NEWS
A selection of FirstTouch's best football writing, brought to you by emerging journalists, collaborators, and fans.
The recurring and disturbing horror of footballers’ relatives kidnapped for ransom
Joseph Yobo, John Obi Mikel and most recently, Samuel Kalu have had their parents abducted for ransom money. When and how will authorities put an end to this vicious cycle in Nigeria?
“A footballer’s salary is often an upwards of 5 figures every week, added to it, the fact that their earnings are made public, they will continue to be at risk of being victims of thieves and criminals. ”
It’s difficult to imagine the horror of receiving a phone call from home informing you that your loved one has been kidnapped while you are halfway across the world. This is fast becoming the reality for some of Nigeria’s most prominent footballers. The latest case in a series of organised kidnappings of the relatives of Nigerian players is that of Bordeaux winger, Samuel Kalu’s mother.
Kalu’s mother was abducted on the 27th of February in Abia and released after 6 days. Ozuruonye Juliet Kalu’s gun-wielding kidnappers ambushed her whilst she was driving home and demanded a ransom of USD 138,000 when they found out about her son’s professional footballer status. The 21-year-old who joined Bordeaux in August 2018, on a five-year contract with the Ligue 1 team paid the ransom to ensure the safe return of his mother.
Joseph Yobo of Nigeria is dejected after the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Group B match between Greece and Nigeria at the Free State Stadium on June 17, 2010 in Mangaung/Bloemfontein, South Africa.
(June 16, 2010 - Source: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images Europe)
Abia State Police have announced that investigations are being made to identify the kidnappers and bring them to justice. Sadly, kidnappings are becoming more frequent in Nigeria and the phenomenon has spread more than can be accidental. John Mikel Obi’s father has been the victim of kidnapping twice. The first incident occurred in 2011 after which he was released safely from his captures. In June 2018, in what can only be described as a nightmare, Mr Michael Obi was kidnapped for the second time in seven years.
The Nigerian captain received the news of his father’s abduction moments before the Super Eagles faced Argentina in the group stages in Russia, during the 2018 World Cup, news he said he kept from his teammates. Fortunately, Mikel Obi’s father was rescued by the Enugu State Police during which the police and the kidnappers engaged in a gun battle.
Former Everton player, Joseph Yobo's brother was kidnapped by gunmen in July 2008 and was released two weeks later. It turned out that the people who had organised the abduction of Norum Yobo were close family friends. According to Yobo, the ordeal was frightening. He stated in a 2009 interview, "I was terrified the police would get involved. I had to make them understand that sometimes you have to let other people deal with it another way.”
Reports suggest that kidnapping is a big business in Nigeria with some prominent politicians and businessmen involved in ransom kidnappings. Wealthy people are a target for these kidnapping rings and football players are at great risk of having their family members abducted because of their financial capabilities. The problem is very big and the kidnappings of famous football players’ family members are bringing attention to the extent of this crisis. The police have been trying to crack down on the kidnapping rings in the country and particularly in the southern part of Nigeria but the people behind these activities are still at large.
A footballer’s salary is often an upwards of 5 figures every week, added to it, the fact that their earnings are made public, they will continue to be at risk of being victims of thieves and criminals.
Samuel Kalu who is currently injured will miss Nigeria’s two matches against Seychelles and Egypt. He is set to be replaced by Ikouwen Udoh when the Super Eagles take on Seychelles in an African Cup of Nations qualifier and a friendly against Egypt in Abasa on the 22nd and 26th of March.
Why Obi Mikel & Chukwueze were left out of the Nigerian squad for the upcoming AFCON Qualifier
Nigeria have already qualified for the 2019 AFCON finals to be held in Egypt later this year. In this piece, we provide an analysis as to why the Super Eagles have more to gain by leaving out former Chelsea midfielder, Obi Mikel and the highly rated Spanish La Liga youngster, Samuel Chukwueze.
The most notable omissions from the latest Nigerian national team squad include the captain, John Obi Mikel and the young sensation Samuel Chukwueze. The Super Eagles are to play a 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifier and international friendlies during the international break this week. We analyse if it’s a cause for concern for the former Chelsea player and whether Chukwueze will ever be considered in the future.
John Obi Mikel
John Obi Mikel of Nigeria drives the ball during an international friendly match between Argentina and Nigeria at Krasnodar Stadium on November 14, 2017 in Krasnodar, Russia.
