BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

 The Enugu Rangers and Jigawa Golden Stars’ encounter of   November 18, 1995, in the Challenge Cup third-place match might have offered little in terms of thrills. But it could earn a place in football record books.

   The drab encounter at the National Stadium, Lagos, lasted for  135 minutes.

This  could be a record as the longest duration of a Challenge Cup match.  

Anwalu Ibrahim shot the Jigawa Golden Stars ahead after he had converted a pass from Habibu Inuwa to beat Enugu Rangers’ goalkeeper, Emeka Ijeh, in the 33rd minute. Enugu Rangers levelled up in the 62nd minute through substitute player, Fred Okpalo.

   At full time, score lines stood at 1-1.The mandatory extra time could not break the tie.

Then followed the penalty shootout that was filled with amazing drama.

In the first set of five kicks for each side, both scored twice to stalemate score line at 3-3.

Thereafter, one after the other, players on both sides missed from the penalty spot!

   There were 11 penalty kicks in a row that were lost, arousing the sleepy crowd that watched with amazement. Jigawa’s skipper Ibrahim Gwadale eventually scored in the “sudden-death” situation to put final score line at 4-3 in favour of his side.

The encounter produced one of the longest streaks of penalty misses.

The report, perhaps ,could have found a place in the famous Guinness Book of Records if entry had been made for it.

The Nigeria President Federation Cup final is a battle of Warriors. On one hand is the cup’s familiar face, the El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri who are playing the final match for the fourth time ever.

  On the other, are the Abia Warriors, playing their first ever national cup final match and thus dreaming for a continental debut. 

  El-Kanemi were winners in 1991 and 1992 and losing finalists in 2001. 

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

The final match of the 2024 President Federation Cup holds this Saturday.

Before now, there had been 78 cup final matches and there have been change of trophies eight times.

The pertinent question: “Where are the previous eight trophies, especially the original one donated by in 1945 by the then Governor-General of Nigeria, Sir Arthur Richards?”

The trophies should be part of the archival materials of Nigerian football.  The original trophy was last presented on January 31, 1970, to Ibadan Lions.

The Nigeria national cup trophies across the ages: 1945, 1970, 1979, 1989, 1995, 1996, 2006, 2009

It was a belated final match for the 1969 competition. When the trophy was phased out nine months later for the 1970 competition which incidentally was the silver jubilee edition, Ibadan made a passionate plea to be allowed to have it for keeps as the last winner.

The then Nigeria Football Association (NFA) turned down the proposal. Where then is the trophy? This should be an archival material, which should have appreciated in value and should be worth millions of naira now.

  The original Governor’s Cup is not the only trophy missing. Where is the Nnamdi Azikiwe Cup for competition between Ghana and Nigeria and the Tafawa Balewa Cup for the competition between Nigeria and Guinea.

Both trophies were presented in 1963. Nigeria’s first ever trophy was the Jalco Cup won after a defeat of Ghana (then Gold Coast) in 1951. It was won for keeps by Ghana in 1959 and a new Kwame Nkrumah Cup was presented.

Enquiries with the Ghana FA also revealed that the trophy could not be traced.

The JALCO Cup, Nigeria’s first international silverware in October 1951

Perhaps, replicas of such trophies could be made for archival purposes.  NFF could approach the Ghana FA to make a replica of the Jalco Cup and have it as an archival material – being Nigeria’s first ever cup victory. History is an important aspect of human endeavour.  

A body without history will not be able to know its past and evaluate its present to be able to project the future. There should be trophy shelves in the headquarters of the NFF harbouring the vast memories of Nigeria’s rich past.