International Football
Nigeria Face Togo After 26 Years
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
When the Super Eagles of Nigeria file out on Thursday at Stade Municipal de Saint Leu Lat Foret in Paris to face the Hawks of Togo, it will be the first encounter in 26 years for the two countries that are almost within shouting distance of one another.
Sports Village Square recalls that both teams last met on January 27, 1991 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier which final event took place in Senegal the following year.
Already, the Super Eagles’ camp is bubbling with excitements and great expectations as the friendly encounter will be the last match before the crucial Africa Cup of Nations qualifying duel with South Africa in Uyo.
“Tomorrow night, our @NGSuperEagles battle @LesEperviers of Togo in Paris #NGATOG #SoarSuperEagles #SuperEagles” a tweet from the NFF twitter handle gleefully announced.
The match kicks off at 7pm Nigerian time. Ahead of Thursday’s encounter, both Nigeria and Togo had met 16 times with the results swaying largely in the favour of the Super Eagles.
Nigeria had won eight of the encounters, drew five, including the last match and lost three. These statistics only speak a little about the encounters. The two of the three matches Nigeria lost to Togo had immense effects.
Sports Village Square recalls that despite the good run that the Nigerian team had while hosting the West African zonal qualifier for the first All Africa Games held in Congo Brazzaville, it was the 2-1 loss to Togo in the opening match on December 27, 1964 that eventually cost Nigeria a place at the All Africa Games.
The 6-1 defeat of Burkina Faso (then Upper Volta), 4-0 mauling of Niger Republic and the 1-1 draw in the abandoned match with Benin Republic (then Dahomey) all counted for nothing as Togo also beat all those countries to get the ticket for the football event of the All Africa Games.
The next loss was a 0-1 away loss to Togo which was reversed with a 4-2 win in the return leg for the 1968 Africa Nations Cup qualifier. But the last loss was a bashing.
A star-studded Nigerian side parading the likes of Stephen Keshi, Muda Lawal, Ademola Adeshina, Kingsley Paul among others, was left dazed after a 5-2 bashing by Togo in the semi-final of 1983 WAFU Cup.
It remained the heaviest defeat Nigeria suffered from any West African side apart from the pre-history 0-7 loss to Ghana (Gold Coast at the time) in 1955.
Togo was the third country Nigeria faced in an international match after that of Sierra Leone in 1949 and traditional rivals, Ghana (formerly Gold Coast).
Nigeria’s first encounter with the then Togoland was on October 6, 1956 and had the then Premier of Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo in attendance. He came from Ibadan to watch the match which to most Nigerians was disappointing on account of the 1-1 draw and a foreign coach, Leslie Courtier handling Nigeria for the first time.
NIGERIA versus TOGO Head-to-Head
October 6, 1956: Nigeria 1-1 Togo (Lagos, Friendly)
December 29, 1964: Nigeria 1-2 Togo (Lagos, All-Africa Games Qualifier)
March 6, 1966: Nigeria 1-0 Togo (Lagos, Friendly)
April 9, 1966: Nigeria 1-0 Togo (Lagos Friendly)
April 2, 1967: Togo 1-0 Nigeria (Lome, Afcon Qualifier)
April 15, 1967: Nigeria 4-2 Togo (Lagos, Afcon Qualifier)
April 23 1975: Togo 0-1 Nigeria (Dakar, Friendly)
June 13, 1980: Togo 0-1 Nigeria (Lome, Friendly)
July 9, 1983: Nigeria 2-1 Togo (Ibadan, Olympics Qualifier)
July 27, 1983: Togo 1-1 Nigeria (Lome, Olympics Qualifier)
December 16, 1983: Togo 5-2 Nigeria (Abidjan, WAFU Cup)
July 29, 1986: Togo 2-2 Nigeria (Lome, Friendly)
March 18, 1987: Nigeria 2-0 Togo (Lagos, Afcon Qualifier)
April 2, 1987: Togo 1-1 Nigeria (Lome, Afcon Qualifier)
August 18, 1990: Nigeria 3-0 Togo (Lagos, Afcon Qualifier)
January 27, 1991: Togo 0-0 Nigeria (Lome, Afcon Qualifier)
International Football
Grudgingly, Eto’o accepts new Cameroon coach Brys, but fails to attend ceremony
Cameroon’s new coach Marc Brys penned a contract on Monday but the Belgian’s appointment by the government remains contentious as the football federation did not attend the signing ceremony.
Brys has been handed a 2-1/2-year contract by Cameroon’s sports ministry but the federation (FECAFOOT) was conspicuous by its absence at the event in Yaounde.
Last week, FECAFOOT criticised the unilateral decision of sports minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombito to appoint the 61-year-old Brys, who has no prior experience as a national team coach and has not previously worked on the African continent.
FECAFOOT president Samuel Eto’o issued a statement on Monday, excusing himself from the unveiling event.
“We thank you for inviting us to the ceremony. Following this, we inform you of the fact that we received the letter two hours before the said ceremony,” wrote Eto’o.
