Nigerian Football
LINUS MBA – A GENIUS OF THE WHISTLE AT 80
BY PAUL BASSEY
I got this message. “Paulo please remember to pray for me on Monday 08 March, I will be 80. I will be attending a Thanksgiving Holy Mass. Unfortunately you will be in Warri.
This is quintessential Linus Mba. Humility personified, a man married to the whistle, the best Nigerian referee alive.
Eighty? Yes eighty and your expression changes because he does not look it. No, he does not.
However a brief peep at the compressed biography of this father of two forces one to believe that he has seen it all.
In an interview granted The Nation newspaper four years ago, he was referred to as a man with “naked enthusiasm and puritanical devotion.” Mr. Linus Mba epitomizes the best in Nigerian refereeing through hard work, devotion and uncanny love for the profession.
Born on March 08 1941 in Enugu, Mr. Linus Mba was introduced to the whistle at St. Theresa’s College Nsukka after Reverend Father William Butler “rescued” him from neglect by his colleagues who ostracized him for not being useful either as an outfield player or a goalkeeper.
“…He called me to his office and handed me the Laws of the Game and that launched my interest in refereeing right from secondary school.”
The young Linus then joined the Nigeria Referees Association Onitsha and continued his passion until he went in search of the golden fleece in London where he bagged B.Sc (Hon) Applied Economics and Diploma in Journalism at the Regent Polytechnic London, where he was also trained by the London Football Association (1969 – 1972) up to the semi professional cadre in 1976.
He returned to Nigeria in 1976 and till 1990 was assigned the best and the toughest of matches including two Challenge Cup finals – Abiola Babes Abeokuta versus Ranchers Bees Kaduna in 1987 and Shooting Stars Ibadan and Sharks of Port Harcourt in 1989.
By 1984, young Linus Mba was badged by FIFA and defended the badge till 1990 when he retired. It will be difficult attempting to chronicle the life and times of Mr. Linus Mba in a tribute, but we cannot fail to mention that he was a member of the Executive Board of the NFA from 1992 – 1996, Chairman Referees Committee 1992 – 1996, and represented Nigeria in the 1994 FIFA Congress in Chicago, USA.
He was a CAF referees instructor since 1996 and Member CAF Referees Committee from 2002 – 2012.
Mr. Mba has served as FIFA Referees Instructor from 2005 till date, appointed a FIFA Technical Adviser on Refereeing from 2008 till date, only two of them in Africa, the other being Neji Jouini of Tunisia.
The Editor-in-Chief of the quarterly referees’ magazine The Whistle, sees this as a pet project very close to his heart.
“…Since 2014, even during the period of the Covid-19 Pandemic lockdown, we got the magazine going, geared towards constantly updating referees and assistant referees on evolving changes in modern refereeing…”
Circulated in over thirty African Member Association’s Referees Committees as well as to FIFA and CAF, the latest edition got rave revues from Mr. Amaju Pinnick, President of the NFF, his first Vice Barrister Akinwumi, Chairman of the Referees Committee Dr. Sharif Inuwa Ahlan, Secretary General NFF Dr. Mohammed Sausi, Chairman NRA Alhaji Tade Azeez among others.
CAF Referees’ Manager Eddy Maillet, FIFA referees member Anyan Lim Kee Chong and the Chairman CAF Referees Committee the Rwandan Celestin Ntugangira also penned commendation for the whistle magazine.
If you ask the father of two what he considers his greatest achievement, he will say “all achievements are great… but I cherish the progress we have made as a country. The quality of International referees, the training of Assessors to monitor referees instead of the traditional Match Commissioners, in brief the re-organization of the structure and machinery of technical development of refereeing in Nigeria.”
This reservoir of technical information and data on refereeing in Nigeria and by Nigerians at both national and international levels, prides himself as never receiving bribe in whatever form when he was active as a referee.
“No regrets. I walk tall. I never did. I may not have been popular for that but I thank God that my reputation is intact and I am happier today for it…”
A Central Bank of Nigeria research officer, journalist with Business Times, Public Relations Officer, later Export Manager Volkswagen Nigeria, this widely travelled icon remembers vividly his refereeing exploits in Africa, including the Africa Cup of Champions semi final tie between Zamalek of Egypt and FAR of Morocco in 1985.
What is the secret of longevity of this CAF/FIFA Assessor and Match Commissioner?
“Grace of God. Simple and straightforward life. Honesty and service to humanity. I keep my mind free of all stress and deceit…”
For yours truly a friendship spanning over 30 years, a celebration of professionalism, hard work and dedication. Today a legend of the whistle clocks 80 and is still counting.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
The Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) gets to its climax this weekend, especially on Sunday, when the title could be won and one of the other two tickets for the continental competition could be confirmed.
Also, one or two other teams may get their visas to the lower league.
Remo Stars will become the Nigerian champions if they win their home match against Niger Tornadoes in their fortress in Ikenne.
History seems about to repeat itself. It was Niger Tornadoes that Remo Stars beat on 17 July 2022 to get their first ever continental ticket to feature in the following season’s CAF Confederation Cup.
This Sunday, Niger Tornadoes may again be Remo Stars’ launchpad into the league title. What a season it has been for the club that has led the Nigerian league for the longest duration.
