₦airaland Forum

P0intBlank:
This our argument nawa.

You can't use players who play for other countries. U can create a thread for that. It creates the impression of u being desperate (looking for anything to prevent you from losing an argument). Let me ask you a question? Please be honest.

A)If you saw these names: Roger Milla, Abedi Pele, Samuel Eto, George Weah, Didier Drogba, Eusebio, Zidane as names shortlisted for the prize of The Greatest African Player by CAF. Would you not say something is amiss? Even if you don't admit it. I'm sure the rest of Africa would. Why? Zidane and Eusebio though of African descent are not eligible as they neither played in Africa nor for an African Country. Zidane or any french player (as long as he plays for France) can win French Player of the year as a result of his club exploits but a David Trezeguet (though one of his parents is Argentine) will not come into reckoning when discussing impact of Argentine footballers because he opted to play for France. U get my drift?

In same vein, Adebayor, Alaba et al do not qualify as their performances make Nigerian Football neither better nor worse.

"The fact that club performance was used to determine Africa footballer of the Year" (This statement is true only if one plays for or is eligible to play for African team)

The fact is Nigeria has won the CAF Player of the Year award five times (and not six). Three of those went to Igbos. Secondly, If the BBC award was given in 1992 and 1993. Abedi Pele would have won 1992 and Yekini might win 1993 (I said might cos France Football Magazine (the body who used to handle the awards before CAF) handed the 1993 African Player award to Abedi Pele because of his exploits with Marseille in French League and UCL. The BBC might toe the same line). However, lets assume Yekini would have won both that would have made it two against five

B) I had to check the CAF Women Awards again to be sure my memory wasn't failing me. I see Mercy Akide once and Cythnia Uwak twice. Which other year did Mercy Akide win? Now, Mercy Akide is from Rivers State. She got married to Colins Udoh in 2004, three years after her award in 2001. Marriage does not change your state, it can change the state of your children.

C)"P.s : you said the players were Igbo's in 1994 and 2013 but atleast Rasheed Yekini(Yoruba) and Victor Moses(Edo) were the best players of the tournament and best player for Nigeria respectively".

i) I never said the players were Igbo's in 1994 and 2013. U're misquoting me.
ii) Please provide reference that the Samsung fair player award is an award given to the best player. Do crosscheck.
(Fair Play award is not the same as best player award. Orange POTT handles that. Come on, u should know this)


D) I chose these years 1980,1994,1996,2013 cos we won the trophies. The 1973 All African Games (Soccer) is another one that should have been included. I didn't include it because of insufficient information. If u come across any info I'd like to read it

E) I'm beginning to think u give imaginary awards just to support ur cause. U claimed Muda was the best midfielder but he wasn't even in 1980 CAF team of the tournament. Infact, he played in five nations cup and not once did he make the CAF team of the tournament. When comparing players it's not just about the number of games played. Another question that needs an honest answer whose career would you rather have Muda's or Okocha's? Nation Cup Gold, Olympics Gold, World Cup Appearances (Okocha was not a passerby in those teams. He was a key component) Consider, Okocha played club football at much higher level and still shone. Furthermore, Okocha was nominated for CAF Player of the year awards thrice and made CAF team of the tournament thrice. In addition, he has a better goal to game ratio than Muda plus an amazing skill set. Should it surprise us that we only hear of the search for the next Okocha and not the next Muda?


F)"Even though Arsenal-fc had won more leagues than Chelsea, Chelsea is still rated over Arsenal-fc. Why? Because of the ultimate continental price. And as long as Iwuanyanwu Nationale participated in West Africa Club Championship and failed then it also counted hence Bendel insurance and BBC Lions are still rated above Iwuanyanwu Nationale."

Ur example doesn't match the situation. Bendel Insurance and BCC did not win the ultimate Continental Price. Do u know what West Africa Club Championship is? Why would u rate BCC Lions over Iwuanyanwu Nationale?

G) "Nigeria's first Nations Cup was in 1963 and the major tribe that helped to qualify and participated was Yorubas with 9 key players. Nigeria qualified for the first Olympics football game in 1968, the dominate tribe that achieved that dream was Yorubas."

- Noted. But what did they win? U forgot to add that they left both tournaments without winning a single match.


H) "In 1976 Nigeria won her first medal in the African Cup of Nations when they came third and as usual Yorubas dominated the team with the likes of Muda Lawal, Haruna ilerika, Ojebode, Kunle Awesu etcetera. Ilerika and Awesu were in the CAF team of the tournament"

- As usual? I like the arrogance. But the fact is they've been more Igbos in CAF's teams of the tournament. If u doubt it, check it.


I) "Nigeria won it's first Nations Cup in 1980, Igbo's had 7 and Yorubas had 8 number of players but the first 11 was between 5 and 7 Yorubas"
"Yorubas had 2 players in CAF team of the tournament, Best Ogedegbe and Segun Odegbami"

No, Sir. They were 9. David Adiele, Okey Isima, Christian Chukwu, Aloysius Atuegbu, Ifeanyi Onyedika, Henry Nwosu, Sylvanus Okpala, Emmanuel Okala and Frank Onwuachi.

Pls, how did u arrive at 8 Yorubas? Also, name the 5 to 7 yorubas in the first 11?

Moreover, Best Ogedegbe is not Yoruba (I think he's from Warri)

I'll appreciate it if u stick to the facts.



J)"My point is that every tribes dominated and contributed to Africa football".

Contribute, yes; dominate, no. Not every tribe has dominated. This argument has been enlightening. There's no denying the fact that the other tribes have done well (particularly the Yorubas). But I still agree with the writer that the Igbos have been the more dominant. For me the way u've tailored your arguments have given more credence to the idea that the Igbos have been dominant. U've not stuck with a tribe (u feel has been more dominant than the Igbos) but u've had to compare them with the achievements of multiple tribes put together and every now and again (when it's convenient) throw in someone who has neither played nor contributed to Nigerian Football (Someone who actual represents another country).

