Category: SOS

He is unarguably  one of Nigerian football  titans but age has not tempered  Mazi Linus Mba’s resolve  at building  human capacity to improve the standard  of  officiating  on the  domestic football scene.

At 76, Mba is still fit as a fiddle and his calling as a referee is illuminated with naked enthusiasm and puritanical devotion all throughout his romance with the whistle which has spanned over five decades “My interest in refereeing was developed at St. Theresa College in Nsukka and at that time, every student in the boarding school was expected to participate in one sport or the other,” began Mba in an animated conversation with The Nation. “ Within  the school complex, we had many basketball and football fields as well as the tennis courts but it was the fastest runners  that usually get to the tennis court while the rest of us who were  slow runners, usually  found solace  on the football pitches and basketball courts.”

He continued: “Of course, I love football but my father who was a policeman,  did not subscribe to my playing football because a nephew of mine got injured with a broken leg  and as a result, I did not acquire the necessary skills to play football at my tender years.

“ It  was when  I got to St. Theresa College in Nsukka that I ignited my love for football but  I was not good enough as an outfield player,  so I choose to be a goalkeeper. Honestly, I was not a good goalkeeper and some even said I ‘was a useless goalkeeper’  and they had reasons for it; I had done very  well any day I  didn’t concede  up to three goals ( general laughter).

“Thereafter, I was no longer picked because they felt I was a waste pipe. But one blessed day, the principal of the school, Rev. Fr. William Butler, came out and upon inquiry, I told him I was no longer picked because other students felt I was not a good goalkeeper.

“But he said ‘Linus, you cannot be useless in all areas’ and he took me to his office and handed  me ‘The Laws of the Game’.  I read it thoroughly and that was how I became the umpire when others were playing; and that was the beginning of my life as a referee right from my secondary school.

“I later joined the local refereeing society in Onitsha when I started working  and  I was exposed to the rudiments of refereeing and later sat for the national examination to become a grade two referee,” revealed Mba who later earned stripes as one of the best referees of his generation .

A holder of a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics along with professional certificates in both journalism and public relations, Mba was formally trained as a referee by the London Society of  Association Referees under the auspices of The FA ( English Football Association) and was badged  as a class three referee in 1971. Upon his return to Nigeria after acquiring the proverbial golden fleece, Mba enlisted with the then Nigeria Football Association(NFA)  in 1976 and rose through the ranks before serving as President of Nigeria Referees Association(NRA) between 1992 and 1996.

“Let me start by saying with joy and gratitude to God, that I was never beaten in the course of my career as a referee,” Mba, who was badged by FIFA in 1985, bubbled with excitement as he reminisced over his golden era that saw him criss-crossing the domestic and continental landscape in his hallowed garb as a referee.

Mba was twice in-charge of the final of the glamorous Challenge Cup in 1979 (IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan vs. Sharks of Port Harcourt) and 1987 (Abiola Babes of Abeokuta vs. Ranchers Bees of Kaduna). At the continental level, he oversaw some tough matches, including the then African Cup of Champions semi-final clash between Zamalek of Egypt and FAR of Morocco in 1985, amongst other dozen international matches, before bowing out gloriously in 1990.

“Of course, there were occasional harassments during my exciting career as a referee but I can’t forget the encounter I had with my late friend, Yomi Peters, when I handled a match between Stationery Stores and NEPA of Lagos in 1977,”revealed Mba who served as head of NFA’s Refereeing Department between 2002 and 2005 before being appointed as consultant on refereeing to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in 2006.

“Yomi actually came out to embarrass me as he bounced the ball in the mud which generously splashed on me and I guessed his intention was to cause chaos because it was a deserved red card offence. But I told him ‘Yomi, don’t worry, we are going to continue the game.’ I took that decision because the other team (NEPA) was leading and he actually wanted to spoil the match but I applied Law 18 which is about the spirit of the game.”

Mba continued with his odyssey: “In all my years as a referee, I was never tempted to take bribe and the clubs knew they dared not call me for such. I’m reaping the benefits  of my aversion for corruption  today.  This has been my policy for years and I may not be popular because of this but I thank God my reputation is intact.

