Nigeria Content Online

The corpse of late Nigerian footballer, Olubayo Adefemi is
expected to arrive Nigeria tonight. The defender passed on last Monday
following an automobile crash in Greece on his way to the airport to catch a flight
back to Nigeria.

Now, a week after his death, the defender’s remains is scheduled
to arrive the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The body will be flown into Nigeria aboard an Alitalia Airline
flight from Rome, Italy and is expected to touch down at about 8pm local time.

Family members, fans and sympathizers of the late football star
will be at the airport to receive Adefemi’s remains.

Officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), according to
a statement from the Abuja secretariat of the football body, will also be at
the airport to receive the remains of the late footballer which will thereafter
be taken to a morgue in Yaba, a suburb of Lagos.

To be buried Thursday

The statement from the NFF, also disclosed that the late
international will be buried on April 28 in Lagos.

The statement further disclosed that Adefemi’s remains will
lie-in-state at the Sports Hall of the National Stadium in Lagos, while
interment takes place later in the day at the Atan Cemetery, in Yaba.

“It has been confirmed that the player’s corpse would
lie-in-state at the Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere on Thursday
morning before it is committed to mother earth at the Atan Cemetery, Yaba hours
later,” the NFF statement read.

The late Adefemi came into limelight six years ago when current
Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia led a group of talented Nigerian youngsters
to a second-place finish at the 2005 FIFA Under 20 World Cup in the
Netherlands.

Three years later, he featured in five matches of Nigeria’s
six-match run on the way to a second-place finish at the Beijing 2008 Olympic
Games.

He made his Super Eagles debut on May 29, 2009 in an
international friendly against the Republic of Ireland, and played a role in
securing a place for Nigeria at last year’s FIFA World cup in South Africa.

He was playing for Greek side Skoda Xanthi and had made 24 appearances for
the club before his death.

As the countdown to June’s Polo World Cup qualifier intensifies, the
Nigerian national polo team, the Eagles, are expecting a tough battle as they
face polo superpowers like Australia, Pakistan, India and South Africa for the
final ticket.

Hosts, Malaysia, who are also looking forward to their World Cup finals
debut, had last week confirmed that seven countries drawn from Oceania, Africa
and Asia would battle for the three available World Cup final tickets on offer
during the Zone D qualifier.

The list includes Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, South Africa,
which finished fifth at the last World Cup final held in Mexico, debutants
Nigeria and hosts Malaysia.

The eighth country that would have completed the four-team entry from Asia,
Singapore, last week withdrew from the championship to be hosted by the Royal
Malaysian Polo Association at the Royal Pahang Polo Club, Putrajaya Equestrian
Park and Royal Selangor Polo clubs between June 14-25, 2011.

No reasons were given for Singapore’s withdrawal, which came five days
before the draws for zones in the group stages in which South Africa,
Australia, New Zealand and India emerged the seeded teams.

Nigerian High Commissioner to Malaysia represented the Eagles at the
well-attended draws ceremony, which was conducted by the Federation of
International Polo (FIP) on Wednesday, April 20 in the Malaysian capital city,
Kuala Lumpur.

President of the Royal Malaysia Polo Association, Tengku Abdullah Sultan
Haji Ahmad Shah, who welcomed the international polo teams, as well as
officials and fans from around the world to the ceremony, said hosting the
event was a testament to government’s efforts at developing sports at all
level.

“The FIP World Cup Zone D qualifier will create a sporting buzz not only in
Malaysia, but also around other regions as Australia, New Zealand, India,
Pakistan, South Africa and Nigeria join in the fray to fight for the three
places available from this qualifier for the FIP World Cup finals which will be
held in San Luis, Argentina in October this year,” Shah said.

Nigerian confidence

As some of the finest polo players from around the world battle for honours
in Malaysia, the king hopes it sets the stage and standard for the future
landscape of polo and gives the Asian players the opportunity to play against
some of the world’s best and spur the development of polo throughout the
region.

“Polo carries a long tradition of excellence and the traits of this sport
span from team spirit and determination to speed, agility and dexterity,” he
added, pointing out that the game builds strong character and a fighting
spirit, which helps players brave challenges that come their way and spurs them
to excel in life.

“With the competition lined up for some of the world’s best to pit their
skills against one another, I hope more youths around the world would be
inspired to take up the sport and sportsmen would be further motivated to
continue to strive for excellence.”

According to the draw format, the seven teams would be grouped into three
streams, with Stream A and B having two teams each, while the last stream has
three teams. Teams in Stream A would cross over to play teams in Stream B in
the group stages, while Stream C teams are expected to play in a round robin.

Winners of each stream advance to the semifinals, alongside one other team
with the best overall record. The semifinal games would pit first against
fourth and the second against the third for two final tickets.