You no dey tire? After you posted the first one, you were not satisfied hence you came back to modify the post.

Bros, what is your defination of dominace? Pls lets start from there. Thanks

justiz5:
It is worthy to note however, that Kelechi Iheanacho has already made his EPL debut several months ago, scoring 5 important goals with relatively small minutes of game time.

While Dominic Solanke is still dreaming of his debut. Its high time we wait for D. Solanke to replicate his form that saw him make headlines in the Belgian League, before any body on this forum will think of comparing him with Kelechi Iheanacho.
Forgiveness please take note.

Back to my ghost mode.
CC: Orkpekyandega, Bascovanveli, Joseph1013, TheSuperNerd, TheGoodJoe, Blackalbino6, Terzurum5, ..... And all other stakeholders on this thread.

;DUna don start again oooo. OK na.

While Kelechi Iheanacho is still dreaming of UEFA Champions League debut Dominic Solanke had already made UEFA Champions League debut a season ago, as a 17 years old.

I hope Man City will be bold enough to list him for UEFA Champions League and I hope Kelechi Iheanacho will be able to replicate his form that saw him make headlines in the Premier League.

Dominic Solanke made headlines in the Eredivisie league.

P0intBlank:
Nice attempt. Thanks for your response. I'm not being tribalistic. Just stating facts.

However, I disagree with some of your points.

1) 2 Igbos combined for a total of 3 awards. Rashidi Yekini (who by the way was my favourite player while growing up) is the only one that counts. Emmanuel Adebayor won as a Togolese didn't play for Nigeria (hence, didn't contribute to Nigerian Football). Even, if you decide to add that, that's 2 awards. If I considered the BBC awards (which began in 1991), it would be five (kanu (2), Amunike (1), Okocha (2)). I'm wondering why u mentioned Victor Ikpeba. My argument here is NOT that Igbos have achieved more than the other tribes put together BUT that they've been the single most dominant (successful) tribe when it comes to Nigerian Football.

2) I have being following football for over 23 years. I know Fans, Management, Coaches and Players alike do not attach same importance to all trophies. When u consider the 2 most coveted trophies: The League and the Ultimate Continental Price, Enyimba beats 3SC. It's not even an argument who the more successful club is.

Iwuanyanwu Nationale has won 5 League titles, 3 FA CUPs. BCC and Bendel Insurance have 2 League titles and a second-rate continental title each (I did not count WAFU). I'd say it's a close call. However as a ManU/Real madrid Fan, I'd prefer my teams won their respective leagues to the Europa Cup. I know most fans would agree.

3) It doesn't negate the fact that they've dominated the final lists (1980,1994,1996,2013 teams all had 8 or more players from the same tribe. That's no coincidence). U said only 4 regulars like it's no big deal. Which other tribe produced that number of regulars in Tunisia 94? Some may have been on the bench but contributed their own quota like Amunike that played the Final and scored both goals or Okocha who played only d semis and finals and made his impact felt. Didn't know Victor Moses was the best player in 2013, was he?

P.S. u said the key players at 1980 Nations Cup were not Igbos. At least d best player (Christian Chukwu) was.


4) BBC award is a new award and the U-20 began in 2002. U would have a point if these awards were available during Nkwocha's time and she failed to win. Asisat Oshoala is very good but only time will tell if she would be better. For now, Nkwocha is still d best.

"Even, Efik/Ibibio has won the the African footballer of the Year 4 times" How did u arrive at this?

5) Muda Lawal was good but u're being subjective. Just like anyone can say Ronaldo is better than Messi. As a Manu/Real Madrid fan, my heart loves Ronaldo but My head knows Messi is better. Give me facts to prove he was better than Okocha.

"Taye Taiwo, Patrick Owomoyela, Dennis Aogo and Marice Edu" seeing these names make me shake my head. Some did not play for Nigeria, others would not make the cut. Ben Iroha or Taye Taiwo? Take this to the street, ask those who watched both play.

6) David Alaba? Does he play for Nigeria? Does he even see himself as a Nigerian? The article the lady wrote was about the dominance of the Igbos in Nigerian Football. Lets restrict our argument to this.

Nice but i want to correct some misunderstanding and some points you made.

1) The fact that club performance was used to determine Africa footballer of the Year and the fact that you mentioned the names of the tribes instead of country makes it counts. So, Igbo's still had only 2 players(won 3 times), Yoruba 's had 2 players and 1 Edo. Remember, Yorubas had won CAF most promising player of the Year 3 times( Martins Obafemi twice and Taye Taiwo once) while Igbo had won it twice with Mikel Obi and Kelechi Iheanacho, and Edo/Uhrobo once with Etebor Oghenakaro . When it comes to individual awards Ijaws( Ricky Owubokiri) and Yoruba (Rasheed Yekini) had won the Bola de Prata ( highest goal scorer) in an European league, and Yorubas became the second highest goal scorer in the Premier League with John Fashanu (20 goals) and Emmanuel Adebayor(24 goals).
Yorubas(Emmanuel Adebayor) had won the PFA Team of the Year.

BBC is a new award. U will have a point if the award was available during the time of Odegbami and Muda Lawal. Remember, it was not awarded in 1992 and 1993 hence Rasheed Yekini could have won it too.

2) Even though Arsenal-fc had won more leagues than Chelsea, Chelsea is still rated over Arsenal-fc. Why? Because of the ultimate continental price. And as long as Iwuanyanwu Nationale participated in West Africa Club Championship and failed then it also counted hence Bendel insurance and BBC Lions are still rated above Iwuanyanwu Nationale.