“There is a profound statement made by Chief Lekan Salami when he was alive: ‘The Linus Mba that I know, does not take bribe.’  I have been in refereeing in Nigeria since 1976. I was the PRO of the NRA for three years in the 1980s; I was also the secretary of the NRA for four years and was two-term president of the NRA and I’m still very much relevant in the system today.

“I have been consultant to the NFF since the tenure of Alhaji Sani Lulu and there is no doubt that it’s God that has given me the power to continue even at my age. Go and ask everybody close to me, they will tell you how passionate I’ m at ensuring the best for Nigerian referees,” noted Mba, as he takes MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN on his voyage  through life and long way around ‘the beautiful game’ as a referee.  Read on….

 

In the beginning from Nigeria  to England

In 1964, I travelled out to England for my studies  and I continued with my career as a referee. In fact, I was lucky my grade was accepted and I was given the opportunity to officiate many local games  sometimes three times in a week.  But at some point I stopped refereeing because I had a surgery and they had to remove my thymus gland. Since I stopped for three years, they said I needed to be retrained and I had to start afresh. It was a blessing in disguise since I was exposed to analytical training which was better than what  I was exposed to back home in Nigeria. Under the auspices of The FA, I became a  Class Three Grade Referee and then later to Class Two; and by 1976, I became a Class One Referee in England and I was officiating semi-professional games until finally came back home. I studied Economics and Mass Communication, and on my return from England, I was recruited by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a research officer.  From there, I drifted off to Business Times because they were actually looking for someone who did Economics and that was when Chief Onyema Ugochukwu was their editor. He was the one who lured me to Daily Times and I was interviewed by the great Peter Osugo and same day, I was employed as a writer for Business Times. I enjoyed my time at the Daily Times until the period Volkswagen put up vacancies from press officer and public relations manager. I applied for the later because I was qualified but they already earmarked somebody for that position in person of Charles Igoh who later became the press officer for Alhaji Shehu Shagari during his time as president. After he left, I became the PRO for Volkswagen. My vocation as a  referee  enjoyed so much latitude at Volkswagen because the Germans love football and I was encouraged  so much that I became a FIFA  referee and was travelling so much that it became a conflict to my position of responsibility since I was not always around. At that time, Dr. Pat Utomi was the special assistant to President Shehu Shagari and he advised I should be made the export manager instead of the PRO so that as I travelled I would be able to do export business. That helped me to continue as a referee until 1990 when I stopped.  l left Volkswagen not long after that. I actually left Volkswagen not because I could no longer work but there was so much pressure to sell cars  and people didn’t have money to buy and my own blood pressure was shooting up, so  I had to leave.  I retired to private business and was also the President of Nigeria Referee Association (NRA) and also a board member of Nigeria Football Association (NFA). I decided to veer off and it paid off because it gave me the opportunity to devote more time to development of refereeing and I was sending a lot to CAF through the late Major Lamptey of Ghana who drew the attention of Farah Ado who was then head of CAF’s referee’s committee. That was how I was made a zonal representative for CAF and later made a member of CAF’s referee’s committee.

Continental assignments

Being a member of CAF’s referee’s committee was a wonderful period for me and I gave support to many international referees throughout the continent. In Nigeria, I tried as much as I can to change the course of refereeing by bringing up people with sound qualifications because I knew that people with limited education cannot last too long because there are constant changes in the technical analysis of the game and it needs people with sound education. This has paid off and we have a lot of them as instructors. I also became FIFA Instructor  and recently, FIFA also made two of us (Neiji Jouini of Tunisia) and I technical adviser on refereeing in Africa. Since I’m a consultant to NFF, I have been trying to force some innovations through the referee’s committee. Of course, the old guards hated me, saying I just wanted to push them out of the system but thank God things are improving. The average age of Nigerian referees has reduced drastically and the younger ones are doing so well. I’m happy that the future development of Nigerian referees has been well laid and I’m happy that the present NFF under President Amaju Pinnick has supported these changes. Before now, we had a situation whereby the match commissioners doubled as match assessors but we have restructured it and we have the independent match assessors now and the experiences have been so wonderful.

