The Nation Newspaper

Category: SOS

  • HANNAH REUBEN: How Nigeria Army boosted my wrestling career

    African wrestling champion, Reuben Hannah, has attributed her rising profile to the Nigerian Army’s unparalleled support for her. 

    Though she will be missing out in the forthcoming 12th All Africa Games to be held between 19th and 31st in Morocco, despite claiming gold in the 69kg at the Governor Dickson National Classics, her silver medal feat at the 2015 edition of the quadrennial championship in Brazzaville is still fresh in her memory.

    The Olympian said: “The Nigerian Army are really trying in their own way because what other support will be better than the privilege to train? I don’t think there will be another support that will be better than releasing me for competitions and that’s been the reason why I am growing in the sport.

    “If they did not release me and all I do is to stay back in the barrack with my Army duties. The release alone is better than the money they will give me as support. Training is what a sportsman needs and that is what they are giving me and I am being paid in my primary assignment.

    “My primary assignment is to perform my duty as a soldier and which I do because I go out to train in the morning and come back to the office by 10am. When there is competition, they will now release me to go and train. I will remain grateful to the Army.”

    A gal of many parts, Hannah had previously participated in boxing, swimming and judo before specialising in wrestling. The Olympian, who is a lance corporal with the Nigerian Army, shares her sporting experience along with her military regimen with correspondent AKEEM LAWAL. 

    Below are the excerpts…

     

    Joy of reclaiming national title in Bayelsa

    It was not that easy to win the gold medal at the Governor Dickson National Wrestling Classics. All thanks to God, it came out to be what I really wanted. I won gold and that is what I had been praying for so that I can qualify for the All Africa Games. Actually, I switched to the 69 kg despite the fact that I’d previously moved up to the 72kg category. In fact, 69kg was the weight I wrestled at the 2018 Africa Championship held in Port Harcourt. Interestingly, Sunmisola Balogun was in the 69kg category before moving to the 72kg for the Governor Dickson National Wrestling Classics. Sunmisola, against Reuben Hannah? You can’t compare the two names. Yes, she is an up-coming wrestler but I’m already at that high level. I had also competed in 69kg at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics in Brazil before they changed the weight categories after the Games. I just went for 72kg at this year’s African Championship in Hammamet, Tunisia, because I don’t really want to shed weight for the competition.

     

    Between 69 kg and 72kg weight categories

    Actually, before the African Championship in Hammamet, it was cold in Zaria at that particular time coupled with other reasons like work, Army duty, training, the stress and all that. So I just decided to go up and just wrestle. So I joined my Army team in Lagos and after two days, I checked my weight and it was 66kg. I asked my coach if I could go for 65kg and he said no, that they’ve already done the entry and there was nothing they could do about it. He said I should just go for the 72kg. I said ok and that was why I wrestled in that 72kg, it’s not that I cannot go for my normal weight. I am a kind of person that when it comes to my weight, I am always conscious about that. I don’t eat anyhow. Because one reason why I joined sport is to always feel good with myself whenever I appear. It’s not that I was scared of anybody.

     

    Postcard from Brazzaville 2015

    If it was about preparation; my preparation for the last All Africa games in Brazzaville was fine and I was at my good competition spirit. In the fight against Ennas Khourchid of Egypt, I knew I made some mistakes. I was leading and I did something and it led to another thing and the lady pinned me there and I lost. So it wasn’t good enough for me though. The Egyptian and I have already wrestled again after that Africa Games. Ever since I lost to her, every day I see myself, I see that scene of losing to her. So I came back and had to step up training. I went to You Tube and the United World Wrestling to get her video. I asked people that were at the last All Africa Games of my mistakes and they told me. Even the Nigeria Wrestling President, Honourable Daniel Igali, told me that I wrestled well and what was important was that I was tired. There was no sign of tiredness and that alone just gave me that courage. If not for the mistake, maybe I would have won the match. So I came back, stepped up preparation and defeated her 8-2 at the Olympic qualifiers.

     

    My breakthrough with wrestling

    If anyone had told me I would be a wrestler today, I would not even accept despite the fact that no one knows tomorrow. Actually, I was doing other sports. I was doing Judo and I was able to go for some competitions. At my teenage, I was fat that time because I was weighing up to 75-77kg as at then. So I did wrestle upper class. I would go for competitions, they would beat me, I would go again, they would beat me and it went on like that. Before then, when they did trials for judokas for the Gateway Games 2006 National Sports Festival here in Bayelsa and I was defeated. However, they had to take me there so that I could get the experience. So when I got there, the wrestling coaches asked me to join them. But because they had done the entry I could not compete for them. So we came back and in 2008, I started doing boxing. While training with my boxing coach, Enepkedekumo Okporu one morning, a wrestling coach, the late Ibo Ozite, said ‘do you know you are a wrestler?’ He said further: ‘Just look at your physique, you are a wrestler, you are just wasting your time.’ He then had a bargain with my boxing coach that I would do boxing in the morning and then wrestling in the evening. So we started it that way. I would train boxing in the morning while I did wrestling in the evening. Because we were just four persons then, I was like is it only me doing it but he told me that the senior team went for competition that I shouldn’t worry about it that I would have a lot of people to train with. My baptism in Lagos

    That same year September I went for junior wrestling championship in Lagos State and won silver. I was beaten by a judoka, Augustina Esther. When we came back, he said if I could win silver for junior just within few preparations that if I can come and endure I can achieve more in wrestling. But the pressure at home was not helping me. Don’t go to sport complex, concentrate on your studies and all that. As God would have it, I continued like that until 2009 again we went for Kada Games where I won a bronze medal. I went for my first championship at senior level, the National Championship in Ebonyi State. I was thrashed as if I and my opponents had other issues. So I lost. After that we went for the 2011 championship in Port Harcourt and I won my first gold medal, then I was still representing Bayelsa State. Again at Eko 2012, I won gold. Ever since then it has been either me or Aboy. If she goes up, I will win the gold. Then finally 2011 in Ibadan I became the number one in the 67kg  category. I continued till 2017 when I lost to Kemeasuodei Dressman before they changed the classes again. I went to 65kg. It was at the 2018 Africa Championships in Port Harcourt that I got my first African title. So that’s how I got into wrestling and I am not regretting it.

    My parents didn’t nearly stop me from sport

    My school was a stone-throw from my house and it was only a fence that demarcated my school from my house. There was one other boys’ school close to that primary school, UBE Township Primary School. We made a hole exit on the fence and sometimes we passed through it to play football against them. I just go, train and my parents would beat me when I get home. The next day I would still go. I attended training every day after school and when they wanted to beat me, I usually ran to my step mother’s place because she was the only one who supported me. The beating continued and the training continued. The funny thing is that my father doesn’t know what I was coming for. If you asked him he would tell you I was playing football. When he found out that I was doing swimming, he was against it, saying that water is not good and I left that sport. He finally got to know that I was doing wrestling because it got to a stage where my coach followed me to the house to talk to my parents. He only met my mum at home and she told him that she didn’t have problem with me doing sport but it was my father that was against it.

    But as time went on, my dad started supporting me too. When I returned from my first invitational competition in India, whenever my dad saw me at home he would ask me: ‘Why didn’t you go for training? Is there no training today?’

     

    My foray into the Nigerian Army

    One day after training, I got a call from somebody who told me that he wanted to see me. I said ‘ok, please who are you?’ then he said I should not worry that I knew him. He said he is a brother to our president. I went there after training and when I got there he was someone I knew. He told me there was a job slot given to his uncle who didn’t have anybody to fill the space and he wanted me to take the offer. I told him I only had my school certificate then but he said with that I could still acquire the job. Then I asked him what the job was and he said military. I told him I couldn’t do it because at that particular time, I had  hatred for military.. Then I went back to consult my coach, who advised me to get the form and go for the screening. I also asked Blessing Oborududu too because she is someone I confide in whenever I want to do anything. She also told me it was an opportunity which I must not let it pass. She said there was nothing like job opportunity at the sports council and I should just go for that one. So getting the job was to help myself and assist my family.

