BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

It is 19 years today since the now renamed National Stadium in Abuja was commissioned by President Olusegun Obasanjo.  

The stadium which from 8 October 2011 when it hosted the 2-2 draw 2012 Africa Cup of Nations drawn  match of Nigeria and Guinea, slumped to an abject state of disrepair was only recently resuscitated.

Parts of the installations on the pitch, especially the pitch panels, goal post nets and dug-outs were vandalised by irate fans protesting the Super Eagles’ loss of World Cup ticket to Ghana.

Incidentally, it was the third time the national team has failed to pick qualification ticket for major tournament and the youth side even failed to lift trophy.

First on 8 October 2005, despite massive 5-1 defeat of Zimbabwe at the stadium, Nigeria failed in the bid to pick the 2006 World Cup ticket, technically losing on head-to-head rule to Angola who won their own away game, 1-0 against Rwanda.

Like it happened last month in Abuja, Austin Eguavoen was also the Nigerian team handler. In the second instance of losing qualification ticket at the now 19-year old Abuja Stadium, Samson Siasia led the Super Eagles that conceded a goal in the last minute of the added time to end their encounter with Guinea 2-2 and lost out in the bid to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, the last official even-year edition.

The circle of not picking a qualification ticket at the stadium was completed last month in the World Cup playoff with Ghana. Before then, the Golden Eaglets, against all odds lost 0-1 to Switzerland in 15 November 2009 final match of the  FIFA U-17 World Cup to cast speculations of possible jinx around the stadium that is fashioned after the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, one of the arenas for the Germany 2006 World Cup.

Also, at the 2003 African Games, Nigeria lost the gold medal match, 2-0 to Cameroon at the Abuja Stadium on 16 October 2003 to set the tone of missed tickets and trophies at the sumptuous arena.

However, on 12 December 2004, Enyimba picked the last of their two Champions League wins at the arena after winning 5-3 through penalty shootout against Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel.

When the Abuja Stadium was opened on 8 April 2003, the first match was between Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Sunshine Stars of Akure. Both teams are perennial strugglers in the Nigerian domestic league.

Shooting Stars’ Sikiru Lawal who scored the first goal at the stadium soon got relegated into anonymity. The same happened to Ghana’s Patrick Agyemany scorer of the first goal in the first international match at the stadium when Nigeria beat Ghana 3-1 on 30 May 2003.