People who didn't know how Okparaji died tend to believe it. Plus we don't really see India in world sports except cricket tho!

This match was played in mars
Where ball change to lions, stones and crocodiles

But seriously can someone tell me y India was ban from football till date?

30secs:
Nothing una talk fit convince me. That match happen live! Even my grandpapa confirm am.

no mind them, something way I see with my koro koro eyes like this...

Nexxy007:
i meant football specifically

ignorance is bliss.. india participates in football and football is played regularly.

the reason why india is not on the world stage is the same reason faroe island isnt on the world stage too.

Jees! I believed dat foolish story about lion nd indian ish...chaii!

Nice research OP....thankz very much.

Different sides of a coin well me can't believe this story sef

chiefololade:

Who are you.. no offence meant but how did u know all this?

read it bro

Nexxy007:
i have always wondered why India has never participated in any football tournament though

the same way black man will neva win Olympics swimming, or white man bcom usian bolt. indians Pakistani dnt know how to play soccer. they r very good in cricket

I think about that time India was banned from playing football because they refused to play with boots. They prefered playing on bare foot.

OK, who were d proponents of this tale self. wat part of naija did it originate from?

That story has been passed from one generation to the other.

Song sef dey 'all we are sayiiiing is give us One Goal!!! Lol

I watched that match as a kid. the ball turned into a lion head surrounded with fire. when okwaraji wanted to score, the ball turned into a heavy rock/stone

OP why now, u have spoilt my childhood memory. Anyway, I refuse to beleive u, my grandfather was there live and it happened, the ball turned into lion #kapish

smartfellow2080:
Virtually everybody born before the invention of the internet must have heard the tale of a nonexistent football match between Nigeria and India that obviously took place in a parallel universe and somehow we got to hear the gory stories of that match.

Though there are many variations of the story, every prevaricator seems to agree on a couple of facts about this fictional football match. Each storyteller agrees that;

1. This match ended with India scoring 99 goals and Nigeria scoring just one goal.

2. Nigerians where unable to kick the ball because the football kept turning to a lion (or something scary) to prevent them from playing the soccer ball.

3. The Indians later agreed that if Nigeria could score a goal, they would concede defeat

4. Samuel Okwaraji scored the winning goal and lost his life in the process.

5. FIFA banned India from soccer because they used black magic in that very game

With the help of common sense (not that it was absent back then), quick access to information and the internet, every right thinking Nigerian has come to realise that such a story should be filled under “Blatant Lies”.

Why Did This Story Thrive For So Long?

Most people like to pass off this story as true with the fact that no one has ever seen India in an International Football Match. Since no one actually saw India participate in most international soccer games, this gave a little credence to the story.

Another reason this lie could thrive for long was the fact that credible information was not readily available at our finger tips. It not like every Emeka, Audu and Ojo could visit Google in a matter of minutes and tell our ominous fabricators that they should stop spreading toxic lies.

And to be honest we have a tingling feeling that this lie was concocted by an elder of a community because, let’s be honest who questions the words of the elders in Nigeria. Remember, what an adult sees sitting down a child will never see even if he consults Google, Siri or Cortana.

The Element of Truth In This Story

On the 12th of August 1989, Nigeria lost Sam Okwaraji.

Sam Okwaraji was the player rumored to have lost his life in that game when in truth he died during a FIFA World Cup qualifying game against Angola in the 77th minute.

He collapsed and died of cognitive heart failure. May his soul rest in Perfect Peace. AMEN

So that is the only truthful thing about that story, the fact that a Nigerian player died during a football match. That’s it. The match was not against India, we did not lose the match and as you must have guessed, and there were no lions either.

Nairlanders, what do you think?

The version you heard was a lie, no one died in that match...
This legendary match is very true, only two of us watched it... I and the person who formed this story

Dis is d refree

Just asked my Indian colleague in office now and he debunked the lies we were made to believe while growing up in Nigeria

Na lie, there was lions! In fact it was one of the goddamn lions that killed our player!

Nexxy007:
i have always wondered why India has never participated in any football tournament though

because fifa didnt allow dem to dance for about 1hr after scoring one goal

Hahahahahah how many of you have watched shaolin soccer...watch it and you'll understand what op is talking bout

smartfellow2080:
Virtually everybody born before the invention of the internet must have heard the tale of a nonexistent football match between Nigeria and India that obviously took place in a parallel universe and somehow we got to hear the gory stories of that match.

Though there are many variations of the story, every prevaricator seems to agree on a couple of facts about this fictional football match. Each storyteller agrees that;

1. This match ended with India scoring 99 goals and Nigeria scoring just one goal.

2. Nigerians where unable to kick the ball because the football kept turning to a lion (or something scary) to prevent them from playing the soccer ball.

3. The Indians later agreed that if Nigeria could score a goal, they would concede defeat

4. Samuel Okwaraji scored the winning goal and lost his life in the process.

5. FIFA banned India from soccer because they used black magic in that very game

With the help of common sense (not that it was absent back then), quick access to information and the internet, every right thinking Nigerian has come to realise that such a story should be filled under “Blatant Lies”.

