International Football
BRYAN IDOWU IS NIGERIA’S 59TH SCORING DEBUTANT
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Bryan Idowu who scored the goal that shot Nigeria ahead in the Tuesday’s match with Argentina has become the 59th Nigerian international to find the net in first appearance.
Idowu, a defender with FC Amkar Perm in the Russian Premier League, was a second half substitute for Ola Aina who was having his third outing in Nigeria’s colours.
Fourteen minutes after his introduction, the defender surged forward to put Nigeria ahead after Alex Iwobi had levelled the score line for Nigeria.
His impressive performance could be an indication of what should be expected from him in the days leading to the World Cup that will be competed for in his country of abode.
A resident of Russia, Idowu is of Nigerian decent, having a full blooded Nigerian father and half Nigerian, half Russian mother. He was born and raised in Russia except for the period he was aged three to six when he lived in Owerri, Nigeria.
He may have compounded the selection headaches for Coach Rohr who will be seriously be thinking of how to accommodate the player that was not part of the qualifying series.
The impressive well-built defender with attacking instinct has now joined the rank of other notable Nigerian players – Obafemi Martins, Finidi George, Uche Okechukwu, Thompson Usiyan and Matthias Obianika among others who scored in the very first time they played for Nigeria.
It has been long that a previously uncapped player found the net. Peter Utaka and Osas Idehen did score for a second string Nigerian side of 2010 in the 5-2 demolition of Congo DR in a friendly tie in Abuja.
Iwobi too missed being a scoring debutant has his first goal for Nigeria after having been substitute in two previous matches with Congo and Cameroon in friendly matches played in Vise, Belgium in October 2015.
The first scoring debutant for Nigeria was Tesilimi Balogun, in whose name a stadium in Lagos is named. It was against Sierra Leone in both countries’ maiden international duel on October 8, 1949, that he achieved his feat.
The last time Nigeria presented the full complement of its national team in Lagos was 2001 in an African Nations Cup qualifier. Victor Agali, having his first cap, scored the solitary goal of the encounter.
Obafemi Martins was also another scoring debutant when he found the net in Nigeria’s 3-0 demolition of Republic of Ireland in a friendly game on May 29, 2004 in London.
Barely six months later, Ayodele Makinwa joined the exclusive club when he score Nigeria’s only goal in a 2-1 loss to South Africa on the occasion of Mandela Challenge tie in Johannesburg. That was the first time South Africa scored and beat Nigeria.
NIGERIA’S SCORING DEBUTANTS
PLAYER MATCH/ DATE VENUE
- Balogun Tesilimi Sierra Leone October 8, 1949 Freetown
- Okoh Friday – 2 goals Gold Coast October 20, 1951 Lagos
- Asoluka Cyril Gold Coast October 20, 1951 Lagos
- Anieke Peter Gold Coast October 20, 1951 Lagos
- Okere Titus Gold Coast October 20, 1951 Lagos
- Okwudili Daniel Gold Coast October 27, 1956 Lagos
- Longe Julius Gold Coast October 27, 1956 Lagos
- Ejoh Hubert Gold Coast October 27, 1956 Lagos
- Noquapor Patrick – 2goals v. Ghana October 27, 1957 Accra
- Ijeomah Isaac Ghana October 27, 1957 Accra
- Buraimoh Abudu – 2Goals v. Ghana October 25, 1958 Lagos
- Onyali Elkana v. Ghana October 10, 1959 Lagos
- Ohiri Christopher v. Ghana October 10, 1959 Lagos
- Chukwumah Egwuonu v. Tunisia December 10, 1961 Tunis
- Egbuonu Johnny v. Cameroon January 1, 1963, Yaounde
- Udemezue Chris v. Cameroon January 1, 1963, Yaounde
- Olatunji Lasisi v. Guinea July 27, 1963 Lagos
- Anieke Sunday v. Gabon August 28, 1965 Libreville
- Mordi Bobo v. Gabon August 28, 1965 Libreville
- Olowo-Oshodi Samsideen v. Congo November 5, 1966 Lagos
- Aghoghovbia Joe v. Cameroon December 10, 1968 Lagos
- Obianika Mathias – 2 Goals v. Upper Volta November 27, 1971 Lagos
- Oyarekhua Sunny v. Upper Volta November 27, 1971 Lagos
- Popoola Ben v. Cote d’Ivoire July 18, 1974 Lagos
- Ibeabuchi Ogidi v. Ghana August 24, 1974 Accra
- Usiyen Thompson v. Kenya February 7, 1976 Nairobi
- Godwin Iwelumo v. Benin February 14, 1977 Lagos
- Onwuachi Martins v. Benin October 14, 1978 Cotonou
- Boateng Leotis v. Tunisia July 12, 1980 Lagos
- Emmanuel Osigwe v. Tunisia July 12,1980,Lagos
- Nwokocha Chris v. Tanzania Dec. 20, 1980 Dar-es-Salam
- Ali Bala v. Upper Volta July 18, 1981 Lagos
- Adeshina Ademola v. Ethiopia March 7, 1982 Benghazi
- Omughele John v. Ghana October 30, 1983 Accra
- Sadi Dahiru v. Kenya April 20, 1985 Lagos
- Balarabe Abubakar v. Guinea April 9, 1989 Conakry
- Adekola Adeolu v. Guinea April 22, 1989 Ibadan
- Oyekanmi Taju v. Cote d’Ivoire January 25, 1990 Kaduna
- Okechukwu Uche v. Cote d’Ivoire January 25, 1990 Kaduna
- Lawal Dimeji v. Togo August 18, 1990 Lagos
- Finidi George v. Burkina Faso July 27, 1991 Lagos
- Taiwo Wasiu v. USA June 11, 1995 Boston
- Fatusi Tesilimi v. Czech Rep. Dec, 11, 1996 Casablanca
- Zeigbo Kenneth v. Cameroon August 7, 1997 Tunis
- Garba Ahmed v. Iran Jan. 28, 1998 Hong Kong
- Aghahowa Julius v. Morocco February 3, 2000 Lagos
- Ishola Shuaibu v. Malawi June 4, 2000 Kano
- Agali Victor v. Zambia January 13, 2001 Lagos
- Opabunmi Femi v. Kenya May 4, 2002 Lagos
- Ogochukwu Ileagwu v. Senegal October 12, 2002 Dakar
- Ogechukwu Uche v. Ghana December 15, 2002 Accra
- Akwueme Emeka v. Jordan April 28, 2004 Lagos
- Martins Obafemi v. Ireland May 29, 2004 London
- Makinwa Ayodele v. South Africa Nov. 17, 2004 Johannesburg
- Akabueze Chukwuma v. Kenya May 27, 2007 Nairobi
- Peter Utaka v. Congo DR March 3, 2010 Abuja
- Osas Idehen v. Congo DR March 3, 2010 Abuja
- Ehiosun Ekigho v. Sierra Leone February 9, 2011, Lagos
- Bryan Idowu Argentina, November 14, 2017
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
RELATED STORIES:
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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Grudgingly, Eto’o accepts new Cameroon coach Brys, but fails to attend ceremony
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