Author: The Nation

Since making her international debut as a judoka in 2019, Enku Ekuta had set her sight on competing at the Olympics in order to follow on the successful path of her mother , Catherine Ekuta , who competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. The impressive Enku has picked one of the continental quota by qualifying for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as the first Nigerian female judoka to do so in 17 years since her mother’s feat in Athens, reports OLALEKAN OKUSAN.

For Enku Ekuta, it’s like a mother-like daughter phenomenon  after breaking the odds to  qualify  for the judo event of the  delayed Tokyo Olympic Games.

The 22-year-old  student  of University of Port Harcourt  started her foray into judo under the watchful eyes of her parents -who are both judokas- to begin an  early romance with the combat sport.

“There is no reason that I can give for my taking to judo but I just knew I like the sport because my parents were  judokas and it was just natural for me to take after them,” she admitted.

Aside winning  silver on her international debut at Cameroon African Open in 2019 ,  the climax of Ekuta’s adventure  in judo was defeating the 2019 African Games Champion and 2014 Commonwealth Games Silver medallis,  Helene Dombeu of Cameroon, in the final of the women’s 63kg category to bag gold at the 4th  African Judo Open in Dakar, Senegal in 2020.

But her  dream of competing at the Olympic Games was effortlessly ignited by her mother (Katherine Ekuta)  who after returning from the 2004 Athens Olympic Games , gave her an Olympic pin from which she drew a lot of inspiration from.

Ekuta has been to several tournaments including the World Judo Tour event, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan where her dream to be at Tokyo was again fired up.

“I was lucky to fall in love with judo at a very young age,” she offered. “I was still a baby actually, but both of my parents were judoka and my mum was an Olympian herself. She competed in the Athens Olympics in 2004.

“I was barely five years old when she went to Athens but it inspired me to become an Olympian myself.

“Of course, I want to win medal but everything comes in its time. Here in Tashkent (qualification) it was the first step.”

Not ready to rely on judo alone, Ekuta  did not abandoned her studies as she is at present a year three student of the University of Port Harcourt pursuing a degree in philosophy.

“You know when you pick a course and the university changes the course you wanted, so that was what happened because I wanted to study law but I was given admission to philosophy but I am grateful they gave me philosophy because the course allows me to combine schooling and sports,” she said.

“In fact, there is a lot in common between judo and my studies; in judo we have to constantly think quickly and use our brain to analyse a situation.

“There is a real connection between the two; judo teaches me to have a philosophy of life.”

She admitted that the support from her parents has been her pillar: “I have not gotten support from anybody because it has been the same people that have taken care of me that is still taking care of me. “My coach (my dad) is still the same and I am still in the house training for competitions because you don’t just qualify and relax because when you relax, your point will go down.

“So I am still training for competitions and basically no support from anybody, just my sponsor, Arco Gas Energy and my parents.

“My father is my coach and without him, the training is not always interesting. Also my mum supports and gives me encouragement. So my parents are playing a very big role in my life today because without them I would not be where I am today.

“It is not easy for a young woman like me to be recognised as an athlete as there are many cultural barriers to break down.

“I am lucky to have parents who support me and I also have a sponsor now (ACCUGAS), who accompanies me for my travels and who will soon allow me to go to train in the United Kingdom to prepare for the Games and participating in the Tokyo Games.

“It will be difficult to stay in Nigeria and train at the highest level for the Olympic Games. As an athlete, I had a very fast transition because normally, we start in cadets, then juniors, before seniors. I went directly from cadet to senior.

“In Nigeria there are not enough girls in judo and I have to train with the boys. I need to travel to discover other aspects of the sport.

“Preparing for the Olympics has not been easy because before you can qualify for the Olympics you need to have 27 tournaments back then I did not have a sponsor but with my sponsor on board, I was able to attend three different tournaments to qualify and it was the third one in Madagascar that I confirmed my qualification for Tokyo Olympics,” she added.

With the dream of competing at the Commonwealth and African Games, Ekuta would also love to groom judokas like her in the near future. “My big dream is to be able to learn as much as possible abroad before coming back to help my people. I am convinced that sport and judo in particular can help anybody to do great things.

Ekuta shared her tall dream for Tokyo 2020. “My dream of going to the Olympics is to go there and do my best. What is there for me to have excellent preparation and I have put in a lot of time in training and preparations before most of my competitions.