The three bottom-placed teams in the group stages would play another round
robin of two chukka matches, to decide which country picks the third Zone D
World Cup final ticket.

Dawule Baba, Nigeria’s most experienced player, who has had varied
experiences of playing at the highest level in Asia and elsewhere, agreed that
though Nigeria was not seeded, any country which chooses to underrate its
resolve to rise to the World Cup challenge, would pay dearly for it.

“We may be outsiders out there in Malaysia, given the pedigree of other
teams from Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Africa, but I trust what a
Nigerian can do when the stakes are as high as the forthcoming World Cup
games,” he said.

Nigerian Polo Federation boss, Francis Ogboro who is upbeat that the Eagles
will give their best at the Malaysian qualifier, is confident that the team
will return with a good result.

“We are going into the qualifier to do Nigeria and Africa proud and show the
world that polo is a household game in Nigeria with a proud history that spans
over a century,” he added.

Apart from Nigeria, which has named its ten-man team, other countries like
Australia, India, Pakistan, New Zealand and host Malaysia, have also named
their squads.

Olubayo Adefemi came into limelight six years ago, when current Super Eagles
coach, Samson Siasia led a group of talented Nigerian youngsters to the 2005
FIFA Under 20 World Cup in the Netherlands.

Although little was known prior to the start of the tournament about the
Israeli-based defender, all that was to change by the end of the World Cup.

After sitting out the Flying Eagles’ opening two games against Brazil and
South Korea, Siasia picked Adefemi to fill the vacuum created by the suspension
of first-choice right-back, Kennedy Chinwo for the crucial game against
Switzerland.

Adefemi seized the opportunity and, even though Chinwo returned and started
the round of 16 game against Ukraine, he ended up completing the game and
afterwards became Siasia’s undisputed number one for the remainder of the
tournament.

To cap it up, he grabbed a memorable goal against Morocco in the
semi-finals, accompanied by an even more memorable goal celebration, before
providing the assist for Chinedu Obasi’s wonder goal against Argentina in the
final.

Three years later, he featured in five matches of Nigeria’s six-match run on
the way to a second-place finish at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, capping it up
with yet another memorable goal in Nigeria’s 4-1 whitewash of Belgium in the
semi-finals.

Playing at the 2014 World Cup, as well as next year’s Cup of Nations, became
a burning desire for the Lagos-born ace. But all that will not come to pass
after he died last Monday in an automobile crash in Greece on his way to the
airport to catch a flight to Nigeria.

His Greek club, Skoda Xanthi, had granted him a week-long leave to return
home and formalise plans for his wedding, which he and his bride-to-be,
Folashade Adesina had fixed for May 26 in Lagos.

But it wasn’t to be as the cold hands of death snatched him, ten years after
doing likewise with his father – an officer of the Nigerian Army – thus
throwing his loved ones, as well as the global football family into mourning.

“My condolences to the family of Olubayo Adefemi, the Nigerian player who
tragically died in a car accident on Monday,” stated FIFA president, Sepp
Blatter through his official Twitter account on Tuesday.

Tuesday also saw officials and players of his Greek side holding a memorial
candlelight service in memory of their departed star at their home stadium,
with further plans to organise a friendly match with proceeds going to his
family.

Arrangements were also concluded by the club, in conjunction with the
Nigerian embassy in Athens, to fly his corpse back to Nigeria on Monday.

Well-wishers have since Monday thronged his family’s abode at the Alli Owe
Estate, in Ikorodu, to commiserate with the Adefemis and sign a condolence
register.

His national team buddies, along with the Nigerian FA, were not left out, as
they have also commiserated with the family of Adefemi who epitomized humility,
courage and generosity.

“I was speechless and totally devastated when I heard that Olubayo had
passed on,” said Osaze Odemwingie. “Memories of him started flashing in my head
of how humble and levelheaded he was during our last games in Abuja last month
as well as during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.”

“I initially thought it was a joke when a friend sent me a message on Monday
but it turned out to be true,” added Oluwafemi Ajilore from his base in the
Netherlands. “He was a very humble guy and very, very funny. He always knew how
to lift up our morale whenever we were down. We’ll definitely miss him.” And so
will we.

With both teams still able to qualify for the semifinal of the ongoing
Africa Youth Championship (AYC), they will also be able to secure one of the
four berths to the FIFA U-20 World Cup billed for Colombia later this year. But
first, Nigeria’s Flying Eagles and the Young Scorpions of Gambia go head on
today, in one of the final fixtures in Group B; with defeat not an option for
both teams.

The match billed for the MilPark Stadium in Johannesburg, is to kick off by
11am Nigerian time; same time the Young Lions of Cameroun will be taking on the
Black Satellites of Ghana at the Dobsonville Stadium .

While the Flying Eagles were impressive in their first game with the Black
Satellites of Ghana defeating the world champions 2-1, the team put up a
lacklustre display in their 0-1 loss to Cameroun in their last game on
Thursday.