     

    Switching from civilian to military lifestyle

    Since I joined the military,  it has been another way God used to open up a lot of things to me. When I was a civilian I couldn’t get any title; I did not go to Commonwealth Games, not even the Olympics. When I got into the military, it opened way for me. I had my African title, went to the Commonwealth Games and others. They released me to go and train whenever there was any competition. I believe the military is where God designed for me to go and start shining.

     

    My steady promotion in the Nigerian Army

    For you to be promoted in the Nigerian Army, there is a specific year you have be in the service. In the military, when I joined, it was every four years to get a rank. So when it got to my fourth year, I got my rank. Though it was not that specific four years because it was the year that would make it five that I got my lance corporal rank because of some mix up when they were doing the nomination as I was in training camp that time.

    Coping with advances from men

    It is a normal thing to get advances from men. When it comes to man and woman issue, it is normal. But ever since I joined the military I have not gotten myself into any trouble because I have been busy. When a lady is focused, she wouldn’t get carried away by such things. It is all about self-esteem and the way you comport yourself. If you are the type that minds your business, do what you are assigned to do, I don’t think anyone will come and harass you. It is the same way you have responsible people in the civilian, they have it in the military too.

     

    Settling down with a military or civilian

    Settling down! I don’t want to answer that kind of question because if you are talking about a soulmate there is no specification. You cannot specify that it should come from the military or civilian. Marriage is something designed by God, it is Him that makes it work. So if you want to decide where your soulmate will come from you will get it wrong. You’re not the one to design where your soulmate will come from, but for me if it comes from military, fine; if it comes from the civil world, fine.

     

    Advice for up and coming athletes

    For the up and coming ones, my advice for them is that they should try and identify only what God wants them to do. When you identify it, it works and helps. At first when I started, I use to come here to do swimming, boxing, judo, squash to the extent people will say ‘na ashewo sport person you don become’, But it got to a stage now that everyone is saying they are happy and they are proud of me, seeing the person I became. Things are very difficult, not only in this country but world over. Teenagers out there, sport is one thing that can help youths out there to become what you want to be. When you come into sport, it builds you and develops you. For me at work, I am this soft type, I don’t even like arguing even when I am right. But coming into sport has added something to me because I can now defend myself. When you are wrong I tell you immediately. You are going to feel bad but it is best I tell you the truth. So I will advice youths out there, even if there is a close space or field, they should start up somewhere. I believe every individual has a particular talent that has to do with sport. If you cannot swim, you can do karate, play football and so on. Not only that, if you identify this sport, you have to apply patient and have to be discipline. You must not listen to people’s criticisms because people will come to condemn whatever you are doing. Youth should come into sport and also focus on their studies because it works hand in hand.

     

    On Nigeria Wrestling Federation

    The federation under Honourable Daniel Igali has done a lot on the development of the sport in the country. Like the Governor Dickson Classics, there were lots of talent that were discovered. People that never wrestled before but just trained for some weeks and they performed wonderfully well even beyond my expectation. So there are lots of talent out there and the Nigeria Wrestling Federation is catching them young, making sure the youths out there can see what is happening. And when they join the sport, the federation embrace and support you to make sure you put your mind into it. The federation are doing great.

  • STEPHEN ODEY: My mission at KRC Genk

    Quick-fitted Stephen Odey has swelled the number of Nigerian players in the exciting Belgian Jupiler League following his recent move from Zurich FC to Koninklijke Racing Club Genk, otherwise known as KRC Genk, and the erstwhile Mountain of Fire and Miracles FC of Lagos striker shares some thoughts with MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN

    Stephen Odey, the baby-faced striker that electrified the Nigeria Professional League (NPFL) with Mountain of Fire and Miracles FC Lagos two seasons ago en route to FC Zurich, is already warming up to fresh challenges after he recently sealed a move to Koninklijke Racing Club Genk (KRC Genk) in the Belgian Jupiler League.

    The 21-year-old made some pleasant performances last season where he was reportedly the joint top scorer with Benjamin Kololli with 10 goals for FC Zurich; and he equally featured predominantly in the Europa League until Italian side, Napoli, stopped the Swiss side in the Round of 32.

    “Last season was my second with FC Zurich and I think it was my best season so far since I arrived in Europe,” remarked Odey who played a total of 61 official matches scoring 18 goals and made three assists during his two-year spell with FC Zurich.

    “I had more playing time than when I first came and I scored more goals, played in the Europa league.

    “Although I am not happy because FC Zurich didn’t win the league or pick a Europa League ticket, I felt great with my performance and I hope to do more in the next coming season.”

    He continued: “Joining Genk is one of the best decisions I have made as a player. Last year, I played in the UEFA Europa League with FC Zurich; now I have another chance to play in the UEFA Champions League with Genk.”

    The Smurfs (De Smurfen) as KRC Genk is well nicknamed is a Belgian club with a rich history and was reportedly founded in 1988 by the merger of Waterschei Thor with KFC Winterslag.

    Regarded as one of the most successful clubs in Belgium since the late 1990s, KRC Genk has regularly qualified for European competitions and has been playing in the first division since the 1996–97season.

    “Genk is a big club with great ambition and I am a young ambitious player too, so I believe it’s a right step in a right direction,” enthused Odey. “I feel  so honoured to be one of the players they acquired this season and I will work hard to achieve greatness with the club.”

    Odey who joined FC Zurich in October 2017 from MFM, first made huge impression when he captained Dairy Farm Senior Secondary School Agege to win the second edition of GTBank-Lagos State Principals Cup.

    That year, he was listed in the GTBank 13-man all-star team and trained under former Arsenal’s coach, Mark Elis, at CampGTBank before he was snapped up by MFM.

    At MFM, Odey emerged as the top scorer for MFM in the 2016 NPFL season with an impressive 18 goals and was on his way to Switzerland in 2017.

    “Settling down at FC Zurich was not too tough because I knew how to adapt easily,” Odey recalled with glee. “I had to put in some effort, learnt the language and adapted well to the weather. My teammates, the coaching crew, the fans made it easy for me to adapt quickly.”

    Yet, Odey has equally explained he has taken the same attitude he imbibed in Switzerland as he settles down at the Luminus Arena after he penned his five-year contact with KRC Genk.

    “I feel like I’m at home in Belgium. The environment, the fans and my teammates are great and amazing people. I’m really loving it here.”

    Meanwhile, Odey has reflected on his humble beginning at MFM as he singled out two people who were instrumental to his professional football career. “I learnt discipline from coach Fidelis Ilechukwu at MFM. He’s a good man, asides being a coach and he encourages me a lot. As for Mr. Godwin Enakhena (MFM’s Director of Sports), he’s a wonderful man.”

    Odey further recalled in an earlier interview: “In 2014, MFM came for me; I quickly found my feet there though there are many of my friends in the team.

    “We were mostly youngsters and we understood ourselves very much. Sikiru Olatunbosun was my best pal in the team and between the two of us, we were able to turn around the fortune of the team. I played my first season with MFM in 2015.

    “I scored five goals in the Nigeria National League (NNL) helping the club to gain promotion into the elite Nigeria Professional Football League. The following season, I also scored nine goals to become the club’s top scorer.

    “Luck smiled on us in the 2017 season when we finished in third place. I scored a total of 18 goals.

    That same year, I received the NPFL Bloggers Award as the most valuable player of the month after scoring a hat trick (against Lobi Stars).”