“I think my mum knows God has taken me far beyond where she reached, which is a sign of blessing for her. It shows that my parents helped in directing me through the proper procedure of getting to where I am for this outstanding progress I have made in sports.

“I cannot compete against my mother; I can only get better than I was yesterday”.

In continuation of her build-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Enku claimed a confidence-boosting gold medal in the 63kg category at the 20th National Sports Festival in Benin City, Edo State.

Ekuta’s gold medal – the first for team Akwa Ibom in Benin – heralded a medal rush in judo for the state as they finished with an additional five bronze medals in the event.

Ahead of Tokyo Olympics, Ekuta sounded like a philosopher: “No matter how long the road is, to achieve your goals, you have toke it, and believe in it. You just have to get it right.”

Organizers of the prestigious Ibadan annual polo tournament have promised that the 2021 edition of the glamorous fiesta will make the western region capital city come alive with the  guaranteed presence of  some of  the best players from  within and outside the country.

The tournament, well known for its exciting atmosphere and relaxed setting is scheduled to gallop off from May 18  through May 23  in the sprawling city of ancient Oyo Kingdom.

Traditional venue of the grand fiesta remains the foremost Eleyele Polo Ground which is currently  undergoing massive restoration, with its own natural and inviting appeal that offers world-class sports venues in a casually elegant environment to play and observe the dramatic and artistic sport of polo.

Bola Adeyemi,  the Ibadan Polo  Club Captain, confirmed that arrangements are in top gear to ensure that the  event will remain an epoch that will linger in the memories of all participants, invited guests and enthusiasts of the king of games.

“We would have teams featuring players as young as 15 years during  this year’s event and this is as a result of the club’s many efforts to increase the awareness for the game among younger people,” declared the captain, adding  the fiesta will  be hosted under strict compliance with COVID -19 safety protocols.

Adeyemi also disclosed that over fifteen teams coming from Kano, Kaduna, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Lagos and host Ibadan have indicated interests to participate  as the best players and patrons in the country set their sights on Ibadan.

Meanwhile,  teams will battle for three major trophies, which are Ibadan Cup for players with  handicap +8 to +12 as well as  Brig. Gen. Rotimi Cup for players with  handicap +3 to +7 and the Ade Alakija Memorial Cup for players in the -2 to +2 handicap category.

The Ibadan Cup presented in the early 1930s by Colonel R. Petit of the 9th Lancer of the then British colonial masters, remains the biggest and the most wanted Ibadan polo laurel for over 60 years now.

Winners and runners-up of Ibadan’2021 festival to be sponsored chiefly by the Oyo State Government with corporate and individual benefactors, would also cart home subsidiary prizes like the Professor Jide Owoeye Cup, GOC Cup, HST Cup and Shoreline Cup, among others.

“We are ready for our tournament with the right frame of mind, having picked up a few tricks from our Xmas mini tournament last December,” former Captain Koyin Owoeye warned.“ Anybody who stands on our way in any of the cups we are targeting would pay dearly for it.”

Yet  pundits  would be hard pressed to pick the winning contingent at  the forthcoming even  with the  presence  of  the usual strong Lagos,  Kaduna and Kano contingents who will be on hand  to rekindle their age-long rivalry and not ruling out from  the new entrants from Abuja.

Incidentally,  the event that was washed off last year due to the outbreak of COVID-19  as such Ibadan 2021 Polo Fiesta would not only be exciting  but competitive in years  being the first national polo tournament  to be held this year

In the mix would be  Nigeria’s top rated professional and Kaduna talisman Bello Buba and he reckoned  that Kaduna would be up to the billing when the battles for honours gallop off next weekend, warning  host Ibadan not to count their chicks just yet as visiting teams would not be pushed overs.

For  the benefit of new enthusiasts,  the oldest polo clubs in the country, Ibadan Polo Club which is  nestling on a part of Eleyele Army Barrack was established by the Nigerian Army in the early 1930s as such  officers form the largest number of playing members alongside European expatriates and affluent Nigerians.

It is on record that with this eminent position as one the first generation polo clubs in the country, the club is revered as one of the most exclusive clubs where families, friends, and neighbours can relax and enjoy the afternoon watching polo or socializing on a regular basis.

With the game at its core, Ibadan polo tournaments over the decades have become not only a time of action and exhilaration on the field, but also of celebration and reconnections with friends and family off the field.

Already, the ancient city is in a buoyant mood and this prestigious polo carnival that annually draws the biggest crowd to the city, promises to thrill from start to finish.

