David Doherty one of the aspirants for the seat of NFF President in the September 30 election narrated his football tales, laughing off those suggesting that he is a total stranger to Nigerian football.
Unknown to many, David Doherty one of the aspirants for the seat of NFF President in the September 30 election narrowly missed out of the 12th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Youth Championship tagged Nigeria ‘99.
“I laugh when I hear some people say I know nothing about Nigerian football just because I have been operating from the United Kingdom,” the former Concord FC of Abeokuta attacker and founder of Team Nigeria UK said. “I don’t blame them though because they don’t really know my background.
“I played professional football. I was a player of Concord FC of Abeokuta from where I was invited into the Flying Eagles camp under coach Tunde Disu after eight goals to my credit in the league.
“ I played for Concord FC between 1998 and 1999; and before Concord FC, I had played for Water Corporation FC under late coach Kashimawo Laloko.
“In the Flying Eagles camp in Premier Hotel Ibadan from where the team moved to Lagos for the final preparation ahead of the African Youth Championship in Ghana, we had talents. We had at least two to three top quality players for a particular position.
“We had Julius Aghahowa and Pius Ikedia in the right wing before Aghahowa played himself into the striking role.
“ Eddy Dombraye, Aghahowa and myself were the trio pencilled down by Disu to lead the team’s attack before my injury.
“I narrowly missed out as the team headed for Ghana for the African Youth Championship (now CAF U-20 Tournament) because of an ankle injury which I sustained during one of our tune up games.
“Pius Ikedia was my roommate in the Flying Eagles camp. At interval Joseph Yobo comes into our room to share jokes with Ikedia and myself.
“ In that team, we had late goalkeeper Sam Okoye, Eddy Dombraye, Ganiyu Shittu, Ikenna Eneh and Rabiu Afolabi among others.
“After nursing my injury I proceeded to Yugoslavia to play for FK Kraguevac. I was actually going to join Gombe United from Concord FC when the offer from Yugoslavia came.
“Like I said, I played for FK Kraguevac in former Yugoslavia (now Serbia) between 2000 and 2002.
“I moved to London in 2002 on December 31st .I immediately took a coaching course, as FA Coach and equally ran a football club which played in a league known as South Alliance League same league that produced the likes of Ian Wright.
“I then did my degree in Business Administration in Greenwich University. UK where I met my wife, married for 14yrs with three boys now,” he noted.