3) Nigeria's first Nations Cup was in 1963 and the major tribe that helped to qualify and participated was Yorubas with 9 key players. Nigeria qualified for the first Olympics football game in 1968, the dominate tribe that achieved that dream was Yorubas. The first major title Nigeria won was the 1973 All African games. All tribes where present. Hausa, Igbo, Efik, Yoruba, Edo, Ijaw all dominated the list(I couldn't get the complete list). In 1976 Nigeria won her first medal in the African Cup of Nations when they came third and as usual Yorubas dominated the team with the likes of Muda Lawal, Haruna ilerika, Ojebode, Kunle Awesu etcetera. Ilerika and Awesu were in the CAF team of the tournament. In 1978 when we also won bronze, Igbo's had 10 while Yoruba had 9 but we still know that the Yorubas dominated the team hence Segun Odegbami was joint highest goal scorer and was listed on CAF team of the tournament. Nigeria won it's first Nations Cup in 1980, Igbo's had 7 and Yorubas had 8 number of players but the first 11 was between 5 and 7 Yorubas. Yoruba was the highest goal scorer of the tournament and Yorubas had 2 players in CAF team of the tournament, Best Ogedegbe and Segun Odegbami while chuks was also listed. Even when we won silver in 1984, Yorubas still dominated. In 1988 when we came second Igbo's had a player more than Yorubas. In Algeirs 90 Igbo's had two players more than Yorubas but the best player was Moses Kpapor from Benue state while Rasheed Yekini was second highest goal scorer of the tournament . In 1992, Yorubas dominated the list again and Rasheed Yekini became the highest goal scorer of the tournament. Although, Igbo's dominated the list in 1994 but the composition of the first 11 was 3 Yorubas( out of 4 yoruba that was in the tournament) 4 Igbo's, 2 Ijaws and 2 Edo. The best and the highest goal scorer of the tournament was Rasheed Yekini. In 2013, Edos dominated the starting 11 with 4 - 5 players, while Igbo's had 3-5, benue 1, Hausa 1, Ibibio 1 and Ijaw 1. And the best player of the tournament for Nigeria was an Edo boy Victor Moses hence he won Samsung fair player of the tournament award and he was also included in CAF team of the tournament alongside Emenike, Ambrose Enyeama and Mikel. While, Emmanuel Emunike was the highest goal scorer.

P.s : you said the players were Igbo's in 1994 and 2013 but atleast Rasheed Yekini(Yoruba) and Victor Moses(Edo) were the best players of the tournament and best player for Nigeria respectively.

4) No wahala. Cynthia Uwak and Mercy Akide Udoh had won twice each.

5) Muda Lawal helped to win the Nations cup for the first time, he was just like the xavi of our time. There was no match he didn't start and finished and he is the only Nigerian to have played in five nations cup. When Nigerian league was hot, he won the League, FA Cup and continental prize for Shooting stars. What else?

Taye Taiwo has won CAF most promising player of the Year, 2 times Ligue 1 team of the season, 2 times CAF team of the Year etcetera. Has Ben Iroha achieved that?Patrick Owomoyela played for Dortmund, his German team can third in FIFA Confederations Cup etcetera. Where did Chidi nwanu play and what did he win? Maurice Edu was outstanding for USA and his club while Dennis Aogo played for the German team that came third in the FIFA World Cup. Have any of those you listed capable of breaking into the German team?

Taiwo don pass Ben Iroha tete.

6) As far as tribe is concerned, David Alaba is Yoruba.

My point is that every tribes dominated and contributed to Africa football.

P0intBlank:
Nice attempt. Thanks for your response. I'm not being tribalistic. Just stating facts.

However, I disagree with some of your points.

1) 2 Igbos combined for a total of 3 awards. Rashidi Yekini (who by the way was my favourite player while growing up) is the only one that counts. Emmanuel Adebayor won as a Togolese didn't play for Nigeria (hence, didn't contribute to Nigerian Football). Even, if you decide to add that, that's 2 awards. If I considered the BBC awards (which began in 1991), it would be five (kanu (2), Amunike (1), Okocha (2)). I'm wondering why u mentioned Victor Ikpeba. My argument here is NOT that Igbos have achieved more than the other tribes put together BUT that they've been the single most dominant (successful) tribe when it comes to Nigerian Football.

2) I have being following football for over 23 years. I know Fans, Management, Coaches and Players alike do not attach same importance to all trophies. When u consider the 2 most coveted trophies: The League and the Ultimate Continental Price, Enyimba beats 3SC. It's not even an argument who the more successful club is.

Iwuanyanwu Nationale has won 5 League titles, 3 FA CUPs. BCC and Bendel Insurance have 2 League titles and a second-rate continental title each (I did not count WAFU). I'd say it's a close call. However as a ManU/Real madrid Fan, I'd prefer my teams won their respective leagues to the Europa Cup. I know most fans would agree.

3) It doesn't negate the fact that they've dominated the final lists (1980,1994,1996,2013 teams all had 8 or more players from the same tribe. That's no coincidence). U said only 4 regulars like it's no big deal. Which other tribe produced that number of regulars in Tunisia 94? Some may have been on the bench but contributed their own quota like Amunike that played the Final and scored both goals or Okocha who played only d semis and finals and made his impact felt. Didn't know Victor Moses was the best player in 2013, was he?

P.S. u said the key players at 1980 Nations Cup were not Igbos. At least d best player (Christian Chukwu) was.


4) BBC award is a new award and the U-20 began in 2002. U would have a point if these awards were available during Nkwocha's time and she failed to win. Asisat Oshoala is very good but only time will tell if she would be better. For now, Nkwocha is still d best.

"Even, Efik/Ibibio has won the the African footballer of the Year 4 times" How did u arrive at this?

5) Muda Lawal was good but u're being subjective. Just like anyone can say Ronaldo is better than Messi. As a Manu/Real Madrid fan, my heart loves Ronaldo but My head knows Messi is better. Give me facts to prove he was better than Okocha.

"Taye Taiwo, Patrick Owomoyela, Dennis Aogo and Marice Edu" seeing these names make me shake my head. Some did not play for Nigeria, others would not make the cut. Ben Iroha or Taye Taiwo? Take this to the street, ask those who watched both play.

6) David Alaba? Does he play for Nigeria? Does he even see himself as a Nigerian? The article the lady wrote was about the dominance of the Igbos in Nigerian Football. Lets restrict our argument to this.

Nice but i want to correct some points you made.