The team’s coach John Obuh, who did not hide his disappointment at his boys’
performance against the Young Lions, is however optimistic that the Nigerian
team will bounce back to winning ways today.

“Everyone felt bad about the loss to Cameroun, but we have put that behind
us and we’re all working hard towards achieving victory in Sunday’s match,”
Obuh said.

The Sharks of Port Harcourt coach hinted that he would be making some
changes to the starting line-up that played against Cameroun last time out.
Already the duo of Ramon Azeez and Olarenwaju Kayode are been tipped for a
starting role.

“Everything would be done to see that we win the match. My assistants and I
are working on the players. They were downcast after the loss to Cameroun but
we have been able to get them to pick up their morale from the floor and focus
on the task at hand.

“They cannot go on crying over that loss for a long time because there is a
bigger challenge in front of us. We need a win to get to the semifinals and
earn a berth at the World Cup.

“Personally, I want to take charge of a team at a second FIFA World Cup
finals and I would be very happy if we can qualify for Colombia”, said Obuh,
who led the U-17 team to a silver medal at the FIFA U-17 World Cup that Nigeria
hosted in 2009.

On their part, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) through its acting
secretary general, Musa Ahmadu, has said the Flying Eagles have no excuse not
to make Nigeria proud at the AYC.

According to him, the NFF has availed the team of all that is necessary to
aid their success at the championships so they won’t be happy to see the
confidence reposed in the team betrayed.

“The team has been given all the support they needed to succeed. So, they
have no reason not to perform. They were on a training tour of Libya, played
friendly matches before moving to Turkey and while in Turkey, they played
friendly matches with tough opposition like Egypt, before coming back to the
country” he said .

Still not resting on all these incentives, the NFF has decided to motivate
the Flying Eagles the more, with a 100% increase in their winning bonus.

NFF president, Aminu Maigari, approved that the players should be paid the
sum of $2,000 each if they are able to fly above the Gambians today – a feat
that would automatically earn them a semifinal ticket here and a berth at the
FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in Colombia later this year.

“The players will get the sum of $2,000 each for a win, which is a 100 per
cent increase on their regular bonus. We believe this should motivate them
maximally to go for the three points”, said Maigari.

The Gambians

The Gambia’s Young Scorpions have a mix of players from the Gambian league
and a sprinkling of foreign-based players who ply their trade in a variety of
countries from Iceland to Spain to the USA. The team suffered a narrow 1-0 loss
to Cameroun in their first match and were held 1-1 in their last game with
Ghana, a result the Gambian coach Lamin Sarr, blamed on the sending off of one
of his players.

Lamin was quick to note that his team is looking forward to a stern contest
against the Flying Eagles but also promised to throw everything at the game to
get a priceless victory

Ghana need Nigeria to lose

In the other match, where Ghana will be up against Cameroun, Ghana U-20
coach Orlando Wellington, is refusing to give up on his team’s chances of
booking a World Cup slot despite going winless in two matches at the African
championships. The defending champions are on the brink of an early exit after
being held to a 1-1 draw by Gambia on Thursday afternoon.

But Wellington is hanging on to his side’s slim hopes of survival.

“We are disappointed by the results. I told you coming into this game that
Gambia will not be a push over. With ten men they succeeded in having a draw
against us. However we still have a chance to qualify,” Wellington told
cafonline.com.

“All is not yet lost. We still have a game at hand and there is still a
chance to qualify for the World Cup.” The Berekum Chelsea coach must be at his
best to edge group leaders Cameroun and hope the other match goes their way to
progress. “Cameroun is not an easy team but we will work hard to beat them so
as to qualify for the semis”.

The Black Satellites are currently languishing at the foot of the Group B
table with one point from two rounds of matches.

As to be expected, the Cameroun coach has revealed that he will be fielding
a second-string side as his team is not under any form of pressure. “Since we
have qualified, I will change the team to give a chance to other players and
also to rest some of the players. The pressure is now off our backs” he said.

Olubayo ‘Bayo’ Adefemi was a rare breed. Although rightfully a superstar in
the Nigerian context, he preferred a lifestyle that was much different from
those of the average Nigerian superstar.

For instance, the defender whose role model was Inter Milan’s Brazilian
wingback Douglas Maicon, wasn’t the type to “waste much time dressing up” as he
just simply goes to his wardrobe and “grabs anything” that catches his
attention.

He was also in love with his mother’s cooking and regarded her as the “best
cook in the world.” He was probably looking forward to eating a meal prepared
by his mother upon his return to Nigeria before the cruel hands of death
snatched him away much to the anguish of his loved ones, and fans across the
world.

During the national team’s last international engagement in Abuja at the
tail end of March, he spoke with NEXT at the team’s Transcorp Hilton Hotel
camp, in what turned out to be arguably his last interview on Nigerian soil. He
died in an automobile accident in Greece on April 18, 2011.

