BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

On this day, 40 years ago Nigeria and Algeria played their last Group B match in the Africa Cup of Nations in Bouake, Cote d’Ivoire. It remains one of the most controversial matches in the tournament’s history.

Nigeria won just one match in the series and yet came back with a silver medal.

 Nigeria and Algeria played spinelessly to end tie at 0-0 fuelling allegations that both teams had agreed on an accord to eliminate defending champions, Ghana.

With players just knocking the ball about in the midfield and strikers even refusing to aim at goal, opting to kick the ball back into their territory, no one was left in doubt about the intentions of the 22 players on the pitch.

The ticket holding spectators were enraged.

So dismaying was the play that the Guinean referee, Karim Camara issued a yellow card to skippers Stephen Keshi of Nigeria and Ali Feghani of Algeria. The gesture was actually a general caution to both teams for ‘unsporting’ behaviour.

After three hours of deliberation, CAF fined Algeria and Nigeria $6,000. At the time, it was initially a subject of speculations on whether both team conspired. Sports Village Square can confirm that there were strong elements indicating match fixing.

A member of the squad, now deceased during a social gathering actually confessed to be at the centre of the deal after a chance meeting with Algeria’s captain, Ali Feghani whom he had known before.

The deal: “Nigeria-Algeria play 0-0; Ghana, Malawi go home”.  Weeks later, Henry Nwosu, a member of the Nigerian squad granted an interview to the evening newspaper of The Guardian, Guardian Express, confirming the conspiracy.

From Algeria later came another confirmation.

A former Algeria midfielder Mohammed Shoaib revealed there was a connivance to get the defending champions, Ghana eliminated.

Going into the last match, Ghana, defeated in the opening match by Nigeria, needed to beat Malawi in their last group match in addition to expecting Nigeria to be beaten by Algeria.

Nigeria needed a draw to advance to the semi-final along with Algeria.

The Algerians recalled their own fate in the World Cup two years earlier in what was globally called the ‘Gijon Swindle’. At the time, West Germany and Austria, neighbours conspired to eliminate Algeria in a Spain ‘82 duel at Gijon.

Owing to the the tiebreaker rules in the group stage, a West German win by one or two goals would ensure that both Austria and West Germany advanced to the next round. West Germany scored the only goal in the first 10 minutes of the match, which progressively deteriorated to a virtual standstill in the second half.

Despite widespread condemnation and a formal complaint lodged by Algeria who bore the consequences, FIFA did not take any action.

Later, an Austrian player Reinhold Hintermaier  admitted the match was fixed. That is the reason why group stage now ensures that the final two games in each group would be played simultaneously.