WILL NIGERIAN PLAYERS RULE AFRICA AGAIN?
January 10, 2016



Seventeen years after Nwankwo Kanu was crowned CAF African Player of the Year, no other Nigerian footballer has ruled Africa again. Football stakeholders say the long wait may not be over yet, reports ’TANA AIYEJINA

Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was on Thursday crowned the new king of African football, when he ended the four-year reign of Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure at an elaborate ceremony held in Abuja.

The Borussia Dortmund star scored 143 points ahead of Toure, who scored 136 points to win a first CAF African Player of the Year Award for 2015. Ghanaian Andre Ayew recorded 112 points to place third.

But it was a case of different tales for Aubameyang and Nigerians. While the 26-year-old was all smiles on the podium as the continent’s best player, Nigerians had to endure another torrid year, watching helplessly as the top player’s award eluded a player from their country.



Indeed, the last time a Nigerian was named the African Player of the Year was in 1999, when Nwankwo Kanu won it for a second time.

Super Eagles’ all-time highest goal scorer the late Rashidi Yekini was the first Nigerian to win the award in 1993. Emmanuel Amuneke grabbed it the following year before Kanu and Victor Ikpeba also came out tops in 1996 and 1997.

It was an era that Nigerian players reigned supreme, winning the top prize five times between 1993 and 1999. But at the turn of the new millennium, the fortunes of Nigerian stars seemed to have dwindled, leaving no Nigerian footballer with the honour of being Africa’s best in the last 17 years.

Aside the Player of the Year award, the country’s players/teams also failed to win awards that they normally dominated. For instance the Super Falcons, who performed woefully at last year’s Women’s World Cup in Canada, were beaten by Cameroon, who reached the knockout stages of the event to win the Women’s Team of the Year award.

The Indomitable Lionesses’ Gaell Enganamouit was also named the Women’s Player of the Year, ahead of Falcons’ Ngozi Ebere while the U-17 World Cup winning Golden Eaglets and their coach Emmanuel Amuneke lost the Team of the Year and Coach of the Year to Ivory Coast and Herve Renard respectively.

No Nigerian was also in CAF’s XI. Only enterprising national U-23 team midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo (Most Promising Talent) and U-17 World Cup record goal scoer, Victor Osimhen (Youth Player of the Year) put smiles on the faces of football-crazy Nigerians at the event.

Close followers of the game in the country say they are disturbed with the negative trend in the last 17 years and fear that it might continue with the way the game is run in Nigeria.

“I can’t really see any Nigerian player winning the African Player of the Year in the next two years. We shouldn’t expect our exciting young players like Kelechi Iheanacho, Taiwo Awoniyi and Victor Osimhen to win it within this period,” 1997 CAF African Player of the Year winner, Victor Ikpeba, said.

The former AS Monaco striker turned sports pundit said Nigerian players have to start playing for top clubs before they can be considered for the award.

“If you look at the history of the awards since 1992, majority of the players who won it played for the best clubs in the top European leagues. But which of our present players is playing in the top clubs? Ahmed Musa is playing in Russia and it’s going to be difficult for a player in Eastern Europe to win it.

“Our players have to play for the right clubs. If we have players in clubs like Manchester City and Manchester United, then they can stand a chance of winning it.

“A player like Victor Moses is very good but he has his injuries worries. If Odion Ighalo moves to another club and he continues his goalscoring form, then he has the chance. If he plays in the Champions League or Europa Cup, it will boost his chances of winning it.”

Ikpeba was in outstanding form while at Monaco and he won the 1996 Olympics football event with Nigeria’s U-23 side. He scored 13 league goals to help Monaco win the league title, and then finished as the second top scorer in the UEFA Cup in the 1996/97 season, which he said earned him the African Footballer of the Year award in 1997 and a Ballon d’Or nomination.

He added, “I did well with the Olympic team in ’96 and I continued with that top performance in ’97. We won the Ligue One and I also played a major role as Monaco reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, scoring goals.

“I was one of the highest goal scorers in France and I was doing well. My performance all year was fantastic and I was nominated for the Ballon d’Or. For 18 months between 1996 and 1997, I can tell you categorically that I was the best at that time.”

Football journalist Kayode Tijani lamented the poor state of Nigerian football, saying it has contributed to the poor output of the country’s footballers.

“Our football has gone down and there is no way our players or clubs can win the top prizes at the CAF Awards. It will take some years to produce an African Player of the Year again. At the moment, which Nigerian player can you point to? It’s only Watford’s Ighalo but he has to be consistent for some time before he can be considered for the award,” Tijani said.

“There is no competition anymore amongst our players. Under (Clemens) Westerhof, we had three players fighting for one spot but now, our best player, Mikel (Obi) sits on the Chelsea bench most times.”

Tijani, reputed for his rich history of Nigerian football, said the footballers were no longer eager to give their best to the country, after seeing how their older colleagues were poorly treated by officials.

He said, “Who is doing insurance for the players? It was only last year that late Sam Okwaraji, who died while playing for Nigeria, got a call from Amaju Pinnick. It was the first time a government official will call the family 26 years after Okwaraji died.

“I went to Muda Lawal’s graveyard, it is a dump site. Aloysius Atuegbu died and nobody cares and the young players see how their older colleagues are treated. So, what they want now is their money, there’s no more pride in representing their country.”

He added that inability of players to progress from age-grade levels to the senior national team may also mar the country’s chances of producing an African football king in the nearest future.

“The mistakes we make start from the U-17 and U-20 levels. Instead of making talents discovered at those levels play for the senior team, officials will say they are too young. But Michael Owen was less than 18 when he dazzled the world at France ’98,” Tijani added.

“Here, we have kept the likes of Success Isaac and Kelechi Iheanacho from the Super Eagles. If Victor Osimhen was not given a chance in the U-23 team, how would we have known that he could perform very well at that level.

“We also heard stories about Amuneke not having certain players from a tribe in his team. How can we produce players who will become Africa’s best if our best players are not given opportunities because of tribal sentiments?”