    But for all his giant strides with MFM and even at FC Zurich where he won the 2018 edition of the Swiss Cup, Odey has only one international cap with the Super Eagles.

    “Yes, I missed out playing for Nigeria both at the national U 17 & U20 levels but believe I will be invited very soon for either the national U23 or the Super Eagles. It’s a matter of time,” he reasoned with philosophical hue.

    Meanwhile, speaking on causes deeper than football, Odey is never the type to forget his humble beginning despite his new found status as a professional player in Europe as he dwelled on some other interesting matters.

    “I am always happy anytime I look back at where I came from and where I am presently; and what lies ahead in the future,” stated Odey who loves singing and dancing.  “Yes, I smile a lot and I love smiling but that doesn’t mean things don’t make me cry.

    “A lot has made me cry; it’s just that I don’t dwell so much on them. I try as much as possible to encourage myself whenever I’m down.

    “Sometimes, I use my smile to cover the things I’m going through.

    “I love Mercedes Benz, so my dream car is G-Wagon but I currently drive a Mercedes Benz.

    “Of course, I have found love. I wouldn’t like to go into details,” he crooned.

    On growing up

    I was born in Agege, a suburb of Lagos State and that is where I learnt to play football on the streets. We are six children in the family and it was only my eldest brother, John Odey, who played football but opted out too early to make any mark at club levels. As the second to the last in the family, my mother had a soft spot for me and helped me a lot when I started playing football actively.

    On early breakthrough

    I got the opportunity at Diary Secondary School to captain my school. My school took part in the second edition of GTBank Principals Cup, and we were lucky to get to the final of the tournament. We eventually won the cup and I was selected into the GTBank 13-man All Star Team of the Year. That competition helped me to make the limelight and the courage to move on.

    On mother’s crucial role

    I lost my dad in 2011 and his death affected me seriously because we spent a lot of money to keep him alive only to lose him in the end. Growing up was not too pleasant but my brother and mum sacrificed their time and career to be sure I don’t give up my soccer dream. When I turned 11 years, I took one of my brother’s boots and I was using it till my mum gave me money to buy my first set of boots. My mother also supported me. She gave me transport fare, bought me jerseys, boots and camp fee because she found out that I loved playing football.

    On Super Eagles experience

    The invitation to the home-based Super Eagles happened in 2016 and it was a pleasant surprise. I think it was around August and it was largely based on my exploit in the local league. I was happy because that was my first season in the Premier League. The experiences at the Super  Eagles camp helped me a lot because I learned a lot from the players in camp. Generally, I picked up some tricks that have helped me, especially in the areas of quality of my passes, ball control and even my shooting techniques.

    On role models

    I love Ronaldo very much. He is one player that I love with a passion. I’ve always dreamt to be like him and score goals like him.  He was a phenomenal. However, since he no longer plays football, I love Luis Suarez because he is a great finisher and one of the world’s best strikers.

     

  • ASAGIDIGBI: Why Banfield fast-tracked Feyiseitan to first team

    After impressing in the youth ranks of Argentine Primero National League side, Club Atletico Banfield, former youth international Feyiseitan Asagidigbi was recently promoted into the club’s first team, reports MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.

    While attention is firmly focused on goings-and-comings in the European summer transfers, Nigeria youth international Feyiseitan Asagidigbi has been promoted to the first team of Argentine Primeria Division side, Club Atletico Banfield, after some exceptional showing at the cadet level.

    “It has been an exciting time for me here and the club actually called me for pre-season training with the senior team and after the preseason I was included in the list of the players registered for the new season,” the 19 -year-old Asagidigbi who has been handed jersey number 28 told The Nation. “During the pre-season, we played five matches and I was involved in three of those matches and five of us from the junior team were promoted to the main team at the end of the pre-season.”

    It all looks like yesterday when Asagidigbi started his professional football career at Atletico Banfield- the club that play in the Argentine Primero National League and produced players like the renowned Argentine defender Javier Zanetti and Colombian James Rodríguez who won the golden boot award at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the former Golden Eaglet trialist said he would not have been better off going elsewhere.

    “I came here in 2017 and I was at the academy and later the reserve team,” Asagidigbi hinted in an earlier interview. “I signed my pro-contract with them for three years. The league is different from that of Europe or what we Nigerians or African players are used to but I am adjusting and working hard every day to adapt fully.

    “I play in the reserve team and it’s a combination of the best players in each category and they give young players here at Banfield the chance to prove themselves because they don’t bring in a lot of new signings during transfer window, they promote their youth players.

    “It gives me confidence that I’ll get my chance. I love the fans how they get behind the team and whenever I go to the stadium to watch games, they love me also, always looking up for me; the club is like one big family.”

    Asagidigbi is enthusiastic about his promotion to the main team: “Argentina is simply a football country and their passion for the game is extraordinary; they worship football and I’m happy to be here because you can’t compare the experience with Europe.

    “The league here is very fast and physical. Football wise, I am mature now and I am ready for bigger things. One of my aspirations is to make my debut with the first team before the end of the year.”

    Never in doubt about his precocious talents, Asagidigbi is still miffed that he did not get a look-in from the national U-20 handlers, saying he would have added something extra to the ill-fated team to the last FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.

    “I was sad to be left out of the Flying Eagles to the World Cup,” he explained. “I felt I could have used the opportunity to show the world what I am made of and importantly, help the team to have a good outing at the World Cup.

    “My attention now is the national U-23 team and probably the Super Eagles in the future.”

    Reminded about the Armanda of stars already in the U-23 and Super Eagles, Asagidigbi said he can’t be overawed because he has his own unique selling points.

    “I don’t play the same position with them (Kelechi Nwakali, Samuel Chukwueze, Victor Osimhen) and even if I do, I still don’t think there is going to be a problem competing with them because I think I have something they do not have.

    “The experience of playing in the Argentinean league which I believe is one of the most difficult leagues in the world, if not the most difficult, is an extra factor for me.

    “The urge and the hunger to show what I am made of would propel me to do well. I think the likes of Samuel Chukwueze and Victor Osimhen have already made their names and I hope I would be given the same opportunity in the U-23 and Super Eagles in the nearest future.”

    Asagidigbi is a great fan of erstwhile Super Eagles captains – Austin Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu – and hardly forgets his humble beginning in the national Undet-15 team where he won gold medal at the 2nd Africa Youth Olympic Games held in Botswana in 2015.

    “Winning the youth Olympic gold medal is definitely one of the best moments of my career so far because it’s a medal I won with my fatherland,” noted Asagidigbi in a file interview with The Nation.  “I hope someday I’ll be able to make Nigerians happy and make changes through my footballing talent.”

    “As a boy, I loved both Austin Jay Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu.

    “Jay Jay Okocha represents what a real attacking midfielder should be like and he enjoys his football.

    “He is the one of very best players to come out of Africa.

    “And Nwankwo Kanu, the Arsenal legend, is among the Gunners’ greatest 50 players poll and he is someone with exceptional technical ability; and that made me loved him more as a player.

    “I began to watch Arsenal because my dad and brother supported Arsenal and mainly because Thierry Henry and Kanu were there and I loved the way they played football.”

    Another person the starlet idolised is his father (Seun Asagidigbi who made his name with defunct International Breweries Limited of Ilesha and Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan during his heyday). “Anytime I play together with my father, I can see glimpses of what he was as a player.

    “He taught me almost everything I know about football at an early stage.

    “When people talked about my father, Seun Asagidigbi, they called him all sort of names and some even said he was better than Jay Jay Okocha and I don’t have any reason to doubt them.”

