Nigerian Football

Ex-Nigerian Footballers in the Diaspora set for Grand Reunion

Published

7 years ago

April 26, 2017

Former Nigerian international footballers in the Diaspora who recently formed an umbrella body, the Nigerian Ex-International Footballers Association, NEIFA, will in July formally launch the organisation.
The body comprising former players in the then Green Eagles and those in the Flying Eagles as well as the Golden Eaglets are mostly living in the United States. A press release sent to www.sportsvillagesquare.com indicates that the organisation led by Francis Monidafe plans to organise its inaugural launching as well as fund raising at Atlanta, Georgia on July 29.
According to the press statement, NEIFA is championing better welfare for its members and promoting causes that will engender proper football development of the current crop of players playing for Nigeria at various levels.
With a mission to advocate better quality of life for former teammates in Nigeria and around the world, who have fallen on harder times, NEIFA boasts of members, ranging from varying respectable professional backgrounds and fields of human endeavours like engineering, business, elite academy and university coaching.
In the statement issued by the secretary, Nathaniel Ogedegbe, NEIFA observed that many Nigerian footballers were battling with many problems on various fronts, which sadly have not been addressed headlong by the country’s institutions, prompting the body to step in and seek ways to alleviate the burden being faced by former footballers and present ones.
Noting that since its formation some years back that members of the organisation have been able to pull resources together to support the expenses of ex-internationals, Ogedegbe said the time has come for NEIFA to reach out to the broader spectrum of footballers and ex-footballers in need of assistance.
The body noted that the coming fundraising in Atlanta will help the organisation to fully achieve its vision of ensuing that footballers do not live from hand to mouth again.

Nigerian Football

Behold! Nigeria Football’s October 8 Magic

Published

13 mins ago

October 8, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Nigeria’s Godwin Iwelumo terrorising Egypt’s goalmouth 47 years ago in an October 8 match. Nigeria won 4-0 inflicting the worst ever defeat on Egypt in a World Cup qualifier.

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.

The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.

That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.

Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.

The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.

Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.

Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.

Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.

Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!

Nigeria on 8 October

1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.

Nigerian Football

Rivers flow to the top!

Published

2 days ago

October 6, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.

It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.

Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85^th minute.

Sunday Results