Ex-international Etim Esin argued that until youngsters are given a chance to showcase their potential, Nigeria would find it hard to produce the finest players in Africa once more.

“Most of the players we have these days tire out after a few games for the national team. In my time, I played for Nigeria at 18; Henry Nwosu was 18 and still in school when he played for the Green Eagles. So we must start using young players and not old men in the senior team.

“We are not grooming talents. Look at Andre Ayew, we saw his progression from Ghana’s U-20 team to where he is today. If he wins the award in future, I won’t be surprised because he started early. But we don’t give opportunities to young players in Nigeria,” Etim said.

The former Blegium-based player added that the organisation of the award was very poor, saying ex-footballers, who should have played major roles at the event in Abuja, were overlooked by the organisers.

“Is CAF telling us that past winners like Kanu and Ikpeba and a great player like Okocha don’t deserve to climb the podium and present the awards to the winners? Nothing was done to showcase Nigeria’s ex-internationals, it was only the entertainment stars that enjoyed the show,” Etim added.

Tijani also faulted the organisation of the 2015 Glo-CAF Awards.

He said, “Can you imagine a Nigerian company sponsoring such a big event and no Nigerian presenter is involved. When it comes to the CAF awards, we have to be frank, especially in the last four editions, there are a lot of anomalies.

“When you look at other awards, you see consistency. Here CAF boss Issa Hayatou spoke in French and the Nigerian audience didn’t understand him. At the Ballon d’Or for instance, your earpiece will translate the language.”

With the likes of Aubameyang, Toure, Sadio Mane, Aymen Abdennour (Valencia), Nicolas Nkoulo (Marseille), Clinton Njie (Lyon) and several others doing very well week-in-week-out in Europe, it remains to be seen how Nigerian players would beat them to Africa’s best player award in the nearest future.


http://www.punchng.com/will-nigerian-players-rule-africa-again/

TheGoodJoe:
Oliseh: It doesn’t matter if you play at the moon, quality performance is all that matters.

I don't trust Oliseh any more because he has not lived up to his words. Even the guy is not playing regularly for his team.

Is this not a Dalmatian?

TheGoodJoe:
My best Super Eagles number ten is Sone AluKo. His impressive performances in our last two qualifiers games under Coach Keshi was the best I have seen since Okocha.

He was but now that he plays for a team in the Championship league, i don't think he will make the team. The guy should play in a top league first before been considered for the Super Eagles.

Icon4s:
Baruwa , Omo Alhaja.
The guy jst dey excort ball enter net.Na inside rain we watch that match. All my friends left and went home at 3-0. Na me tell them the 5-1 final scores

Chai! You strong ooo. So, you mean you watched that till the end. They camped in our half throughout the match. I couldn't endure to watch another defeat after Yuguslavia also thrashed us. .

Bros, you memory good ooo.

Icon4s:
What proof do u have that Westerhof lied abt Rufai's refusal to honour unvitations. The then NFA officials confirmed that Peter Rufai was shying away from national team call up. Aloy Agu was in goal again at Senegal 1992. A cheap goal he conceded in that 3rd place play-off ended his national team career.Remember how he, Aloy Agu, crawled like a Lizard on the floor in other to punch a goal bound ball which finally became a goal? Peter Rufai hu had been sidelined was call up for the 1994 WC qualifiers. Nobody was saying Peter Rufai was nt better than Aloy Agu. The case may b similar to what we have now where Enyeama has dumped Nigeria and we had to field Carl Ikeme. We know Enyeama is better bt Carl is the one hu is available.

Rufai's best tourney was Maroc '88, beaten in that final from a spot kick by Emmanuel Kunde of Cameroun.

By 1994 Peter Rufai was already becoming a shadow of his old self. His reflexes had become poor as he was always beaten from close range.

Recall the 94 AFCON semi-final 2-2 draw against Ivory Coast? Recall both goals for CIV was scored by one player: Mitchelle Basole. Recall he really exploited this Rufai's weakness to score d 2goals.
Again in the final against Zambia Elijah Litana hu scored Zambia's only goal scored from a close range header following a corner kick.

By 1998 the coach then was going to get rid of Rufai bt a pre-World cup friendly against Holland terminated Abiodun Baruwa, the then first choice goalie's, WC dreams. Holland won 5-1! And Baruwa was virtually escorting the balls into d net. I can't forget that rainy night in my neighbourhood.
Rufai was called back to d squad bt had a disastrous tournament.

I quite agree that prio to d emergence of Enyeama, Rufai was our greatest. His Maroc '88 heroics got into his head and he started avoiding national team call ups.

OK, What proof do you also have to show that the NFF confirmed that Rufai was shying away from National duties?

We all know that all players must rise and fall and Rufai is not an exception. Fine, he was not there in 1994 but he was still the best we had at that moment and he did saved us in the penalty shoot out against the same Ivory Coast. However, you should also remember he had sight issue at that time hence he was very bad at aerial ball.

Abeg, I no wan remember those friendlies. Seadorf wa kill us
we were thrashed so badly. Baruwa na basket. In fact, I already lost hope before the world Cup.

Icon4s:
Made a mistake abt Segun Odegbami. Infact he retired after we failed to defend our AFCON title which was held in Ghana in 1982. This also followed d disappointment of nt qualifying for the 1982 WC.

However, Wole Odegbami featured at the 1988 AFCON. So westerhorf dropped him from his team ahead of Algiers '90.

Talking abt Aloy Agu's performance. In case u have forhgotten let me remind u of the results of our matches.

Algeria 5-1 Nigeria.
Nigeria 1-0 Egypt
Nigeria 1-0 Ivory Coast
Semis: Zambia 0-2 Nigeria
Final: Algeria 1-0 Nigeria.
We only conceded against Algeria.
If u recall the first game we were 1-0 down at half time. In an attempt to equalize we let our back open and Raba Maja did the havoc. Aloy Agu went on a three match stretch without conceding until d final when he could nt stop Medaj Jamel's 1st half super strike. I dnt know how Aloy Agu is Westerhof's inlaw. Peter Rufai refused to honour national team's invitation and Aloy Agu was next in line. Kst like what Enyeama is forming to Nigeria today.