(Nov. 14, 2017 - Source: Epsilon/Getty Images Europe)
There are three important pointers to John Obi Mikel’s situation:
Obi’s move to Middlesbrough. The Nigerian captain decided to move back to England from the Chinese Super League in the wake of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The player became a free agent in November after representing Tianjin TEDA for almost two years. He has been trying to get back to his best competing in a more challenging competition and his move to Middlesbrough presented him that opportunity. He, however, has to adapt to the league which is probably why the Nigerian coach, Gernot Rohr, omitted him for the upcoming matches. Managers are supposed to take care of their players and make sure they are in their element for the team to succeed. Rohr probably saw the need to give Obi Mikel some time to allow his smooth transition to the English Championship before calling him back up to the squad.
Current form. To be honest, his form has not been great. For a manager to justify the decision of calling up a player to the national team, the primary indicator that everyone looks at, is the player’s current form. Mikel has played only 7 matches since November 2018 which can arguably suggest a lack of match fitness. Also, in those 7 matches, he has been far from his best recording an average of 1 interception, 1.3 clearances and a little over 2 tackles per match as part of his defensive contribution. Whereas, other players in his position like Wilfred Ndidi are clocking 5 tackles, 4 interceptions and 2 clearances per match. Clearly, Obinna Mikel has not done enough to warrant a call up. Picking Obi Mikel in a team with players working their socks off like Ndidi would not make sense to the public eye.
His Age. This can not go unmentioned. John Obi Mikel is not young anymore. He's a 31-year old defensive midfielder who is not playing in a top-flight football league. Relying on a player of his age should be concerning for a country like Nigeria who pride themselves in developing a sustained pool of talented African players. Instead of relying on an old horse, the country should be preparing for life after the player who captained the Super Eagles at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, hence the omission from the latest squad announced by Gernot Rohr. It might be that they don't see him as an integral part of the team which should be fine considering the player is winding down his career.
I'm not really surprised at the decision after considering these three pointers. The odds have not been on Obi’s favor of late.
Samuel Chukwueze
For the young kind, we also have three points that should be considered:
Chukwueze’s competition. Before we cause a scene on social media, we need to look at the players that have been picked by Rohr ahead of the Villarreal player. Alex Iwobi, Ahmed Musa, Henry Onyekuru and Samuel Kalu have all been in better form than the young wing-wizard who is plying his trade in the Spanish La Liga. If he had scored and assisted a couple of more goals, Samuel Chukwueze would be giving Gernot Rohr a headache on whether or not to start him ahead of the rest.
Style of Play. This is a tricky one. There are players that are a joy to watch and Chukwueze is one of them. He has the confidence of carrying the ball and running at defenders which keeps fans at the edge of their seats. If anything, Chukwueze has been the closest thing to Victor Moses at his prime when he had the swagger of pulling out a trick or two to beat defenders before rushing into the box. However, one has to consider if these attributes are what the team needs. On the pitch, the team needs balance and this requires a lot from the players. Chukwueze lacks the defensive edge as well as crossing abilities which are a must for a modern day winger. Although he can pull some magic out of nowhere, the player is still growing in the basics that warrant a player of a starting berth, which is why Rohr might have opted not to include him this time around.
His Age. At 20-years, Chukwueze definitely has a lot to learn. He is far from being the finished product, meaning he has a lot of time to work on his weaknesses and make a claim for a place in the Super Eagles squad. It's too soon to be worried about his lack of involvement in the national team but with a few more stellar performances like the one against Real Madrid, we will stop caring about his age and demand his presence in the starting team like Mbappe in the French national team.
“Chukwueze’s competition. Before we cause a scene on social media, we need to look at the players that have been picked by Rohr ahead of the Villarreal player. Alex Iwobi, Ahmed Musa, Henry Onyekuru and Samuel Kalu have all been in better form than the young wing-wizard who is plying his trade in the Spanish La Liga.”
Nigeria have already qualified for the 2019 AFCON finals to be played between June-July in Egypt. They will welcome Seychelles for their final group game whereas South Africa and Libya have all to play for as thy cross swords to determine the second finalist from the group.
2018 AFCON Women's Build Up: Kenya out of Women’s AFCON; Nigeria and South Africa name squads
It’s less than 10 days before the 11th edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Obviously, the buzz gets louder and more interesting. We care too much not to share the latest news surrounding the 2018 Women’s AFCON.