Below are excerpts:

On his football sojourn

First of all, I must give God all the glory for where I am now. Then my
family, my friends and all my colleagues out there. I’ve played football for a
lot of clubs starting with teams in Myhoung Barracks, Lagos where I had my
upbringing. I also played for a lot of teams outside the barracks but mostly in
grassroots tournaments before joining Insurance of Benin in 2001. The following
year I joined Delta Force before leaving for Israel in 2004 where I joined
Hapoel Jerusalem. They were playing in the second division, but after one year
with them I joined Hapoel Tel Aviv, who were playing in the first division.

But after a year with them I joined Hakoah Ramat Gan, still in Israel.

After one season at Hakoah Ramat Gan, I moved to Hapoel Bnei Lod. And from
Hapoel Bnei Lod, I went to Rapid Bucharest in Romania.

I joined Rapid Bucharest in 2008 but by 2009 I moved to Austria to play for
Rheindorf Altach. Midway through the season I moved to France to join Boulogne
and by 2010 I moved to Greece to play for Skoda Xanthi.

On Greek football and lifestyle

It might not be the biggest in Europe but the Greek league is developing
rapidly and is attracting a lot of good footballers, most notably Djibril Cisse
of Panathinaikos and Albert Riera of Olympiakos. Even my Super Eagles teammate,
Sani Kaita (who plays for Iraklis).

If I have to rate all the other leagues I have featured in descending order,
then I will rate the French league first, followed by the Romanian league then
the Greek league.

It’s been a tough nine months for me since arriving in Greece at the start
of the season. I live alone and, thank God, I have gotten used to the food but
the weather is a bit different from what I’m used to. Even the language remains
a problem but on the pitch football has a universal language. I am making an
effort to understand the language but I have teammates who speak English and we
all get along. That’s the kind of person I am. I’m a very friendly and I try to
love everyone I come across.

On his most memorable game

Every match I have played has been a challenge but I go into all of them
with the same level of passion and determination. That is the sort of person I
am; I always give my best at all times.

But one game that readily comes to mind was the quarterfinal match at the
2005 (FIFA) Under 20 World Cup against Holland. The stadium was a sea of
orange. Everyone was in orange and the noise level was very high, so high that
even your teammate who’s only two metres away would be unable to hear any
instructions you pass to him.

I had the task of marking Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, who is one of the fastest
wingers in the world. I chased him all over the pitch and didn’t give him a
single moment of respite. Anywhere he went on the pitch, I was less than a step
behind me. Even when they decided to substitute him with another player, I
still followed him to the sideline, probably just to make sure that he was
actually been taken off. It was only after then that I realized that I had
succeeded in carrying out the instruction handed to me by the coach.

On his key career decision

Sometime in 2007, I sustained what I felt was a slight knee injury while
playing for Hapoel Tel Aviv but I was scared of undergoing surgery. After I
left Hapoel Tel Aviv to join Hakoah Ramat Gan, they noticed it and traced it
back to my former club. As a result of this, they withheld my contract, telling
me to go and treat myself before returning to the club; that they weren’t going
to bear the expenses for my treatment.

Of course I refused the offer and dumped the club to return to Nigeria. That
to me was the biggest decision of my life because nobody would be there and
choose the option of returning to Nigeria.

I raised some money and got the rest of it from my insurance policy and
underwent surgery before returning to Nigeria for my rehabilitation. I was in
Nigeria for eight months trying to get better but a lot of nasty things were
being said about me by a lot of people who didn’t actually know why I was back
home.

After this period I never lost hope. I just kept praying and working hard. I
knew my chances of playing again for the national team were slim but I was
confident that once I got a club, it would only be a matter of time before I get
to return to the national team. I was only worried about getting a club.

The philanthropist

There was an incident that happened back in my time in Israel. I went to a
store to get something to eat and this guy came into this same store to do
likewise. But after picking what he wanted and was on the verge of paying for
it, he discovered that if he did that, he wouldn’t have enough left to get a
ticket for our match. So he had to return what he had got from the store.

Now, he didn’t recognise me and had no idea I was playing for his favourite
club, but I was deeply touched for here was a boy who was ready to sacrifice
his food just to watch me and my teammates.

At that point I made up my mind to help those in need; those who would
sacrifice their food to watch me play; those that stayed awake just to watch me
play at the Olympics.

So, when Yomi Kuku (of Search and Groom), approached me about the Nigerian
Homeless World Cup team, I seized the opportunity to support them, and I thank
my God for giving me a chance to give back to the needy. I don’t make as much
as so many of my fellow footballers but I am grateful for the opportunity.