Your are right about Wole Odegbami.
Prior to 90 Nations Cup, Peter Rufai was outstanding in 84 Nations Cup, he saved 3 out of 5 penalties against Ivory Coast but Onigbinde dropped him in the finals. What happened?

Westerhor can lie for..... he even lied that Etim Essin was a car dealer. Of course, he lied that Rufai refused invitation. If Rufai were at the goal post he would have saved us. What happened when he came back in 1994? You know now?

Icon4s:
Yeah, he dropped Peter Rufai for little fancied Aloy Agu(the 1983 U20 goalie). He also dropped d mecurial Henry Nwosu for a Thompson Oliha ( a product of the 1987 Flying Eagles). He dropped the likes of Shegun and Wole Odegbami, Bright Omokaro (10-10), Ndubuisi Okosieme etc. He also brought in Daniel Amokachi, Amin Angwe, Friday Elahor, Friday Ekpo. He however, retained Stephen Keshi, Rashidi Yekini and Austine Eguavoen. It was a squad mixed with experience and inexperience. Yekini, Elahor, Amokachi and Aloy Agu where stand out performers in that tourney.

Hmmm Algiers '90, I will never forget, Menaj Jamel and Raba Maja both of Algeria. Those guys were ballers.

Bros, Aloy Agu was the reason we were thrashed in Algiers 90. Rufai was obviously better than him but Westerhof wanted to bring his brother inlaw. He wanted to do the same in 1994 after losing twice with his in law but Nigerians went against his wish and Rufai was restored. The rest is history.

Segun Odegbami resigned from the National team in 1982 while Wole Odegbami never played for the National team. So, how can they be dropped?

edi287:
No I'm saying if your child is born and bred abroad, don't expect he/she to automatically play for Nigeria because you say so or whatever. Fact is we DID try to get Alli to play for us through Fashanu and he refused. Same with Barkley.
How anyone would expect Barkley to play for us despite being estranged from his father and the fact that he uses his Mother's last name is beyond me.

Fashanu said he was going to speak with Ali but we did not hear anything from him. Barkley said he was eligible to play for Nigeria in an interview before he started playing for Everton first team but as usual Nigeria wants superstar before being called.

Icon4s:
Okocho never won any MVP when he was 17. Neither did he win any tourney bt Azubuike and Nwakali at 18 & 17 respectively have won both MVPs and National titles and both as captain. U think these 2 lads cannot develop to d level of Okocha. See o watched Okocha play at the 1993 AYC. He wasnt so ececeptipnal.

I don hear you.

Icon4s:
Raheem Lawal featured for the Super Eagles during Keshi. He wasn't so impressive. Raheem is abt 26-27 yrs old now and must have reached d summit of his career. K. Nwakali and Azubuike are jst starting and have shown so much promises. Our hope lies more on them.

Meaning those players you mentioned might likely turn out to be the same. Ighalo is just around 26 and that has not taken anything away from his form. Form should be considered before age. We know during Keshi 's days he was arguably one of the best midfielders but i still don't understand why he was dropped for some injured and mediocre players. And because he showed his anger after he was dropped Keshi snubbed him. The boy is just 25 years old.

edi287:
Barkley, Aogo and Alli all rejected Naija. Its not like we ignored them.

I agree we should have a better scouting system to unearth these gems, that doesn't mean we should forget the ones at home. We should spend more time developing our grassroots instead of waiting to call up players that got their education/spent their whole life abroad and have no personal attachment to naija. There has to be a balance.

Are you saying if I born pikin for abroad and train dem in abroad, they have no personal attachment to naija?

Barkley and Alli never rejected Nigeria. They were never approached by NFF. That's all.

Icon4s:
It is no news that the last midfield maestro we had was Austine Okocha.Joel Obi would have been his successor bt ... u know his story.

However, two fantastic central midfielders have jst emerged: Kelechi Nwakali and Azubuike Okechukwu both 17 & 18 yrs olds respectively. These are midfielders that boss oppositions jst like Okocha did during his days. Midfielders that can single handedly influence d course of a game. We are tired of the Mikelish timid kind of midfielders. We can only hope Azubuike and Nwakali progress well and live up to our expectations.

I would like to see them both play d next U20. One of which can b made to play a more forward role (AM) prefarably Nwakali due to his excellent passing skills, dribbling abilitied and good eye for goals.Let him play jst behind Osimhen or Sadiq Umar or hu ever emerges d first choice Centre forward.

I hope they play to our expectation. However, don't forget that Raheem Lawal was the joint highest goal scorer and the best Nigerian player at the previous U23 Africa championship and he is a better attacking midfielder than those two players you mentioned and the guy plays regularly for his club in that position.

Bros, comparing Okocha to those lads?

zuchyblink:
we now have 3 No. 10: Iheanacho,Etebor and Iwobi

No Sir, we have 4 No. 10: Abdul Ajagun, Kelechi Iheanacho, Etebor and Iwobi ( I have not seen him play in that wing).

P0intBlank:
Nice Points u raised. I feel the need to respond cause they are several other points u didn't consider.
1) The Igbos have gotten more African Player of the Year awards than any other tribe.
2) They have the most successful clubside: Enyimba being unarguably the most successful. Rangers and Iwuanyanwu Nationale will surely make the top 5.
3) Best Nigerian teams (The Tunisia/USA 94 and Atlanta 96 teams) had Igbos constituting at least 45% of the team. That's amazing considering how many tribes they are in Nigeria. Also, 1980 winning team had 9 players of Igbo extraction (that's 40%). It was the same complaint of dominance I heard about Keshi's AFCON 2013 team.
4) The same dominance is also seen in the female national team where a good number of the players are Igbos. Moreover, Perpetua Nkwocha is arguably the finest african female player having won the CAF award a record four times.
5) U limited your comparison to only strikers and goal keepers (though u left out Emmanuel Okala). What of midfielders and defenders? Chidi Nwanu, Uche Okafor, Uche Okechukwu, Ben Iroha, do these names sound familiar? That's an entire back four from one region. Is there any doubt that Okocha is the best midfielder we've had.
6) U spoke about the right wing. What about the left wing? Have we had a better left winger than Emmanuel Amuneke (Former African Footballer of the Year)?