“The player Annette Jacky Messomo is eligible to play for the National Team of Equatorial Guinea. ”
AFCON 2018 latest developments; Equatorial Guinea joins Nigeria, Zambia, Ghana, Mali, Algeria, Cameroon and South Africa as Kenya makes an humiliating exit from Africa Women’s Cup of Nations. CAF has overturned a decision to ban Equatorial Guinea from the competition after Federación Ecuatoguineana de Fútbol appealed the October 2018 ban imposed by CAF’s Disciplinary Council for allegedly fielding an ineligible player for a second leg tie of the 2019 AFCON qualifiers. CAF announced in a statement that an enquiry into the case of Annette Jacky Messomo who had been previously deemed to be ineligible to play for Nzalang Nacional because the footballer was a Cameroonian, had led to the decision to reinstate Equatorial Guinea.
Miriam of Equatorial Guinea issues instructions during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 Group D match between Equatorial Guinea and Brazil at FIFA World Cup stadium Frankfurt on July 6, 2011 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
(July 5, 2011 - Source: Christof Koepsel/Getty Images Europe)
Equatorial Guinea have won the tournament twice in the past and once finished as runners up to Nigeria. In 2016, Nzalang Nacional was also banned after it was discovered that they fielded ineligible players against Mali in the qualifiers. Accusations of an identical offense in this year’s qualifiers against Kenya brought a fresh ban that saw them disqualified from the tournament. The Harambe Queens of Kenya had taken the remainder of the eight spots after the exit of Equatorial Guinea. Now that the decision has been overturned, Equatorial Guinea will replace Kenya in Group B where they will face Zambia in their first match on the 18th of November.
Meanwhile, Group B rivals South Africa and Nigeria have announced their 21 women squads that will be in Ghana. The Super Eagles who are now in training camp in Ivory Coast have announced a squad that consists of 13 overseas players including star player Asisat Oshoala, who is currently with Dalian Quanjian F.C. in the Chinese Women’s Super League and Desire Oparanozie who plays for French side En Avant de Guingamp. South Africa are set to face hosts Ghana in a friendly at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium this Sunday in Accra .
Equatorial Guinea will face tough challenges from Nigeria and South Africa in the group stages. After a rocky start, they now have a chance to play for the championship title and for a third place qualifying finish for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.
Moses will not be seeing the ‘promised land’ with Nigeria after international retirement
Chelsea’s Victor Moses announces retirement from international football at 27, after appearing 37 times for Nigeria, scoring nine times and winning the 2013 AFCON title with the Super Eagles.
On Wednesday, Chelsea’s Victor Moses shook most in the footballing world after announcing his retirement from international football at the age of 27. Most footballers usually hang up their boots at an average age of 34 or 40 if you are Italian. But Moses’ one is a rare find, even Mesut Ozil’s early retirement at 29 was astounding but maybe justified because of the racism claims he fired against some officials in the German Football Association. Could there be more to Victor’s decision?
Moses was capped 37 times for the Super Eagles and scored 12 times including in the most recent world cup appearance in Russia from the penalty spot in their 2-1 loss to Argentina. Nigeria eventually failed to reach the knockout stages of the tournament after that result. He played at two FIFA World Cup tournaments and won the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa. Moses has chosen to take a bow at a time where most are expecting the Super Eagles to continue building from recent positives and soar to new heights. Could he be missing out on sweeter times in the Nigerian camp?
The Chelsea player who will be under new management in London after the arrival of Maurizio Sarri did not forget to explain his decision.
Victor Moses of Nigeria celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Nigeria and Argentina at Saint Petersburg Stadium on June 26, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
(June 25, 2018 - Source: Gabriel Rossi/Getty Images Europe)
“I have experienced some of the best moments of my life wearing the Super Eagles shirt and have memories with me that will last a lifetime. However, I feel that now is the right time to step away in order to be able to focus fully on my club career and young family, as well as to allow the next generation the opportunity to step up and to flourish. Thank you for the memories and good luck to the team for the future.”
FT World Cup 2018 Recap: Nigerian Pride
World Cup 2018 as a Nigerian fan, in my own words.
As a kid, I have always been a football fan. The first football team I ever supported was the Nigerian Super Eagles. I was such a super fan that, whenever they lost a game, I used to cry so much, my parents would have to console me and tell me, “Its just a game”. Even though it was just a game, I was so passionate about the Super Eagles. I have watched them play in the world cup on TV in the previous year. This year, I got the opportunity to watch them play live, in Russia. I got my ticket as early as December 2017. Going to Russia became a dream come true. Something I never really wished as a kid but became a reality.
Once arriving in Russia, I had my ups and downs. Following Nigeria all around for all the group matches was tedious. According to the ranking, Nigeria would be the second most traveled team, Egypt being the first.