My journalism odyssey

I have always been in love with journalism and it has always been there with me everywhere I have worked. At Volkswagen, I produced an in-house journal  and was contributing articles  regularly to newspapers.   I maintained a column when my good friend, Paul Bassey, had TodaySport.  Even now as consultant to NFF, I’m still practising journalism . A communicator is a communicator anytime, any day. I make sure that our activities are well documented in form of periodicals which is done quarterly. This year, we have also done a documentation on all the activities of our referees and we have done six editions this year.  Unlike what was obtainable in the past, we have the weekly performance of our referees and this has helped in making informed and objective assessments even at a glance.  We have documents that deal squarely with the appointments of referees so that you don’t appoint only Linus Mba for a particular set of matches. We equally have documents for the match assessors that supervise the referees.  For instance, we have 380 matches  in the Nigeria Premier Football League and that means we have 380 reports on the referees in a single season  and I read and take notes on all the reports so that we can make reference and help the assessors where they have gone wrong.  An off shoot of that is  the performance  record of referees in the  NPFL and all the quarterly reports are embodied into a booklet at the end of the season.  From next season, these assessors will also be assessed so that we can extract information that is needed to retrain the referees.   We don’t expect the assessors to be  perfect overnight  but  we would keep working at it so that we can get the best out of the lot and this will no doubt help in getting the best out of the referees.

Qualities of  a good referee

A good referee must have a reliable and acceptable means of livelihood; he must have good education. Before, we expected a referee to have at least a WASC /WAEC certificate, but that is no longer enough and we have started looking out for people with higher certificates. He must have also passed  the required promotion examinations . A referee usually start from his base as a referee in training and after three years he must pass a national examinations to become a Grade 3  referee  and after two years he passes another examinations to become Grade 1. After becoming Grade 1, he has just started the journey because he’s going to start from the Nationwide League (amateur) and we start proper monitoring because we have grading. He can be promoted based on performance to the NNL after two years and from there to the NPFL which is basically not automatic. Henceforth, any referee  who is not under 30 years of age  would not be promoted  to officiate in the NPFL and even at then, referees in the NPFL must pass the medical and fitness test at every quarter.  We have over 3000 referees in Nigeria and all of them cannot officiate in the NPFL but we should be okay if we can get at least 150 top referees and referee assistants who are medically sound and fit. We are trying to tighten the loose ends as much as we can.  A good referee or a ‘fantastic referee’, as some would say, must officiate a match by applying the laws of the game to the letter; he must be consistent in applying the laws of the game. He must be firm and fair; he must be fit and medically okay and his decision must at least be 80 percent okay.  Thanks to the good work we are doing, we have empirical evidence to  objectively judge our referees. It’s our prayers that the destructive forces would not have the upper hands as we are striving to solidify the structure.

Preparation towards hitch-free next season

Thanks for appreciating the rigours of the referee’s committee in creating high standards for our domestic football.  Last season, we had 380 matches alone in the NPFL but how many of those matches were bad or poorly handled by the referees? Surely, referees are not angels  as such I cannot vouch for any referee. Every referee wants to do the correct thing but do we have the enabling environment  at all the venues where lives are threatened?  There are referees that have been intimidated and beaten because teams want to win at all cost; so we need  neutral security so that we don’t have to see a referee destroy the fabrics of the game as well as investments with poor officiating. We know the enormous investments involved in running the clubs vis-à-vis running the league, as such we in the referee’s committee would do everything humanly possible to protect the sanctity of the game with fair officiating; and we pray that the environment where the referees operate would be made much more conducive. The spirit of the game is good environment so that people can go and watch the players; fans go to the stadia to watch talented players but they can only do so if the environment is okay.  We need the will of the entire football family to ensure that we have free and fair officiating, after all we don’t have issues when our referees go out for continental assignment. A good case in point is Ferdinand Udoh who was  highly commended for the manner he handled the match between South Africa and Cape Verde.  I must also tell you that we have up to 30 FIFA and CAF trained instructors  and we have developed the materials to train  our referees  and since  we can’t bring everybody to Abuja at the same time, we want to intensify their training right from the zonal level so that everyone can get the same capacity training and education.

