Equatorial Guinea failed to impress in continental soccer until the 2008 Africa Women’s Championships [AWC] which the Central African nation hosted. The Nzalang Nacional caused a major upset when they defeated perennial champions, Falcons of Nigeria, in the semi finals and advanced to win the cup. Two of their players were Gloria Chinasa Okoro and Blessing Nnabugwu Diala.
Okoro had done unusual things for her adopted country. At the 2006 AWC in Oleh, Delta State, she scored Equatorial Guinea’s first goal in the competition in their group game loss to the Falcons. That was Nzalang National’s debut.
Nigeria won the cup for the fifth consecutive time.
That goal by the Nigerian lady was not enough warning to the Falcons. In the next edition, Equatorial Guinea kicked the defending champions out of the tournament in grand style.
Falcons could only complain but the trophy did not return with them to Nigeria.
Nigeria bounced back to win again in 2010. The Central Africans were humiliated 4-2 by Falcons. Both countries qualified for the 2011 FIFA Women’s Championships. Okoro was there and came as a substitute in the 3-2 loss to Australia. That defeat was not so painful, for Skipper Genoveva Anonman Nze scored the twice.
Nze ended the tournament on a bright note as she made the FIFA All Stars team. She became the first African woman to be so selected. No Nigerian achieved that even with an impressive quarter finals outing at the USA’ 99 championships. The striker also shone in the Bundesliga at the end of the 2011/2012 season.
Nze became the first non-German to win the Golden Boot with 22 goals for her club, USV Jena.
Okoro and Diala won the African championships for the second time with Equatorial Guinea in 2012. Nze won the Golden Boot for the second time. She had won in 2008 when she also came out as Golden Ball winner with six goals, the same number she scored four years later. That meant she became the first to win the Golden Boot twice after Falcon’s Perpetua Nkwocha whose record of four times still stands.
The first Nigerian to become a champion wearing Equatorial Guinean colours was Abraham ‘Tonica’ Nwachukwu. The boxer abandoned his studies in Umuahia and journeyed to that country in 1956.
He had 25 fights as an amateur, winning 10 of the duels through Knock Out. In four years, the pugilist won four medals as a champion.
After an invitational to celebrate Nigeria’s Independence in 1960, Tonica who later became known as ‘Assassin’, joined the paid ranks. He still fought for Equatorial Guinea which was a Spanish colony. That same year, the boxer defeated Lazarus Marano in Europe to become undisputed Middle weight Champion of Spain. The loser had in an earlier fight damaged Tonica’s nose.
It could be rightly said that Okoro and Diala continued from where Tonica stopped. And it is instructive that they are all of Igbo background. The Igbo and Equatorial Guinea have come a long way. The country is known among the Igbo for its different names. First it was called Fernando Po which was corrupted to ‘Verandah Po’.
At various times, the name changed to Panya.
And because the people were known for their love for alcohol, the name was further corrupted to ‘Ala Ndapuala’ which is Igbo for Land of Loose Life. This was because many of those who returned from that country were closer to the bottle than anything else.
Chinasa Okoro never failed to torment Nigeria.
After scoring against the Falconets in Oleh in 2006, she came again. On July 18, 2015, Falcons were running away with a lone goal in a Rio 2106 Olympic qualifier when the Nigerian scored against her country of birth at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja. It was a painful equalizer. The game ended 1-1.
Okoro was born in Enugu on December 8, 1987 and lived most of her life in Nigeria. She played for Rivers Angels Port Harcourt and in a friendly with a team from Equatorial Guinea, she scored three goals. The visitors were impressed. At the end of the game, they toyed with the idea of urging her to switch allegiance.
The deal worked out. Okoro had been frustrated by Falcons officials who did not consider her good enough for national assignment. She was so delighted to play for her new country at the 2006 AWC hosted by Nigeria. And scoring against Falcons made her day. It also became a record in her adopted country.. Again she scored against Nigeria in 2015.
Nze sounds Igbo just like many names that appeared in Equatorial Guinean colours. They have had Silvestre Mba and Esperanza Mbang Mba.. There were Jose Nze, Pedro Oba and the Edu quartet of Benjamin, Gabriel, Pablo and Iban. One will also find Yoruba sounding Ondo.
So many of them have played for the men’s senior national team. They are Domingo, Jose and Marlos.
One player who does not hide his Nigerian identity is defender Marvin Anieboh. His full name is Marvin Jose Anieboh Pallamelo. Born in Spain he was once called up to the senior national team.
The Nigerian player who made his Green Eagles debut in Fernando Po was Luke ‘Jazzman Bucana’ Okpala . The match against the hosts took place in Santa Isabel [today’s Malabo] in 1964. He moved straight to the Eagles after playing as an Academical between 1961 and 1963. Some of his mates who also played for the Eagles after college were, Mike Nwokedi, Umpire Kanu, Johnny Egbuonu, Edward Akika and Lateef Gomez.
Players from Equatorial Guinea were also in Nigeria in the 1970s and 1980s. Emiliano Momokobo was one of the over 100 players that stormed Owerri in 1976 as Chief Jerry Enyeazu tried to set up a team for Imo State. At the end of the screening exercise, two clubs were born. Spartans stayed in Owerri while Enyimba moved to Aba. Momokobo made the Spartans team as a pioneer.
Jesus Ndongo joined Stationery Stores, the Flying Flamingos of Lagos. He was so popular that you could think he was a giant. Quick on the ball, the player was smallish. Fans wondered why a player should bear Jesus. This one could not save the Adebajo Babes. Jesus is a common name in his country. Jesus Owono played for the seniors.
Igbo is recognized as one of the languages of Equatorial Guinea. William Napoleon Barleycon, author of the first Bube language primer was Igbo. He was from Bubi, Bioko Island. The missionary studied at Edinburgh and Barcelona universities. The Igbo migration which began in the e
