Nigerian Football
Nigeria football legend, Odegbami pays tribute to late Thunder Balogun’s son
Nigeria’s football legend, Segun Odegbami who writes with the same dexterity with which he plays on the football field has paid an emotional tribute to TundeBalogun, the almost split image of his accomplished father, Tesilimi ‘Thunder’ Balogun.
The late Balogun’s son reportedly passed on penultimate Sunday having arrived Nigeria from the United States some weeks earlier.
His death came while his siblings were putting up a landmark memorial for their father who died 50 years ago.
Odegbami in his tributes published in his column in Saturday’s edition of Vanguard newspapers recalled the skills of the exceptionally quiet footballer who was the first child of Thunder Balogun.
Incidentally, Odegbami, a wizard at the wings remarked that he never met Thunder Balogun alive.
“On the day I could have met his more famous father for the first time, Tesilimi Thunder Balogun died.” That was 30 July 1972.
“My team, Housing Corporation FC Ibadan were to play against Mighty Jets FC of Jos in a friendly football match at the famous Liberty Stadium, Ibadan, the supreme theatre of football at the time in Nigeria, when it was announced as the match was about to begin that Thunder Balogun died in his sleep whilst taking his regular afternoon siesta in readiness to go and watch the match.
“Tunde was a carbon copy of his father as I was told by those that knew both of them. He was lanky, over 6 ft tall, with slightly bowed legs, handsome, with darting eyes and a happy smile plastered on his face.
“I never got to meet his father, but I met the son when various sports teams were assembled and camped in preparation for the 1975 National Sports Festival. He was a member of that extremely talented Western Academicals football team that included Taiwo Ogunjobi, Chris Okoro, Best Ogedegbe, and so on.
“At the time, Tunde’s story was all over the Ibadan football circuit. He had been mesmerising as a student of Olivet’s High School, Oyo, Aiyetoro Comprehensive High School and, Federal Government College, Ibadan.
“Tunde had both a reputation and a followership. His father had coached and taught him the art of dribbling. So, stories abound of how his father would take out bets with friends about how and when, during a match, that his son would score a goal.
“Tunde mesmerised opposing defenders everywhere he played in Ibadan then. He even played briefly for Water Corporation FC, the closest and fiercest rivals of Shooting Stars FC shortly after I joined the team.
“The first time I physically saw him was in the Western Academicals.
“As a result of his reputation, I started observing him. At training sessions, Tunde stood out like a sore thumb. His fine athletic frame, tall and gangly, contrasted with everything he did.
“He was always at the rear of his jogging colleagues during warm ups. He was nonchalant to every part of training sessions except when taking shots at goal, or bending balls beyond the goalkeepers.
“Many who knew his father swore Tunde inherited most of his skills that were out of this world from his old man. Tunde, on the ball, could go past any defender with a body swerve delivered from a distance. He would leave defenders for dead on their feet with his lightening acceleration off the ball from a stand-still position. He reminded me of present-day Mbappe.
“I don’t think Tunde loved football in the same breath as did Muda Lawal, or Rashidi Yekini who would almost go to bed with their balls by their side, trained for endless hours, and would chase after every ball when they lost it. Tunde was the most reluctant genius I knew.
“He exercised as if he was being punished. He avoided training sessions and would always be the last to appear on the training ground. He had an excuse not to do physical or tactical training. He was not your text-book team player, and a nightmare for coaches that did not know how to use him.
“Yet, few coaches could let him out of their team because whenever he got the ball on the field to play, he never wasted it. He would always create some magic. He could do anything with the ball.
“He was a pure dribbling genius. In all my life watching players dribble with the ball, not even Ronaldinho, or Jay Jay Okocha, two of the greatest exponents of the art of dribbling, compare to Ara.
“This is no exaggeration, but Ara was a dribbling and goalscoring machine. His body swerves were mesmerising and beautiful to watch. His shots at goal were always measured, deliberate and deadly accurate. From free-kicks and spot kicks he was as deadly as Ronaldo, Beckam and Lionel Messi.
“Every coach complained about his attitude to training and individualism, but none faulted his genius in front of goal.
“Incidentally, Tunde could not hurt a fly. He was in his own world. The ‘annoying’ part of his character was that he never spoke back at anyone, for anything. He was shy and timid. He walked alone. He trained alone, at his own pace and time. He did everything in ‘silence’, a gentle smile dancing on his face, his only companion.
