Opinion: .A friend was celebrating the famed USA 94 team.. I supported him with this:
There is no perhaps or arguably in it. The team had the most dedicated set of players in the nation’s history. But they did not spring from the vacuum.
We still have to enunciate how that squad came to be:.
The team thrived when we had dedicated football nay sports administrators who were not politicians or brought by politicians, to settle political patronages. They were egg heads in sports administration.
We did not have social media “Sack” specialists but sports writers who thrived on the pages of national dailies and specilised football tabloids like complete football, complete sports, sports link et all.
These journalists who are now veterans criticised positively and the administrators listened. They loved the super Eagles above every personnel sentiments. They did not clamour for Westerhof’s sack to make their own person coach super Eagles coach. So the team thrived in the atmosphere of conviviality and progress.
The team’s coach was a rookie in 1989 when he took over the team. With the NFA’s support, he took the right steps. When the team failed to qualify for Italia 90, he saw that indiscipline and not even Sam Okwaraji’s death, ravaged the team. He kept the professionals aside and built the foundation of the team from the local league.
He did not live abroad. He criss-crossed states and watched league matches. Pronto, his team took shape: Okechukwu, Iroha (Falcons now Enyimba) Elaho, Baldwin Bazuaye (Bendel Insurance) Emma Okocha, Herbert Anijekwu(Rangers) Moses Kpakor (BCC Lions) Shorunmu, (Stationery stores) Amokachi, Ayo Ogunlana (Ranchers Bees) etc etc.
He took them to the ECOWAS cup in Bauchi and won. Algiers 90 beckoned. With a few serious professionals like (our best) Rashid Yekini, Andrew Uwe, Ademola Adeshina etc, they went to Algeria in March 1990.
The hosts massacred them 1–5 in the opening match but like Jose Peseiro did at AFCON 2024, Westerhof switched gear to a defensive formation. Once Rashidi scored in the third and 5th minutes against Egypt and Cote D’Ivoire respectively in the next group matches, the team parked the bus, won and qualified for the semi final.
Okechukwu and Rashidi scored two goals against Zambia in the semi final and the team went into the final. If not that the referee, the controversial Jean Fidel Diramba of Gabon favored the host, we could had won that cup.
Though a figment of the sporting press called for Westerhof’s sack, reasons prevailed because the astute administrators knew that there was no time to start a new coaching experiment. Senegal 92 and USA 94 qualifiers were around the corner.
The man battled the AFCON qualifiers, now introducing professionals as the need arose. I remember Reuben Agboola in the qualifier against Benin Republic in March 1991 in Lagos and the 7-1 pummeling of Burkina Faso on July 27, 1991 in Lagos, in the final qualifier.
I remember two significant things in that momentous occasion: the cutting of the tracksuit to form shorts for the match as the shorts for players were no where to be seen before the match.
2. Finidi George’s debut as he assisted in two of the goals and scored one.
Though Senegal 92 went awry for the after my mentor Abedi Pele (Maestro, Messiah) destroyed us in the semi final, the NFA still saw hope. The sack band wagon were still there but the NFA knew that in 8 months time (October 1992) the world cup qualifiers would start. So the Dutch-Generian as complete football called him, should continue. Perhaps we were blessed not to have WhatsApp platforms then.
The team beat South Africa 4-0 on October 8, 1992 with Westerhof effectively mixing players and blending the team. Rashidi and Richard Owobokiri played together for the first time and shared two goals each. The team navigated the first phase of the qualifiers, losing no match and hearts thumbed when it was paired with Algeria and Cote D’Ivoire in the final qualifying series.
The journalists then insisted that Augustine Okocha should be in the team after a splendid performance at “Mauritius 93′ U-20 AFCON. The NFA and Westerhof listened. The mesmerizing Emmanuel Amuneke was also included after a top notch performance for the dream team at the 1991 All African games in Cairo. No one was interested in sack, sack but in our first ever world cup QUALIFICATION.
Despite losing to Cote D’Ivoire on May 2, 1993 in Abidjan,.we already had a good, stable team. 4-1 wins over Algeria and Cote D’Ivoire in Lagos on July 3 and September 25 restored all we lost and made us need just a draw against Algeria on October 8 to qualify for our first world.
Our attack of Finidi, Amokachi, Rashidi and Amuneke ensured this objective as Finidi scored first in that cold night. Though the Algerians equalized and pressed for a winner, we packed the bus and held on for our first world cup.
It was even Alex Akinyele, the National Sports Commission chairman who said that Westerhof was defensive and did not play attractive football. But the NFA, journalists and fans countered him that you don’t ever talk of Disengaging a coach who has the AFCON and first ever world cup tickets in the kitty.
So the team blossomed and thrived.
In late February 1994, the team was scheduled to play Ghana in a friendly in Lagos before leaving for Tunisia for the AFCON. The players refused to play because of unpaid allowances and no one recognizing their world cup qualification efforts.
But Sani Abacha, the head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces, sent words to them, to play and meet him later.
They played an uninspiring 0–0 with Ghana and met Abacha later at Aso Rock. The dark goggled general told them the reason for the delay: the political complexities of his taking over from Ernest Shonekan on November 17, 1993. He then assured them with the eternal saying: “An honour delayed is not an honour denied,”
The team now buoyed with a presidential reception and mandate, stormed Tunisia and Conquered, giving us our second AFCON title. The efforts of long term planning since 1989 now showed glaringly.
With only one competitive friendly against Georgia in Ibadan, the team stormed USA and reveled in glory.
The answer to the lingering question of why we have not had an all-conquering team like that, since then, is simple:
A. We now have football administrators who are either politicians or proteges of politicians for political patronages.
B. We now have administrators who are interested in globe trotting, acquiring CAF and FIFA positions while their nation’s football nose dives into oblivion.
C. We now have social media influencers whose only language is sack, sack and fix their own person.
The answers as the bible stated, “is blowing in the wind” but here is the full list of that eternall team produced through : commitment, technical and administrative impetus and LONG TERM PLANNING.
……And not sack, sack and sack:
1. Peter Rufai.
2. Augustine Eguavoen
3. Ben Iroha
4. Stephen Keshi
5. Uche Okechukwu
6. Chidi Nwanu
7. Finidi George
8. Thompson Oliha
9. Rashidi Yekini
10. Augustine Okocha
11. Emmanuel Amuneke
12. Samson Siasia
13. Emeka Ezeugo
14. Daniel Amokachi
15. Sunday Oliseh
16. Alloysius Ahu
17. Victor Ikpeba
18. Effanagwu Ekoku
19. Michael Emenalo
20. Uchenna Okafor
21. Mutiu Adepoju
22. Wilfred Agbonavbare.
Coaches: Clemens Westerhof
Christian Chukwu
Bitrus Bewarang