By Taofeek Babalola

Kwara United goalkeeper Bamidele Aiyenugba has revealed how sickness nearly truncated his dream of becoming a goalkeeper.

Aiyenugba loves to be a footballer but his mother was initially objected to that decision because of his usual sickness after every hard training session.

“At the beginning my mother didn’t want me to be a footballer at all,” Aiyenugba told NationSport. “I don’t blame her because back then whenever I participated in hard training session, I always fall sick for like two weeks.

“I would be placed on admission for two weeks. Imaging how a mother’s feeling would be. She doesn’t want to lose her son and she wanted me to quit. But I eventually overcome the sickness when I was getting older.

“I got used to the training and I was getting stronger. She gave up and blessed me and that was it. I just thank God for that. It was not easy but God made it possible for me.”

After securing mother’s blessing, the now  37-year- old goaltender went on to play for Kwara United and Enyimba FC of Aba, where he won four domestic league titles, one Federation Cup, one Nigerian Super Cup, two CAF Champions League, and two CAF Super Cup crown with the People’s Elephants.

However, since helping Enyimba win CAF champions league back-to-back in 2003 and 2004, no club side in Nigeria has yet won the title again.

But Aiyenugba believes that Nigerian clubs’ inability to keep their players together for a long period of time is responsible for their poor outing in the continent.

“There was nothing big about Enyimba winning CAF Champions League back-to-back. The problem facing clubs in Nigeria today is that the teams don’t have players that are playing together for a very long time anymore,” Aiyenugba affirmed.

He continued: “During our own time, when we did not qualify for the CAF Champions League group stage in the first time, (Felix) Anyasi went to the drawing board and he did not sack half of the team. He kept us together and recruited some good players. We started together in the following year and that was how we got the first title and the second title because we stayed together.

“There was continuity in the team. But today there is no continuity. A coach will sign for a club now and he will sack half of the team. The new coach would bring new set of players and that is the trend in the system even now.

“Like what is happening in Kwara United now, most of us are new players but the chairman and coach having patient; we are moving up gradually. We didn’t start well but we are gradually getting the results. And that is what is lacking in our league. We don’t have continuity.

“A Nigeria team can still win champions league again if the clubs do the necessary things and taking care of players’ welfare.”

In 2007, Aiyenugba left Enyimba for Israel, where he played for teams like Bnei Yehuda, Hapoel Ashkelon, Hapoel Iksal, and Hapoel Afula during a period spanning 13 years

He spoke about his sojourn: “I played for four clubs and it was a great feelings playing in Israel. Nice place to play; great people, nice people, warm people and they love strangers. It’s a nice place for players to start.

“I have a great time in Israel. It will always be a home for me and I will always love to go back. I didn’t encounter too many difficulties. Although, there was a little bit of racism but not too much like in Europe.”

After 13 seasons in Israel with four teams, Aiyenugba returned to Nigeria Professional Football League for the 2020/21 season to play for Kwara United.

He is on the quest to win his fifth NPFL title as his wealth of experience has propelled the coach Abdullahi Biffo side to the top of the league ahead of other regular title contenders; even as the second round resume this weekend,

He said:  “We are going into the second round and we will continue from where we stopped. We will keep pushing ourselves and growing gradually like a team every day.  We can’t say that we are the champions now because we know what it at stake. “We know that other teams are good as well and no team is a pushover. We will just take every game as it comes. We will take it one by one till we get to the Promised Land.  We have the faith in ourselves and we will keep pushing ourselves till we achieve our target and bring the tittle to Kwara state for the first time. We see ourselves winning the title; at least we are very close now,” he said.

The former Enyimba FC goalkeeper has been in fine form for the Ilorin-based outfit since his return to the local scene; he has played 16 matches from 19 games for the Harmony Boys, out of which he kept nine clean-sheets.

He has however advised other Nigerian players roaming  abroad to come back home and restart their career.

“My advice for guys outside there who feel like coming back to Nigeria, I know some are not playing for clubs abroad at the moment. If you still want to play in Europe you can still come back and start from here and go back to Europe.

“There is no big deal. We have some players who are playing abroad and returned to South Africa league. For example in Israel, players like Yossi Shai Benayoun, a great player who played for Arsenal, he came back to play in Israel and play for three teams.

“Let’s come back and encourage the young ones. Let’s teach them professionalism. Let help Nigerian football to grow and it will help us a lot.”

