Nnamdi Nwokocha was indispensable in 1978 as Rangers went all out to win the elusive CAF Champions League [then known as the Africa cup for Champion Clubs]. The Flying Antelopes won their first continental trophy, the Winners Cup in 1977. As they battled for African honours the following year, there were domestic games to confront. Bendel Insurance came on.
It was the grand finale of the Nigerian Challenge Cup. Insurance had won in 1972 as Vipers of Benin. That was a year after Rangers lost to WNDC Shooting Stars in the final. The Coal City Boys got over that disappointment to win the trophy thrice consecutively from 1974 to 1976. The import was that they were head and shoulders above their opponents from the Mid-West.
Everyone talked about Nnamdi Nwokocha, also known as ‘Camel’. There was no player like him as he seemed to score in all Rangers’ games. The bulky attacker came at the right time. When the Flying Antelopes lost the services of their hit man, Nwachukwu Onyekwelu, alias ‘Igaliga’ at the end of the 1977 season, Nwokocha turned out to be a perfect replacement sent down from the sky.
He was discovered playing for the Christ the King College [CKC] Onitsha team that won the first Anambra State Secondary Schools Soccer championships in 1977.The victors defeated College of Immaculate Conception [CIC] Enugu, 3-1. Nwokocha got a brace. Notable members of the Enugu school team were Ifeanyi ‘Ahidjo’ Onyedika, Kenneth Boardman and Donald ‘Stone’ Igwebuike.
Onyedika later played for Rangers and Nigeria and was part of the Green Eagles Africa Nations Cup winning squad of 1980. Boardman joined Rangers,played for Nigeria before further studies took him to the United States. Igwebuike also traveled to the US to study at Clemson University. He ended up playing American soccer for Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Nwokocha joined Rangers as a superstar. He led CKC to win the International Secondary Schools Federation [ISSF] soccer competition in Dublin, Ireland in 1977. One of his team mates, Arthur Ebunam, joined the Flying Antelopes as well. They joined seasoned legs like Christian Chukwu, Emma Okala, Aloy Atuegbu, Adokiye Amiesimaka and Patrick Ekeji to fortify the team.
In the quarter finals of the 1978 CAF Champions League against Kampala City Councillors, Rangers won 3-1. Nwokocha’s brace helped. The second leg in Uganda ended 1-1. That took the Nigerians to the semi finals where they had Canon Sportif, Cameroon as opponents.
Rangers pursued so many birds at the same time: the CAF Champions League, the Challenge Cup and the National League. Fatigue therefore set in due to tight schedule. The NFA was not going to shift games to help the Flying Antelopes in their quest for top continental glory. So Rangers were condemned to play Insurance.
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Camel was over used. He nursed injury and was not fit for the Challenge Cup grand finale. That was going to be a huge blow. Coach Godwin Achebe and his crew decided to risk it. Nwokocha was given doses of pain relieving injection and sent into the battle field.
Insurance came prepared. Coach Alabi Aisien knew Rangers like Queen Idia understood the Bini Royal Palace. He had dealt with Enugu Rangers in 1973 as coach of city rivals, P and T Vasco Da Gama. In two league games, Vasco triumphed 2-1 and earned a 1-1 draw. Aisien was almost going to win the National league until a devastating home loss to Darma United of Kano spoilt it all.
Aisien trained in Leipzig, Germany and wanted to win the Challenge Cup to erase the pain of a not successful playing career with Amukpe Eleven of Sapele. He tasked Francis Monidafe with the job of caging Camel. Ekeji was well known to the Insurance coach. Fresh from Holy Ghost College, Owerri in 1973,the Eagles defender was an Alabi finished product in Vasco. With the duo of Obed Ariri and Johnny Nwadioha, Rangers got no breather.
Insurance had David Adiele, another Alabi boy from Vasco. Keeper Agwo Nnaji had been fetched from Asaba Textile Mills with Monidafe. There were Kadiri Ikhana , ‘Kawawa’, Loatis Boateng and George Omokaro. Others included Skipper Felix Agbonifo, Peter Egharevba, Emmanuel Obasuyi,’Shakara’, Chris Ogu, Rufus Ejele, Tunde Badja and Henry Ogboe, ‘Teketeke’.
Some of the Insurers were unknown to Rangers but Aisien could read the Flying Antelopes like a handbook. In the 18th minute, Egharevba struck through a free kick. Before intermission, Ogboe made it two. Rangers were not hopeless. Their supporters believed Camel would wake up from slumber. After all, he was huge and was not called ‘Dogonyaro’ for nothing.
It was a bad day. Camel could not gallop like a horse. His injuries slowed him down like a beast of burden. Chukwu and Ekeji bore the burden as Ogboe continued to dictate the pace. Fifteen minutes to time, Ogboe scored again. Okala could not believe it. For the first time in Nigeria, he was beaten thrice. Bendel Insurance won 3-0 to lift the cup.
Rangers had a bad year. They lost 6-5 penalties to Canon Sportif in the CAF Champions League after both legs ended goalless. The Flying Antelopes could not retain the National league title and Achebe was sacked.
Camel relocated to the United States. His elder brother, Christian played for the Eagles . He had played for Vasco before joining the US train. The senior Nwokocha played for Sporting Lisbon. Another brother, Sunday played for Flying Eagles and Rangers. Camel also played for Nigeria. He died of meningitis in 2009.