For members of the National Under-17 team, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. But what kind of lives do they live outside the field? MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN reports on the behind-the-scene stuff inside the Golden Eaglets’ camp…
THEY play their football with an uncommon élan: fast and furious attacking style which has bowled over fans from Calabar to Cairo; from Doha to Dubai; Abuja to Abu Dhabi and the rest of the world.
In fact, one could be forgiven to think that these Golden Eaglets think, drink and eat only football, but far from it for players and officials, there is indeed life after football.
“If not football, I would have made a career in music,” says Chigozie Obasi, the defender who scored a screamer in the 5-0 thrashing of Iran the other day.
Obasi indeed knows his music like the back of his hand so much so he showed everyone how good he is the other day when he crooned the hit song of his favourite musician, Olamide- Durosoke -without missing a line, much to the pleasure of all.
“I love Olamide’s music very much because he sings about ordinary things and makes it real great,” notes Obasi who speaks flawless Yoruba language despite being an Ibo boy – he actually grew up in Lagos.
Like some of his teammates, Obasi confesses that he has never thought of anything other than football – ditto for the likes of attention-shy Musa Yahaya.
Another lead rapper in the Golden Eaglets is no other than Clement Ogbobe who missed out of the 2013 Under-17 World Cup squad. Both Obasi and Ogbobe were weaned at the National Under-15 team under the watch of ex-international, Coach Siji Lagunju, who described them as ‘singing Siamese twins.’
There is this joke about coach Lagunju – the 11th official in the Golden Eaglets – who usually greets the players in a characteristic way: ‘hi guys, hi guys!’ But the Golden Eaglets put to test the common saying that ‘success has so many fathers, but failure’s an orphan’ upon their loss to Cote d’Ivoire via penalty shootout at the CAN Under-17 championship in Morocco. Goalkeeper Adamu Abubakar who ‘ate his way out’ of the World Cup, pulled a fast one on their father-figure by greeting him profusely after the famous defeat, but a disenchanted coach Lagunju was just not in the mood. This stuff did not come to light until the team’s recent pre-World Cup camping in Dubai when the story was relayed to Lagunju by Coach Manu Garba amidst general laughter on the night a get together was held for the team.
“You know, I don’t even know that was how I greet the players,” Lagunju confessed.” And I can’t even recollect I made such a remark in Morocco but that must have been done in error if there was anything like that.”
Another official who fell afoul of the players’ antics during the tour of Dubai was ‘the godfather’, as Emeka Amadi is often referred to. The goalkeeper trainer who was usually on the neck of Isaac Success for always coming late ‘in-bus’ for training was systematically given a bitter pill. Of course, there is a sanction for every conceivable offence but Success was audacious to recommend that Emeka should skip dinner for coming late on this particular day.
“For coming late sir, I think coach should not be allowed to take dinner,” gushes out Success, amidst a cacophony of laughter.
The joke was not lost on the Teutonic Emeka who enjoys his meal with a relish. Talking about food, all the three goalkeepers; Sunday Alampasu, Uzoho Odinaka and pint-sized followed the footstep of their trainer and not forgetting Godwin Saviour, Japheth Raymond, Dennis Okon-Nya and Akinjide Idowu would reasonably be in good company. Sometimes it takes some cajoling and threats by the team physician, Dr. Deji Olarinoye, to stop some of these guys from eating like a foodie.
“ These guys love food and there is little one can do about this,” notes Olarinoye who is equally feared by the players since he is seen as the Alpha and Omega because of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI) Test.
By the way, fear of the MRI Test was the beginning of wisdom amongst the players; upon return from Abuja with another cache of results, Deji was declared as ‘the anti-Christ’ by gifted midfielder, Bernard Bulbwa, who was later dropped for crossing the ‘borderline’ soon after the CAN Under-17 Championship.
“I would always have a fond memory of my time in the Golden Eaglets camp,” Bernard said on the eve of his departure from their Princeville Hotel Camp in Calabar. “We are lucky to have passed through the hands of these coaches and other officials, but personally, I want to thank everybody for being like a father to me.
“Several times, I should have been thrown out for breaking camp rules but I was treated like a son by the officials, I would forever be grateful,” adds Bulbwa who got the nickname ‘Otutu’ after leading a motley crew to a rendezvous in Calabar at the close of camping soon after the team secured qualification for the CAN Under-17 Championship last December.
But for a doting father like coach Manu Garba (MFR), some of the players would have long been sent out of camp for their temerity in pressing the self-destruct buttons.
“The reason why we are all here is to mould the players because some of them have never been in this type of environment before,” Manu often counsels the MOGs-(MOG is an abbreviation for Men-On- Ground is a pseudonym for team officials). “We just have to keep managing them and shape their character positively.”