“In the two or three years that I interacted with him, I never heard his voice rise above a whisper. I never saw or heard him hold a lengthy conversation with anyone. His few friends and colleagues in the academicals team, including Taiwo Ogunjobi, swore that he could crack up some really crazy jokes whenever he was in the mood. Those moments were very few and far between.
“He never granted any press interviews. He never also took pictures. Every reporter wanted to speak with him and ask him about his weird ways and his genius on the football field. He never granted their wish.
“He was invited to the national Academicals squad and he played for Nigeria in the famous Ghana/Nigeria Academicals encounters in 1975 led by Taiwo Ogunjobi. They defeated Ghana both at home and away in Accra, Ghana. Tunde was the tormentor-general of the Nigerian team.
“He was so good as a student/footballer that during the first exodus of players to the United States to study and play their football, he was one the first to secure an admission and a scholarship. He went to Howard University, a Black institution that admitted very many Nigerian star-players.
“Had he stayed back in Nigeria, without question, he would have joined us and played in the senior national team. I can picture his combination with Thompson Usiyen and start to dream the possibility of the deadliest attacking pair in Nigeria’s history. What a lethal striking partnership that would be.
“As quickly as he lit the candle of his life in the Nigerian football space, so did his migration to the States dim it. For decades no one heard anything about him, not even when he returned to Nigeria and returned to the cocoon of his private interests and ‘silent’ life.
“Last Sunday, that candle was finally extinguished by the Creator of the Universe.
“This is my little tribute to that gentle football genius who lived and loved his ‘silence’ – Tunde Ara Balogun”, writes Segun Odegbami.
By Kunle Solaja.
Sixty-eight years after the foundation was laid for what became the first modern stadium in West Africa, the historic Liberty Stadium, now known as Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, stands today as a symbol of Nigeria’s sporting heritage, though largely sustained by memories of its glorious past.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, marks 68 years since the foundation-laying ceremony of the iconic arena conceived by the government of the former Western Region to commemorate the region’s attainment of self-government. The stadium was later renamed after the region’s premier, Obafemi Awolowo, whose administration championed the project.
Despite its historical significance, the once-celebrated sporting complex has suffered decades of neglect, particularly after its takeover by the Federal Government in 1976. Today, the arena that once earned the reputation as the “Pride of Africa” largely survives on memories of the landmark events it hosted.
The Nigerian national team last played at the stadium on July 9, 1983, defeating Togo 2–1 in a qualifying match for the 1984 Summer Olympics football tournament.
Liberty Stadium occupies about 40 acres of a 75-acre hillside site that rises gradually toward the northeast summit. Construction of the facility cost £521,050, with an additional £38,000 spent on land acquisition and £35,000 on building the approach road.
The idea for the stadium was conceived in 1957 by Gabriel Akin-Deko, then the Western Region’s Minister of Agriculture. The regional government subsequently established a planning committee comprising ministers and sports administrators, including J.O. Adigun, J.O. Oshuntokun, and J.O. Adebiyi, alongside athletics representatives Chief J.O. Ajiwunmi and J.B. Ojo.
The stadium was designed by chartered architect J.E.K. Harrison in collaboration with the Western Region Ministry of Works and Transport. Construction was carried out through direct labour by the ministry, with structural engineering support from Ove Arup and Partners and steel works executed by the Nigerian Steel Construction Company.
Officially opened on September 30, 1960—on the eve of Nigeria’s independence—the stadium quickly established itself as a major sporting venue. Its first international match came two days later when the Ghana national football team defeated Mali 5–1 in a semi-final match of the Kwame Nkrumah Cup on October 2, 1960. Ghana’s Aggrey Fynn scored after 15 minutes, becoming the first player to score in a full international match at the venue.
The stadium also hosted Nigeria’s first floodlit football match on October 11, 1960, when the Western Region team, Western Rovers, defeated Portuguese Guinea—now Guinea-Bissau—3–2.
Technologically advanced for its time, the stadium featured an underground drainage system designed to disperse heavy rain without flooding the pitch. The playing surface was meticulously maintained by Joseph Ogunyemi, the first Nigerian trained and appointed as stadium manager.