The Super Eagles and the future

We are all one big happy family in the national team. Everyone has respect
for the other, from the senior players right down to the newer players. The
older players are always ready to pass down their knowledge to the younger
ones, but one other thing we have going for us is the fact that so many of us
have been together for many years.

That continuity is what I believe will soon make us a force to be reckoned
with in the world.

So many of us have been together since 2005 and have been through so many
trying moments together.

Personally, I don’t focus too much attention on the future because I don’t
want to get disappointed. I take my present seriously while I leave the future
in the hands of God.

Dress sense

I am quite simple when it comes to my style of clothes. I don’t waste much
time dressing up. I just go to my wardrobe and pick anything that catches my
attention.

Automobiles

I love comfortable cars but it must also be sleek. I don’t have any
particular preference but so long as it is comfortable, I love it.

Favourite food

Anything prepared by my mother. She’s the best cook in the world and
anything she prepares is good for me.

Marital status

I’m still single for now. Hopefully not for long as plans are in the
pipeline to change all that. But God’s time is the best.

This interview was conducted in Abuja after the Africa Cup of Nations
qualifying match between Nigeria and Ethiopia on March 27, 2011.

There is nothing
good about poverty. It is evil and it is a curse. But we must not see
poverty from a myopic perspective, which in itself, would amount to a
type of poverty. Poverty is not just the state of not having enough
money to take care of basic needs, such as housing, clothing, food, or
the inability to own a car – be it firsthand, second, third, fourth or
fifth.

There could also be
spiritual poverty, intellectual poverty, scientific poverty, artistic
poverty and what I call philosophical poverty.

I have been in
England for the past 12 days, during which I have visited Telford,
Coventry, Birmingham and now settled down in London for a couple of
days, before moving on to Leeds, Worchester and Manchester. I have seen
enough of grassroots sports developmental projects and facilities and
heard so much about the shenanigan referred to as grassroots sports
development in my country, Nigeria. Beloved Nigerians, we are about
three decades behind – and that is being very modest.

I have seen pre- and
post-match analyses by sports writers and retired or
ex-international/club footballers that made me feel very sorry for our
so-called analysts, who pride themselves as veterans or ex-this,
ex-that. Poor guys. I make bold to say that the sad situation in this
massively blessed nation can be likened to the proverbial state of ‘a
one-eyed man is king in the land of the blind’. Q.E.D.

The truth is that
sports in all its ramification has gone scientific and everything about
sports has become so dynamic that sports men and women in countries
where sports is religiously administered as serious business, have also
gone scientific and forward-looking. Hence, they realise the fact that
it is necessary for them to be constantly equipped with up-to-date
information. This, I am afraid, is not the situation in this great
nation. Why?

One of the reasons
as far as I am concerned has to do with poverty, as experienced and
exhibited by the majority of Nigerian sports writers. People who have
been mandated – albeit, inadvertently ‑ by sports-loving Nigerians, to
inform, educate, entertain, empower and enlighten millions of passionate
Nigerian sports lovers. People, who are expected to lead the fight
against corruption and other forms of demonic activities of enemies of
Nigerian sports are, unfortunately, not aware of the power, influence
and authority they possess individually and collectively. This is why I
agree absolutely with Tayo Balogun that the Sports Writers Association
of Nigeria (SWAN) is nothing better than a goon squad, composed of
nincompoops. Let me, however, state with all due respect and sense of
responsibility that there are still a few credible, bold, committed,
responsible and proactive ones who are God-fearing and will not soil
their names and reputation, no matter the circumstance.

But like in
politics, majority, it is said, wins the vote. Here lies the danger with
sports journalism in Nigeria today. Most of our so-called sports
writers are so impoverished that they lack the ability to gain the
respect of Nigerian athletes, coaches, managers and other sports
administrators, from the local government area councils to the National
Sports Commission (NSC), which remains an illegal body. Sports writers
avoid talking about the implications of such an illegality, or to the
National Olympics Committee. Apart from the state of financial poverty
majority of them find themselves in, they also lack the required
knowledge, skills and, in most cases, the experience that would bestow
on them the respect accorded noble vocations like sports journalism.

So, wither the
power, influence and authority of sports journalists in Nigeria? How
come sports journalists are not reckoned with when it comes to
decision-making in Nigeria?

There is need for urgent intervention, I should think. This is part of saving sports in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s
chances of qualifying for this year’s FIFA Under 20 World Cup in
Colombia now hangs in the balance after suffering a 1-0 loss to
Cameroun on Thursday at the ongoing African Youth Championship (AYC) in
South Africa.

And with Ghana and
Gambia only managing to play out a 1-1 draw in the day’s other Group B
encounter, the result means the Flying Eagles need to avoid defeat in
their next match against the Gambians while hoping the Camerounians do
likewise against the Ghanaians in order to progress to the semifinals,
and with it, a spot at the U-20 World Cup.

