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.
-Reuters
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