“Unfortunately, we are busy organising the funeral of our late Dad, and for this reason we will not be able to attend presence at the ceremony.”
His father’s funeral is to be held at the weekend.
Eto’o balked at Brys’ appointment and is now in a deepening standoff with the minister.
In Cameroon, the government has long paid the salary of the national team coach and therefore held powerful sway over FECAFOOT’s affairs, even if such state interference is frowned upon by world football’s governing body FIFA.
Any heightened dispute risks a potential ban from international competition for Cameroon, one of the heavyweights of African football.
FECAFOOT held an emergency meeting on Saturday and asked Eto’o to propose an alternative coach for the national team.
Earlier on the weekend, the minister had defended the appointment, saying he had acted in accordance with national and international regulations.
In a letter to FECAFOOT, Kombi said his ministry’s appointment of coaching staff “in no way affects the autonomy of FECAFOOT and does not violate any of the ‘supranational regulations”.
He said FECAFOOT had suggested three candidates to the ministry but their salary demands ranged between 1.5 million euros and 2.5 million euros ($1.63 million and $2.71 million) per year.
“These are excessive amounts never paid to any coach in the history of the Indomitable Lions,” Kombi said.
-Reuters
Cameroon’s football federation (FECAFOOT) held an emergency meeting on Saturday and asked its president to propose an alternative coach for the national team, deepening a standoff with the sports ministry.
FECAFOOT on Wednesday accused the ministry of unilaterally appointing Belgian Marc Brys as coach and other staff to manage the Indomitable Lions, who are five-times African champions.
The dispute risks a potential ban from international competition as world soccer’s governing body FIFA has strict rules against government interference in national federations.
In a statement, FECAFOOT said its emergency committee had met on Saturday and unanimously confirmed that the federation had not been involved in the appointments in alleged contravention of regulations.
As a result, it asked its president Samuel Eto’o to propose a national coach and other management staff for the national side within 72 hours.
Responding to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the ministry said the result of the FECAFOOT meeting was “an appeal. It is not yet a decision.”
On Friday, Sports Minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombi wrote to FECAFOOT to defend the coaching appointments, which he said were in accordance with national and international rules.
In a letter seen by Reuters, Kombi said the ministry’s move “in no way affects the autonomy of FECAFOOT and does not violate any of the ‘supranational regulations’.”
A spokesperson for the ministry confirmed the authenticity of the letter.
Kombi’s letter also said the salaries requested by three candidates earlier proposed by the federation for the position of coach ranged between 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) and 2.5 million euros per year.
“These are excessive amounts never paid to any coach in the history of the Indomitable Lions,” Kombi said.
FECAFOOT did not respond to a request for comment on the letter.
-Reuters
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BREAKING! Turmoil in Cameroon federation over naming of new national coach Brys. https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/2024/04/03/breaking-turmoil-in-cameroon-federation-over-naming-of-new-national-coach-brys/
Soccer Cameroon appoint Brys as new head coach https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/2024/04/03/soccer-cameroon-appoint-brys-as-new-head-coach/
International Football
National team and club-mate Owolabi commiserates with grief-stricken Odegbami –
Powerful left-wing back in his playing days, Felix Owolabi has expressed great grief over the loss of a son of former teammate, Segun Odegbami.
Both Felix Owolabi and Odegbami share common traits as the earliest tertiary institution footballers featuring for clubs and the national team.
While Odegbami was a mechanical engineering student at The Ibadan Polytechnic, Owolabi was an undergraduate at the University of Lagos.
Both were players of the then rampaging IICC Shooting Stars and the Africa Cup of Nations winning team of 1980. The crucial goals that won the cup for Nigeria were scored by the duo.
While Owolabi’s goal against Morocco sent Nigeria to the Africa Cup of Nations final match for the first time, Odegbami’s two goals in the final against Algeria put a stamp of definity to Nigeria’s victory before another club-mate Muda Lawal put in the third.
“We have come a long way”, remarked Owolabi in a message to the Sports Village Square Thursday morning.
“I have just arrived from Morocco on a national assignment trying to adjust and deal with the extreme and gruelling hot weather here in Nigeria when I got the sad news of the sudden death of the son of my dear brother and senior colleague Dr Olusegun Odegbami.
“Hearing the death of Oluwagbeminiyi Omo Odegbami, I paused for a moment and did not know what to say.
“All the media both print and electronics carried it as a breaking news.
“And that was when it dawned on me that I had to call ‘Big Sheg’ as he is fondly called by me.
“His authoritative confirmation about it dealt a blow on me and put me total darkness.What would have happened to this our vibrant and such an enterprising Oluwagbeminiyi?
“Why would death be so so wicked to suddenly take this gentleman away from us without notice. Going on a journey that he will need not to look at anybody, an eternal journey till Christ come.
“My heart and that of my entire family are with you and the rest of the family”, remarked Owolabi.
“It is well. I pray that God grant him eternal rest. I pray also that the almighty God grant you the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. Today the death of Oluwagbeminiyi has made me to believe and conclude that death is real and it is universal
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