Cameroun, who had
earlier beaten the Gambians by a lone goal in their opening match of
the tournament, secured Thursday’s win over the Nigerians courtesy of a
goal on the stroke of halftime by Franck Ohandza.

The Thailand-based
striker, picked up the ball on the edge of the area with his back to
the Nigerian goal, turned his marker before curling the ball with his
right foot into the far corner of Danjuma Paul’s goal.

It was the first
goal of the tournament for the 19-year-old who five minutes earlier
thought he had given the Cubs the lead only for the goal to be rightly
chalked off for offside.

Dominance

The Camerounians
deservedly led at the halftime break as they were more incisive than
the side managed by John Obuh, who fielded virtually the same side that
ran out 2-1 winners over Ghana last Monday, with the exception of Ahmed
Musa, who had since returned to Holland after being recalled by his
club, VVV Venlo.

Almeria of Spain’s
Stanley Okoro, however took Musa’s place in Nigeria’s starting 11 but
his lacklustre display epitomized the overall performance of the
Nigerian team on the rain-soaked pitch of the Dobsonville Stadium.

It thereby came as
no surprise when the midfielder was taken off on the hour mark and
replaced with Almeria teammate, Ramon Azeez. But the change did little
to alter the flow of the game as the Camerounians always seemed the
more likelier to grab the game’s next goal.

The Nigerian
goalie, Paul was however on hand to deny the Cubs. Even when the
Nasarawa United ‘keeper was beaten, the crossbar was on hand to save
his blushes as was the case in the 64th minute when Ghilsain Mvom bent
a free kick over the Nigerian wall.

With a quarter of
an hour to the end of the game, Paul came to Nigeria’s rescue once
again as he stopped a goal-bound shot from Ohandza, taken from well
inside the Nigerian area.

Thursday’s victory
further confirmed Cameroun’s dominance over Nigeria at the AYC and
stretched their victory over Nigeria to eight wins, compared to
Nigeria’s solitary victory which arrived as far back as 1985.

The five matches that have been played by both sides since Nigeria’s
5-1 win in 1985, including yesterday’s game in Soweto, have all ended
in victories for the Camerounians.

One of the world’s most recognisable football faces and Nigeria’s most
decorated footballer, Nwankwo Kanu, is delight to watch on the football field.

Few players have his sublime skills and breathtaking moves. To watch him
play is to experience the thrill and excitement that only football can offer.

Expectedly, his genius on the pitch, which never ceases to amaze even his
opponents, has earned him millions of fans around the world. At 6ft 5 inches
tall, he is a big man but even larger still is his heart, which despite going
under the surgeon’s knife in 1997, has continued to beat for humanity.

Unlike many sportsmen who are content to enjoy the rewards of their career
alone with their families, Kanu has chosen the path of service for suffering
humanity. Eleven years ago, he set up the Kanu Heart Foundation, which has
raised funds to carry out heart surgeries on children from indigent homes as
well as young adults.

So far the foundation has carried out over 400 heart surgeries with a
success rate of over 98 percent. At the moment the foundation is in the process
of raising $35 million to establish a cardiac specialist hospital in Nigeria.

Immortalising genius

Alongside this project is another, which aims to capture on film the story
of Kanu: his successes, tribulations and generosity. The film, titled ‘Lion
Heart: The Kanu Story’, will bring to Kanu’s global fans an account of his rise
to fame with particular emphasis on his humble beginnings in the eastern part
of Nigeria.

Since news first broke of a film in the works about the former Super Eagles
captain, Nigerians have been wondering whether it is the real deal or one of
those opportunistic and hurriedly put-together pieces where some smart
individuals put together clips of the subject’s career.

“This is the real thing,” Kanu tells this reporter during an interview at a
hotel he owns, on Victoria Island in Lagos.

“I am fully involved and everyone involved in the project is a professional
to the core. A lot of thought and planning has gone into it and I would not be
associated with it if I didn’t think it was a worthwhile project,” he added.

He says the film has come at the right time given the identity crisis facing
some Nigerian youths. “There are a lot of our young people today who need direction.
The film can help them focus their lives in a way that would make them become
successful in future. I mean, look at it this way, while the movie will
chronicle my life, it will do so by portraying my beginnings including the
years of hardship, which a lot of people do not know about.”Today people see
Kanu, the successful football player, former national team captain and two-time
African Footballer of the Year but not many of them know the difficult road I
travelled to get there. Not many know the sacrifices I made along the way. By
the time they see the movie and come to understand that I wasn’t born with a
silver spoon in my mouth, they’ll be inspired to work hard and not just wait
for someone to drop something on their laps.”

Correcting negative impressions

Kanu says he is quite hopeful the film will have a positive impact on
Nigerian youth and others around the world who adore him. “The young ones
listen to me and I know that they will take away a lot of positive virtues
after seeing the film, I am quite sure of that.”