  • RAMON AZEEZ: Mum nearly stopped me from playing football

    Prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, many Nigerians did not know much about Ramon Azeez even though he was a regular at La Liga Almeria.   
    Like all Nigerian kids, Azeez began playing football in the Future Pro Academy where he was picked to play for the national U-17 team when Nigeria played host to the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The tournament threw up the young lad as a star player to look out for as he was a regular in the Golden Eaglets’ line up. Nigeria finished in second place behind Switzerland. He quickly moved on to Spain for Almeria Team B where he scored seven goals in 78 appearances earning him promotion to the Almeria main team. 
    That he was named in the Nigeria provisional 30-man squad ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup surprised many but he went on to make his World Cup debut in a 0–0 draw against Iran.
    Six years in Almeria greatly helped him as he signed for Granada CF on a six-month deal. In the just ended season, he was instrumental to Granada return to the elite stage of Spanish football. 
    Going down memory lane, the Nigeria international said his mum did not support his choice of career. “When I was starting out and made it clear to my mother that I wanted to be a footballer my mum tried to discourage me. She believed that football is meant for unserious kids.” 
    Azeez in an interview with OLUSOLA ALAO speaks further on Granada contract, family, the Super Eagles and other matters. Excerpts…   

    HOW do you feel to be part of Granada’s promotion party?

    I feel very happy to be part of this promotion party. To be back in the La Liga after years of absence is a great feeling for me.

    Who do you dedicate this achievement to?

    I dedicate it to my family, my friends and to all my fans worldwide. They always got my back and any step I take in my career.

    What is your contract situation with Granada?

    I have a contract with Granada will 2022, any information you get elsewhere different from this is false.

    You have played for U17, U20 and the Super Eagles, which of these memo ries remains your best?

    They all give me great memories. All are great times, but I will stick to the Super Eagles because it is the highest level any player can think of to represent his country. It is usually difficult for any child to leave his parents and travel far away.

    How was the feeling when you were leaving Nigeria at the age of 18?

    Well, at the beginning it was very tough and difficult; it was complicated for me especially because of the language, but with time I got used to it as I learned and started speaking the language. That was a very important moment for me. But when it comes to what I love doing most, which is playing football, I easily put every other thing aside and go for it.

    Who are the players that have in fluence on your career as a role model?

    I have some of them that I learnt from and look up to shape my career. They are Deco, Zinedine Zidane, Xavi Harnandez and our own Jay Jay Okocha. They are my role models.

    Many African parents want their children to go to school, become doctors, engineer, accountant, how was it between you and your parents on your career choice?

    At the beginning, my parent never wanted me to play football. They keep telling me to read my book all the time. My mum in particular did not want to see me play football because she believed that footballers are street boys. She did not want me to be like one of them. But my dad made it easier for me because he has soft spot for the game. After a while, my mum got used to me playing football and allowed me to do what I wanted.

    Where is the best stadium you have played so far?

    That is Bernabeu, Real Madrid stadium.

    You have been called to Super Eagles before, are you hoping for a return?

    Yes, I hope so because representing Nigeria, and wearing Nigeria’s colours, is always a privilege for me.  So, whenever I am given the opportunity to represent my country again I will grab it.

    Congratulations on your goal against Barcelona B. How did it feel to score again?

    I am very happy to score my first goal here with my team and very happy that we were able to secure the three points.

    Do you see the goal against Barcelona B as the catalyst for a return to top class football?

    Not only scoring a goal but to feature in every game week in week out, that’s the most important thing right now.

    Did you have a feeling you might have a good game before that game?

    Of course, before I got onto the field I usually do things that would make me happy and get me tune in for games. I employ whatever I see in my surroundings to ginger myself up. And that has always helped me in every game I have played.

    After the World Cup, many were shocked that you were no longer invited, what happened?

    Well, every coach knows what they are looking for and the calibre of players they want. It’s a thing of joy for any Nigerian player that gets called up to represent the country. There is an element of luck in this profession too.

    How frustrating is it that you could not capitalise on your World Cup participation?

    I feel very grateful because when things are like this and not going the way we want it, God knows the best and He has better plans for everyone.

    How hopeful are you that things will change positively for you?

    I am working hard every day and making sure I follow each section of training to get myself on the track always.

    Having been in Spain all these years, do you miss Nigeria?

    Of course, I do miss home sometimes but there is time for work and there is time for enjoyment. But every December and June, I am always in Nigeria to see my family.

  • UNSTOPPABLE MBAPPÉ: …World’s most valuable U21 player for second year

    PARIS Saint-Germain and France forward, Kylian Mbappé is the most valuable under 21 player in world football, according to the Soccerex 20 U21 report.

    The French superstar tops the rankings for a second successive year with a valuation of £234.8m (€261.6m) according to the 5th edition of the Soccerex report, compiled in partnership with Prime Time Sport.

    Mbappé becomes the first player to break the £200m barrier in the annual report, which uses Prime Time Sport’s Football Value Index to rank footballers born on or after 1st January 1998. The report takes into account the player’s age, position, current club, contract length, market value perception, international caps, minutes played, goals, injuries and technical quality from a variety of sources to arrive at a final valuation.

    Mbappé’s valuation is more than twice that of second placed player, Borussia Dortmund & England winger Jadon Sancho who is valued at £108m (€120.3m) and more than three times Ajax and Holland defender Matthijs de Ligt, who is ranked third with a valuation of £66.9m (€74.5m).

    Meanwhile, Jadon Sancho is the most valuable of six English players in the list making England the dominant nation in the rankings. Sancho’s valuation is the result of his breakthrough season at Dortmund where, as a regular starter, he was one of the most exciting and prolific chance-creators in European football at just 19 years of age. He is the first of an exciting crop of talent that helped England win the FIFA U17 and U20 World Cups to make the breakthrough and he ended the season playing for England in the inaugural UEFA Nations League finals.

    Sancho’s move to Dortmund appeared a gamble at the time but it has paid off spectacularly, with both the player and club benefitting hugely from Dortmund’s commitment to youth. This has led to other Bundesliga clubs targeting young English talent and other English players eyeing similar moves abroad – most notably Bayern Munich’s pursuit of Sancho’s U17 team mate and fellow Londoner Calum Hudson Odoi, who only made a handful of league appearances for Chelsea during the 2018/19 season and as a result is only 20th in our list with a valuation of £28.4m (€31.7m).

    The other English players in the list are Trent Alexander-Arnold 5th (£66m/€73.6m), Phil Foden 14th (£36.6m/€40.8m), Declan Rice 15th (£35m/€39m), Ryan Sessegnon 18th (£30.3m/€33.8m)

    France is the second most represented nation with four players, then Brazil with three, Italy with two and then one each for Portugal, Netherlands, USA, Germany and Nigeria.

    For the first time there are no Spanish players but LaLiga can now boast five of the top 20, following the moves of Joao Felix, Rodrygo and Eder Militao to Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid from SL Benfica, Santos and FC Porto respectively this summer.

    The Premier League is the most represented league with six players – and this is excluding Christian Pulisic, whose ranking is based on his time at Borussia Dortmund. Of the other “Big Five” European leagues, the Bundesliga have four players in the report and Serie A and Ligue 1 both have two.

    The rare number 9

    For the first time, there are no out-and-out strikers in our report, although Italian front men Patrick Cutrone and Moise Kean are just outside the top 20. Genuine goal scorers – so important to a team’s success – are a rare commodity and often it takes players time to make a success of or adapt to the position. It is worth noting that some of the most prolific forwards of the modern era such as Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi all started out as wingers before being converted into strikers. Mbappé is in a similar mould, having played for both club and country as the main striker, as well as out wide and, as his career develops, could well become the epitome of the new number 9.

    Wingers / inside forwards make up nine of the top 20, central and attacking midfielders six, defenders four and there is one goalkeeper with Italy and AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma featuring for an unprecedented 4th successive year.

