Gabriel Okon , a former Nigerian international sprinter enjoys watching European football matches, especially the ones that involve Arsenal of England , his favourite club side. Okon makes watching games with him more exciting as he titters at players at random , particularly those of African descent . He believes they hardly learn the rudiments of the round leather game at the early stage in their career , hence their avoidable blunders.
Once a player miss kicks , or fails to trap the ball accurately, Okon would retort; “Africa, what do you expect from old men who didn’t learn the basics.” The just concluded AFCON Under-17 tournament in Gabon, was a parade of old men if their physical appearance on television was anything to go by. It didn’t seem as if the almighty MRI device used to decimate our own team in their last qualifying match against Niger was deployed in Gabon.
Age cheats in African age group competitions do exist . In 1995, I led the Nigerian delegation to Mali for the finals of the U-17 tournament that year. It was the year NFA officials forgot the international passports of the players in Lagos . I saw two different sets of passports , the ones carrying the real age of the players and the set meant for presentation for the tournament .
I was shocked to discover that the real age of our goalkeeper (may he continue to rest in peace),was 28 as against what was contained in the one we presented.
As the players were filing out for the match , a fellow board member , late Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, covered his face with the palm of his hands in shame, as the physical appearance of the players immediately gave us away. But we got away with it until Ghana stopped us at the semi-finals.
Thank God all that is now in the past as the present NFA , with the help of the MRI device has drastically reduced this malady that tended to rubbish our achievements in global age group competitions . Or have we forgotten the story of one Aba based trader that dazzled the world with his artistry .
Zanza, if you add other names , you are on your own, was immediately snapped by a Belgium club side and fed with foods meant for the growth of a seventeen year old, only for him to start swelling up. Don’t even ask me where he is today, I don’t have any idea.
THE two finalists in Gabon ,Ghana and Mali need to be re -subjected to another round of MRI test to clear our doubts. Over to The new leadership of CAF.
Last week in this column, I ran a piece on Arsenal that was written by a die-hard Gunners fan, Udo Erege who wrote in from Owerri, Imo state.
This week, I serve you another piece sent in from Enugu by Stan Okeke, a fan of reigning EPL champions, Chelsea.
Enjoy the write up… the Conte magic wand at the Bridge.