The film is a huge project even though neither Kanu nor the consultants on
the project are willing to disclose just how much is being expended on it. It
will be shot on many locations corresponding to the many places Kanu’s football
career has taken him. A lot of his former football club teammates in Nigeria
and Europe will also feature in the film.

The former Nigerian captain, whose career has seen him play at some of the
world’s biggest clubs–Ajax FC of Amsterdam, Inter Milan of Italy and Arsenal
FC in England–is happy to do the film for another reason.

“The film will help clear some misconceptions; it will assist in erasing
some negative beliefs about me. Because I have been around for a long time some
people have naturally come to the conclusion that I am very old; only a few
know how early I started. By the time the watch the film and follow my story
from birth through secondary school and the point I joined my first club
including seeing interviews with my contemporaries, they’ll realise how wrong
they’ve been,” Kanu says.

For the moment, he is happy to be involved in something that may help shape
lives as proceeds from the film will be channelled to the heart foundation to
help save young lives.

Barcelona’s attacking philosophy will remain the same for the Champions
League semifinal first leg against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu next week, coach
Pep Guardiola said on Friday.

The Catalans suffered a 1-0 extra-time defeat by their arch-rivals in the King’s
Cup final on Wednesday, days after being held to a 1-1 draw by 10 men in the
league at the Bernabeu.

Jose Mourinho’s side deployed a physical counter-attacking approach which
unsettled Barca in both games, and Guardiola was asked if he was considering
changes to his system for the third and fourth clashes between the sides over
the next two weeks.

“It’s as if our style has become an excuse for us having lost the cup
final,” Guardiola told a news conference.

“Whether you win or lose, the style is always the same.

Playing attacking football is the only way I understand, it’s our club’s
philosophy and I’m not going to change it.

“We are going to attack and to try and score goals at the Bernabeu.”

Softly-spoken

The softly-spoken 40-year-old, who won a treble with Barca in his first
season at the helm in 2008-09, became riled when it was suggested that only
winning La Liga for the third year in a row might be considered a failure.

“It would be a disaster, a failure, it would be necessary to change the
president, the coach and all the players. The cycle would be at an end,” he
said ironically.

“We are up against a recent past where we had a lot of success. I would be
happy if we only won La Liga but if the fans are sad, what can I do?” Barca
hold an eight-point lead over second-placed Real in the league with six matches
left, starting with the visit of relegation-threatened Osasuna on Saturday.

Guardiola had no time for talk of players suffering damaged morale.

“The players need to react because it is their job to,” he said.

“If they are angry or sad they should run more, that way they’ll get over it
quicker. Those feeling sorry for themselves can go and sit in the stands.

“In sport, you lose more than you win. I’m not a psychologist, I’m a bloke
who played football and who qualified as a coach. Nothing more.”

Barca visit Madrid next Wednesday in the Champions League and play the
semifinal return leg at the Nou Camp on May 3.

Statistics show that the organisations that claim to encourage grassroots
sports are currently on the increase in the country. But though they are
private or in public hands, or the various sports federations, their target is
supposedly to recognise young talent at a very young age. Some are doing a good
job but so many others are not and are very exploitative of these young
talents.

Some months ago, Paul Hamilton, a former Nigerian international, who is also
the proprietor of the Weekend Soccer Academy in Lagos, expressed dismay at the
rate at which football academies are springing up around the country. The
former coach of the Super Falcons further went to say that if left unchecked,
the proliferation could lead to a decline in the value of the products produced
by academies. Though he was speaking specifically of football academies, his prediction
may also apply to other sports, which have academies and other grassroots
sports organisations.

Rationale for academies

A lot of the people who form academies do so for diverse reasons. For Iain
Nelson, who founded one of the most successful football academies in the
country, the Pepsi Football Academy, the motive was purely economical. “I am a
marketing man and I needed something to pull in the new generation away from
Coke to enjoy Pepsi. I found football a medium and that was what we used.” The
Jos version of that academy saw the emergence of Mikel Obi for the U-17 team of
2003.

Nelson however said the venture brought in added benefits, “With Pepsi
however, there is the additional opportunity to go on to win scholarships
abroad and play football while they study, something that may have never
happened if they were somewhere else. One thing about football academies
generally is that it is a place where talents are discovered.”

For a federation like the Nigerian Rugby Football Federation, the iTRY Rugby
Programme was established to help build a structure that would stand beyond the
now. As Akin Akintola, chief operating officer of the federation stated in an
interview conducted months ago, “For you to build a structure you have to lay a
foundation and that is what we are to doing. The iTRY cluster programme is an
outreach which seeks to basically encourage youngsters in schools to get
involved in the game.”

For Youth Sport Initiative (YSI), an organisation that aims to help raise
leaders through sports, “We are helping to fill a vacuum in the primary and
secondary schools where is seems that physical education is now becoming
extinct,” says Chinasa Ukandu, its president.