My best football administrators

Let me start from the present leadership of NFF. I want to start with President Amaju  Melvin Pinnick, for obvious reasons. He understands football and international politicking. You can’t play football without knowing the international politics attached to it. He has the charisma to attract sponsors and I think he and his team have started attracting big sponsors. In his tenure, you’ll attest to the fact that the face of football has changed and you can see that the momentum is gathering, not because we have qualified for the Russia 2018 World Cup. I want to use this opportunity to say a big thank you to his team including the 1st VP (Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi) and 2nd VP (Mallam Shehu Dikko).  These are passionate people; these are people who are committing their images and funds for the uplift of Nigerian football. Of course, others  before them did well but if you are looking at  the level of success and commitment, they have done so well.  Alhaji Aminu Maigari as president played his own role and he was a stabilising force, because there were so many court cases and injunctions when he came in but he weathered through.  Before then, we had Sunday Dankaro (1974-1981) who is regarded as an architect of modern NFA, but the level of football at that time was not similar to what we have now. We had others like Group Captain John Obakpolor (1987-1988); Air Commodore Sampson Emeka Omeruah (1993-1996(); Col. Abdulmumini Aminu (1996-1999) and my very good friend, Brig. Dominic Oneya (2000-2002). The level of football has been changing from one era to the other but the competitiveness of the game is at a different level presently and it now requires these young elements. I think we are just lucky to have this set of people led by Pinnick at this time and I’m also happy that they have the support of other members of the NFF board.

The secrets of my fitness

There are no secrets as it were but the grace of God. So, I give thanks to God because I’m very fit even at 76. I’m surprised about the kind of energy that I have now and I can tell I work so late at night these days than even in the afternoon.  Again, there has been certain characteristics that have been with me since my younger years; I don’t envy people and I’m contented with what I have.  I take life easy and unlike so many people, I sleep well even when I get upset.  I forget about what I can get because God says it’s not for me.  And irrespective of my personal disposition with you, I have the moral and spiritual obligation to give you what you deserve, otherwise my creator can as well use a tree to achieve the same purpose. In other words, I don’t take myself seriously and I’m very open to everybody.

What can make me angry? I get easily angry when you tell me lies or when you are playing upon my intelligence but I shoot it down by ignoring it. I won’t tell you lies and I won’t promise what I cannot do. I feel happier to be humbled.  I’m an occasional drinker, and I’m happier to see that the work I’m doing is succeeding, particularly after spending a great deal of time. I really thank God for my training in journalism, otherwise I won’t be able to do some of the things I’m doing presently.

My family

In life, some people are lucky to have married early; some people are lucky to have their parents look after them from infancy to adulthood. Some people are lucky to have children to take care of because they don’t have extended family members that took their attention and some ensure they took care of their extended family members first before raising their own children.  At whatever time you have children, God says you must look after them  but is it you really that is looking after those children? It’s God and we are getting joy from the children God has given to us. I didn’t start having children early but I’m blessed with two children.  They are still in school  and the boy is very much interested in playing football. In fact, he has won so many medals and he is currently a boarding student  at St. Finbarr’s College in Lagos. He loves athletics and football.

Abstinence from politics

Most often, I don’t make noise in the newspapers because I live my life quietly.  I keep a low profile and allow my works to speak for me. I’m committed to improving the standard of refereeing and God has given me so much exposure to do that. If I don’t do it, I would have lost a purpose in life by not extending the knowledge God has given me to others. If I had not gone to England by the grace of God, I wouldn’t have had the exposure and training that I had as a referee.  The last thing I want to get involved with is politics. I’m from Enugu and people from my place in Nsukka wanted me to be involved with politics but I repeatedly turned it down. I don’t like to be compelled to do things I don’t like; such things would not make me happy. Apart from the entertainment values that we get, football gives us joy and it has every opportunity to take away youths from crime. Football makes me happy and I’m happy that Nigerians love football irrespective of  religion, tribes and tongues.

 

He is called Bentley for his speedy run on the pitch but Chukwuma Akabueze has enthused that his life off the hallowed ground of the beautiful game is a direct opposite, maintaining he is a private person through and through.

