The unlikely story of how ‘Dundee United’ became an insult in Nigeria

The club’s name is synonymous with idiocy in Africa’s most populous nation. How on earth did this happen?

In 2010, the BBC aired a documentary called Welcome to Lagos that explored life in one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It was a three-part mini-series, surveying the changing hopes and aspirations of the city’s poorest residents, and taking viewers from houses constructed with scrap on the beach, to the people living in Olusosun rubbish dump. Shown on BBC2, the production company behind it went on to win a Bafta.

But, most importantly, episode two of the series included a look at Makoko – a community built on stilts, on top of Lagos Lagoon – where a resident called Chubbey explained that survival in the city required a certain degree of street smarts.

“Anybody who came to Lagos and he didn’t learn sense, he cannot get sense ever,” he said. “Because here if you are a fool, they will learn you how to get sense. If you are a ‘Dundee United’, when they start to pour shit on you, you will get sense.”

After that the scene cut away and the documentary continued. But for any Scottish football fan watching, the producers had missed an important story: Dundee United is used to mean “idiot” in Nigeria.

It is an upsetting thing to think about, for a United fan. This is a country of over 200 million people and they have apparently been using Dundee United as a byword for a fool for years. Why would they do this?

It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it’s true. As Yewande, a Nigerian-Scot based in Glasgow, explains: “When I was little, living in Nigeria, it was quite common. People would say ‘you’re just a Dundee United’, or ‘don’t be a Dundee United’, and it basically means an idiot or a loser.”

But why? And how did it happen? Dundee United, unfortunately, did not respond to requests for comment on the question. The club’s silence represented an early blow to an investigation that already appeared as complicated as it was pointless. Yet a glance at the internet shows theories do exist. One, popular on online chatrooms, is that the phrase stems from the 1989 Fifa under-16 world championships.

The tournament was actually a very successful one for the Scotland under-16s team, which made it to the final before losing to Saudi Arabia on penalties. Records show Nigeria were also present, with the team knocked out by the Saudis in the quarters.

Significantly, that match was played at Dens Park. In fact the ground was home to four of Nigeria’s games, and the team also trained there. So could this be the answer? Is it possible that a contingent of mischievous Dundee fans could have played a part in the origins of the phrase? Could they have taken it upon themselves to inform a group of 15-year-old Nigerian youth players that “Dundee United” was local slang for an idiot?

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/mar/11/the-unlikely-story-of-how-dundee-united-became-an-insult-in-nigeria

Still no origination of the words in this epistle

Idiot get plenty name Sha...Apart from Dundee the ones wey I know plenty like

Bolor
Zuzdeer
Okpe
Okpemu
Mumu
Mumudiasa

As we craze reach we dey use name abuse person

E.g that guy na suberu na
See that guy ,na so he go dey do like bosun
This guy can Musa ehn.
For my area we dey even use foodstuff

Oga no dey do like garri
See as he do face like comb
Guy you dey think like cocoyam

For naija...we dey use anything insult...no think am

Is Buhari not a Dundee

It has been in use before 1989

Buhari is a Dundee United

Monogamy:
Still no origination of the words in this epistle

How much should I bet that you did not click on the link?

mumuni... suwegbe... aboki... sule... all na dundee . 9ja i hale

1,. WHEN OBAMA SENT KERRY TO THE CALIPHATE INSTEAD OF ABUJA, OBAMA MADE NIGERIANS DUNDEE UNITED.

2, WHEN BRITAIN COMPLETED MEDICAL SURGERY ON BUHARI IN2016, IT WAS LIKE EXHUMING HITLER TO MAKE HIM CONTINUE HIS SELFISH DESIRES. BRITISH MADE NIGERIANS DUNDEE UNITED.

