THAT UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CUP PARADE
Clairvoyance is not my forte, but I can still postulate with a degree of certainty that Daniel 'Baba Ibeji' Amokachi would have rated his chances of winning the then Sekou Toure Cup (now rechristened CAF Champions league) with Ranchers Bees of Kaduna higher than scoring the first-ever goal in the commercially viable UEFA Champions league!
Circa May 1994, I watched on Samaru Campus of ABU, the finals between AC Milan and Barcelona in anticipation of scrutinizing the Bulgarian national team captain, Hristo Stoichkov playing in his part in the Johan Cruyff's expertly assembled Dream Team. Stoichkov's led Bulgaria was billed as the first foe of the Super Eagles in our debut outing at the World Cup, a couple of weeks later in a match the Eagles confirmed their superiority as African Champions with a three nil win over the Bulgarians that later defied the odds in their historic march to the semi-finals.
The following year, I was in UNILAG watching the final in the King Jaja Hall common room (there were no viewing centres then), and the youthful Ajax team parading our compatriots in Finidi George and Nwankwo Kanu toppled the very experienced AC Milan side lacking danger man Marco Van Basten, and till I left Zaria, the exclusive shot of the Cup parade by Kanu and Finidi as published by the now rested Complete Football International magazine was a permanent feature on my walls. The recent UEFA Champions League trophy parade in our shores is a stark reminder of the nadir of our domestic football.
In 2003 and 2004, the now
elected Senator Orji Uzi Kalu was having a back to back parade of the CAF Champions league trophy as the then Abia State Governor responsible for the double African Champions Enyimba FC, but by the 15th anniversary of that heroic triumph yet to be equaled by any Nigerian clubsides, state governors are now contented with the UEFA Champions league trophy parade (what an irony!) Those governors, though blameless are mere victims of global commercialization. The handlers of domestic football in our shores are more responsible for this comedy show due to the premium or lack of it placed on a viable framework for the development of the beautiful game.
For years now, the domestic league has been on auto ‘abridged’ run, yet the English Premier league is due to announce the fixtures for the 2019/2020 football season by Thursday June 13th, 2019. Yet we cannot predict with scientific accuracy the next two fixtures in our own abridged version.
It is instructive to note that any single mileage gained by the league is quickly frittered away in a double reverse gear mode. While men slept and dreaming about the possible and predictable outcome of the ‘stubborn’ Rivers State gubernatorial election, the League Management Company defiled the league with the ludicrous and swap arrangement between the owners of Delta Force FC and Kada City, even though league officials have tried in vain not to refer to that curios mid- season deal as a swap. Opeyemi Ajala FCA, Lagos