    The rising value of defence

    Our methodology reflects the market principle that position affects value. In each edition there have been more attacking players than defensive ones but, this year, although the number of defensive players (i.e. defenders and goalkeepers) featuring is similar to previous editions, we have a higher concentration at the top end of the report, with two in the top 5 and four in the top 10. Leading the way are Matthijs de Ligt and Trent Alexander-Arnold who, after successful UEFA Champions League campaigns, both saw their values increase by over €20m from 2018. With de Ligt young enough to feature next year, and with rumours of a big money move on the horizon, he could become the first defender to top our list.

    Joao Felix – the buy out that bucks the trend

    Of the top 20, four players have transferred since the start of the year and of these four, three* have moved for a fee within €5m of our valuation, highlighting the reliability of our model. The outlier is Portuguese wonder kid Joao Felix who based on data prior to 1st July we valued at €71.8m. That Atletico were willing to pay Benfica the €120m required to trigger his buyout clause reflects his undoubted talent and the willingness of Europe’s elite, fuelled by broadcast and Champions League revenues, to spend big on potential rather than his actual market value.

    The youth market – stagnation or normalisation?

    The overall value of our top 20 has increased by 5.8% YoY and the value of the top 5 has increased 16.5%. These increases pale in comparison to last year when the overall value went up by 66% and the top 5 by a whopping 73%. In one light this reduction in the rate of growth could be appear to indicate a stagnation in the value of U21 players – particular in the context of the overall YoY growth experienced in 2017 (62%) – but, in truth, the sharp rises in 2017 and 2018 were fuelled by vast revenues from the record-breaking Premier League broadcasting rights deal that began in 2017 and the paradigm shift caused by PSG triggering Neymar’s huge buyout clause in 2018. The values in this year’s report represent more market normalisation where, without the impact of extreme external forces, values have increased at a more measured rate in line with overall market trends.

    It is also worth noting that in 2018, there was a greater percentage of players featuring in the report for the final year – nine in 2018 compared with just five in 2019 – and so “peaking” in terms of their report valuation. It will be interesting to see just how much the appreciation in value of the 15 eligible to feature again next year will mitigate the loss of Kylian Mbappé, who, under our methodology having been born in 1998, will not be eligible for the 2020 report.

    Commenting on the Soccerex 20 Under 21 Report 2019, Soccerex Marketing Director David Wright said: “Mbappé’s dominant position at the top of our ranking reflects his status as the most exciting and sought after player in world football. He looks set to remain a PSG player for the immediate future but if, as seems likely, he moves to a Spanish or English heavyweight in the years to come, our report indicates that his fee will be a record breaking one.

    “With 2019 being the last year Mbappé can feature, and the emergence of top English talent such as Jadon Sancho, there is a good chance that next year we will see an English player heading the rankings for the first time since Dele Alli in 2017 and before that Raheem Sterling who topped our first ever report five years ago.”

  • OMERUO: Love for my family forcing me out of Chelsea

    Kenneth Omeruo says he’s ready to move on after seven years attachment with the London clubside, Chelsea, especially after the arrival of his daughter prompting him to move family to Turkey

    SUPER Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo has attributed his decision to seek permanent leave of London club Chelsea to the coming of his baby girl. Speaking from the Nigerian camp in Alexandria at the ongoing African Nations Cup Egypt 2019, Omeruo, who is a loanee to CD Leganés, is seeking to sign permanently for the Spanish side.

    Omeruo tied the nuptial knot in Turkey in May of 2018 and had his daughter in November.

    He said: “I think now’s the time for me to leave, to find a place, to be my own man,” he says in an adapted interview from London Telegraph. “I’m married with a baby now, so I need stability. Chelsea has done amazingly for me and for my family as well, but it’s the time when I need to reach my potential and get where I think I deserve to be.”

    Last season Omeruo got within sight of that. He had spent three years in Turkey, enjoying temporary spells at Kasimpasa – twice – and Alanyaspor to the extent that his family is currently based in Istanbul. “It feels like home there and players don’t want to leave,” he admits. “They have a good bonus system, good restaurants, people love it.” But it is, partly for those reasons, a league where ambitions of a top-class career generally go to die; Omeruo knew it and it is why the 2018-19 campaign, spent successfully in La Liga with Leganés, was his most important so far.

    He credits Leganés and Pellegrino, the former Southampton manager, for putting his fortunes back on fast-forward although Chelsea – in the forms of the now-famous loanee WhatsApp group and the input of their loan-player technical coach, Eddie Newton – have never been far away. If Omeruo had his time again he says he would make exactly the move he completed in 2012 when the west London club took him from Standard Liège.

    In Belgium, he was unhappy with the terms of his contract and felt under supported; Chelsea’s interest was a lifeline and, even if things have not worked out, he bears no resentment about what has essentially been a seven-year holding pattern. It is just that now, at 25 and with no indication that he will be called back for pre-season even when a transfer ban will demand Frank Lampard must work creatively, he needs to cast off the yoke.

    “I don’t want to be that player who, because I can earn money playing at Chelsea, just sits and waits for injuries or maybe an FA Cup game,” he says. “If you’re not going to use me then let me go and play. I’m realistic, I know Chelsea have so many amazing players, central defenders as well. It’s just the opportunity – I haven’t been given one. If I get one I’ll take it but I can’t just sit around.

    “It was an amazing season and it just goes to show,” he says. “It built my confidence that I’ve got what it takes to be one of the best. The coach, Mauricio Pellegrino, was a defender and spent a lot of time working with me, correcting simple mistakes I might have made two or three years ago. He told me: ‘You have what it takes to be playing at the top, top level for the next 10 years.’ That meant a lot.”

    Shortly before playing for Nigeria in the 2014 World Cup, Kenneth Omeruo browsed a list of young players to watch at the tournament and discovered his own name, slotted in next to that of Raphael Varane. He was 20 then; in the preceding two years he had joined Chelsea and starred in an Africa Cup of Nations success. It was some way to begin a career and at that point anybody would be forgiven for expecting the good times to keep rolling.

    In a sense, they have. Omeruo laughs when he is informed that he became Chelsea’s longest-serving current player. But all of that time, apart from a brief spell in 2013 when José Mourinho wanted a closer look at the centre-back only for shoulder surgery to intervene, has been spent on loan.

    It is a familiar tale but Omeruo knows enough is enough and hopes another continental title will help him find security at last. The story about Varane is volunteered in response to a quite unrelated question; he clearly feels it is time to hurry things up.

    At Nigeria’s base for this summer’s Cup of Nations, the luxurious Helnan Palestine Hotel complex in Alexandria, he jokes with his teammate Ola Aina that “I’ll be next, I’ll be the one”.

    Aina moved permanently from Chelsea to Torino in January after a successful loan.

    They have both made flying starts to this tournament, Aina creating Odion Ighalo’s winner against Burundi with a jaw-dropping backheel and Omeruo scoring his first international goal in the victory over Guinea. A rotated Nigeria side then ceded top spot in Group B with a surprise defeat to Madagascar, courting fury back home and necessitating a team meeting on Monday that Omeruo says was focused on forgetting personal grievances and working together.

    “We want to go back home feeling proud,” he says. “When we won it in 2013 it was amazing; everyone, women and kids, at the airport and running after the bus. I still remember that feeling and want to experience it again.

    “Back then I didn’t really grasp the importance of winning the Cup of Nations. It was my first time and we did it, so I thought there were many to be won. I didn’t realise just how long the captain then, Joseph Yobo, had been trying to win it. But we didn’t qualify for the next two, and now I know what a big deal it is.”

