Nigerian Football
SPORTS IN NIGERIA: 2017 WAS GOOD, 2018 WILL BE BETTER SAYS DALUNG
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Nigeria’s sports minister, Solomon Dalung on Wednesday in Lagos took a retrospective look at sports in Nigeria in the past two years especially that of 2017 and concluded that the country has had its own fair share of laurels.
Decked in his trademark green shirt and red beret, the minister told a gathering of sports journalists at the boardroom of the Nigeria Olympic Committee that the only direction sports in Nigeria faces this year and the years to come is upward.
He made a sport-by-sport analysis, touching on virtually all sports federations and the youth departments of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. In virtually all sports disciplines, Nigeria won medals.
One of the most remarkable ones, according to the comrade-minister is that of the Nigeria women hockey team which had not featured in any international tournament for about 14 years.
“But the team won bronze medal at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ismailia, Egypt last October”, said the minister. The highlights of the address touched on the feats in basket ball where the Nigerian team regained dominance of the sport in Africa.
In scrabble, Nigeria won the best country trophy at the World English Scrabble Championship, while is another lesser-followed sports, Rowing & Yachting, the country got a gold, six silver and five bronze medals at the continental championship in Morocco.
The same was the tale in taekwondo, table tennis, judo and tennis where the Nigerian teams made appreciable impact on the various medal logs.
In badminton, a sport that is fast gaining popularity among Nigerians following a resurgence of tournaments across the country, Nigeria won two bronze medals in mixed and individual events in South Africa, two gold medals at the Cote d’Ivoire tournament, three gold, a silver and two bronze medals at the Benin Republic tournament as well as a bronze at the Uganda Para-Badminton tournament.
Expectedly, football got the most attention, especially the country’s feat of being undefeated on the field of play throughout the World Cup qualifying series.
The Super Eagles qualified in a power-packed group, even with a match to spare. The feats of the Super Eagles’ B team in picking a ticket to the African Nations Championship as well as emerging runners-up in the resuscitated WAFU tournament were commended by the sports minister.
He also mentioned individual feats, especially the successes of various Nigerians at gaining membership in various international sports federations. The year was a bountiful harvest for the country, he remarked as virtually in every sport federation Nigerians made inroad.
He particularly commended the feat of Amaju Pinnick, the Nigerian Football Federation chieftain, who not only won election into CAF Executive Committee, but wielded much influence in global football.
“In football, Nigeria made a lot of progress both on and off the pitch. These include: The appointment of Amaju Pinnick, President of the NFF as President of AFCON, the committee responsible for the organisation of the Africa Cup of Nations as well as a Member of the Organizing Committee for FIFA Competitions – the most influential committee in world football after the FIFA Council”, said the sports minister who apart from commending the inclusion of other Nigerians in CAF committees also pointed at the appointment of Justice Ayotunde Philips (a former Chief Judge of Lagos State) into the FIFA Ethics Committee (Adjudicatory Chamber).
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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