That madam, Aderonke Bello, knows what she's saying

First of all, I don't buy into this tribal whatsoever because it's one the reason our National team is suffering. However, I will humbly like to correct some information.

1) Only two Igbo's had won the award , Emmanuel Amunike and Kanu Nwankwo. And two Yoruba's had also won the award, Rasheed Yekini(the first Nigerian to win it) and Emmanuel Adebayor. Nosa Ikpeba from Edo had also won it.

2) If you remove Continental awards and consider only the numbers of National trophy won, Shooting stars is the most successful with 5 league wins and 8 FA Cup followed by Enugu Rangers with 6 league wins and 5 FA Cup. However, I will do the rating based on Continental awards won.

1, Enyimba fc Baba: 7 league, 3 FA Cup, 2 Africa Champions Cup and 2 Africa Super Cup.

2, Shooting_Stars_F.C : 5 leagues, 8 FA Cup, 1 CAF Cup, 1 Africa Winners Cup and 1 West Africa Champions Cup.

3, Enugu Rangers: 6 leagues, 5 FA Cup and 1 Africa winners Cup.

4, Bendel Insurance fc: 2 leagues, 3 FA Cup, 1 CAF Cup and 3 West Africa club Champions.

5, BBC Lions fc: 2 league, 3 FA Cup and 1 Africa Cup winners Cup.

3) The highest goal scorer and best player of the tournament in 1994 was Rasheed Yekini. Igbo's had only 4 regular players. The rest were bench warmers. But 1996 Olympics na fact. In 1980 Africa nations cup the key players are not Igbo's. The highest goal scorer was Segun Odegbami, best keeper was Best Ogedegbe, best midfielder was Muda-lawal and the best defender and best player of the tournament was Chuks. 2013 Africa nations cup was dominated by Edo. I mean if we consider the composition of Edos in the starting 11. Victor Moses an Edo boy was the best player followed by Mikel Obi. The highest goal scorer was Emmanuel Emunike and best goal keeper was Vicent Enyeama.

4) I concur but Asisat Oshoala is the first to win BBC African player of the Year and more international individual awards than her. Even, Efik/Ibibio has won the the African footballer of the Year 4 times

5) When you talk about the best and most stable midfielder that had played regularly for Nigeria, Muda-lawal has no rival. Taye Taiwo, Patrick Owomoyela, Dennis Aogo and Marice Edu are all world class defenders any National team will desire to have.

6, When it comes to Left Back, Left Midfielder and Left Winger, is there anyone you can compare with David Alaba?

So, Bros, look well before you limp else you fall.

joseph1013:
[b][size=14pt]Manchester City suspends Iheanacho’s new deal[/size]

https://i4.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/incoming/article10287708.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/iheanacho3.jpg

ENGLISH Premier League giants Manchester City have put on hold talks for a new improved contract for Nigeria starlet Kelechi Iheanacho following a legal tussle involving agents representing the player.

It had now been specially gathered that US-based First Eleven Management, who secured Iheanacho his first City deal, had asked the Football Association arbitration to cancel a new management contract, which Iheanacho signed with UK-based Stellar Group.

This tussle could well boil over to a civi§l court battle between the two high-profile agents.

“Talks over a new contract for Kelechi have been suspended until the FA arbitration decides on who his agents are. First Eleven who first managed him have asked for the FA to cancel a new management contract the player has entered with Stellar Group,” a top source informed.

“It is only after the decision by arbitration that the situation will be a lot clearer. But even then, this could go all the way to the courtroom the way things are going.”

But on the pitch, youngster Iheanacho continued to improve his stocks after he scored in Manchester City’s 3-0 spanking of Norwich City Saturday night in an FA Cup tie.

The 19-year-old striker started his second official game and scored in the 31st minute to give City a 2-0 lead.

He had now scored five goals in all competitions mostly as a substitute for Manuel Pellegrini’s side this season.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/manchester-city-suspends-iheanachos-new-deal/[/b]

Hmm!

joseph1013:
I patiently wait for that day.

Thanks for your understanding.

Caspian22:
Well said. You really wrote it all. I hope all these defenders you mentioned start blossoming.

Believe me, some of them are already regular players for their clubs.

joseph1013:
In other words, after spreading beer parlour rumours, you stop short of proving them. Stuffs like this are litigable, you should know in case of next time.

Joseph the Joseph I don't hear. When the time is ripe I let the cat out of the bag.

A man's habit becomes his personality and his personality becomes his life style. It can't be hidden. I know it and that was why I said, I still dey observe am.

OduaVanguard:
Oh no. Is that the best Anambra has to offer? Now compare that to this from Ibadan. Technical Knockout!

Wow! This is beautiful. I have said it several times that Ibadan is the most underated city in Nigeria.

arresa:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tQXMiEWE2Qs/maxresdefault.jpg


Original Lekki Ikoyi Bridge



www.nairaland.com/attachments/3277874_fbimg1450767747624_jpeg2b85718d5397e237c15535ba68850d2c


Fake ibo made poor man's copycat gather bridge...

No comment.

YourNemesis:
The real thing in Yoruba man's domain

https://i.imgur.com/CSsVolz.jpg

No comment.

Icon4s:
My friend u said Taiwo Awoniyi was nt on same planet with Ajayi, mayb jst bc Ajayi was a 3SC player and Awoniyi then jst signed for Liverpool and loaned to Eintranct Frankfurt. I was only proving to u in that argument that Ajayi was more suited than Awoniyi as d main striker of that U23. U can judge from the performances of d two strikers in dat CAF U23 tourney

See the mistake u guys make is to underate youth players from the NPFL. Sooner or later u guys will find out that many of those Europe groomed players are nt much better than the NPFL youth players. Players like Etebor, Sokari, Okechukwu, Dimgba and Etor may b better than all the likes of Solanke, Sadiq Umar et al . Even Kelechi Iheanacho will have to up his game to break into d starting 11 of that team as u may know that Sokari & Etebor play similar roles as Iheanacho.