    If Omeruo shows his ability again then perhaps he will get that big move, even if it is not to Leganés, who he doubts have the money. “It’s been an amazing career for me,” he says. “I know people don’t realise it but I’m happy with what I’ve achieved so far. But I also know there is more to come.”

  • Chioma Chigul Omeruah: Unforgettable memories of my father

    You can call Chioma Omeruah, a.k.a Chigul, a chip of the old block. After all she is the daughter of erstwhile Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), the late Air Commodore Samson Emeka Omeruah, and the famed linguist and comedienne speaks candidly about the late former governor of old Anambra State in a chat with MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.

    Her father was revered as one of the best things to have happened to Nigerian sports, particularly football, since his term coincided with some of the country’s sporting golden era.

    No wonder the late Sir Samson Emeka Omeruah, the debonair erstwhile Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), has yet been described as a patriot extraordinaire by no less a person than his daughter, Chioma Omeruah, a.k.a. Chigul.

    “My dad epitomised the phrase ‘an officer and a gentleman’; he was both things,” an emotional Chigul, the famed linguist and comedienne said in an interview with The Nation. “He was a true Nigerian who believed in his country and served it to the best of his ability

     “He was….he was the best dad ever. I miss him so much.”

    The late Omeruah, a Knight of the Anglican Diocese of Nigeria, was a three-time Minister for Information, Youth, Sport and Culture and was in charge in 1985 when the Golden Eaglets won the inaugural FIFA Under-16 World Championship Cup in China. He  was also chairman of the NFA when the Super Eagles won the  Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Tunisia 1994 as well as when the national Under-23 team won the  historic Africa’s first soccer gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The late air commodore of the Nigerian Air Force and former governor of old Anambra State between 1985 and 1988 died on 4th December 2006 at a London hospital.

    Chigul waxed more about her father: “My dad was never in support of a career in entertainment; he was a typical Igbo military dad and his plan for me was actually to go and be a lawyer but as you can see that didn’t pan out.

    “After years of trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life I ended up studying French education and then moving back to Nigeria comedy just sort of happened and here we are.

    “My father is late now but my mother is very supportive of me and she is proud and I think if my father were here today he would have  been  proud as well.

    “Everyone has to find their path, he(my father)  had his, I have mine but sometimes I feel like comedy is a sport.”

    Indeed, Chigul has cut out a niche for herself as far as the Nigerian entertainment industry is concerned and has featured in some top Nollywood films including Road to Yesterday; Banana Island Ghost; The Wedding Party, amongst other notable works.

    “As a child I was always the one that was mimicking people and making fun and sort of being the very jovial and very active one in the family,” she offered about her early interest in entertainment. “So I think maybe you can say I was prepared for it.

    “It’s literally what I’m doing now but just as an adult and maybe making money from it so it’s on a different scale. But I think I’ve been doing this since I was a little girl.”

    Of course, there are so much stereotypes accustomed to gals in the entertainment industry but Chigul is of the view that any serious minded person would bother little about such if she is determined enough to make a name for herself.  “Sadly, there are very many stereotypes (about the entertainment industry) and it is part of the challenges we face as women in the industry but you have to sort of fight your way to hold your place amongst so many men.

    “It is a male-dominated industry but I think one of the things one continues to try to do is stay relevant and be innovative with one style of comedy so that one can sort of like maintain one’s place.

    “It’s not necessarily been the easiest task but we take it one day at a time and I’ve had to deal with stereotypes. But I guess for me it’s more like maybe people assuming that because of who my father was, that’s why I am where I am but I’m so glad that the two had nothing to do with each other. Rather, I think maybe who my dad was sort of like gave me a soft landing in some certain areas. But with regards to the talent and gift that I’ve been given, that has nothing to do with who my father was,” she noted as she responded to sundry issues.

    What are some of your dad’s attributes that are inherent in you?

    Let’s see… his love for language. He spoke many languages, I speak five and he was a handsome man.

    Your dad was regarded as one of the best things to have happened to Nigerian sport especially football, how come none of his children is found around sporting environment?

    Everyone has to find their path, he had his, I have mine…but sometimes I feel like comedy is a sport.

    What informed your choice of Chigul as your preferred nickname?

    Chigul was not planned as the nickname, I just happened to come across a gentleman once in my life who in trying to give me a nickname as in chi girl but because he was very Igbo it came out as Chigul and when I told my friends about it they used to make fun of me all the time and I guess the name just stuck.

    Many actors are reportedly living from hand to mouth despite the glitz and glamour of being in the entertainment industry; do you also subscribe to this and what would be the way out for distressed people in the industry?

    In business as in life, there are ups and downs and sometimes, yes, you have dry spells. You go through times where the money might not be coming in as it should or as you would like it and of course we are all laden with responsibilities. So, yes, sometimes it’s difficult but that’s why one has to be very wise in the way one handles money and has to think extensively about investing in other projects so that one has many sources of income; so that when one is low and other one can help offset. So, I agree, but we just have to be wise in this our business…

    You once described yourself as a big dreamer; what are the things you have in the pipeline?

    Wow! So many things. I’m planning my one-woman show which will come up sometime in September and about three or four TV projects. But we are also still shooting films and I’m compering events, and I’m also thinking about going into singing because I also sing jazz…

    The mention of Chigul usually brought back your emotional outburst during that session with Kemi Adetiba on the set of the ‘king women’ but what lessons has life taught you?

    That interview was one of the most vulnerable times of my life. It was such a long time ago and I have come such a long way. I have learnt and I’m still learning very many life lessons. That interview was from a long time ago and I was in a very strange, dark place.

    From your experience, what are prerequisites for a happy marriage and are you ready to give marriage a short again?

    I don’t think I am in any position to give advice as situations are relative and very different. Would I marry again? Of course.

    What sort of guy would be the dream guy for Chigul?

    I don’t have a dream guy since I live in a real world.  Just someone who is living to build a life with me.

    You’re a polyglot, what are those languages that you’re at home with and how easy was it for you to learn languages?

    Currently, I speak French, Spanish, Igbo, Hausa and English. I studied French education in university and I taught French in high school for about three years and I taught myself Spanish for one year. I just love languages.

    What changes would you like to see in the Nigerian society and how can we get to the next level with some of the best countries in the world?

    One of the things that I’ve always considered to be sad is how much resources are wasted by way of young people having nothing to do. They go to university, come out, there are no jobs and so sometimes they are forced to resort to illegal means just to make ends meet. In the same vein, there are no outlets for them to also explore their other talents. People should be allowed to dream and work towards realising those dreams… there is so much potential in all of us.

    What are the things that make you happy and sad?

    My family makes me happy. My friends make me happy. My job makes me happy. The fans make me happy. I try not to be sad because it affects my work. Happiness all the way.

    What are your best kept secrets?

    I guess my other hidden talents. There are so many things that I do people don’t know about….

  • EMMANUEL ADUKWU: Why I set up Mees Palace Academy in Jos

    Emmanuel Adukwu was one of the brains behind the once flourishing Jos Bankers Game in Plateau State and he has taken his love for the beautiful game of football  to another level by setting up a model  football academy in the famous Tin City of Jos. Peeved by unending age controversy often associated with age grade competitions, Adukwu said his model Mees Palace Academy would undoubtedly help in alleviating the problem.  He spoke with correspondent TUNDE LIADI on what prompted his decision to float the academy, his early foray into football, among other interesting issues EXCERPTS.   

    EARLY life and background

    My early life was interesting. I came from quite a reasonable background where I had parents who struggled hard to give me a good education from a very tough background but I did well and I came through school. I schooled in Kaduna, Makurdi and finally I came to the University of Jos for studies. As a child, I enjoyed playing football and of course like every other child I did a lot of tree climbing and all other pranks that boys at that age then would engage in. I come from Otukpo in Benue State. I have lived in Plateau State since 1992 when I came to the university and I haven’t gone back. I am an accountant by training and a fellow of the National Association of Accountants of Nigeria. I am Idoma by tribe and I am married with four beautiful children.

