Nigerian Football
Players of Nigerian parentage at the Premiership transfer market
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
In the busy transfer window that has just closed in England, some players of Nigerian parentage were also part of the essential commodities.
In Arsenal, Joseph Olowu who joined the youth academy when he was eight years old was released at the close of the current summer transfer window.
Born in Ibadan on 27 November 1999, he rose up the ranks at the North London side including the U-18s and U-23s at Arsenal.
He went on loan to League of Ireland Premier Division side Cork City F.C.. He made his debut on the first matchday of the season on 14 February 2020 during a 1-0 loss against Shelbourne F.C, appearing in all matches until the season paused due to the Coronavirus disease 2019.
Another player of Nigerian roots, Daniel Oyegoke has joined newly promoted Premier League side, Brentford on a permanent move from Arsenal.
The 18-year old Nigerian-born player joined Arsenal Academy when he was 14.
He transitioned from a forward to a defender during his time at the Arsenal Academy and was a regular with the under-18s in recent seasons and also stepped up to the under-23s, making 10 appearances in last season’s PL2.
Oyegoke is an England youth international, having represented England up to under-18 level.
Joining Oyegoke in Brentford is another player of Nigerian parentage, Frank Onyeka. He is coming from Denmark side, FC Midtjylland which he joined from Nigeria while playing for FC Ebedei.
From Chelsea, Fikayo Tomori who has committed his international career to England, is moving to AC Milan in the Seria A of Italy. Similarly, another Nigerian-born player, Tammy Abraham of Chelsea and also lost to England, is also going to Serie A to feature for Roma.
Taiwo Awoniyi will remain in in the Bundesliga side, Union Berlin to continue his loan spell from Liverpool.
This is his seventh loan spell having being previously sent to FSV Frankfurt in 2016, NEC Nijmegen in Holland in 2016, Royal Excel Mouscron of Belgium in 2017, KAA Gent (Belgium) in 2018 and Mainz 05 (Germany) in 2020.
David Agbontohoma, a central defender who will clock 20 years at the end of this month has been released by Southampton. His future cannot be ascertained now by www.sportsvillagesquare.com
As earlier reported by Sports Village Square, Dapo Mebude has completed a move from Scottish side, Glasgow Rangers to English Premiership side, Watford.. The 19 year old was one of the six players of Nigerian roots that the NFF president, Amaju Pinnick met during Oghenekaro Etebo’s first training session with the Vicarage Road side.in July.
Dapo Mebude, whose father, Babtunde Awokoya-Mebude has sports running in the family. He was a striker during his secondary school days at United High School in Ikenne in the 1980s.
Etebo Oghenekaro is also on loan from Stoke City to Watford. West Ham has released two Nigerians, Olatunji Akinola and Joshua Okotcha while a third player, Oladapo Afolayan is moving to Bolton.
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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