Did the headline stun you? Definitely it should, just like it did to many people when it first appeared on Weekend Soccer Star on Saturday, June 2, 2012.
On Wednesday, veteran journalist, Andrew Randa went to his archives and brought a copy of the Weekend Soccer Star newspaper that is already over 10 years old. Mr Andrew loves keeping records, old newspapers, pictures of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s and this particular newspaper had a spectacular headline in it.
That weekend, the Super Eagles would play against Namibia in a crucial World Cup qualifier at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar and the coach was Stephen Keshi
To stir the hearts of the Eagles, Mr John Joshua-Akanji wrote this powerful article that easily drew attention. There are stories about “Calabar girls” and the writer wanted to make sure that the national team was not distracted
Well, before settling for Calabar, the team had played in Kaduna, Abuja and Kano, then Calabar. In such a crucial tie which would go a long way to determine their success on the road to the world cup, that warning was needed
10 years after, the Super Eagles will not be at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but they still need to beware of “Calabar girls” in any guise as they relaunch their efforts to win the hearts of Nigerians
Also on that day, there was a story about Enyimba playing away at Warri Wolves and how that game would go a long way in putting their title credentials to the test. That was when Warri Wolves were a force in the NPFL. Although they never won the league, they were always within the corridors of glory in subsequent years. Now, ten years after, the Warri club are struggling for identity while the People’s Elephants are still relevant though not as dreaded.
There was also a story about Nembe City who gained promotion to the NPFL after life in the lower league. Chief Rumson Baribote who was in charge of the team then dedicated the feat to God. 10 years apart, where is Nembe City?
That weekend, the Super Eagles were preparing to play the Brave Warriors of Namibia in a 2014 World Cup qualifying game. Ike Shorunmu was the goalkeeper trainer and Vincent Enyeama was the first choice goalkeeper, followed by Austin Ejide and Chigozie Agbim. One could say that the team had good goalkeepers who the fans could rely on and Vincent Enyeama was truly a rock.
10 years apart, the Super Eagles are still finding it difficult to replace Enyeama. The former coach, Gernot Rohr tried new goalkeepers like Maduka Okoye, Uzoho, and others. Same with new coach, Jose Peseiro. Still, the team’s goalkeeping department is a nightmare to fans of the Super Eagles
On same day, a story written by Emma Jemegah said that Wikki Tourists coach, Ladan Bosso rejected the Sienna car the club gave him in order to protest non payment of the players’ sign-on fees. A source said Bosso rejected the vehicle because players welfare was important to him. Chairman of the club, Suleiman Chindo denied the story and said that the coach turned it down because he felt he should not be driving the vehicle when the team’s bus is down. So, he preferred the team to get a team bus first. 10 years apart, players welfare is still an issue among some of the top clubs.
Remarkably, 10 years ago, Bosso was described as former Flying Eagles coach. Today, he is the Flying Eagles coach. Make of it what you may