Why Did This Story Thrive For So Long?

Most people like to pass off this story as true with the fact that no one has ever seen India in an International Football Match. Since no one actually saw India participate in most international soccer games, this gave a little credence to the story.

Another reason this lie could thrive for long was the fact that credible information was not readily available at our finger tips. It not like every Emeka, Audu and Ojo could visit Google in a matter of minutes and tell our ominous fabricators that they should stop spreading toxic lies.

And to be honest we have a tingling feeling that this lie was concocted by an elder of a community because, let’s be honest who questions the words of the elders in Nigeria. Remember, what an adult sees sitting down a child will never see even if he consults Google, Siri or Cortana.

The Element of Truth In This Story

On the 12th of August 1989, Nigeria lost Sam Okwaraji.

Sam Okwaraji was the player rumored to have lost his life in that game when in truth he died during a FIFA World Cup qualifying game against Angola in the 77th minute.

He collapsed and died of cognitive heart failure. May his soul rest in Perfect Peace. AMEN

So that is the only truthful thing about that story, the fact that a Nigerian player died during a football match. That’s it. The match was not against India, we did not lose the match and as you must have guessed, and there were no lions either.

Nairlanders, what do you think?

It was Teslim Balogun that was rumoured to have scored the one goal not Samuel Okwaraji...point of correction

guy forget o.. dat 99-1 is damn truth...
one of my uncles followed up the game (on radio)..
and he heard every commentary of the match...Sam okwaraji was about kicking the ball wen it turned to a wild lion....
akwaraji said his last prayer an fired the ball...

(THE BALL)on reaching the Indian goal keeper, all he saw was a fiery lion running toward him he had to run for his life too. and that's how we scored them...

the guy just did sign of the cross and fell down...

SLEEP WELL MR. OKWARAJI- REST IN PEACE..

/
The version I heard was that India had 22 players. 11 in the field and invisible 11 in the air. A ball that should have been a header would be fired mid air by the invisible players into the post and instead of a football, Nigerian keeper was seeing seven palm heads.

And whoever told the story always insisted that his grandpa was live in the arena and witnessed it.

It is similar to the story about "mammy water" aka mermaid making life unbearable for the engineers when River Niger bridge was being constructed. Zik had to play "dare" with mammy water. Zik enter a bottle as a fly and came out and dared mammy water to try it. Mammy water flew into the bottle snd Zik corked the bottled so fast that mammy water was trapped. Voila! That was how they were able to build the bridge unhindered.

Nigerians!!!

\

BukkyDan:
omo see short knicker @pictures. As in they played the match in those?
Looks more like...

There is no such word has "short nicker" it's either you say shorts or nickers. BTW it is characterised with ladies

Ruffychuks:
I actually worked with NFF some years back dat was wen I got to knw of dis story

The ball turning to lion story sounds more real than yours. Your story looks so fictious.
1. Who will agree to play ball bootless? Kicking a hard ball for 90 minutes bare feet?
2. No matter how bad the opponents seem to be, who will agree to the crappy "3 goals will equal 1?"
@ op, didn't okwaraji die via stampede, after a match?

30secs:
Nothing una talk fit convince me. That match happen live! Even my grandpapa confirm am.

abi oo....wat if i tell nairalanders that justin bieber is going to be 59years this year will any of u blive....d evidence was once on Google (link)nd youtube.bt today u cant find a single one.....one of the reasons i dnt trust google.....thank GOD i have d video......

All bloody lies....told to us from the start....lol how can u imagine scoring a team 100 nil..even refree sef go end match before e reach 90mins sef...Nigerians don't thing

cbrass:


There is no such word has "short nicker" it's either you say shorts or nickers. BTW it is characterised with ladies

dats aw u fail.....

Nexxy007:
i have always wondered why India has never participated in any football tournament though

.. I bought ds story big tym 2... I later got 2 knw india nva participatd in any footbal tournament coz dey told fifa dey want 2 play wit der legs only.. No boots.. Nd fifa didnt allow dat..

duduhemit36:

dats aw u fail.....

Mr lecturer am all ears

Many of the guys above know some part, but let me provide the complete story as i know it:

Many have heard about this match. Some think it’s an urban legend. Some think it’s only a joke.
But only few know the truth. A long time ago, few months after the end
of the Nigeria-Biafra war, the Military Governor of Lagos decided to stage an exhibition match at the then glorious
National Stadium Lagos. He thought it would be a special way of celebrating Nigeria’s victory in the war, a way of
helping Lagosians to forget the sad bloody years that had just passed. He wanted to stage the match between
Nigeria & Ghana but was advised against it. His advisers reminded him how Ghana trashed Nigeria 3-Nil at the 1960
Independence Match, that another loss to Ghana might defeat the purpose of the exhibition match. His advisers
suggested that they choose a team that would be very easy to beat.
Brig Gen Mobolaji Johnson agreed. Ethiopia was considered. Zimbabwe was considered. India was considered. USA was
considered. And India was chosen. He & his advisers believed that India would be a walkover.
But had he known what would happen he might have chosen Brazil. Yes, Brazil were the reigning world champions
at the time but… Oh, had he known. India agreed to play the exhibition match with Nigeria. In fact, they were overjoyed.
Nigeria was one of the best teams in Africa. And they had never played with an African team before.
What more! They were most overjoyed that Nigeria had agreed to their three special conditions. What were
these conditions?
Well, on that fateful day, a bright Saturday afternoon on August 15th, 1970, the National Stadium Lagos was filled with
excited spectators.

