Nigerian Football
Class of 2013 Golden Eaglets cry out: “All we’re saying, fulfil your pledge”
Golden Eaglets coach Manu Garba has yet again called on the government and people of Cross River State to promptly redeem the house gifts pledged to players and officials of the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning team, in United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Manu painfully regrets that the unfulfilled promise remained a sour point for not only the team members, but also that of its late equipment manager Muhammed Kafa, who unfortunately passed away almost a year ago, without getting the house gift promised by the Cross River State Government led at that time by former governor, Liyel Imoke.
“When I remember Muhammed Kafa, one of the things that come to mind was his desire to get the house pledged to all the ten officials and 21 players that won the World Cup in 2013 by the then Governor Senator Liyel Imoke,” Garba said.” The house gift pledge has gradually paled into becoming an illusion because it has not been redeemed 11 years after Governor Imoke made the pledge in Calabar, and nine years after he left office as governor of the state.
“To think that it’s almost a year that Muhammed left us after that ghastly accident in Kaduna without getting the house is even more painful because that was one of his dreams.
“As we remember Muhammed, I want to use this opportunity to beg incumbent Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, to redeem this pledge that was expressly pledged to players and officials of the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning team by his predecessor. This is a good way he can help immortalise Muhammed and help ameliorate the pains of his family. Besides, it will be a morale booster to others to always give their best for their fatherland.”
Recall that precisely on 15th November 2013,Governor Imoke during a reception inside the state’s council chamber for the victorious FIFA U-17 World Cup team of 2013,offered house gifts to the 21 players and 10 officials for doing the country’s proud in the United Arab Emirates.
“We want to make an investment with you in property,” Senator Imoke said in front of camera and in the presence of the then Minister of Youth & Sports Development, Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi and other chieftains of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) led by the then President Aminu Maigari.
He added amid cheers: “We have a new housing estate already being developed and at the end of that exercise; completion of those estates, each one of you would have a small piece of property that is your own and that would have been fully developed; that you can rent out or occupy.”
But Garba said it was shocking that the pledge made by Senator Imoke in 2013 on behalf of the government and people of Cross River State is yet to materialise.
“Of course, we were all excited when Senator Imoke made the pronouncement at the Government House in Calabar when he hosted us for winning the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2013 but we are yet to be given the houses as promised, even though the housing estate has long been completed and occupied,” Garba said, adding that efforts made during the tenure of Imoke’s successor, Professor Ben Ayade bore no fruitful results.
He continued “The FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning team of 2013 was the baby of the Cross River State because we were camped at the Princeville Hotel in Calabar for many months and we played all our qualifying matches there but nothing was done about the house gifts during the tenure of Professor Ayade.
“But since government is a continuous process, we are pleading with Governor Bassey Otu to use his good office to fulfil this pledge made on behalf of the state by Senator Imoke.
“ I’m also seeking the intervention of Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, who incidentally comes from Cross River State, to ensure that justice is done on our behalf.
“ We have waited so long and just last year, we lost one of us, our hard working equipment manager, Muhammed Kafa, but I think it will be in his good memory if the house gifts are redeemed and show that our labour of winning the World Cup in 2013 is not in vain,” added Garba.
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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