By Ibrahim Adam

Registration for the second edition of the Maltina School Games for the annual national track-and-field sports competition is underway.

The registration will close on May 14, 2021, and the competition will be held across four states including Lagos, Rivers, Bauchi and Abuja.

Speaking on the upcoming event, Portfolio Manager, Non-Alcoholic Drinks, Nigerian Breweries Plc., Kehinde Kadiri said the competition is one of the ways the Brand demonstrates its commitment to support youth development in the nation.

According to her, this year’s event is poised to promote the all-round development of young people.

“Beyond being crucial for children’s health, sport is also a very useful tool for effective character education and this is why the Maltina School Games is uniquely designed to promote the all-round development of young people from improving their social and leadership skills, to bettering their wellbeing through physical activity.

“We are calling on schools to register to participate in the 2021 games as we have an interesting lineup of events as well as new mouth-watering prizes for the winners,” she noted.

She added that: “The state preliminaries which will feature 1,400 schools, will be held across four states including; Lagos, Rivers, Bauchi and Abuja. A total of 352 student-athletes will qualify in each state for the state finals,”

Some of the sporting activities include; 100m and 200m race, 4x100m, Javelin, and shot-put. Prizes to be won include a cash prize, laptops, mobile phones, medals, and more.

 

Ayo Babes from Ajeromi, Lagos emerged champions of the second edition of JOF U-13 Football Cup tournament after defeating Junior Arsenal from Alimosho 3-2 in the final held at the Campos Mini Stadium on Lagos Island on Sunday.

The final was watched by dignitaries including  the Managing Director of the sponsor company, JOF Nigeria Limited, Segun Olugboyegun, Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbajo, and a host of others.

The third place match was decided through penalty shootouts after Prince Boys from Lekki and AZ Zola Babes from Ijegun played 4-4 draw in the regulation time. Prince Boys won the game 6-5 penalties.

For winning the tournament, Ayo Babes were proud winners of the sum of N300,000, while Junior Arsenal pocketed N200,000. The sum of N150,000 and N100,000 were given to Prince Boys (3rd place) and A Zola (fourth place) respectively.

An elated Managing Director of JOF Nigeria Limited, Olugboyegun applauded the performance of all the teams that took part in the second edition, and gave kudos to the new champions for putting up good fights to the final.

For his exemplary performance, Boluwatife Thomas of Ayo Babes won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, Ishola Alimeen of AZ Zola was given the Highest Goal Scorer award after netting 9 goals in the tournament. Goalkeeper award went to Bakare Quymola of Junior Arsenal. Best Behave Team award was given to Young Stars of Lagos Island, who were coached by Adeiyi Wasiu, while Best Coach award went to Bankole Abdullahi of AZ Zola.

The 1990s is regarded as Nigeria’s best moments as far as the beautiful game of football is concerned with the Super Eagles claiming the country’s first ticket to the FIFA World Cup USA 1994 aside winning the second Africa Cup of Nations title in Tunisia. Also the national U-23 side otherwise known as the Dream Team won Africa’s first Olympic soccer gold medal at Atlanta 1996 with some of the best players of that era. Some of the protagonists of those heady days were recently in good company to share that momentous times, The Nation’s MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN was on hand to capture some of the hidden treasure of what is usually regarded as Nigeria’s Golden Generation. Enjoy.

Thirty-seven players and a motley coaching crew led by self-styled Dutch-Nigerian, Clemens Westerhof were men that wrought Nigeria’s first ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup at USA ’94.

This class of Super Eagles were reckoned as the ‘Golden Generation’ of Nigerian football on the strings of other achievements including winning the country’s second Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in Tunisia 1994 en route to the World Cup in America as well as winning the continent’s first ever soccer gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics otherwise known as the Centennial Olympic Games.

It has been ages now that Nigerian football soared to such a great height but the memories of the Super Eagles of that era is still fresh even more so when some of the squad’s protagonists including the hard-tackling defender Augustine Eguavoen, mesmerizing midfielder Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, versatile midfielder Sunday Oliseh, dare-devil winger cum striker Emmanuel Amuneke and then fringe but speedy winger Tijani Babangida assembled for a common goal.

This time, the once-golden boys of Nigerian football were at their talking best at the virtual launch of the wave-making Audacity To Refuse, the memoirs of former national team’s captain and coach, Oliseh and what a momentous occasion as the lads regaled the audience with some of the hidden Nigerian football treasure of those heady days of the 1990s when Africa and indeed, the world was Super Eagles oysters.