And yes Ighalo is in a blazing form and he took d world by surprise. I am sure at 3-4 months ago u wouldnt have thought that Ighalo would have scored 14 goals by half of the season.However, i would still nt rate him as among the best strikers in d world yet. Lets see him sustain this form to d end of d season and or mayb play in Manunited(as being rumoured) and still maintain that goal scoring form.

U implied I am in d habit of putting the "nt yet there" tag on our young players. I rather see it as u guys being too quick to hype young players. A player scores 2 goals in 2 appearances for AS Roma and next thing " he has replaced Dzeko", "he should b invited to the Super Eagles", "he should be in Rio". Plus all the Hype on Awoniyi and Iheanacho. I am nt taking anything away from these young lads. My wish is for them to become super stars bt the thing is we are always too quick to rate them as Super Stars.

Many young African players end up like "a flash in the pan". They only do well as teenagers and feassle out when it matters most.
I have been following youths football keenly since the mid 1980s so I know what I am talking abt. I have learnt that MOST promising talents dont end up living up to expectations.

Icon4s:
When I say "the national team" I am sure u know which national team I am talking abt.

Your point was players groomed abroad. Given the chance to play for Nigeria is another issue.

Icon4s:
I know Abdul Ajagun very well. He was the 2013 Flying Eagles captain.I have also advocated for his inclusion in this Olympic team in times past. He is a fantastic number 10 and also more experienced and more agile than the other contenders.He is also a very good dribbler. He is ripe for a Super Eagles call up also.

Good to know.....

joseph1013:
The bolded is some big allegations. Care to substantiate your claims? What proof do you have?

Let the sleeping dog lie but i should not have started it anyway.

Icon4s:
Dnt b too quick bro. We know y Oliseh capped him was to secure his nationality as a Nigerian. We should talk abt his chances at the Olympic team . For now i dnt think he has that physique to weather through the African defences and even make those passes on our bumpy pitches. Iheanacho, Etebor and Sokari can also play that number 10 position for the U23. Although Etebor can also play from the wing and central midfield. The Olympic team is gonna b very competitive. It is left for Iwobi to prove to the Siasia led crew that he is better than Etebor, Iheanacho and Sokari. He alternatively can b picked as a winger.

I think Abdul Ajagun is also a good number 10 and I think he's ahead of all these players because he plays regularly on that position for his club. He is also on course for the Olympics football game.

Caspian22:
I always tell anybody I discuss football with that Nigeria's golden generation is coming soon.

But they are only two problems hindering that.

1. The failure to scout potential youngsters whether abroad or in Nigeria. I remembered when I was shouting Dele Alli b4 he shone at MK dons. What about bobby adekanye that barca got banned so, they said he was messi's favorite youngster. Amuneke didn't make effort to invite him to the U17, now he's with Holland.
I am not just talking about abroad youths alone. Daniel Emmanuel, the goalkeeper that did so wonderfully well at CAF U23 wasn't invited to the CHAN tourney. I understand that competition for shirts is tough but give youth a chance.


2. If you are talking about the next generation stars in naija football. You'll mention, iheanacho, success, awoniyi, osimhen, iwobi, nwakali, alampasu, ndidi.
Did you notice something wrong? No. Yes. They are no defenders. No matter how big naija's youth pool is. it will mostly comprise of attacking talent. Who can you say is the top defender naija can rely on in the future? even if you name some. how many? is it iorfa? that has already played for England.
If we begin to groom more quality defenders we can talk about that golden generation.

Thank you

1, My bro the thing just tire me. So, after all the plea to play for his father land Amunike still ignored that lad personally loved and groomed by Messi. Now, he has chosen Holland over Nigeria and tomorrow he will become another Alaba and Dele Alli. What a shame. Last U17 players were not as impressed as Kelechi Iheanacho set anywhere. I can only spot 4 potentially good players but the rest are below average. Amunike knew he was going to be given a bad name hence he regetted to led the U17 again. He knew his selection was bias and if he did it for the second time his image and reputation will be tarnished forever in Nigerian football hence he resigned. I still dey observe am.

2, We have good defenders too but unfortunately some of them have been ignored for far. It not necessary we focus only on players groomed in Nigeria. We should just focus on any good players from anywhere.

Right back :Moses Odubanjo(Hull City, England) Tyronne Ebuechi( Ado Den Haag, Holland) and Dominic Iorfa(Wolverhampton-fc) are still eligible to play for Nigeria and they can all play as right back. Abdullahi-shehu(Uniao Madeira, Portugal), Musa Muhammad( Turkey) and Nura Abdullahi of Roma fc are also right back players. Elohor ekpolo will soon graduate to Barcelona main team.

Left back: I have not seen any player in mold of Celestine Babayaro and Taye Taiwo in this position until now. Kingsley Madu of Trecin, Slovakia is the one I suspect to reach that height if he plays for a good club.

Center back: Kenneth Otigba (Heerenveen, Holland), Tiago Ilori (Liverpool, Holland), Manuel Akanji( Basel, Switzerland), Gbenga Akokoyo (Turkey), Kenneth Omerue (Turkey) , Derek Osadebe (Bolton Wanderer) and Troost-ekong (Gent, Belgium) are good center back.

Icon4s:
Last time i checked those players u mentioned are nt Nigerians. Give me a list of Nigerian players groomed in Europe and what they have contributed to d national team.

Your comparison was between players groomed in Europe and the players groomed in Nigeria.

You mean Nigerian players that were groomed in Europe and what they have contributed/contributing to d national teams in Europe

1, David_Alaba, Austria
2, Rose Barkley, England
3, Dele Alli, England
4, Dennis Aogo, Germany
5, Patrick Owomoyela, Germany