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We drank wine, partied till 2am –1980 AFCON heroes recount historic feat

1980 Green Eagles squad

1980 Green Eagles squad

Today makes it exactly 40 years that Nigeria first won the AFCON on home soil. Members of the then Green Eagles squad relish the historic moment four decades after, writes ‘TOSIN OLUWALOWO

Christian Chukwu etched his name in Nigerian folklore when he became the first Nigerian to lift the Africa Nations Cup on March 22, 1980, as captain of the country’s national team, then known as the Green Eagles.

The team, led by Brazilian coach, Otto Gloria, saw off opposition from Egypt, Ivory Coast and Tanzania in the group stage, before defeating Morocco 1-0 in the semi-final. In the final match, the Eagles overpowered Algeria 3-0 through a Segun Odegbami brace and a Mudashiru Lawal strike.

Some members of the team, who spoke with our correspondent, reflected on that historic night at the National Stadium, Lagos, admitting that the experience was one for a lifetime.

According to Kadiri Ikhana, who later went on to also become the first Nigerian coach to win the CAF Champions League with Enyimba, it is an experience he will never forget.

“I can only remember how happy we were and the true love we shared in camp. We went out to have fun and enjoyed ourselves and I think we partied till about 2am before we went to bed,” Ikhana said.

“It was a wonderful day and it is a day I will forever remember in my life. We took lots of wine to celebrate the victory and I returned home very late, and believe me, that was something I had never done before in my life. I think it was a day to be recognised and remembered.”

The second youngest member of the team, Slyvanus Okpala, who was just 18 then, said the victory brought him fame.

Okpala recalled how he cherished the gifts showered on them after winning the trophy.

He said, “I was in secondary school when I was called to the national team, I was also the captain of the U-20 side, I never knew I would make it to the AFCON but I had joined the national team since 1978 and was already going for screening.

“It was a fantastic reception, with gifts everywhere. The first television my parents and my family members watched in our house was the one that were given to us as a gift. The first freezer and fridge we had in our house was also given to us by Thermocool, amongst many other gifts. It was wonderful for someone from a poor family to get to that height. I would walk on the streets and people would be chanting my name.

“All the gifts given to me, I gave them to my parents except the car, which I drove around.”

Chukwu, who went on to coach the Super Eagles, said he felt like a king after lifting the trophy.

“It was jubilation everywhere and it was the first time I was able to ride a horse around Lagos streets with the crowd cheering; I felt like a king.

“President Shehu Shagari gave us houses, cars and some other gifts. We were on top of the world.

“There is nothing like that, even though we did not make enough money back then.

“The feeling of winning the AFCON for the first time will be there forever,” Chukwu said.

Goalkeeper Emmanuel Okala recalls how Gloria plotted victory against the Algerians in the final.

“It was a great moment, we had not done it before and I thank God I was part of the team that made it possible,” Okala said. “I remember very well that it wasn’t easy because the teams in our group were strong. Coach Otto Gloria went to Ibadan to monitor the Algerians, who were defeating everyone. When he came back, he called his interpreter and told us he was sure we were going to beat Algeria. What he did was to change our way of selection, he played four defenders in the midfield, so, the Algerians couldn’t operate in midfield.

“So, they couldn’t supply balls to their strikers and that worked like magic. We adjusted our team and Muda was the top nine that day, he scored one goal, while Segun Odegbami scored two of the goals.

“It was a very happy moment; everybody, including our President, Shehu Shagari, was very happy.

“After the victory, we got a lot of gifts, even Chief MKO Abiola held a party for us, where he gave us gifts; many other people also gave us gifts. My people were happy that their son was part of the people that made Nigeria proud. We were surprised at all the gifts showered on us because it had never happened like that before. Even the President was at all our games and was also a frequent visitor to our team hotel.”

Odegbami, popularly known as Mathematical, also recounted how preparations for the final match against Algeria went.

He gave a descriptive analysis of the events preceding the final match against the North Africans on mathematical7.com.

“There is tension in the team even as we limber through the very light exercises this morning, mostly stretches and jogging around the perimeter of the football field on the grounds of Trade Fair Hotel, on Badagry Express Road, after Festac Town in Lagos, a beautiful country-side-like holiday resort where the Green Eagles have been in camp since returning from their almost three months’ camping in Brazil, leading to the championship.