“Audacity To Refuse gives you an  insight to all my stories and I was able to share the highs and the lows of my career; be it  personal ones in the club sides I played in and also the dressing rooms at club and national team even without revealing much as regards personalities because I don’t want to point fingers at anybody,” the 46-year-old Oliseh who had a storied career with some of the top European cubs including German FC Koln and Dortmund as well as  Dutch giant Ajax and Italian Juventus, set the tone for what was going to be a lively and illuminated session.

“I also expressed and tried to share how we were able to do some of the things we did with the Super Eagles during our own time; especially winning the Nations Cup and qualification for the World Cup in 1994 as well as winning the soccer gold medal at the Olympics in 1996.

“I put everything down in detail and in a chronological way that everybody can relate with and learn from it.”

Yet the launch of  Audacity To Refuse was a day of reckoning and tributes for the late ‘Goals father’ of the Super Eagles, Rashidi Yekini who died nine years ago (May 4, 2013) in some excruciating circumstances.

The former Vitoria Setubal striker is not only Nigeria’s all-time goal scorer but he was the scorer of the country’s first ever goal at the FIFA World Cup with the opener in the 3-0 thrashing of Bulgaria at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas on June 21, 1994.

Besides, the 1993 African Footballer of the Year scored a remarkable eight goals in the AFCON qualifiers and scored five more goals  in the  tournament proper  to be crowned the goal king of Tunisia 1994.

Oliseh yet again led the adulations for Yekini who scored the goals that helped Nigeria to her second AFCON title in Tunisia where the former Shooting Stars striker was tournament’s top scorer with five goals.

“There is one particular incident I actually put in the book but I won’t elaborate on it here but it was the last intimate discussion I had with Rashidi Yekini before he died, it happened in my bedroom but that day he was not a happy, and I explained it in the book,” Oliseh said with breathy purr.

“Of course, we had so many talents in the group (Super Eagles) with exceptional midfielders like Jay-Jay, Mutiu Adepoju, great defenders and great strikers from the wing like Amuneke and Daniel Amokachi but the person who really got the goals delivered was Yekini.

“He was always heavy on the defense of the opponent even though he didn’t score, giving them so many problems and I personally feel that people who had served their country and done things nobody has ever done are never forgotten.

“Where Holland are today (in football) is the work of Johan Cruyff , because he was the one that put down the template they are working on currently and I think that is what is very important for us to look at.

“Nigeria scored nine goals at the 1994 Nations Cup and I gave five of the passes that made us win it but if Yekini did not score the goals, the passes I gave him wouldn’t have been recorded as an assist.

“Yekini really helped me to become better than what I was and the only way to say thank you is at least gives a story of what he did and the bad thing people made him suffer for, I put it in the book.”

It was equally a song of praises for Yekini by Amuneke who incidentally succeeded him as the  African Footballer of the Year in 1994:“I remember my first game against Sudan in Lagos and it was privilege and great opportunity to play with Yekini and we can say that he’s resting now, but for those of us that had the privilege of sharing the dressing room with him, he’ll always remain in our minds and even if we don’t come out to talk about him most of the times, he was a legend and would always remain a legend.”

While Yekini’s was recognised for providing some of the goals that helped the Super Eagles made history, the late Super Eagles captain and coach, Stephen Keshi who opened the frontiers for European football experience, was hailed for his unmistakable leadership qualities despite playing minor role when Nigeria beat the rest of the continent in 1994.

“One of the things that stood us out in 1994 was the unity we had in the team apart from the quality of the talents and of course, the late Keshi was a rallying point for all of us,” Eguavoen, who was the stand-in captain for the non-playing Keshi at the Tunisia AFCON explained. “We worked hard in 1994 after spate of misses along the line when we lost to Cameroon in 1998 in Morocco, lost to Algeria in 1990 and we only won bronze at Senegal 1992.

But unity is one thing that stood out for that team in 1994 and I remembered a night before that final game (against Zambia), there was a serious quarrel between late Keshi and late Emeka Omeruah, who was then the chairman of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA).

“He was not even fit to play and he said he wanted to leave and go back to his base but we insisted he was going nowhere, and I told him ‘we are going to win this cup for you’.