“My name means ‘God knows’ and I think my parents were correct to name me that way. God knows everything about me that I’m an indoor person,” the 28-year-old Akabueze, who plays for Boluspor in the Turkish TFF First League, told The Nation. “I started my career in football  just like any other African kid playing football on the streets but my first experience of organised football was from the Pepsi football academy in Akure.

“Growing up, I was determined to play football after listening to older people talk about the USA’1994 Super Eagles and their exploits. I watched some of their tapes too and all I wanted was to just be as good as some of them.”

He started his professional career with Kwara United and made a huge impression at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada and his stunning winning goal in the 2-1 defeat of Zambia in the Round of 16 at the Lansdowne Stadium in Ottawa was considered one of the best goals of the tournament. He later moved to Norway where he had great four seasons with Odds Ballklubb (commonly known as Odds or Odd Greenland) scoring 32 goals in 95 matches. He reportedly signed for SK Brann in July 2011 and in 2013, Bentley transferred to Chinese Super League club Wuhan Zall. He was back at  Odd Grenland in 2014 before moving to Turkey  this year.

“Playing in Europe  is  one of the best things to have happened  to me,” he  admitted.

“To be honest,  it has been amazing and a  dream come true for me  because everything  I’d  dreamt off came true and I’m grateful to God for it all.

“Of course, there is a huge gulf between playing abroad and playing back home in Nigeria; there are clear differences in terms of organisation, facilities, welfare and so on, but in terms of talents, I think we are almost at the same level with them.

“My movement to Turkey was ordained by God  and it actually came through when I was having issues with my contract at my former club, Odds Ballklubb.

“My agents came up with the details about the move to Turkey and I felt it was a good one, so I moved to Turkey and it’s been good so far.

“God has blessed me to be able to go to a lot of countries in the world but I would say China is the best country I have visited or stayed in because it has some fantastic places that really caught my fancy.

“Of course, I have been opportune to play in many stadia in my sojourn abroad but I can easily tell you that the best stadium I have played in has to be the Idunna Sidna Park, the home of German side Borussia Dortmund. It is a beautiful stadium and the facilities there are top notch and the fans too are absolutely fantastic,” he emphasised.

Chukwuma is nostalgic about his days in the national team set up with the Flying Eagles, as well as his sparring moments with the Super Eagles, but reckons he can still contribute to the success of the team if given the chance.

He continued: “I have played against a lot of good players but I cannot forget playing against Chile’s Alexis Sanchez at the 2007 World Cup in Canada. At the tournament, he showed that he is an incredible footballer and he contributed to our 4-0 defeat by Chile in the quarter finals. He gave us a hard time and would always be one of the toughest players I have played against.

“Playing for one’s country is every footballer’s dream and mine is not different. I remember vividly when I was first  invited to the Super Eagles after the U-20  World Cup  in Canada and training with the big stars was really big for me.

“The experience was great for me;. I have played two games for Nigeria and I even scored the winning goal against Kenya in a friendly game and no doubt, I can do more.

 

“I’m still going strong and it’s interesting that some of my teammates in our days with the Flying Eagles are in the present crop of players in the Super Eagles.

“I’m currently doing well for my team in Turkey and I have not given up on playing for the Super Eagles. I’ve been there before and I enjoyed every bit of it. I don’t know what the future holds but I will keep working hard and also helping my club.

“Hopefully,  if I do that the national team handlers will notice me and give me a call-up. I am always willing to play for my country,” he explained.

Of course, the kernel of this interview has to do with Chukwuma’s life style off the pitch since he’s a private person who tried to shield himself away from the klieg-lights. “I’m an indoor type of guy. I usually stay at home with family;  I stay indoors and just chill with them.

“I am married to a beautiful wife and I have a beautiful family that I am very attached to. I’m really happy having them around me. We are a family of four now and I’m grateful to God for giving me this wonderful family.

“My wife cooks quite well and I enjoy her food a lot. For me, my favourite food has to be egg and plantain. Give me that and I’m good. Champagne is my favourite drink. I’m an occasional drinker but if I ever had the chance to indulge, it has to be champagne.