There was Condition No. 1, that the match be played on India’s Independence Day.

As the players of Nigeria & India came into the pitch, spectators screamed with more excitement as they saw that all the twenty-two
players were barefooted. That was Condition No. 2. (Remember that India had withdrawn from the 1950 World Cup
because they weren’t allowed to play barefooted.)
Priiii… Referee Mohamed Touati blew his whistle to begin the game. (The Tunisian referee had been suspended by
FIFA earlier that year but had accepted to officiate this special match.) Indian forward Amer Al-Amer made the first pass.
And before anyone could say “Bosnia-Herzegovina”, one Majed Suleman fired the ball high into the air towards the
Nigerian post. The giant of a Nigerian keeper, Emmanuel Okala, dived to the right while the ball dropped into the left side
of the net. Gooooaaal!!! 3-0.

There was Condition No. 3, that each goal scored by India would be counted as 3 points while each by Nigeria
would be 1 as usual. (Nigeria agreed because they believed that India could never score. Or at least couldn’t score
more than one goal.) Emmanuel was looking confused. He was very sure he had dived towards the ball.

Every other person thought he’d deliberately let the Indians score just to spice up the game.
Meanwhile, India’s fan club was going wild with jubilation.
Priii… The Nigerian forwards Sunday Atuma & Thompson Usiyen passed. As Thompson passed to Paul Hamilton, he
was surprised when he saw India’s Faisal Al-Dakheel with the ball. Faisal quickly shot the ball into the air towards
Nigeria’s post. Goooal! 6-0. Thompson was so confused. He could have sworn it was Paul his teammate he had passed to.

Priii… Sunday Atuma passed into the Nigerian half. Alloysius Atuegbu passed to Haruna Ilerika. Haruna made a long pass
into the Indian half to Samuel Okoye. He was shocked when he saw the ball in the legs of Abdullah Al-Shemmari. Haruna
wiped his eyes in disbelief. Too late! Abdullah shot the ball into the air. Goal! 9-0. Three goals in barely six minutes?

Nigerian spectators were wondering what was happening.
Priii… Goal! 12-0. Yusuf Al-Suwayed.
15-0. Amer Al-Amer. 18-0. Majed
Suleman’s second goal. 21-0. Abdulaziz
Al-Buloushi. 24-0. Majed’s hat-trick.
27-0. Faisal Al-Dakheel’s second goal.
30-0. Waleed Al-Mubarak.

At the twentieth minute, Nigeria’s Paul Hamilton ran with the ball all the way to India’s box-18. But
as he raised his long leg to shoot, he slipped & fell. India’s defender Mahboub Jumaa easily took the
ball as Paul lay on the ground moaning like a baby. That was the nearest Nigeria had gotten to the Indian
post so far. Twenty-five minutes later & eight goals more, the score stood at 54-0. Some spectators angrily
left the stadium even before the half-time whistle. Others waited patiently, hoping that Nigeria would
revenge in the 2nd half.
The Nigerian coach was already fuming with great anger, at half-time:
“Boys, what the hell is happening out there?!” Coach Jorge Penna was furious.
“You’re the damn captain, answer me!!” he was shouting at Emmanuel Okala.

Emmanuel was speechless. He didn’t know what to say.
“Co-co-coach…” Godwin Achebe began “I think I know what’s happening sir”
The coach was glaring at him now. “Those Indians dey use juju. They’re using ma-magic.”
“Yes! Yes!” his teammates echoed & nodded & murmured amongst themselves.
“Shut up you fools!! Magic my foot!!! There is no magic in football!”

10 minutes into the 2nd half, the score-line was 90-0 the Nigerian coach had no other choice but to remove the captain Emmanuel Okala and bring in Samuel Okparaji.
At the 70th minute, Nigeria’s Samuel Okparaji ran with the ball all the way to India’s box-18, as he prepared to fire the shot, he could have sworn that the ball has completely
dissappeared and he was staring at a lion, he blinked and on opening his eyes, he saw indian's Amer Al-Amer fire a shot at the Nigerian Goal all the way from the Indian half,
and to the shock of everyone the shot scored (the Nigerian keeper will later claim that he saw a wild lion rushing towards him and he had to jump away from the ball/lion).

At the 76th minute, Samuel okwaraji was about kicking the ball wen it turned to a wild lion....
so he said his last prayer and fired the ball...
(THE BALL) on reaching the Indian goal keeper, all he saw was a fiery lion running toward him
he had to run for his life too. and that's how we scored them...

the guy just did sign of the cross and fell down...

May his soul rest in peace (Amen)