Nigerian Football
African Games hero, Sanni Mohammed in tears as Super Stores honour 1973 Green Eagles
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
“The labour of our heroes past shall not be in vain” is a line in the Nigerian national anthem. However, the seven living members and dependants of the other 13 footballers of the 20-man Green Eagles that won the gold medal of the 2nd All Africa Games in 1973 may not agree.
Fifty years down the line, they were never recognised since their historic feat. The gold medal of the 1973 All Africa Games was the first continental honours that Nigeria got in football.
What the players got was just a photo-shoot opportunity and breakfast with the Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon. Sadly, since their feat 50 years ago, no Nigerian team has been able to win the All Africa Games gold medal.
After 50 years, Stationery Stores FC that had three players in the squad decided to honour their trio of Haruna Ilerika, Yakubu Mambo and Sanni Mohammed – Stationery Stores’ players at the time – along with the rest of the team.
Sadly among the trio, only Sanni Mohammed, now domiciled in Ghana, is alive and was in attendance at the modest recognition that the Super Stores Supporters Trust organised on Nigeria’s in Independence Day at Freedom Park in Lagos.
Sanni Mohammed, the midfielder in the 1973 squad burst into tears as he was called upon to receive a certificate of honour and a plaque.
He was overwhelmed with emotion as he battled to hold back tears. He explained to Sports Village Square that he remembered all his colleagues at the time and the bond that held them.
He counted himself luck to be among the seven that are alive and wondered how the environment would had been, if all of them were to have assembled.
His award was presented to him by Head of Service, Lagos State Secretariat, Bode Agoro, who incidentally was also a former Stationery Stores player, but of a different generation.
Bode Agoro, Lagos State Head of Service, also a former Stores’ player presents plaque to Sanni Mohammed
There have been no governmental recognition for the pioneers, although subsequent generations of national team players have been rewarded.
Sanni Mohammed travelled by road from Accra purposely to attend the event. Born of a Ghanaian mother and Nigerian father, he said he opted to play for Nigeria and Ghanaians were surprised about how he firmly held the midfield in the opening match of the All Africa Games on 8 January 1973.
He said he was and still committed to Nigeria and Stationery Stores, hoping to see the club regain its esteem. He told the audience that he had set up a Stores supporters club in Ghana and hoped that similar wings should emerge from Nigerian cities as it was in the 1970s and 1980s.
The late Nigerian midfield maestro, Haruna Ilerika was represented by two of his daughters, Sheri and Zeinab Ilerika.
President of the Stationery Stores Supporters Trust, Adebayo Olowo-Ake said that the Independent Day event was the fourth that his outfit had organised since setting up the trust in 2015. He promised that more recognitions will be organised in due course.
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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