3, BUHARI NOW DOING WHAT PLEASES HIM
IN RIFA-RUGA ISLAMISATION FULANISATION AND ANARCHY RATHER THAN WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT IN FULL APREC-AUTONOMOUS POLICING RESOURCING AND ELECTIONEERING MATTERS FOR OUR 36 CONSTITUTIONAL STATES, BUHARI IS TAKING NIGERIA FOR GRANTED AS DUNDEE UNITED.

THE CONTINUE DELAY TO EXPUNGE THE EXCLUSIVE LIST OF THE 1999 CONSTITUTION AND LIMITING FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES TO FOREIGN AFFAIRS MILITARY AND TREATIES SEALING ONLY IS UNDERMINING THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE AND MAKING THEM DUNDEE UNITED.

AND MANY MORE DUNDEE UNITEDS.

budaatum:


How much should I bet that you did not click on the link?

Are you not supposed to paste the full story here.. Why should I click the link?

Dundee United should visit Naija again so we can see if they improved. And if they haven't improved, they can give visa to all the local Dundees so they can migrate to Scotland please.

Monogamy:


Are you not supposed to paste the full story here.. Why should I click the link?

Lol that I am supposed to steal the hard work of other people instead of making you visit their site so they can make money from your click.

No one is supposing you to click a link. May your work be worthy of payment and not be stolen.

This is ignorant. Dundee United has been synonymous with idiocy in Nigeria for a long time, far longer than 1989.

“Dundee” I know... Which one be dundee united??

Aderr:
This is ignorant. Dundee United has been synonymous with idiocy in Nigeria for a long time, far longer than 1989.

Did you know that readers are not Dundees?

Try it and see for yourself if it is untrue.

budaatum:


How much should I bet that you did not click on the link?

E BE LIKE SAY YOU NOR KNOW HELINUES.

budaatum:


Did you know that readers are not Dundees?

Try it and see for yourself if it is untrue.

I am not sure you read it. Or maybe you read upside down like a Dundee.

Dundee United has been in existence as an abuse word even before the 80s.
It's a bastardization of the word "dunderhead"
Op is a Dundee that's why he didn't know this.

ngadaAwo:

Rule 2

Ironically, this thread is about Dundee United...

lmaoooooo

What about Ode, Adamu, abokee, ewu awusa , mumu?

ChoCho54:
Dundee United has been in existence as an abuse word even before the 80s.

It's a bastardization of the word "dunderhead"

Op is a Dundee that's why he didn't know this.

I go with this post

ChoCho54:
Dundee United has been in existence as an abuse word even before the 80s.

It's a bastardization of the word "dunderhead"

Op is a Dundee that's why he didn't know this.

This seems the plausible explanation

ChoCho54:
Dundee United has been in existence as an abuse word even before the 80s.

It's a bastardization of the word "dunderhead"

Op is a Dundee that's why he didn't know this.

I wonder how many Nigerians would claim their Dundee United is bastardized dunderhead.

I'm certain if we ask here though, the majority will claim they do know though many don't even know Dundee is a city.

The phrase was made popular by the pool stakers (sport betting) in the 70s and 80s... It was a common knowledge among them never to stake a draw on Dundee United if you don't want lose your bet... The team is notorious of losing important games even when they are in good form hence; people taunt them by calling anyone that is sluggish, inactive or took a backward position in his or her school report card a "dondu united"

Also when we were young, our parents enjoys watching us play football in the evenings... If your set (team) is losing consistently, your team will be named "dondu united" for that day and your goalkeeper will be named "Onyemachara" or "gorimapa" .... It was always fun back then.

Mrs Olayinka of blessed memory.... She's one of the people that made our childhood meaningful and memorable..... She gave every child in the house a nickname.... She used to call me "Baba may Fuji". , another one; Agede and many other funny nicknames.

Sleep on Iya Muyiwa.. till we'll meet to part no more.... God knows the best for us all.

I think the 1970s theory of the origin of the tag, when they visited Nigeria and lossed their matches badly is the true one, because I have been hearing of "Dundee United" since ions..