NSC’s criteria

These organisations have been able to meet the criteria of the National
Sport Council (NSC) for encouraging sports in the grassroots.

According to Peter Nelson, a spokesman for the NSC, person(s) with interest
in grassroots sports must be affiliated to a state sports council. “Also if
they are registered companies, the Corporate Affairs Commission must seek
clearance from us before they can be registered to do the work they do,” he
says.

This however is not the case with a lot of the groups organizing grassroots
based academies. For Samson Famose, proprietor of Akinola Football Academy, who
started his academy because of his love for children, he said he did not even
know there was a regulation like that. “Every time I see the boys loitering
around the area doing nothing, I use that to bring them together and I don’t
think of it as a big deal. I just try to help them avoid wasting their time
away.”

“We do not mind”

For Goddy Michael, an International Tennis Federation level 2 coach, his
work serves as an opportunity to pass on his skills to the next generation.
“After I got my certificate, I decided to use it by training some students.
Their principals did not ask me about my affiliation with a state sports
council, they just wanted to have evidence that I really knew what I claimed I
knew.” It seems this is the norm for most of the schools. One of the schools,
which YSI organizes physical education (PE) programmes for is Sanya Senior
Grammar School. Cecilia Okeowo speaks glowingly of the work they do.

“The YSI has been very consistent with what they do. They have worked with us
for the past three years and we are happy to always have them. They have been
helping us take care of our PE programme.” She however, said they had no cause
to ask them if they had a form of certification from the NSC.

“We just asked them of things like evidence that say they are really who
they say they are.”

For Eyitayo Rashid, a player with Mellidon Football Club, he does not know
if his club is recognized by the NSC. “We do not know that they are even doing
any type of registration but the club is trying for us and we appreciate the
work of our coaches and I think that is the most important thing.” On the other
hand, another player, Olumide Yakubu expects that since the NSC wants them to
be registered with it, NSC should make some form of provision for them. Yakubu
asked, “What is the essence of the registration, if the club cannot get
assistance from the commission?

“I don’t know if the club is registered with the NSC but those who are
registered what have they benefitted?”

Bringing the grassroots alive

Recently in a bid to revive sports in the grassroots, a committee led by
Segun Odegbami, was raised by the NSC, to see that competitions are encouraged
at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. One of the basic duties of the
committee is also to evolve a structure and organisation for the continuity of
competitions at the grassroots.

For organisations that do not have certification from the NSC, they run the
risk of not getting any form of support from the NSC.

“Those programmes are also not recognized by us, thus, none of our
accredited referees and umpires would be involved in their events because we
believe they (organisations) are trying to cut corners for their selfish
gains.” Asked why such stringent measures are put in place to checkmate these organisations,
Peter Nelson explains:

“We put the structure in place to curb the excesses of people who parade
themselves as organisers of grassroots sports of programmes, so that they do
not exploit the general public.”

Ossy Nwokeabia, coordinator of Grassroots Soccer Developers Association of
Nigeria (GRASSADON), an organization that organises local tournaments says that
football academies are the bedrock of sports in the grassroots.

“Though I do not have a club personally, there is need for the NSC to give
room for these organisations to thrive. The grassroots is the first place where
the athlete would test his mettle. From there, they can further their career by
moving on to bigger and better clubs. Besides when scouts come looking for
young players, that is the first place they look to.” He went ahead to say that
the group wanted work hand-in-hand with the NSC, if given the chance.

“GRASSADON has written to the National Sports Commission intimating them on
the developmental plans of the body and since then nothing has come out of it.
We are the people on ground, which run grassroots football on a daily basis; we
know the problem associated with grassroots football development and it is our
belief that we can contribute our own meaningful quota to the development of
football at the grassroots.” He added that for sustainable development in
sports, there is the need to advance the course of the athlete at the
grassroots citing that the grassroots serves as the foundation for development.

Ukandu agrees with this assertion, “Though we are not an organisation that
actually develops athletes for professional sport, I can tell you that sport
helps the intellect, in that it sharpens your perception and thinking.” She
also suggests that the measures put up by the NSC should be softened a bit.

“Before we were able to register our company, it was a battle. I cannot say
I blame the NSC because one can’t be too careful but still it is too hard
because they look at one with suspicion. The important thing, however, should be;
are the people who are supposed to get the benefit really getting it?” Asked if
some of the children involved in grassroots initiatives are really enjoying
themselves. Precious Patrick, a student of Federal Science Technology College,
Yaba, one of the schools in the iTRY Rugby Programme, says, “I am really
enjoying learning to play a new sport and it is very encouraging because I used
to think rugby was a rough sport but now I know it is not so. Another
beneficiary is Chukwu Chukwuemeka:

“I have learnt that team work is what brings about success and I discovered
that I enjoy rugby.”