Ex University of Ibadan footballers set for 7th World Reunion

All is set for the 7th edition of the Ex University of Ibadan Footballers Association (EXUIFA) reunion.  The event is scheduled for 18th December, 2021 at University campus. 

According to the Association's Public Relations Officer, Henry Duru, the 2021 edition of the event promises to be the best Reunion so far, considering the programs that have been  in place. 

He said the Reunion will involve a football match in  at the University of Ibadan New Sports Center, to be followed by a Get-together party  later on the same day. 

Expected to grace the occasion are footballers that have passed through the Premier University among whom are on the day are  Dr Abiodun Salami, the outgoing Director of Sports, University of Ibadan, Professor Oluwasegun Adekunle, the Chairman of the Association's Board of Trustees, Mr Edwin Evbie, the Association's President, Dr Robinson Okosun, of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Barrister Rotimi Alli, the Chairman of the Ibadan Football Association (IFA), DCP Kunle Olusokan (Zagalo), Coaches Adebayo Gbadebo, Head Coach of Suphanburi FC in the Thailand Premier League,  Christian Obi, Heartland FC Owerri, Edith Agoye, 3SC FC, Ibadan, Patrick Ngwaogu, former Abia Warriors FC Sporting Director, Iyiola Ogundele. Ex Internationals like Mutiu Adepoju, Dimeji Lawal, Andrew Uwe, Folorunsho Okenla among others. 

Those in the diaspora will include Barrister Kolade Oladokun (Canada), Benjamin Gopaldresg, Tunde Ojo, Deji Tony Mobility(US), Musa Omokhabi (France), Kola Okolo, Vitanus Okwara,(UK) among others

Ex-Super Eagles goalkeeper reveals ordeal as a young footballer

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Christian Obi has revealed that his parents classified him as a "useless person" for taking to football as a profession. 

The former Julius Berger of Lagos safe hand revealed this at weekend while appearing as a SPECIAL GUEST to the University of Ibadan Ex - Footballers Association virtual interview program, said his parents refused him to take to football as a profession, believing that those who who took to football are useless "considering the fact that I am the first among 15 children". He said that the perception later changed when the dividend of the game started rolling in. 

Born into the family of late Chief Kenneth Obi in Imo State, Coach Christian Obi who is  the current Chief Coach of Heartland FC, Owerri in the Nigerian Professional Football League, said his parents never supported his playing Football.

As a Special Guest on The Monthly Guest Interview Program of The Ex-University of Ibadan Footballers Association, he said "While growing up, my parents never supported my playing football, being the first child of fifteen children and more so, football was never seen as a lucrative profession then. Anyone playing football was seen as a useless person". 

But as fate would have it,  while still a student of Nsukka High School in Enugu State, his Football prowress began to manifest while featuring for Blue Diamonds FC, Nsukka. He was a student of Nsukka High School between 1975 to 1980. On completion of his High School, he represented The Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON) in a Youths Tournament in Cardiff in 1981. He played for Enugu Black Rocks FC and the team won gold medal in the tournament. 

On return from Cardiff, he was drafted into Vasco Da Gama FC, Enugu and from there to Julius Berger FC in Lagos. In 1987, he featured for Iwuanyanwu Nationale FC of Owerri but returned the following year to Julius Berger FC, where he remained till 1996. 

At the National Team level, he won bronze medal with the Nigerian U-20 team in Moscow, Russia in 1985, was at the Seoul Olympics with the Super Eagles in 1988,  featured for Nigeria at The African Nations Cup in Algiers in 1990 and also played many World Cup and Nations Cup qualifiers for The Super Eagles of Nigeria, as well as being a member of the Nigerian 5-aside team to Hong Kong in the year 1992. 

He said further: "Football was a game played with very great passion then and this was a major factor in the success I achieved despite my parents disposition to my becoming a Footballer". 

He also recalled his best and worst moments with the National teams saying; "My best moment was at Moscow U-20 World Cup in 1985, when I saved 3 penalty kicks to help Nigeria win bronze medal at the Junior Mundial, while my worst moment was during the World Cup qualifiers versus Cameroon at the Adamasingba Stadium in Ibadan, I was the sure favourite to be in goal, but a couple of days before the match, I suffered a severe ankle injury which put paid to my being in goal and Peter Rufai had to be shipped in to man the goal for Nigeria. That incident put paid to my being announced to the World as that was what that match stood for, for me".

Christian Obi, despite his busy schedule as a footballer managed to combine education with football. While he was at Julius Berger, he obtained his Diploma in Physical and Health Education at the prestigious University of Ibadan between 1985 and 1986.

'It will be difficult for a Nigerian to coach Super Eagles for now' - Christian Obi

 

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Christian Obi has stated that present procedures adopted in the recruitment of the Super Eagles Head Coach, has made it difficult for any Nigerian to be selected to handle the senior national team. 

The Moscow Olympics bronze medalist who spoke at the Ex-University of Ibadan Footballers Association Interactive Program at the weekend, said Nigerians have the qualities to handle the Super Eagles but, the recruitment procedures have made it extremely difficult for any Nigerian coach to be considered for the position. 

Quoting his words, the former Julius Berger and Iwuanyanwu Nationale safe hand said "it's always the aspirations of any coach to coach at the highest level like the Super Eagles. We have good coaches who have what it takes to coach the Senior national team. Nigeria is blessed with the Coaches, but the forces that have taken over the recruitment of the coaches can not allow a Nigerian to be there for now. The administrators, the agents and the scouts have taken over the job of the coaches, leaving their own jobs undone. If proper professionalism is applied in the game, where everyone concentrates on doing his job, Coaching the Super Eagles will be easy for a Nigerian coach " he said. 

On the downward trend in Nigeria Football, the Algiers 1990 silver medalist attributed  the inability of the  football ruling bodies in the country to provide a level playing ground for all the teams as the major factor affecting the game in the country. 

He said the issue has made it extremely difficult for the country to have the best representation at the continental levels " we have the potential to emerge tops at every football event in Africa and the world, but the inability  of  our football bodies to provide a level playing ground for all the teams has made it very difficult for us to be where we are supposed to be. It has led to the downward turn in our Nigerian football especially the league . It's so bad to the extent that the winners of league can not stand at par with those of other countries in Africa. Each Football season we decide winners before the commencement of the League season and this has affected our football tremendously. This no doubt, has had negative effects on our representations in continental championships. But, if a level playing ground is provided for all the teams, and the best is allowed to emerge, Nigeria will win all the trophies in the continent " he emphasized. 

 Obi who is the Chief Coach of Heartland FC further advocated  for the elimination of those vices for the country's football to  witness the jam-packed stadia whenever rival teams are playing in the domestic League.