Flying Eagles of Nigeria went through hell on their way to bronze at the USSR ’85 FIFA Under 20 World Championships. Journalist Sam John received enough bodily damage with the players in Addis Ababa before they were moved across the border to Nairobi.
It was in the qualifiers and Nigeria won the Lagos first leg 3-0. The Ethiopians had adopted a different strategy for the return leg. Famine was ravaging the country, from Harar to Dire Dawa. Their countrymen were told that hunger was an instrument flashed across the visitors in Lagos.
Sam John, better known as SJ said: “Those Ethiopians had planned to attack us even before match day but it was never known to us. Their grouse was that during the first leg in Lagos, their players were humiliated. They claimed loaves of bread were thrown at them to show they were hungry people.”
The reporter wondered how such lie could be swallowed by Ethiopians. To him it was a strange way of venting their spleen on a superior side for eliminating them from a global tourney. The Addis match ended 1-1.
“Yes, there was famine in Ethiopia but the bread story wasn’t true, anyway. If you threw a loaf of bread from the stands of the National Stadium, Surulere, there was no way it was going to get to the field of play. They just hid under that guise to attack us.
“They couldn’t stomach the fact that Flying Eagles stopped their team which they had so much hope in. The Flying Eagles and members of the Nigerian delegation were mercilessly beaten. To save our lives, NFA chairman, Group Captain Tony Ikazoboh , moved the entire team across the border to Kenya for treatment,” SJ pointed out.
Defender Kingsley Onye had a a broken head, Skipper Andrew Uwe, Waidi Akanni, Monday Odiaka, Michael Dominic and Godwin Eke could not believe soccer could be turned to war. They had all heard of Empero Haile Selassie as the Lion of Judah. In Addis the boys were in the den of Lions.
Nigerian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Maj. Gen. Anthony Haladu Hananiya was shocked. He had been moved from the United Kingdom as High Commissioner after Umaru Dikko was crated in 1984. Again, the former GOC was faced with a diplomatic row.
Sam was also saved from imminent hunger. “It was my first international assignment. It was also my worst experience. I just jumped into the plane without knowing the implication. I had only 50 dollars to cater for my hotel accommodation and feeding for four days.
“The God that saved me was that I was on the same flight with Ernest Okonkwo and Prof. Sam Akpabot and I attached to them all through. Then there was the attack that further united us.”
In 1992, the journalist was attacked again. The Super Eagles were in Pointe Noire to honour a USA ’94 World Cup qualifier against the Red Devil’s of Congo. Nigeria won 1-0 through Rashidi Yekini’s goal. The home crowd went after their guests.
He said: ” The Congolese team was denied a penalty by the referee who to my mind, was biased towards them. What saved us was that we chartered an aircraft which hurriedly brought brought us back to Lagos.”
I was in Pointe Noire for that game. The Congolese adored the Eagles and were sure their team would be beaten. Sam saw it too. Referee Pierre Alain Monguengui of Gabon failed them. I remember the crowd shouting ‘Monguengui, Monguengui la Francophonie’ before the encounter.
Captain A. Inameti flew the Okada jetliner home after Adm. Augustus Aikhomu ordered the team back immediately. In three hours we hit Lagos. There was no official at the Agostino Neto Airport when our flight took off in the night.
Covering the Italia’ 90 World Cup thrilled the reporter. According to Sam , ” that was my most memorable experience. I still fondly recall the excitement travelling on the train overnight just to avoid paying hotel bills some of the nights. Chris Okojie shared room with me. Paul Bassey and Kunle Solaja were also there.”
SJ turned to sports writing because he did not want to pay gate fee. ” When I got a job at the Nigerian Observer, I vowed to write sports so that I could enter the stadium free. This was against the wish of my late uncle, Aikhen Uduehi, who was then Editor of the paper.
“For me, it paid off because through sports writing I did not only enter Ogbe Stadium free but so many stadiums all over the world. I started my free entry as a boy watching Insurance and Rangers.I would sneak into the Stadium early for a match billed for 4.45 pm.”
Sam John was also a third rate goalie growing up although he shone at the Guardian newspapers as number one. When I told him Joe Erico, ( real name Joseph Effiong Erico Okafor) Eagles goalie at the 1976 Nations Cup in Ethiopia was Igbo, it stunned him.
“Until now that you are saying it, I never knew that Joe Erico was an Igbo man. I thought he was from Cross River. Yes, we were close to the extent that he headed the coaching crew for the talent hunt organised by my company, Onohi Communications in 1999. We spoke on phone some two weeks before his sudden death.”
Erico was born to an Arochukwu father and an Odukpani mother. He grew up at Falomo Police Barracks. The goalie played for Panalpina and PWD before joining ECN. As a young man, Erico shared a room at 17 Cole Street, Ayilara, Ojuelegba Lagos with his buddies Emma Tetteh Okonkwo, Nwajei and Nze.
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Then I asked SJ to reveal himself. Hear him : “My names are John Ibhafidon Sam. Sam is my surname. My father’s native name is Inegbenojie. I am from Emaudo, Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area in Edo State. A lot of people think I am from Rivers because of my two English names, Sam John.
“How did I end up becoming Sam John? The mistake was made when I enrolled for WAEC in my secondary school days. However, journalism made it so popular that I couldn’t change it at the time I wanted to.”
SJ misses the old Bendel where sports reigned supreme. “That was when schools maintained the boarding system with playing fields. Funding from government is a big problem now.”