    Early connection with football

    I played football until I left the university. I played on the university team but my dad would never hear of professional football for any of his kids like every other dad at that age and stage but we got to a stage where we were able to streamline things. We started the very first edition of the Jos Bankers Game which ran for about three or four years before I got transferred out of Jos and finally that tournament died a natural death. I have always been involved with football at one stage or the other.

    Well, the early life was always going to be tough because unlike the children we have now, you had to trek for like one or two hours to go and play football. You got to play matches across different areas and then you had to run home because you were scared your parents were coming after you had played for about one and a half hours. You learned to swim and to climb trees and we generally were tough kids. It is the reason why those guys that come out from that stage were always some of the toughest guys you will find around.

    Mees Palace Academy

    Mees Palace didn’t start as a football academy, to be honest. It started as an alternative plan for retirement when I left banking. I just set out to look for an enough space to build an event centre since people will always have functions and get married. We also have a children’s amusement park but when we found this place, I said to myself why not form an academy where our kids can get to express themselves better. It has always been my dream to do something around football and when the opportunity came I pursued it and the result is what you see here today. It has been sweat and toil all the way. This is a model in Nigeria. We like quick ways and quick returns in Nigeria. So many people advised when I started that my academy has to start from 17 or 18 years so that in six months or one year the players are ready to travel but I said no because my dream is to have an academy strictly for children who come to us from when they are five or six years and we can give them a proper football education as it is done in Europe. We also want to raise the next set of children who are at the ages they claim to be and understand properly the rudiments of the game. It has been tough and challenging but when you have a vision and a dream, who’s best to execute it but you?

    Inspiration behind floating an Academy

    A couple of years ago we had an Under 16 team that on the eve of an African qualifier had nine players dropped; almost half the team because they failed the MRI Scan test. It was for me such a personal embarrassment because I asked myself when Nigeria is ever going to get it right. The talent is not the problem the problem has always been administration and maybe someone that will dare to say let’s do the correct thing. So even as at today, there is pressure from every quarter each time we have recruitment and each time the kids need to travel advising us that we need to reduce their ages; the kids are small or that we should go for other ages but I always insist and stick to the cause. I always tell them that the kids who are 10 will play in the same age range competition and so also for Under 13 and others and that they are going to progress like that. It will take a while but hopefully it will catch on and maybe we will start to do the right thing in Nigeria.

    Challenges

    The first challenge is obviously is a lack of space. When we conceived this idea, the kids were much smaller and so the playing surface was a kind of enough for us. But over 14 months, the kids have grown and they have improved and clearly the space is short. The second idea is that for this to be done the right way it takes a lot of resources. So much money is going into this academy but as it is in Nigeria the corporate world never have sponsorship for such programmes. We are all looking for the fastest means to reap the benefit. The corporate end of sponsorship is with the national teams or with some big clubs. Nobody is willing to invest five or six years in a youth brand like Mees Palace Academy and until that changes, funds will always be a challenge.

    We have all the kids in one school and we have to source the funds to pay their fees. They are 40 of them now and there is another set of 30 in the Under 10 category and all of them have to be looked after in terms of kitting, school, feeding and so on and so it is quite a big challenge.

    The final challenge is with our administrators and coaches. As long as that must-win at all costs even at the developmental stage remains, we are never going to get it right in Nigeria. I have got events and proposal sponsorship in at least 20 separate corporate organizations. We have got people who do marketing and those that will talk to them. We are currently talking to some of them even though the response has been slow. We have also been lucky that a foreign brand like Masita decided to come and have a look at what we are doing in Nigeria and we have become the first brand that Masita is sponsoring in Nigeria. You can see from training, from kits and the support you are seeing here today with the foreign coaches who have come to make our coaches better and the children in our academy standard.

    Thoughts of giving up

    Of course it crosses my mind when I am lying down quietly in my bed and when it is time to pay salaries or the time to bring in the next set of kids and you are saying to yourself what I have got myself involved in? Or you think of what to do to make it better. Is there any way I am going to get help? As I always say, my job is to see the kids every time they play and each time I see beautiful football and every time I count 20 uninterrupted passes it tells me we are doing the right thing, that we are doing something different and that with time the results will come.

    NPFL under 15 Futures

    That was another interesting experience. We played a group of men who were supposedly Under 15. We had the kids who were 11 and 12 years who played against kids who were close to 19 or 20 years. It was a proper learning experience for us and I hope we will get such opportunity again next year because the kids would have been older and certainly would have been tougher and we will certainly make use of the lessons from the previous experience to great advantage.

    Relationship with Masita Sportswear Company

    Currently Masita delivers the kits and equipment we have at 50 percent of the total cost of that equipment. What it means is that we get the remaining 50 percent in rebate and I dare say that we have the best kitting and equipment of any professional football club in Nigeria. In addition, we get a 50 percent sponsorship when we do the Masita foreign tour sometime in September. It is an opportunity that these kids would ordinarily not have and I dare say that no other academy gets it in Nigeria. Hopefully with that level of exposure, who knows the glory days might come earlier than we projected it.

    We just went online and we found the right partnership. We spoke to the Masita representative in Nigeria and he spoke to the contacts in Holland and the rest, as they say, is history.

     Future plans for Mees Palace Academy

    The boys you see here are the next crop of players who will win the Under 17 World Cup for Nigeria. They will come at the right age and peak at the right time and they would have been properly educated. Five years after that they are going to win the Olympic Games football event and two years later they will win the World Cup. I am 110 percent confident. I feel that the sky is the starting point for these boys and I see that in them every day. I believe it and they do too. Everything is possible with the group of these talented players. We don’t have something like this in Benue but someday I hope we extend our spread there also. The reason this is happening here is because Plateau State made me feel at home. I have been here, as I said, since 1992 and this is my small way of giving back to my adopted state.

    Adukwu the family man

    I love my family. It is about the summary of it. I have the most amazing wife; she is an amazon and she is as tough as nail. She runs the empire when I am not around and we call her the chief of defence staff of the gang. I have got four adorable kids. Two of them are in secondary school and they are two boys and two girls. I dare say they are some of the best kids in the world. My boys play football and they always say they look like me and hopefully they are some of the smartest kids you will find around.

    My first son wants to be a pilot while my second wants to be a footballer. I think he will do well. He is as tough as nail (he is a tough tackling midfielder) but my first son has an eye for details. He is in love with mathematics. He will probably make a great pilot some day.

  • 2019 Minna Polo Tournament: Unstoppable EL-Amin wins 15th record IBB Cup

    THE 2019 Minna polo tournament, which ended with pomp last weekend, will go down as the most exciting in years, with the reigning champions, El-Amin, smashing tough opponents to extend their dominance in the annual event.

    The defending champions parading Nigeria’s rated Bello Buba, Aminu Alhaji , Ibrahim and their supremo, Mohammad Babangida, defeated top firing Malcomine 7-41/2 in a fiercely fought final match, to earn their 15th IBB Cup, the event’s biggest prize.

    Minna’2019 polo extravaganza that galloped off the second leg of the Nigerian polo tour was indeed a festival of some sort with over twenty teams from all the major centres in the country and foreign players , politicians and societal affluence in attendance. But the biggest highlight of the carnival was the bold decision by host Minna Polo Club to open up the playing field, allowing teams from both divide to participate in the annual tournament this year.

    Reactions to that daring decision varied depending on which side of the fence you were. While some saw the Minna’s decision to invite every polo club to participate in the week-long fiesta as audacious, others salute the courage of the host club, for making their tournament the biggest and more competitive, exciting one in recent years.