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“After breakfast the tension starts to build up with unusual visitations. The first is by renowned parapsychologist, Professor Okunzua, for the first time to our camp.  I don’t recall which official’s idea it was to bring the celebrity professor to talk to the team, but he comes and goes after breakfast. I can’t make out what impact it had. It is neither inspirational nor motivating. He assures us the stars have given victory to us.  Another parapsychologist also visits. He is a Yoruba man, also well known. I don’t remember his name. He wastes our time.  An army of football officials also come in and pretend to be offering encouragement by distracting us with words that impact little or nothing,” Odegbami wrote.

The massive support from Nigerians who came in large numbers to cheer them, still lingers in Okpala’s memory.

“Before the 1980 AFCON, Nigerians were not used to watching the national team in large crowds. When Enugu Rangers, Bendel Insurance, Shooting Stars and other clubs were playing, they attracted more crowd than the national team.

“But 1980 was the height of serious support from Nigerians towards the national team and since then, it has never stopped. We had President Shagari and the Vice President Alex Ekwueme, coming out to watch us play and they promised and fulfilled their promises and the whole world saw it.

“As a boy who just finished secondary school in 1979, I was already driving a Peugeot 504 GR given to me by the Federal Government in 1980; only rich men were driving that car at that time. We were also given the national award of the Member of the Order of Niger. The crowd was fantastic, many governors were also around to support us, it was mission accomplished,” he said.

Captain Christian Chukwu lifts the AFCON trophy

He also spoke on how the coach tweaked the team to catch the Algerians unawares.

“It was the height of Nigerian football, the beginning of good things to come in Nigerian football and since then, we have been moving forward.

“I was a pupil of  Metropolitan Secondary School, Onitsha when I joined the team, I was a school boy international.

“We were jittery, we were unsure if we would qualify from our group, but we eventually defeated Egypt and topped our group. The moment we qualified from the group stage, everything was leaning towards winning the AFCON. What was in the minds of all the players was to win the cup. For us, even if we came second, we had lost and then, we finally made it.”

Chukwu said the team was already planning on winning the trophy, after winning bronze medals in the two previous editions.

“The trophy was something we had been looking for for four years. We started from 1976 when we went to Addis Ababa and came back with bronze medal, then ’78 we went to Ghana and came back with another bronze. Then in 1980, we won the gold medal. It was not an achievement that took place in just a year but eventually we thank God that we achieved it and we were honoured by the President. It is not something that can go out of our minds.

“We hosted the tournament and we believed that we were going to win. We were prepared and ready for it,” Chukwu said.

Ikhana added, “The money I received for winning the AFCON was spent on taking care of my family because that was the way we spent money in those days. The first thing to do is to take care of your family before you decide to enjoy yourself with the rest. We were all bachelors and I went to my family to enjoy.

“I was in Benin back then and my club (Bendel Insurance) received me like the president of the country. Two members of that squad played for Bendel Insurance, me and David Adiele and we were received as if we were the president of the country. It was a great day.

“The national award made me a first class citizen. For me to be a first-class citizen of this country, I should be thanking my God. If that was the only thing I achieved in this, I think it is worth it and very satisfying.

Ikhana also said playing in the final was his best moment as a footballer but admitted that nobody gave him a chance of being selected for the game.

“My best moment was when I played in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, nobody expected that I would be in the line-up but against all odds I was there. I had always been on the bench until about three matches to go.  The time I was very happy was when I was listed to play in the AFCON final.”

The footballers’ heroics also caught the attention of their female admirers but Ikhana said they were “careful” not to get distracted.

He added, “It is normal to have the numbers of girls coming around you increase after such achievement.  While we were in camp, we had female friends but we were careful because if you want to remain in the national team, you can’t be having ladies flocking around you. You have to discipline yourself in that area.

“Those days, it was a time a man was hustling to find a woman to get married to and not just to sleep around. Sleeping around with women was not the norm then.”

Setting the tone for further AFCON wins in 1994 and 2013 makes Chukwu a fulfilled man.

“It is a thing of joy to me and my teammates  because no one would have believed that it is 40 years now. We believed that we laid the good foundation for the younger ones coming up,” Chukwu, popularly known as Chairman, added.

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