They were leaders into Christmas 2024. They were leaders at the end of 2024 and leaders into 2025 as they became the first club to have a double after beating Akwa United home and away.
No team won more away matches than Remo Stars this season. They won five matches away from home. At home, they won 15 of their 17 matches, making Ikenne a fortress. Only Rivers United and Katsina United, who drew their matches, escaped defeat in Ikenne.
With 20 wins, no team has won more matches this season than Remo Stars.
With the title almost decided, and the runners-up awaiting confirmation, the battle zone is the contest for the third place where seven teams are in contest.
The most ferocious of the battle will be that of the surprise team of the season, Ikorodu City and rejuvenated Abia Warriors.
They occupy third and fourth positions respectively. Yet at the onset of the season, those positions looked unlikely. Ikorodu City were the punching bag for the other teams, losing home and away and got their first league point only after five matches.
Today, the continental door is invitingly open to them. What about Abia Warriors, who began the season with a 2-0 home loss to Remo Stars?
They looked like going for their pound of flesh when they suddenly went two goals up against Remo Stars in Ikenne. But Remo Stars fought gamely back to snatch a nervy 3-2 win.
Abia Warriors will be hosting the initial top three runners, Shooting Stars who suddenly slumped in fortunes. But a win by the Ibadan team may reignite their continental aspirations.
Also jostling for a possible top-three finish are the quartet of Bendel Insurance, Kano Pillars, Enugu Rangers and Enyimba.
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The Nigeria U17 women’s team has been given incentives to make it to the Women’s World Cup for the eighth time.
The team, Flamingos, who arrived in Algiers in the early hours of Wednesday aboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul, are highly inspired by the imminence of another FIFA World Cup ticket as well as further financial windfall from the Nigeria Football Federation and billionaire business mogul Kunle Soname.
Soname gifted the young players and their officials the sum of N4 million (one million naira for every goal) following their commanding win over the North Africans at the Remo Stars Stadium on Saturday, while the NFF gave out the sum of N2 million (five hundred thousand naira for every goal).
President of NFF, Ibrahim Musa Gusau and Soname have both confirmed that the same financial incentives are in place for the second leg in Blida on Friday.
“Our objective is clear – to win the FIFA World Cup ticket. That is the big motivation.
“Yet, we have been further incentivised by the monetary rewards. My girls will go all out on Friday night,” Head Coach Bankole Olowookere said.
Olowookere, who led the Flamingos to their last two World Cup ventures, will most likely rely on first-leg two-goal heroine Queen Joseph, lone-goal scorer Zainab Raji and Kaosarat Olanrewaju to start at the fore, with Shakirat Moshood, Muinat Rotimi and Philomena Isaiah supplying the passes from the midfield.
Goalkeeper and captain Christiana Uzoma and defenders Azeezat Oduntan, Hannah Ibrahim, Christiana Sunday and Jumai Adebayo are also likely to start.
The Confederation of African Football has selected Cameroonian official Marie Noelle Etong to be the referee, with her compatriots Marcelle Teikeu and Innocentia Ntangti as assistant referee 1 and fourth official, respectively, while Chadian Ngarassoum Victorine will be assistant referee 2.
Oumou Souleymane Kane from Mauritania will be the commissioner, and Sabelo Maphosa-Sibindi from Zimbabwe will be in the role of referee assessor.
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Former president of the initially 15-member West African Football Union (WAFU), Chief Jonathan Boytie Ogufere, has expressed his heartfelt condolences over the recent death of former national team captain and coach, Christian ‘Chairman’ Chukwu.
He remarked that the erstwhile Enugu Rangers’ defence stalwart will ‘be dearly missed’. In a personally signed letter of condolence, Ogufere described Chukwu, who died on Saturday, April 12, in Enugu after a brief illness at 74, as a ‘hero of our time and a friend’.
The nonagenarian recalled with nostalgia how he nearly recruited the young Chukwu for his P & T Vasco da Gama Football Club of Enugu, adding he was impressed with how the ‘Field Marshal Christian Chukwuemeka ‘Chairman ‘ Chukwu (MFR), conducted himself throughout his career as he led both the national team, the then Green Eagles and his beloved Enugu Rangers to many conquests.
“I join numerous others to mourn the transition of the legendary Christian Chukwu, a hero of our time and friend,” the Ugbugba of Okpe Kingdom wrote.
“As one of the young academicals discovered after the end of the Civil War in 1970, I tried to enlist into my club, the P & T Vasco da Gama Football Club of Enugu but he was fair and frank in informing me that he had already joined Enugu Ranges Football Club, and I respected that attitude. From the rivalries between the two clubs, his exploits as a central defender were very visible.”
He continued: “Christian Chukwu emerged at the national level as a trustworthy and formidable captain of the national team who led by example.
“He was one of the heroes during the Golden age of Nigerian football when I was one of the Board Members of the Nigeria Football Association under the chairmanship of Chief Sunday Dankaro as Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980 for the first time where Christian Chukwu as captain of the Green Eagles was declared the best player of the tournament. He led the national team in several battles, which endeared him to millions of football lovers.
“After his playing days, he showed his talents through coaching in Nigeria and abroad.
“I express my sincere condolences to the family he left behind, the football family and the country in general. He will be dearly missed.
“May the good Lord grant his noble soul eternal rest,” he noted.
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