Before assuming the role in December 1959, Ogunyemi underwent 18 months of specialist training at major British sporting venues, including Wembley Stadium and White City Stadium, as well as the athletics ground of the University of London. He also attended technical courses in Paris and at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
However, his departure coincided with the gradual deterioration of the once-lush playing field, which became plagued by aridity, weed encroachment and neglect, symbolic of the wider decline of the historic facility.
Today, as Liberty Stadium marks another anniversary, it remains a monument to a visionary era in Nigerian sports infrastructure, one whose legacy still resonates even as the facility awaits meaningful revival.
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Nigerian footballer Daniel Daga has been sentenced to six months in prison by a Norwegian court after being found guilty of committing a sexual act without consent.
The verdict was delivered on Tuesday by the Nordmøre og Romsdal District Court following a case linked to an incident reported in April 2025.
According to Norwegian broadcaster TV 2, the 19-year-old midfielder was also ordered to pay 10,000 Norwegian kroner (about $900) in legal costs, a sentence that reportedly aligned with the prosecution’s request.
Daga, who plays for Molde FK, has denied wrongdoing and plans to appeal the decision.
His lawyer, Astrid Bolstad, said the player was deeply disappointed with the ruling and insists the encounter was consensual.
“He is very upset about the verdict. He believes he is innocent and that everything happened with consent,” Bolstad said, adding that the verdict is not yet legally binding and will be challenged.
Under Norwegian legal procedures, the case remains open until the appeal process is concluded.
Club Responds
Molde FK confirmed it was aware of the court’s decision and said the player would not be included in the club’s matchday squad for the time being.
“This is a very difficult case for everyone involved,” the club said in a statement.
“As an employer, Molde Football Club has a responsibility to take care of our employees in a responsible manner while also having great respect for the seriousness of the case and the burden it places on all affected parties.”
The club had earlier suspended Daga from training and matches in December 2025 while the legal proceedings were ongoing.
Rising Nigerian Prospect
Daga joined Molde ahead of the 2025 season from Enyimba FC, one of Nigeria’s most successful clubs.
Before moving to Europe, he had featured in the Nigeria Premier Football League after earlier spells with FC One Rocket and Dakkada FC.
At international level, the midfielder represented the Nigeria U‑20 national team and was the youngest player named in the squad for the 2023 FIFA U‑20 World Cup.
He started every match for Nigeria until the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals by South Korea.
Since arriving in Norway, Daga has made 17 appearances for Molde, scoring three goals and establishing himself as one of the promising young African players in the Scandinavian league.
Reaction from Fans
The case has generated strong reactions among Nigerian football fans, many expressing shock and disappointment while drawing comparisons with similar incidents involving young African players in Europe.
Some supporters have also highlighted the broader challenges faced by emerging African talents playing abroad.
For now, Daga’s immediate future in Norwegian football remains uncertain as he prepares to challenge the court’s decision through the appeal process.
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By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria’s planned participation in a four-nation invitational tournament later this month is facing serious uncertainty after a significant escalation in Middle Eastern tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
The Super Eagles were scheduled to compete in Amman, Jordan, from March 27 to 31, alongside Iran, Jordan and Costa Rica, as part of preparations for future competitive fixtures and squad building. But recent geopolitical developments have cast doubt over whether the event can still go ahead as planned.
An official of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed to Sports Village Square that the situation is being closely monitored, with security and travel concerns emerging as key factors in deciding the tournament’s fate.
The doubts stem from joint military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, which triggered a sharp escalation in hostilities and sparked retaliatory actions across the region, including reports of attacks and counter-attacks in neighbouring countries.
The unfolding crisis has already led to airspace closures, flight cancellations and broader travel disruptions in the Gulf and Levant, complicating international travel plans for teams and supporters alike.
The Super Eagles had planned to open the tournament against Iran on March 27 at the Amman International Stadium before facing hosts Jordan four days later. However, Iran’s participation itself is now in question as the security situation deepens and Iranian football authorities weigh their options amid the conflict.
The tournament was seen as a valuable opportunity for head coach Eric Chelle to assess his squad in a competitive setting before the next major competitions, which include the 2027 Afcon qualifiers.
Jordan, who will make their own debut at the 2026 World Cup, was using the event to build momentum on home soil, but the escalating crisis places not just Nigeria’s fixtures at risk, but the entire mini-tournament.
The NFF has not yet announced an alternative plan should the tournament be cancelled or postponed.
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