“I love action movies; they make me happy, especially the action movies from the nineties.

“I love music, after all, they say music is the soul of life and I love hip-hop. Anything hip-hop gets me going and I also listen to Nigerian music too.

“I’m not a car freak. I don’t drive abroad but when I’m in Nigeria I dive a Maserati,“ revealed  Chukwuma who hugs with Hugo boss because  ‘I love what they put out’.

*A SNOB? NO, I’M AN AMBIVERT      *I’M NOT A SNOB BUT AN AMBIVERT        *‘I’M DESTINED TO PLAY BASKETBALL’

They said you don’t judge a book by its cover; and there is a truism in that popular assertion of the personae of Evelyn Akhator, a star member of the national women basketball team.

Akhator, regarded as one of the D’Tigress’ best performers in their gold-winning expedition at the FIBA Women’s 2017 Afrobasket Championship in Mali, somehow has a stoic look that many have long passed for arrogance, but the 22-year-old has matter-of-factly shed some light on her personality, saying she is neither an introvert nor extrovert.

 “I’d say I’m ambient; it all depends on the environment I find myself in,” began Akhator, the 3rd overall pick in the 2017 WNBA who stars for Dallas Wings before crossing over to Russia with Dynamo Novosibirsk.

An ambivert is a new term and it is said to be a person with a balance of extrovert and introvert features in their personality and Akhator says she has the capacity to bounce between the two characteristics.

“Trust me, I get that “snob” stereotypical view of me a lot, but remember I used the word ambivert to describe my personality traits; I’m more extrovert when I’m with friends and people I’m comfortable with and introvert when I’m out.

“I’m not a talking type of person, so people assume I’m a snob because I’m always quite until you get to talk to me and I’m not surprised you thought I’m a snob,” she squealed.

 Speaking further, Akhator said she tried as much as possible to be friendly and considers her teammate in the national team, Nkem Akaraiwe, as one of her closest buddies.   

 She explained: “My best friend is Nkem Akaraiwe and we’ve been friends since 2010. We became friends when I went to Asaba for training and we happened to have the same coaches.

“We both share same similarities outside the fact that we both look alike. We didn’t become best friends in a day; we talked, shared thoughts and we both love God.

“The funny thing was, nobody could believe we would be friends because she doesn’t really talk much and same with me and I think that’s what made us connect because we both kinda look the same.”

 Even identical twins, not least the best of friends have different routes and Akhator enthused it was actually destiny that led her to basketball despite her initial love for football and athletics in her younger years.

“My love for basketball started in high school when my neighbours were talking about my height and how I needed to play basketball; though I was already into soccer and track so I gave it a shot and fell in love with the game,” revealed Akhator as she speaks on her unshakable love for basketball, amongst other interesting issues, in this interview with MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.

Between soccer and basketball

Soccer and track is like a tradition for Nigerians growing up, but, for me, I was just doing it for fun, she revealed.  Though I thought about running track because my dad wanted me to run track but it wasn’t the sport for me. But when I started basketball, I felt the connection, just like when Adam met Eve; he knew Eve was meant for him. That’s the same feeling I got. My dad wasn’t happy about it at first, but my mom supported me. Though they wanted me to focus on school alone but you know when you grow up with African parents, you have to be stubborn to be able to achieve your dreams, especially because of the situation we face in Nigeria. Let’s just say I was destined for this. Before I started, I prayed about it and when I got the feeling, and I saw improvement after three months, I knew this was the sport for me and I knew I could fulfil my other dreams which is going to school and earning money through this sport. So, I had to be stubborn to be able to achieve those goals.

Family ties and sport

None of my parents did sport and from my siblings, my elder brother was into soccer but he stopped. So technically, I’m the only one into sport.

I think I’d be finishing up with school or still be in school ( if not playing basketball) because I’ve had the dream of going into the medical field, so I think that’s what I’d have been into. I’m only eight years and four months (as at November 2017) in the sport since the day I started learning basketball. So, that’s why I said I’m destined to play this game and I’m thankful to God for this opportunity. As I said, God destined me to play this sport and I’ve got a lot of people who guided me through it. There’s something I learnt when I started the game; to be successful, you have to let yourself be coached even by a little kid. That’s how to grow in the game and I’m thankful to God for that. I have a lot of coaches that pushed me in the game and also a mentor who has helped me as well. I played for First Bank before I left the country and I’m glad I did because I wouldn’t have crossed paths with one of the coaches if I didn’t play there.

