Whoever gave General Ibrahim Babangida the nickname, Maradona, tied his luck to Argentina without reading much meaning into it. While IBB dribbled many of his friends in the game of politics, soccer also diminished the maximum ruler in his quest to be celebrated as a lucky president.
The Argies had a president, Carlos Menem. They so got fed up with his perceived ill luck that the leader was advised not to attend matches involving the national team. Argentines rechristened him, ‘Carlos the Menace’.
Babangida was a good footballer and even captained his college team, Provincial Secondary School, Bida. He was known at the time as ‘Block buster’. That was a decade before Aloy Atuegbu popularized the nickname playing for the Eagles. IBB was a strong defender.
Shortly before he became military President on August 27, 1985, the Golden Eaglets had won the maiden edition of the FIFA Under 17 tournament, China ’85 on August 11. On August 7, the Flying Eagles won Africa’s first FIFA Under 20 medal, a bronze, at USSR ’85.
IBB was touted as the man who had the presidential luck to change the face of Nigerian football. His first test came in the final of the Africa Winners Cup later in the year. Debutants , Leventis United of Ibadan, lost to Al Ahly of Egypt 2-0 in the Cairo first leg. Many did not see it as a bad result.
A year earlier, another Egyptian team, Zamalek, earned the same 2-0 first leg advantage over Shooting Stars in the CAF Champions’ League. In the decisive return leg, the Egyptians bagged a 1-0 win in Lagos to lift the trophy, thanks to an own goal by Ogbein Fawole.
Under IBB,Leventis struggled to score against Ahly. The President was warming up to arrive the National Stadium, Surulere to present the cup to the Nigerians. He had to wait. Leventis got a goal and needed one more to draw level. IBB watched it all on TV at Dodan Barracks.
There was no improvement. Some accounts said, Babangida had changed to his military camouflage and was ready to land in an helicopter to hand over the trophy to Leventis United. It ended 1-0 in favour of the North Africans. That turned out to be the beginning of more cup disappointments that lasted for five years.
BCC Lions of Gboko broke the jinx in 1990.
In 1987, Golden Eaglets were in Canada to defend the trophy they won in China. And the boys were good. They got to the grand finale. Opponents were The Soviet Union. Brazilian referee, Arthur Brizio Carter, did not help matters. The game dragged into penalty shoot-out. Nigeria lost 4-2.
The year 1988 was a nightmare. Nigerian teams qualified for four soccer finals. And they had nothing to show at the end of it all. Green Eagles lost to Cameroon in a most controversial manner at the Maroc’ 88 Nations Cup. Henry Nwosu’s clean header was disallowed by Mauritanian referee, Idrissa Sarr.
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In the CAF Champions’ League, Iwuanyanwu Nationale succumbed to Algerian Second Division club, Entente Setif, in ice cold Constantine. Referee, Sene Badara, of Senegal dealt a fata blow to the Nigerians when he gave red cards to coach Dmitris Theophanis and Friday Ekpo in the second stanza. The first half ended scoreless.
In the Africa Winners Cup, Ranchers Bees of Kaduna, were edged out by Club Athletic Bizerte of Tunisia. The first leg in Nigeria did not produce any goal.In the return leg, the hosts netted a lone goal and that was the decider.
New Nigeria Bank[NNB], Benin, led by Edema Fuludu qualified for the final of the WAFU [Eyadema Cup].The Bankers were first Nigerian team to win Trophy, in 1983. They retained it in 1984 and were going for keeps in 1985 before Nigeria withdrew. In 1988,NNB lost to ASFAG of Guinea.
Things began badly in 1989 and ended poorly. At the Saudi ’89 FIFA Under 20 Championships, the Flying Eagle performed the Miracle of Dammam against Russia in the Quarter finals. They rose from 0-4 to win on penalties. In the grand finale against Portugal on March 3, Babangida declared public holidays. The Flying Eagles lost 2-0.
Before the year fizzled out, Bendel United lost to El Merriekh of Sudan in the Africa Winners Cup. They just could not cancel the lone goal conceded in Khartoum.
IBB eventually smiled in 1990 when, Shuaibu Amodu, led BCC Lions of Gboko to lift Nigeria’s third Africa Winners Cup. The Cement Boys thrashed Club Africain of Tunisia 4-1 aggregate.