The first match was against Croatia. It was in a city called Kaliningrad. The train ride was 23 hours but I deferred to flying into Kaliningrad and then, taking the train back. It was a two-hour flight from Moscow, which was my base, where I was with my friends. On match day, I was not too happy because I got to the stadium late. I missed the Nigerian National anthem. Listing to your countries National anthem during the World Cup definitely gives you the jitters but, I missed it because our flight was delayed and the shuttle from the airport to the stadium was driving at the rate in which a snail moves. Nigeria ended up losing the match 2-0 to Croatia. The energy was CRAZY. I was surrounded by a pool of Croatian fans. Around me was probably about 10 Nigerian fans. This was the ratio all throughout the rest of the matches. After the loss, to my surprise, the Croatian fans were super nice to me. I was expecting to be heckled but, they showed sympathy towards the loss and said to me, “Nigeria played a good game”. I ended up taking loads of pictures and heading back to my Airbnb.
The following day, I decided to take the 23-hour train ride back to Moscow. Once I arrived at the train station, I was not allowed to board due to the fact that, I had a Nigerian Passport and didn’t have a Schengen visa. Kaliningrad was a city that is sandwiched in between Schengen state countries. So to get to Moscow from Kaliningrad, I would have to go through immigration in Latvia, and some other countries. So, I had to go back to the airport and get a flight back to Moscow. I got to the airport at about 5 pm and only one flight had seats back to Moscow going for about $450. I had to pass on the seat and get a ticket that left for the following evening for about $90 so, I had to sleep at the airport overnight. I was not alone in the predicament because about another 30 Nigerian fans slept in the airport with me due to the same Schengen visa situation.
Nigeria Vs. Iceland was a much better story. I decided to take the train from Moscow to Volgograd. It was an 18-hour train ride, a cabin with 4 beds, bunk style. I roomed with three Russians. Fortunately for me, two of them spoke English and we were able to conversate throughout most of the train ride. The ride was not so bad, I slept for about 5 hours and enjoyed the fascinating countryside view of Russia. We got to Volgograd in the morning and toured the city until the fan fest opened. The Icelandic fans flooded in to celebrate before the game while the Nigerian fans came in a very light but, it was still a very friendly environment. The match was great, Nigeria ended up winning 2-0. As a fan, I had high hopes we would go to the round of 16 because Argentina tied with Iceland and lost to Croatia so Nigeria was sitting in second place. All we had to do was a tie or beat Argentina.
Nigeria Vs Argentina was played in the beautiful city of Saint Petersburg and to me, it was the most beautiful city I visited from all the 5 cities I visited. I took an 8-hour train from Moscow to Saint Petersburg. I was in a cabin with 4 other Argentine fans. It was an overnight train that departed from Moscow at about 8 pm and arrived in the morning.
The Nigeria game started with Messi scoring in the early minutes. Being a fan, I was down but I knew we were not out of the game. At the beginning of the second half, Victor Moses converted a penalty to make the scores 1-1. I was exciting sitting next to a pool of sad Argentine fans until Marcos Rojo scored at the end of the match and Nigeria, went home packing.
An interesting moment happened after the game. I left Saint Petersburg at about 3 am to head back to Moscow. Once arriving in Moscow in the morning, I was doing some souvenir shopping in the train station and an Argentine fan walked up to me and said “Change Shirt?”, he wanted to swap his Argentina jersey for my Nigeria jersey. I replied, “No”, and walked away but, about 5 seconds later, I thought to myself, I get to experience this kind of feeling once every four years, it’s just a Jersey, I could always buy another Nigeria jersey online but I don’t want to miss out on saying, I swapped a Nigeria jersey for an Argentina jersey with an Argentine fan. So, I walked back to him and we swapped jerseys.
All in all, the World Cup 2018 was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I enjoyed every moment of it and don’t regret any single moment. I made friends, shared drinks with strangers, sang songs and mingled with football fans all over the world. All I can say now to the World Cup is not goodbye, but so long, see you in Qatar in about 4 years.
![FT African Legends Series: Austin Jay Jay Okocha [Nigeria]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a3beebbd74cff231e14edc2/1526920036085-O171B30EQA4IU3QZU12F/Jay+Jay.jpg)
FT African Legends Series: Austin Jay Jay Okocha [Nigeria]
Nigeria and the career of Mr. Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, the guy who was “so good that he had to be named twice,” according the the Bolton Wanderers fans. The guy who mentored FIFA World Cup winner, Ronaldinho at PSG, headlined the Bundesliga and helped his country to its first ever FIFA World Cup appearance in 1994 as well as helping NIgeria win an AFCON title.