    However, Minna Polo Club Vice President and Tournament Chairman, Mohammad Babangida, would not accept such outrageous tag on his home club. Rather, the patron of the Georgian Cup all-time kings, EL-Amin, would prefer critics to see the Minna example as a bridge building effort to restore Nigerian polo to its glorious past.

    Babangida, who doubles as the vice president of Kaduna Polo Club and the national team captain, insisted that the full house witnessed at 2019 Minna with players from Lagos, Kaduna and Kano joining the prestigious party, has ended the NPF/NPA impasse and sets the pace for the much expected reconciliation of the Nigerian polo family.

    Before now, teams from Nigerian Polo Federation (NPF) and splinter Nigerian Polo Association (NPA) rarely play together in any tournament, which is why the stand is generating plenty of rumbles within the polo family, with many enthusiasts of the game of kings looking forward to an end to the separation. IBB Cup top contender, Jos Malcomines, that won Governor’s Cup, their first major polo title in the power state last year, hit Minna with the mission to cart home the event’s biggest prize, IBB Cup, and were well on their way to success, until the rattled EL-Amin came out of their shell to deny the ambitious miners.

    Team patron, Babangida, was understandably delighted with EL-Amin’s first major win this year against Malcomines, which sets them up nicely for another expectedly Georgian firestorm at the Kaduna International Polo Tournament later in the year.

    “The IBB Cup and Minna annual tournament is a major part of our build-up towards other high goal tournaments and to win the event’s biggest prize and General Abdulsalami Cup as well before our teeming supporters, who travel from across the country to cheer up, is a major plus for us,” Babangida said.

    Minna’2019 polo extravaganza that pitches teams and players drawn from Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Bauchi, Port Harcourt and Zaria, was a weeklong fiesta to remember, with Kano, Yola and host Manna, all sharing the major prizes.

    Top running Yola Yelwa led by NPF Vice President, Tanko Ayuba, who defeated highly crowded field that included the highly rated Kaduna Kawo, to clinch the Emir of Minna Cup, just as Kaduna Barnawa outpaced Minna Tonga to cart home General Hassan Katsina Cup. Host Minna made a meal of the annual event, harvesting most of the major and subsidiary laurels at stake ensuring that the Governor’s Cup, Maizube Farm Cup, Kere Ahmed Cup and Ahamdu Memorial Cup, all remain in the foremost IBB Polo Ground for another year.

    At the end of the historic event that flaunted its bridge building effort at ending the impasse, the biggest winner was polo, the noble game of kings that boosts a rich heritage of over a century since its introduction in Lagos in 1904.

  • TAIWO OLOYEDE: My father fuelled my passion for football

    Former star player of Lagos darling team, Stationery Stores, Taiwo Oloyede beamed from ear to ear and all smiles when he eventually landed his dream coaching certificate at the National Institute for Sport (NIS) Lagos, recently.

    The former Nigerian youth international told whoever cares to listen how proud he was of his latest achievement while friends and family members joined him to snap commemorative photographs.

    “It is a dream come true for me. I’ve been acting as a coach for many years and I’ve been advised to formalise it by attending the NIS,” began Oloyede. “In fact, some of my friends offered to sponsor me and here I am with my certificate. I am happy that my efforts have paid off and I am now a certified coach.”

    Oloyede’s humble submission and exhilaration underbellies his status given that he broke into national limelight 30 years ago when he had become a cult hero in Stationery Stores of Lagos. He went on to captain Stores and the Flying Eagles briefly.

    He, however, missed the famous ‘Dammam Miracle’ World Youth Championship hosted by Saudi Arabia no thanks to a last minute injury that kept him out of the history making Nigeria U-20 team.

    In a conversation with TAIWO ALIMI, Oloyede speaks more about his career, growing up and life as a coach.

    GROWING up

    When I was growing up, the only thing I knew was football. This is because my father played the game and also administered it. We were always going to the stadium. All my siblings also played the game.

    My father was team manager of Stationery Stores and in my family we wanted to grow up and play for the team. My father also served in the Ikeja Football Divisional Association as secretary.
    While other youngsters played football for fun, I started seeing myself as a professional football from primary school. I played for Lagos Mainland Primary School, Fadeyi, and CMS Grammar School, Bariga. I enjoyed great popularity at school and everywhere I got to I was hailed as a star. And that made me want to play the game more. However, that time we did not play for money but for prestige. I remember that The Principal Cup (Football competition for secondary schools in Lagos) was a big thing in my time. As members of the school team you have privileges that you enjoy and it is a big thing when you win the competition.
    Stationery Stores

    I think those things I enjoyed at school football made me throw in everything into football. By the time I left secondary school, clubs were waiting to sign me on and even gave me a job. I was placed on salary while playing for IBWA, one of the biggest clubs in Lagos in our era. There is also NEPA FC of Lagos, but all the while, Stationery Stores was the biggest club in Lagos and my dream was to play for Stores. Unlike today when you see youths and adults craving for Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, we followed local clubs like Stores, NEPA, Shooting Stars and Bendel Insurance. I was a Stores supporter and sometimes I cried whenever my team lost to a rival team. Eventually I was signed up by Stores and later captained my childhood team too.

    I played for Stores for five years and the team was really hot that time with players like Ike Shorunmu, Ganiyu Ajide, Sunday Ilevbare, Wasiu Adetoro and Hakeem Ogunlana. We won many stories among them, the national league, FA Cup and got to the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League losing to Zamalek of Egypt in 1993.

    Playing for the national team

    By the time I joined Stores and became a regular player, I knew playing for the national team was just a matter of time because the team paraded some of the best players in the country.
    In 1989, I was invited to the junior national team, the Flying Eagles, and would have been part of the Nigerian team to the World Youth Championship that year if injury had not stopped me. I am sure I would have made the team because I was playing well and coach (Tunde) Disu was disposed to me making the final team. But it was not to be as I cropped an injury in training and that was the end of the tournament for me.

    Memorable games

    In 1988, Stores was battling relegation and we had a game against ACB of Lagos. I scored and we won the game and escaped relegation that year. I also recalled the winning goal for Julius Berger in the 1996 FA Cup final against Katsina United scoring the lone goal of the match.
    Botched professional football career

    I had a couple of trials abroad but they did not click. One of them was put together by Segun Odegbami and it would have been it for me if it had worked out. Then the injury came in and age was no longer on my side. I’ve been through a lot since I stopped playing. But football is all I know so I’ve been offering myself to impact the younger ones. I must thank God for keeping me till now because some of my mates are dead. Some are not up to what I am worth, so I give glory to God for who I am today, most especially for my fame. Everywhere I go today people recognise and hail me. I may not have all the money but I am very comfortable.

    I also believe that with this certificate I can get a good club that would pay me better or national assignment. Football is my life.

    Maybe I would have been a banker or a lawyer today because I enrolled at university while playing for IBWA but I was too engrossed with football and had to give up schooling all together. At that time, what I wanted to do was play football. Maybe education would have helped because I retired early and would have provided something to fall back on, but life must go on. That is why I returned to the classroom to get a coaching certificate and I am happy I took that decision. It is never too late to take a step back, evaluate yourself and readdress your life.

    My girls playing the game

    I have three children; a boy and two girls – but it is the girls that have shown interest in playing football and I am encouraging them.

    Coaching course

    It is the best to happen to me. It is a dream come true for me. I’ve been acting as a coach for many years and I’ve been advised to formalise it by attending the NIS. In fact, some of my friends offered to sponsor me and here I am with my certificate. I am happy that my efforts have paid off and I am now a certified coach. Now I can go for the big coaching jobs.