Adventure with the D’Tigress

It was a pretty good experience for me. I had the opportunity to meet some of the vets as well and also my best friend (Nkem Akaraiwe). I thought I’d be able to play with her again but it didn’t work out the way I planned it but I’m glad I decided to play. The federation as well showed a good ethical behaviour; they showed us that they cared about us, as well as not just being the staff alone but also our friends. That’s one of the things that motivate me to want to come back and play again.

I have lots of great memories in basketball from when I started until now and I’d say coming together from different backgrounds just weeks before the tournament and some of us came days before the tournament and still were able to tolerate our attitudes, and just played the game and played together and then coming back with the trophy is huge and it’s something I won’t stop talking about, you know. I’ve only been with the national team for just this year and I’d say taking the title in Mali would be one of the big moments for me. I don’t know how many more years I still plan on playing, only God knows that, but I’m still in the game. I was really happy, I even cried because I needed that.

Being happy and sad

I’m a very emotional person; my heart was broken when I lost my mom, so that’s a huge reason to cry. Some of my mom’s qualities that I possess: her smile, her work ethics, she’s nice, loving, caring and most importantly, she fears God. Unless something happened, I don’t really know what can make me cry. I cried in Mali after we won the Women Afrobasket Tournament and Nigeria hasn’t won a tournament in 12 years and we just made history; that’s a huge accomplishment and also a reason to cry. My tears were  tears of happiness and there are ways to bring that happiness out which involves surprises from God. I’m a happy person, so everything makes me happy and I’m thankful to God.

From First Bank to abroad

I went to the US and I got a scholarship to play and school there at Chipola Community College. It wasn’t an easy transition but the people around me made it easy for me. I’m just starting my professional career, I think I’ll come back to that question when the time is right. As a professional basketball player, you pick the best offer that will benefit you as well as help your game and I think coming to Russia is beneficial to me.I lived in a cold place before and I know it’s not cold compared to this place(Russia), but I think I’m handling it pretty good so far. I grew up in Nigeria but I lived in Kentucky before so I think I’ve had a little feel of the weather here before coming to this country.

Playing in the WNBA

WNBA is the biggest and best league in the world and playing there was a dream come true because I’ve always wanted to play in the league and I’m thankful to God for fulfilling that dream for me. Russia, I believe, is also a good league and I believe the second best league. Most of the players in the WNBA play here in the winter as well and it’s very competitive. My team here in Russia is Dynamo Novosibirsk.

My ideal man

I would say he must be real and God-fearing; every other thing will fall into place. But in terms of physical attributes, he has to be athletic. I don’t want a man who’ll be sitting at home while I go work out because that’s a turn off for me. He has to understand me and my profession, as well as show care and loving. And he needs to know how to play (smiling).Most importantly, we have to have things in common.

SHORT & SHARP WITH EVELYN AKHATOR

Tell us about a day you will never forget and why

I think it’d be the day I lost my mom. I felt it and I was restless that evening and was complaining about calling her, that also changed my life and how I view things.

Seems you were closer to mum than dad?

Yes,  I’m close to my parents but closer to my mom. She was my best friend.

What qualities do you admire in your dad?

He’s hard working as well; helped me through school, love his children and I love him too.

What is your beauty regimen?

I don’t think I have one; everything about me is natural.

You don’t make up?

I rarely do make up; I makeup when it’s required.

What kind of food do you like?

I’m more of a carbs (carbohydrate) person.

What will you not be caught wearing?

That’s a tough one; I’d say dressing like a man.

You don’t wear trousers pants?

Women have pants too that don’t look manly; and yeah, I barely wear pants.

What kind of books do you read?

I’m not really a fan of reading books aside my bible, but I have a book called “Another Shot” that I’m about to start up reading.

Another Shot, who is the author?

Dave Martin.

Which are your best verses in the Bible?