As we continue with the FirstTouch African Legends series, we drift to the western part of the continent and reminisce the career of whom I consider being one of the greatest dribblers that ever played professional football - Mr. Austin Azuka “Jay Jay” Okocha. I think it’s no coincidence that he and Zimbabwe’s Peter Ndlovu were born in the same year - they were perhaps born for the same purpose in their respective countries. In my mind, Peter Ndlovu, the first black African footballer in the English Premier League was a goal scoring machine while Okocha was a rabid entertainer.
The Beginning
Born in Enugu, Enugu State in Nigeria, Okocha started playing football on the streets with what he described in the following statement, “As far as I can remember, we used to play with anything, with any round thing we could find, and whenever we managed to get hold of a ball, that was a bonus! I mean it was amazing!" I mean, if the guy could control let’s say a mango with his feet, how about a proper soccer ball with a 68-70 cm circumference and a 22cm (8.56 inches) diameter. Perhaps that’s why he was ever so comfortable with the ball. He got the first touch of professional football in 1990 when he joined Enugu Rangers at just 17 years of age. He immediately made a big impression with his slick movements and became guilty of handing some experienced players a run for their money and a taste of the dust, once in a while.
Club career in Europe
Okocha’s big break came later that year when he visited West Germany on holiday after the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He stopped by a third division side, Borussia Neunkirchen’s training ground with a friend and asked to join in, only to find himself getting pinned to a contract after mesmerizing the coach with his arm-like legs that caressed the ball effortlessly. In the following year, he would join FC Saarbrucken before completing a move to the top flight Bundesliga side, Eintracht Frankfurt where he linked up with the Ghanaian striker, Tony Yeboah. He appeared 90 times for Frankfurt and scored 16 goals, including the 1993 goal which attracted the Goal of the season recognition by numerous magazines after he had rounded some players in the box twice and slotted the ball past the infamous German international goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn. Jay-Jay then moved to Turkey after Eintracht Frankfurt got relegated, he had a feud with the manager Jupp Heynckes before relegation. Whilst in Turkey, Okocha attained citizenship status as “Muhammet Yavuz” and scored 30 goals in only 62 appearances with a number of them being direct free kicks.
In 1998, French Ligue 1 side, Paris St-Germain broke the bank and paid £14 million for Okocha who became the most expensive African player at the time, in a four-year deal. Other than his continued displays on the pitch, Okocha also mentored the Brazilian football icon, Ronaldinho - who in my opinion rivals him when it comes to dribbling. After the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he joined English Premier League side, Bolton Wanderers whom he helped survive relegation and also steered them to their first cup final in nine years as Captain, where they finished runners-up to the 2004 Football League Cup. He did score some memorable goals and became a crowd favorite. Bolton fans would wear t-shirts with the inscription, "Jay-Jay – so good they named him twice." He was stripped of the Bolton Captaincy in 2006 after speculation of him moving to Qatar intensified. Jay-Jay eventually left Bolton that year for Qatar, where he played one season before returning to England in Hull City colors on a free transfer. He hung his boots after a short spell with the Tigers where he scored no goals in eighteen matches as a result of fitness and injury challenges. He still was a part of the Hull troops that won the first Premier League promotion in their 104-year history.
The Super Eagles Years
Okocha won Nigerian hearts in only his second cap for the country. After losing 2-1 to Ivory Coast on his debut in a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier, Jay-Jay came on strong against Algeria where the Super Eagles came from one goal down to secure a 4-1 victory in a must-win match that secured their first ever FIFA World Cup qualification. The match was pretty much an Okocha-show. He also won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and the Olympic Gold Medal at USA 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, as part of the Nigerian team dubbed Dream Team.
The step-over king’s antics on the pitch cannot be rightfully described in words. He even indirectly led to the sacking of Zimbabwe’s famous football commentator, Charles Mabika after he got his dribbling displays stuck on replay underscored by unapologetic juicy commentary with the words, “Just look at Okocha,” - on national television when the Super Eagles visited Harare for a friendly.
In April 2015, Okocha expressed interest in becoming the president of Nigerian Football Federation, a dream he happens to be chasing as we speak. Feeling nostalgic? Check his displays in the video below, where at 43-years of age, he turned a Joseph Yobo testimonial match to a Jay-Jay Okocha Exhibition in May 2016.
Do you think his cousin, Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi could follow the footsteps of the veteran?