₦airaland Forum

coogar: so spartans are now heartland? wow
i stopped following Nigerian premier league in 1998 circa. i think that was the last time shooting won it - not sure.

When you are off shore, it is difficult to follow the league because it is not shown in any station. AIT do sometimes show league goals on Saturdays. (You may subscribe to Ait int on sky 183). Its a pity that Ben TV will broadcast Ghana league matches instead of Nigeria's own.
I wasn't following 3sc when they were in the lower league.

coogar: rangers have never relegated o - top club. i always give them kudos for that. leventis never relegated too. they worked their way to the top before they were disbanded. their promotion was rapid!



why were they disbanded sef?

Because of the inability of the then NFA to turn the league as a pro league. There were series of meetings between NFA boss the-Obakpolor, Chief Abiola, John Mastroudes of Leventis, Iwuanyanwu and Chief Osakwe of flash. The aim was to press for a pro league, but to no avail.
Abiola and Leventis felt they were making to much loses and can not continue. A 1987, was a sad year in Nigerian football.
Imagine in Spain, Barcelona and Madrid being disbanded.

coogar: rangers have never relegated o - top club. i always give them kudos for that. leventis never relegated too. they worked their way to the top before they were disbanded. their promotion was rapid!



why were they disbanded sef?

Spartans joined the league in 1976 and has remained there till thisday. Later Iwuanyanwu and now Heartland fc.

honeric01: Didn't all these clubs you guys are mentioning go on relegation at one time in their lifespan? only Bendel Insurance didn't go on relegation until 2008 due to ownership dispute.

Rangers and Heartland has never suffered relegation till date.

coogar: but they never won anything on the continent, did they? i can't remember though. however, they had the man utd never say die attitude: the winning character!

In 1987,they got to semi finals of African club championship now champions league. Probably, would have later won it if not for the disbandment.
What a great team.

coogar: haba - nothing raymond king could do.
he was off his line and he dived at full stretch.....what was toyin ayinla thinking from that distance? although ekarika was pressing ayinla and ayinla from more than 20 yards just looped the most bizarre back pass ever over his goalie. it was so hilarious that a goal like that would decide the final of an epic battle.

Till thisday, Leventis remains the greatest Nigerian team I saw when growing up. This team won the FA cup in 1984 while in Div 3. They won the div 3 team without losing a match in 1984. In 1985, now promoted to div 2, won the league. In 1986, now in div 1, also won the league.
In 1987, the defended their league title.

coogar: toyin ayinla's back pass.... hahahahaha, i think he was bribed. to play a looping back pass from that distance and score should have been investigated.

And the keeper for Abiola that day, Raymond King should have parried that ball over the bar.
Anyway, Abiola later won the challenge cup in 1997.
While Abiola and Leventis lasted, Iwuanyanwu never won the FA Cup as well as the league. They were so close in 86 when Bummi Adigun equalized for Leventis at the semi finals. Before then, Chike Arisa had put Nationale ahead with 15 minutes to go.
The match went into penalties.
Leventis scored 5 of their spot kicks and nationale's Bengy Nzeakor lost his.
Nationale first won it in 1988 when they beat flash flamingoes 3 nil at Adamashingba.

coogar: good old days, bro!
the challenge cup then was better to watch than uefa champions league. super teams like bcc lions, ranchers bees, abiola babes and of course, leventis. iwamyanwu nationale(formerly spartans of owerri) also did well in stints then.

The challenge cup matches were great. I remember Toyin Ayinla scoring an own goal in the final of 86 between Leventis and Abiola Babes. Leventis went ahead to win it after they had won the league. They were double champions that year.
A year before then, Abiola babes won it in a long penalty shoot out against BCC LIONS. Abiola went ahead with Dahiru Sadi with 10 mins. Dominic Iorfa equalised late in the game.
Good old days.

coogar: they lived in osogbo - i had a chat with the fair one after the match. he said he did play for nepa osogbo during ASUU strike but academics and his parents hampered his football career.



na wa o! that leventis team was solid.
andrew uwe, ogunlana, edward ansah and was there an ozogula there then? not too sure!

Ayo Ogulana, a very decent player, he later played for Nigeria at Algeria 90. Samson Ozogula did not play for Leventis but for IICC. He came from Insurance. I remember when Louis Igwillo of Rangers cancelled his goal at injury time. Then IICC played their home matches at Liberty stadium Oke ado.

dayokanu: I am not sure But Davidson owumi was an Edo boy I think he used to be team managed of benin Insurance. These boys too I guess were Edo boys but I think they lived somewhere in Osun State

I think they are not related. Davidson's surname is Owunmi and he is from Rivers state. He played for Sharks and moved over to Rangers in 86. He was the second highest goal scorer in Ngierian league 85 after Edema Fuludu of New Nigerian bank Benin. He retired at Rangers, became a coach and later team manager at Rangers. He was later a director of sports in Enugu state. Its a pity Yekini could not allow them make it to the Green eagles then.

coogar: uwem ekarika is dead now?
Christ almighty! he's the only striker that is better than yekini in the history of nigerian football. he's as fast as hell. supported by james etokebe and wole odegbami. leventis united should be brought back, abeg. they are the only nigerian club with the hallmark of man utd!

Uwem Ekarika is dead, it's a pity. James Etokebe was a one time director of sports in Akwa Ibom, while I met Mattew Onyeama at one Igbo function in Barking, London last year.

coogar: i witnessed those 2 brothers in a game in 99. dang it, those boys were outstanding. their parents should have sent them abroad then. waste of talents!

Are they related to Davidson Owumi of Rangers, former Sharks player?.

dayokanu: Thats one of the greatest Nigerian team I hated them so much because they were always winning

I remembered Edward Ansah and didnt even know he was Ghanaian till around 1991Also Cyril Levi, Oliha and Obiku.