“But there was this phone call from Late Head of State Sani Abacha who spoke to every individual, what could be more motivating than that, unity stood out for us, always watching each other’s back and when it’s time for fun we had fun and do the business when it’s time for that, we didn’t mix business with pleasure.

“So, it  was a mark of honour that I handed over the captain’s band to him to go and lift the cup on behalf of the team because he truly deserved it and I have no regrets whatsoever for doing that ,”noted Eguavoen who is currently the Head of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Department.

Yet the mercurial Okocha who was regarded as one of the best dribblers during his heyday, in his usual boisterous manner gave a rare insight on the magic of winning the AFCON in 1994 with tales on why goalkeeper Peter Rufai held tightly to the cup during the victory lap following the 2-1 final match victory against Zambia at the El Menzah Stadium in Tunis.

“For many of us who were new in the team, we never knew how difficult it was to win the Nation’s Cup,” the former Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder who has since retired to managing his chains of business, noted matter-of-factly. “I remember after the final  against   Zambia,  Peter Rufai  virtually refused to give the trophy to anybody  while we were parading  and singing as he kept on saying ‘I have been waiting for so many years for this Cup’.

“We didn’t understand him because we all felt we worked for the victory and why would he (Rufai) want to hold firmly to the trophy?

“ But with time, I come to realize  that it  is not easy to win the AFCON  and I then understand why Rufai nearly refused everybody from holding the trophy after we beat Zambia,” Okocha who was also part of the Atlanta 1996 Olympics soccer gold medal-winning team.

Yet it was the former tough-as-nail Gent and K.V Kortrijk defender, Eguavoen that further underlined the depth of the quality at the disposal of the Super Eagles class of 1994 that was voted the second most entertaining team behind eventual 1994 World Cup winner Brazil despite the infamous and agonizing 2-1 second round loss to Italy at the Mundial.

“The truth is that we had so much quality in the squad and I don’t know if Sunny (Oliseh) captured it in his book; and this happened in his early days and I could remember it was the match against Ghana and he was furious because he was not even dressed,” recalled Eguavoen who is fondly called Cerezo by admirers.

“I had to calm him down and told him ‘Sunny, your time will come’. But the truth is that we have so much respect for ourselves but if he wasn’t brought up well, he could have argued.

“But when he took over (the midfield role), there was no stopping him anymore because when it is your time, it is your time.

“Let me also say something about Jay-Jay here because he helped so much in improving my defensive qualities and that of Taribo West as we often played one-on-one against him because of his dribbling quality which was far more than many we played against; so I was able to improve my defensive qualities with Jay-Jay’s dribbling skills.”

Okocha equally took on the former Ajax winger Tijani Babangida who felt he was so good to have made the Tunisia 1994 and USA 1994 squad but for his stormy relationship with coach Westerhof.

I should have made the 1994 Nations Cup team because I was so hot in the Dutch Eredivisie,” Babangida volunteered. “Westerhof actually took me out to Holland but we later had some issues and that was the major reason Westerhof didn’t invite me for the Nations Cup and this is what also happened that I was left out of the squad for the World Cup.”

But Okocha quipped: “Baba, please you were not just good enough to be in that team in 1994 (general laughter).”

Meanwhile, it was not a laughing matters  when the legends were put to task on  their candid assessment of  the  coach  Westerhof ‘s era  that saw them winning the Tunisia 1994 AFCON en route to  the USA 1994 World Cup and coach Bonfrere Jo’s era that saw Nigeria winning the soccer gold medal in Atlanta.

From Oliseh to Okocha; from Amuneke to Babangida; it was a ‘no go area while Eguavoen offered a middle course.

“Maybe we would have done better at the USA 1994 World Cup if we had some equally good players in the squad and maybe, Babangida would have been a better addition because we would have needed his speed against Italy when both Amuneke and Amokachi were injured,” noted Eguavoen who has managed a clutches of clubs as well as the Super Eagles since his retirement to coaching.

All said and done, the general consensus was that the current crop of players would need to do more to emulate and even surpass the achievements of their illustrious predecessors.

“I don’t think that this current generation is ambitious enough but they should try to be better than us,” Okocha said.

“In our generation, we had the hunger and burning desire to be better than our heroes.

“The foundation has been laid and we see that the NFF are doing their best but they should get more people that have done it before on board.

People that can look them in the face and tell them the truth, they should get such people involved. I know that some of our colleagues are already involved with Nigerian football but to be honest, we have to be honest so that we can face some of the difficulties facing our football,” noted the former PSG star.