In the company of Bulbwa was, of course, workaholic Idowu who is commonly referred to as a pastor or deacon for usually leading the team’s prayer session until he dropped out due to what is likened to in camp as the ‘Ninja move.’ New boy, Raymond, has since taken over from Idowu as ‘the spiritual leader’ and it remains to be seen if he would not fall into the Ninja trap.
By the way, the phrase ‘Ninja Movement’ actually crept into the Golden Eaglets’ lexicon following a raid on the room of the players to catch unsuspecting ones who were still holding tenaciously to their phones contrary to the norm.
Determined to outsmart the early morning intruders led by Tayo Egbaiyelo, the pious Saliu Ali-Baba nearly sneaked away until he was caught by the team’s secretary who is fondly called Dazzler.
“Ali- Baba thought he could dazzle me with his Ninja movement but I showed him that I’m like an eagle-eyed detector,” says Tayo, the Champions League exponent.
Of course, you can deny Egbaiyelo anything but champions’ league-no prizes for guessing what is champions’ league which is an aphorism for one of the major sponsors of the European Champions League. In Egbeiyalo’s league on this score is the duo of Suleiman Abubakar-the General- and team physician, Deji Olarinoye, as well as assistant coach, Emmanuel Amuneke.
“You can’t deny me onye-ukwu after a hard day’s job,” the former African footballer of the Year often says.” There must be marked separation of work and pleasure; I work hard and must play hard too.”
You would have to admire Amuneke for his puritanical devotion to his job despite being the boss at the ‘pool zone’, but he would be the first to rise up the next day for practice. In fact, the joke is that you don’t need a gun or poison to kill Amuneke; just deny him playing football for one week and he would be a goner.
If Amuneke loves football like kids love chocolate; the General, Abubakar, is the guy who loves life to the full. A fashoionista and a connoisseur of so many things, Abubakar doesn’t suffer fools gladly.
“I wonder what kind of guy was Suleiman when he was a teenager,” assistant coach, Nduka Ugbade, usually laments anytime the General pulls a fast one on him.
Inside the Golden Eaglets’ camp, you must be mentally alert or you pay dearly for it. You don’t just leave your things flying around lest you would ‘be made to suffer.’ The story is better told by Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme, Director Technical at the NFF, who was left panting the day the MOGs swooped on his Porsche Blackberry smart phone during their training tour ahead of the CAN Championship at Aspire in Doha
“Come on guys, I brought this phone along with me,” a crest-fallen Ikpeme told the head coach, not knowing it was the occupier of Room 419 that actually orchestrated the plan.
Incidentally, Manu is the only one who has ever stayed in Room 419 throughout Golden Eaglets worldwide tour in the last one-and-half years. But that was the lot of the amiable and pious Manu as he was handed the key to Room 419 at the Aspire Centre. The rooms allocated to officials started from 419 and since he was the number one on the list, it was his lot to be the occupant of the room with such an infamous number.
But there is also the ‘Headquarter’ within the rank and file of the Golden Eaglets. Most often than not, when things get ‘missing’ in the milieu of mental alertness, the usual suspect is no other than the media officer, Morakinyo Abodunrin.
“Haba! Mr. Moraks, I think we would report you to your wife,” warned Dazzler. “Who would have thought you were the one orchestrating all these?”
Moraks has since moved on but the team’s current nemesis is no other than a certain African Footballer of the Year, who actually nicknamed Physiotherapist Gabriel Oyegunna as Mr. Chubby.
Oyegunna was lithe as a cat when his first game to camp but overtime has gained weight so much so that he often skips lunch much to the annoyance of his contrived in-law.
“What is he going to use all the food he is eating for?” Dazzler often asked Mr. Chubby.
Mr. Chubby’s alter ego, Dr. Deji, often lambasts him for always ‘blushing’ at the sight of the opposite sex : “What kind of a guy is Gabriel? and I’m waiting to see the girl he would drag to the altar,” Deji said after his friend bought an alluring ring at the famous exclusive Saga World in Dubai recently.
If Mr. Chubby and Dr. Deji are the Tom and Jerry amongst the officials, striker Kelechi Iheanacho and Chidera Ezeh are the other Siamese twins in the house. These former Under-15 chaps are always together and you wonder who can do without the other. They have further extended the friendship to a gang that also include Chidiebere Nwakali and Chigozie Obasi.
In camp, there is a common bond between players and officials; the lads are usually referred to as ‘The Warriors’ and each officials we were told, have one nickname or the other which I guess would be known at the end of the 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup.
“All is well that ends well,” coach Ugbade said.
“ We really have to thank God that we did our best in this assignment and I know our lives can never be the same long after this campaign because we are going to miss one another.”