Who remembers Ishaya Jatau here? The Highest goal scorer in Naija league them and held the record for almost 20yrs

he was also bought by Iwuanyanwu. I was hoping Iwuanyanwu would go broke in those days cos he was using his finacial strenght to chance IICC and other govt sponsored clubs

Ishaya Jatau came from Nasco Jets formerly Mighty Jets. Edward Ansah, Leotis Boateng and Ben Johnson were all Ghanians and played for Leventis United. Minus ansah, the other two opted to play for Nigeria, but were not successful. The Benson am talking about here is the same short chap who played at the right full back for Leventis United. But upon his arrival at Nationale, he was regularly benched by Ransome Madu. He left so soon. Uwem Ekarika now late also joined Nationale from Leventis alongside James Etokebe and Andrew Uwe (not me).

dayokanu: I just used the era terms because they were the 2 dominant teams. Abiola Babes won a few Challenge cup in that time

I used to ate Iwuanyanwu them cos they were just too strong and always beating people everywhere

Before BCC defeated them in the 1989 Challenge cup final

They defeated Nationale in the finals via Aham Nwankwo's goal. Before then, Nationale had won the league and were very tired. In that 89, Nationale had the likes of Mattew Onyeama and Ansah from Leventis, Toyin Ayinla and Wahab Haruna from Abiola babes, Friday Elaho and Cyril Levi from NNPC warri, Chimezie Nwanaga from Rangers, Uche Okechukwu, and Mike Obiku from Flash Flamingoes, Thompson Oliha from Insurance etc. What a great team then.

dayokanu: Mutius brother Nafiu, And DSimeji Lawals brother kokoro i think they all played for Young stars and went for meridien cup 1997 . They were supposed to go for U17 in 1997 before NFA ruined their career by forgetting their passport in a game vs Benin Republic and Benin qualified on technical grounds

Both never did quite as well like their elder brothers

NUGA was Ifes especially Basketball and I think Ife has the best basketball behind ABU countrywide
Since 2000 things have gone down

Boys are not interested in Sports again everyone wants to drive Range through Yahooyahoo. Every small boy before he can even raise ball 20 times would have gone for trials in malaysia or Indonesia

My senior brother has painful memories of losing at the final of NUGA games 86 to great Ife. But he was rewarded in 1992 when he came back to UI for his masters programme. They won the football fiesta in Calabar. It's a pity I still played under the same coach at U.I many years later. Thats coach Salami. He is Dr Salami. I hope to see him when I visit Ibadan soon.

dayokanu: Iwuanyanwu was among the best teams in Nigeria when I was growing up in the late 80's

After Abiola Babes, leventis Era Iwuanyanwu took over before BCC Lions, Udoji etc came to rule.

I remember Iwuanyanwu losing the 1988 Sekou Toure cup to Setif of Algeria.

I think the first leg was even played in Ibadan Their players then were Mike Obiku and Cyril Levi

The plane crash of 1994 wrecked the team


I remember Ibadan people used to curse them then
"KilOn dun bi Olongini ooo, Iwuanyanwuuuuuu" - What sounds like a cat.. Iwuanyanwuuuuu

Abiola never won the league before it got disbanded. Leventis won in 86 and 87. Both abiola and Leventis got disbanded in 87 and best players from both clubs went to Nationale. That was the beginning of Nationale dominance.

dayokanu: Do you know Agoyes younger bro that went to Ife?

You played for UI? with that your 2 left legs? No wonder una no fit win NUGA

I do not know Agoyes junior brother. But I know Christopher Nwosu's brothers, as well as Mutiu junior brother and Bella Momo's junior brother.
As for NUGA, U.I won the football event in 1992 at Calabar, my senior brother was a member of that squad. But I must admit great Ife has upper hand against us on head to head.
NUGA use to be Ife, U.I, ABU and others. I dont know about now.

CFCfan: Lol. Andrew might better utilize the vertical passes of the 3SC midfield! If MAZACAR could land in Ibadan, that will be a big bonus.

I have always believed that 3sc does not need to look elsewhere for talents outside Oyo state. The state is blessed with so many talents.
Oh my God, there were so many of us then.

dayokanu: Andre Uweh is in his early 40's cos those guys he mentioned are around that age

Was it Edith Agoye who ran away to Switzerland during the 1995-96 season

I think Agoye had a younger brother who attended OAU around the same time i was there

Agoye is still my pal till date. I was with him not long ago when he came for his coaching course in the U.K. He was ahead of me and my mentor. Even at the school team, he was far ahead of me in U.I.

coogar: how old is andrew uweh?
permit me to start calling you mazi andrew. deal?

I be Ibadan boy, represented Oyo state at YSFON games in the 90's and a father now. Mazi Andrew supports Shooting as well as Nationale my home state team.

Blowing up your cities and your peeps is a wrong way for your voices to be heard.

Why hasn't GEJ declared state of emergencies in Kano, Yobe and Bornu?.

@TOPIC: The north is still part of Nigeria.

I can remember clearly being present on the day Adamashingba stadium was commissioned. Shooting lost 1 nil that evening to El-Kanemi warriors of Maiduguiri. The sadium was later renamed Lekan Salami stadium.
I followed Shooting regularly during my growing up days at Ibadan. It was more fun when my guys were signed by Shooting namely-Seyi Ajayi, Daniel Uka, Edith Agoye, Frank Egbano and Moday Odita. We were friends via Igbo league, or playing together in Unibadan sports complex, Ibadan football league and training together at IITA Moniya.
Till date, I still consider my self an Ibadan boy.
Up shooting.

Up Shooting stars.