I have lots of them but two of my favourites are Joshua 1:9 and Psalm 121.

Which favourite designs do you wear?

I don’t really have a favourite design, I go with what suits me.

What’s your shoe size and favourite sport design?

I wear men’s 10 and women’s 11 and I don’t have a favourite sport design, but I have more Nikes because I went to a Nike school as well as they have nice playing shoes more, but I have more of Puma outside my playing shoes.

What are your final thoughts?

I’ve got a question for you; did you prepare this question for just me or they are questions you ask everyone?

I like spontaneity and sincerely, this is one of the best (interviews) I’ve done. The more you answered, I got something else to ask you. In fact, I thought you would be a snob but you turned out be a very good person.

 

PROFILE

Name:  Akhator Evelyn

Date of birth: Feb 3, 1995

Present club: Dynamo Novosibirsk

Former club: Dallas Wings (USA)

Position: Power forward /Centre

 Scorecard at Afrobasket 2017:  For many, asides being the top performer in the D’Tigress team, the third overall pick in the 2017 WNBA was widely seen as the most valuable player, MVP, at the FIBA Women’s 2017 Afrobasket Championship. She accounted for 122 of the total points haul of the D’Tigress. Her highest scoring games were in the group ties against Egypt and Guinea when she scored 24 points apiece. With an average of 9.5 rebounds per game, Akhator was rated second overall in Mali.

Nigerian youngster Nnaoma Bede Opara is currently one of the talking points at Portuguese Primeria Liga side, Grupo Desportivo de Chaves – commonly known as Chaves.

The 18-year-old was recruited into the club’s juvenile team but his commanding presence in the heart of the team’s defence has seen him being dragged into the Team B within a relatively short period.

“My time here at Chaves has been very interesting and I really thank God that everything is going well,” stated Opara, a protégé from the modest Brighter Tomorrow Football located in Umuekwune Ngor-Okpala, Imo State. “I want to say a big thank you to Mr. Emeka Darlington Ariwa who is the president and the founder of Brighter Tomorrow that facilitated my trial to FC Porto.  When Porto rejected me, I was taken to Chavez where I have been able to prove myself.”

In Opara, there is indeed some blessing in some disappointments and he enthused that being rejected at some point in his career has really fired his adrenalin.

He said: “ The day I will never forget was  the day a coach pushed me out of his team  because he never believed in my career  and I suffered same when I went to FC Porto; but things like that don’t bother me again.

“I have had the opportunity of playing in the same team with the likes of David Enogela and Ernest Agenor who were part of the team that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup with the Golden Eaglets in 2015 and that shows the kind of quality that I possess too.

“Coming to Chaves has really improved my game and I want to thank Coach Vitor Gamito. Already, I have played nine matches for the youth side and four matches for Team B. It’s interesting because I only came to Portugal this year.

“Another day I can’t forget was the day I travelled to Europe because it was like a dream to me but I thank God because I’m here to do what I love; football is my life.

“One of the things that make me happy is playing football and whenever I remember I have training or match, I always feel so happy.  In fact, I only dream about football and love the game so much.”

Opara has played all his life in the defensive position and revealed he wishes to model his game after Thiago Silva, Giorgio Chiellini, as well as former African Footballer of the Year, Yaya Toure.

“My role models are Thiago Silva, the captain of PSG and Brazil,” revealed Opara, a basketball freak. “I also like Giorgio Chiellini who plays for Juventus. I picked Silva and Chiellini because they are some of the best defenders in the world and I cherish their style of playing.

“ I also cherish  Yaya Toure so much because  he is a business-minded player, calm and so humble and I wish I can combine all the fine attributes of these three players.”

Like many notable African players in Europe, Opara had to fight against the stereotype in order to realise his dream of playing football.

“Choosing football as a career was not easy at the beginning because my parents were not in my support, but they later recognised that football is my God-given talent and they decided to give me their full support. I’m happy they gave their blessings  and I know the sky is my limit.

“I just want to concentrate on my career at Chaves and I pray for other opportunities with the club as well as the opportunity of playing for any of our national teams. I’m still 18 and I’m looking forward you a very bright future,” Opara noted.