Cybereagles

1977: Did not participate

1979:

RD. 1: Nigeria vs Gambia: w/o

RD. 2: Nigeria vs Cameroon: 1-1; 2-0. Aggt. 3-1

S/FINAL: Nigeria vs Guinea: 0-1; 1-1. Aggr. 1-2


1981:

RD. 1: Nigeria vs Ivory Coast w/o
RD. 2: Nigeria vs Tunisia: 4-0; 1-4. Aggt. 5-4
S/FINAL: Nigeria vs Cameroon: 2-3; 0-1. Aggt. 2-4


1983:

RD. 1: Gabon vs Nigeria: 0-1; 0-2. Aggt. 0-3

Q/FINAL: Nigeria vs Zimbabwe: 3-1; 0-1. Aggt. 3-2

S/FINAL: Guinea vs Nigeria: 2-1; 0-2. Aggt. 2-3

FINAL: Ivory Coast vs Nigeria: 2-2; 1-2. Aggt. 3-4

Why is all this important?

When Nigeria first started to build teams for the FIFA U-20 Championship, the squad was drawn from secondary students. Note that this was an U-21 tournament initially.

Coached by the late Father Tiko, the foundational team was drawn from schools such as mine, Edo College. One of the prominent players I remember then was Lucky Imafidon, a talented box-to-box MF. Later would come the likes of Fred Dumbi and Prince Afejukwu...

Interestingly, from my hometown Nsukka, and living with me on the campus of University of Nigeria Nsukka, Emeka Ejimofor was drawn from the local secondary school; I believe it was St. Theresa's...

This policy of selecting from secondary schools would start to change in 1981, and by 1983, it had changed fully and Nigeria would win the African tournament and do so for three straight times!

There was no fiddling of fingers about the schools the players came from, and the most talented of them, Henry Nwosu (and maybe one of the Olukanmi brothers) were integrated directly to the SE.

Nobody wondered how they could find the correct ages of the players because they were born in the wild, raised by a pack of friendly orangutans and suddenly emerge as fully formed footballers!!!!

The characters here on CE who have made themselves enablers of cheating will have you believe Nigeria is the embodiment of the wild, ungoverned space, where nothing works...

All that is designed to create an alibi for the continued cheating in age grade tournaments by Nigeria.

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Form is temporary; Class is Permanent!
Liverpool, European Champions 2005.

We watched this very boring video, 500 times, of Sacchi doing defensive drills, using sticks and without the ball, with Maldini, Baresi and Albertini. We used to think before then that if the other players are better, you have to lose. After that we learned anything is possible – you can beat better teams by using tactics." Jurgen Klopp

With all due respect,, what exactly is your point? Your argument is all over the place.

If you are saying winning 3 tournaments in a row is on its own proof of systemic age cheating, that is not a viable argument under any circumstance since their is no proven correlation between overage players and winning tournaments (example: by your logic, we should have already won the U20 WC many times).

Personally, I am tired of all this age cheating noise all of you make. If you have viable proof of continuous age cheating in Nigerian youth tournaments, present your facts clearly and save the rhetoric for the less informed.

Thanks!

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Kola nut lasts long for those that savor it

Ahhh, still trying to teach history lesson or prove you can spell "Tiko"? Tiko ko, small Hyundai car ni. mssshhheeww

The highlighted part is really eating you up. Anyone with a different opinion are "enablers of cheating". You're a very sad piece of work who thinks he knows it all, from tactics to everything Nigeria.
While you think everything works in Nigeria, some of us think some are doing their best to make things work in Nigeria. We are not paining a rosy picture because it looks good, we are painting the reality that is Nigeria.

You seem to live in the past you understand little about. The same era of mercenary Principal cup players? In any case, even as you claim players were drawn from schools, yet you ridicule the ongoing effort of the NFF, with their under age related programs that actually draw players much younger than the period you're bleating and beating your hairless chest about.

You also seem to think Nigeria has constantly been on a progressive trajectory since then, so much so that we've doubled in population and every child born now have their birth certificate printed from the delivery room.

You also fail to grasp the way football has changed and the rewards now involved. Academies are now the realities and schools alone cannot be the sole builder of good footballers.

You're acting as if in the 70's and 80's Nigeria meticulously made sure the players were the age they say they were. It was taken at face value because no one paid much credence to it. It was after it became an infested sore that we started doing something about it. You think we just woke up and stated cheating from the early days of the u17 competitions?

What some of us are saying, even taking into account your historical references, is that Nigeria is not coming from a good place in terms of meticulous record keeping and the bigger Nigeria gets the more we cut corners and do things in a shambolic way.

There are challenges, even in 2018. What we should be focusing on is how we can change things but we need to honestly acknowledge the challenges instead of painting a Utopian Nigeria or comparing Nigeria to developed worlds

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Super Eagles - Fly Above The Storm!!!

BUT that actually typifies you! You confirmed that you have a family member who is an age cheat and you did NOTHING about it. Charity begins at home.

