Omorodion

As you read this, it is 13 days to the kick-off of the 2023 AFCON holding in 2024 and exactly 14 days to the first match between the Super Eagles and Equatorial Guinea. First I need to dedicate today’s piece to one big fan of this Column, a giant in his own right, an industrialist of high repute, though retired but definitely not tired to follow trends in the country, not the least sports, a nonagenarian, Dr. Michael Omolayole.

He finds delight reading me almost every Sunday and chipping in his inspirational views once in a while. He is probably a fan of the Super Eagles and looks forward to their doing well. Ostensibly knowing that the two Victors the team parade, Osimhen and Boniface are doing great at the moment.


So going into AFCON, one thing struck me after reading a comment by one of Africa’s most decorated players and an Elephant, Yaya Toure. He feels his country, Cote d’Ivoire are primed to win the trophy for the first time on home soil. Aside Cote d’Ivoire, Toure said, “but if I have to choose the teams that are favourites, I’d say Senegal, Morocco, Guinea-Bissau and South Africa”.



His reason, “because they had an impressive campaign”. The Ivorian star totally brushed Nigeria aside and chose Guinea-Bissau, their other group mate apart from Equatorial Guinea. Is it because Guinea-Bissau inflicted the only loss the Super Eagles suffered in the qualifiers that Toure picked them as one of the favourites over Nigeria? I don’t think so. It is the usual bad belle most Africans have for Nigerians who they see as too domineering I think.

To qualify, the Super Eagles played six matches, won five and lost only one, 0-1. They scored 22 goals in total, conceding only 4, with a whopping 18 goals differential and amassed 15 points. Guinea-Bissau who qualified as second team of the group equally lost one game and drew one. They scored 11 goals, which is only one more than what Osimhen alone scored. Yet Toure sees nothing great in the Super Eagles.

This is not the first time Toure has mocked the Nigerian team. The first was in 2013, when he and his teammates were reported to have said that if then captain, Mikel Obi was the biggest star in the team, then the Super Eagles were no match to them. Late Stephen Keshi was the coach then and had assembled a group of young players, including some ‘rookies’ from the local league like, Godfrey Oboabana, Sunday Mba, towering centre- back Azubuike Egwuekwe and diminutive Ejike Uzoenyi.

I don’t know which Church Keshi worshiped before that AFCON in South Africa but definitely not Living Faith Church, aka Winners Chapel where Bishop David Oyedepo presides. So I won’t say he had the inspiration to talk to his players after reading what Toure said from listening to the Bishop’s messages. Bishop Oyedepo always says that “give them room to mock you, so (God) can make you”. I gathered recently that after Keshi read Toure’s statement, he gathered his players and told them, “I hope you all read what they said Toure said. He hasn’t only rubbished Mikel but you all. He has just told you all that you are not good enough”.

That, according to the team’s Media Officer, Ben Alaiya, now late, was like the tonic the players needed. It was a psychological pep talk. And they took every game the way it came and played their hearts out. So when it came to pass that they Super Eagles qualified for the quarter-finals and had the Ivorians to contend with, they saw it as a challenge to put Toure and his teammates to shame.

About 10 years after, Toure again, though not part of the Elephants this time, is underrating the Super Eagles. But can the Eagles respond like the last time? The scenario is different. In 2013, it was a quarterfinals clash but this time it will be a group match, the second for both teams. Whoever wins it is likely to top the group and remain in Abidjan.

Going by head to head statistics, both teams have met 27 times from 1967 to 2015. The matches range from AFCON and CHAN encounters to World Cup qualifiers, WAFU Cup and international friendly matches. They drew 10 of those matches while Nigeria won eight and lost nine. The current Super Eagles parade a crop of young and talented players from big clubs around Europe.


Among them are the two Victors Dr.Omolayole and many other Nigerians are banking on, not only to silence the boastful Ivorians but win their fourth AFCON trophy. So the question now is can Peseiro make the Super Eagles turn Toure’s mockery into victory like Keshi did in 2013?

The second group A game between Nigeria and host, Cote d’Ivoire on January 22, 2024 will give us a peep into the answer of that trillion Naira question. Before then, let me say bye to 2023 which grinds to a good end today and wish the Super Eagles, my ardent readers as well as all the readers of Vanguard newspaper a prosperous 2024.