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“We do not have natural disasters in Nigeria, the only disaster we have is human beings,”

The first 3 sets of FE players were mainly drawn from secondary schools. CKC Onitsha won the world secondary schools football tournament in Sweden in 197http://scorenigeria.com.ng/2018/09/19/hugely-hugely-unpopular-pinnick-will-commit-serious-political-suicide-if-maigari-was-on-the-ballot-official/7, and players like Sam Igwenagu and Syllvanus Okpalla were called up. Stephen Keshi and Henry Nwosu from St. Finbarrs and other schoolboys like One Adedeji, Franklin Howard, Bestman Akpokporudio, Sunday Benson (who played in 3 sets) etc. Some of these players because of their young ages were able to play in more than one set. It should also be mentioned that most of these players were playing for club sides despite being in secondary school.
When we qualified for the WYC in 1983, Samson Siasia and Wilfred Agbonavbare missed the first match against USSR because they were sitting for the WAEC exams. The advent of U17 football in 1985 apparently put a stop to secondary school students in the FE. Onwards, the FE had players in higher institutions like Mark Annunobi, Andrew Uwe, ChristIan Obi, Alloy Agu, Waidi Akanni, Ikpowomsa Omoreige, Deolu Ademola, Nosa Osadolor, Mutiu Adepoju, Jimoh Balogun, Angus Ikeji etc
We missed the 1993 and 1997 editions and returned in 1999, which we hosted and that was when the age cheating began on a large scale with the inclusion of players like Aghahowa, Dombraye, Okunowo, Okoye, Aranka etc.
The trend continued till 2013 and it is only recently that the NFF are trying to reverse the trend and the setback was our failure to qualify for the 2017 edition.

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I am happy

Even the 1985/1987 set was filled with 'secondary' school students. It is just that they were 'mercenaries'. Bella Momoh and Dimeji Lawal were 'registered' in schools then.

Age cheating is NOT limited to football. So it is more than what NFF alone can handle. We just learn of 50+ people doing NECO as 'internal students.

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“We do not have natural disasters in Nigeria, the only disaster we have is human beings,”

There were complaints after 1981 about the lack of 'experience' vis a vis the other countries, which is the Nigerian euphemism for using overaged players and cheating..

In 1983, the picture changed. Even many of the secondary school 'students' on the roster were established LDFA players.
On the other hand, there were players from the league such as Ali Jeje...

Below is the lineup against Russia:

NIGERIA
Line-ups Line-ups
18 Patrick UDOH (GK)
2 Chibuzor EHILEGBU
3 Femi OLUKANNI
4 Paul OKOKU
8 Ali JEJE
10 Dehinde AKINLOTAN (-59')
11 Tarila OKORONWANTA
12 Tajudeen DISU
13 Amaechi OTTI
14 Humphrey EDOBOR (-78')
15 Wahab ADESINA

Substitutes
1 Wilfred AGBONAVBARE
6 Yisa SHOFOLUWE
7 Christopher ANIGALA (+78')
9 Alphonsus AKHAHAN (+59')
16 Benson EDEMA
17 Yemi ADFRANJO (sp. Adebanjo)

Coach
UDEMEZUE Christopher (NGA)

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Form is temporary; Class is Permanent!
Liverpool, European Champions 2005.

We watched this very boring video, 500 times, of Sacchi doing defensive drills, using sticks and without the ball, with Maldini, Baresi and Albertini. We used to think before then that if the other players are better, you have to lose. After that we learned anything is possible – you can beat better teams by using tactics." Jurgen Klopp

Most of the 1983 set were drawn from secondary schools and YSFON. Many were playing for club sides while still in school. That was not uncommon in those days.

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I am happy

You are not the only one tired of it - bros Charlie. I am tired of it too

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And the BIBLE says: The race is NOT for the swift, neither is the battle for the strong nor ... but time and chance makes them all.
Ecclesiastes 1:18: For in much wisdom is much grief and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow.

True, only if you are willing to look on the surface of it...which obviously you are...

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Form is temporary; Class is Permanent!
Liverpool, European Champions 2005.

We watched this very boring video, 500 times, of Sacchi doing defensive drills, using sticks and without the ball, with Maldini, Baresi and Albertini. We used to think before then that if the other players are better, you have to lose. After that we learned anything is possible – you can beat better teams by using tactics." Jurgen Klopp

Abeg txj who you be. I grew up in Nsukka infact Bro Emeka Ejimofor (RIP) lived behind our house on Campus. I am just curious cos your mentioning him brought it close to home.

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What do ye imagine against the LORD? He will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.........Nahum 1: 9

Sent you a PM...

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Form is temporary; Class is Permanent!
Liverpool, European Champions 2005.

We watched this very boring video, 500 times, of Sacchi doing defensive drills, using sticks and without the ball, with Maldini, Baresi and Albertini. We used to think before then that if the other players are better, you have to lose. After that we learned anything is possible – you can beat better teams by using tactics." Jurgen Klopp

TXJ interesting read, I enjoyed that. Brought back memories like Okosieme back in the day.

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WE ARE ALL TOGETHER!!

To add to that list , George Ebojor and Sabuke Benson

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"If winning isn't important, why do we spend all that money on scoreboards?“ --Chuck Coonradt

Dimeji Lawal was not in high school for the eaglets in 1987. You do know that he was ruled ineligible to play in the 1985 Sports festival according to Segun Odegbami for being over age but yet starred as a u-17 player in 1987

But wetin small pikin like me sabi about the brother aka Kabongo

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"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.....

"“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”

MLK.

Dimeji Laval was actually in UI and lived in Zik Hall with me and AyoAkinfe

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http://www.oradatasolutionsltd.com

Er what year was this and how old was he ? Cheiii you old sha ohhh

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"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.....

"“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”

MLK.

So much energy on so much negativity. Mschewww!
I always find these age cheating allegations /discussions disgusting. In the western world, the principle "whatever you do, just make sure never get caught" prevails. Why can't we ever settle for condemnations when folks get caught and is that never better than sullying the environment with unproven insinuations?