IN 1994, Stephen Keshi captained the Super Eagles to lift the African Nations Cup title, the second for Nigeria. The ‘big boss,’ as Keshi is fondly called by his fans, did not contribute much to the team’s success due to injury, which he sustained early in the championship.
The stand-in-captain, Austin Eguavoen, led the army and as soon as the job was done, Cerezo stepped aside for Keshi, who lifted the trophy to the admiration of thousands of fans at the magnificent El Menzah Stadium in Tunisia.
In that final game, the Eagles came from behind to down the Chipolopolo of Zambia 2-1 to lift that trophy.
A similar scenario is playing out here in the on-going South Africa 2013 Nations Cup, where Nigeria will face Burkina Faso tomorrow in the final at the FNB National Stadium in Johannesburg.
Since the commencement of the championship, the contribution from team captain, Joseph Yobo, had been little. Apart from the opening group game against Burkina Faso, where he played full time, the Fenerbache of Turkey defender has been playing his leadership role outside the pitch, coming in late in subsequent matches.
In a crucial quarterfinal game against the boastful Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire, Yobo was introduced in the dying minutes after the ‘young boys’ had finished the job. It was the same thing against the Eagles of Mali in the semifinal after victory was secured.
But his stand-in-captain, goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, says Yobo will be the one to lift the trophy tomorrow at the FNB Stadium, if the Eagles carried the day.
“Even if Yobo did not play in the final and God gives us victory, he will be the one to lift the trophy first. I am just standing in for him and Yobo remains the team captain. He has worked hard enough for Nigeria over the years and he deserves whatever thing he achieves today,” Enyeama said.
Since the 1994 historic moment by Keshi and his gang, the Eagles have recorded near success, the closest being a silver in 2000, when the Lions of Cameroun sent millions of Nigerians to early bed after beating the Sunday Oliseh-captained Eagles on penalties at the main bowl of the National Stadium in Lagos.
Several bronze medals have followed since then for Yobo and the likes of Enyeama and Mikel Obi.
“My prayer is for us to win the trophy on Sunday to crown our efforts after several years,” Enyeama stated.
This is Yobo’s sixth Nations Cup and anything short of victory in tomorrow’s final will be disastrous for his international career.
Defeat means he will be join the likes of Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Adebayor and Seydou Keita, who may have played their last Nations Cup with no trophy to show for it.
To Chelsea midfielder, Mikel Obi, the Eagles will do everything possible to avert another failed attempt tomorrow.
Speaking with The Guardian shortly before the team relocated from Durban to Johannesburg, Mikel said: “We have waited patiently for so long and it is the trophy or nothing on Sunday. Even millions of Nigerians back home have waited for it for too long, though not many of them gave us the chance of making it to this stage this time around.”
Mikel’s first attempt to win the title at the Egypt 2006 edition of the championship was averted by Drogba, whose lone strike at the Alexandra Stadium ended Eagles’ dream. He got a bronze. Mikel was not lucky at the 2008 edition hosted by Ghana as well as the 2010 edition hosted by Angola. The two campaigns ended in the quarterfinal and semifinal respectively.
“We have to do everything possible to win the title this time around,” Mikel said. “We will approach the final as under dogs as we have been doing since this competition started. It won’t be an easy game on Sunday, but I am sure we will carry the day.”
For the ‘big boss’, it is an opportunity to right the wrongs of the past two attempts as a coach in the Nations Cup. Keshi had two dismal attempts at the trophy already, once in 2006 when his Togo side was knocked out in the first round and another in 2010 in Angola when he was at the helm of the Mali side.
Having guided Nigeria to victory in the battle of the Eagles against his former team, Eagles of Mali, in the semifinal, Keshi’s main target is the trophy tomorrow.
The 51-year-old former RC Strasbourg and Anderlecht centre back says he has a team that is capable of winning the cup for the sports-loving people of Nigeria.
“If I should look back at where we are coming from and how far we have gone in this race, my confidence is increasing by the day that we can lift the title come Sunday.
“The only thing I want from our people back home now that we are in the final is to believe in the team. They should continue to pray for us until the job is done. It is not about Keshi and the players alone. We won this trophy last in 1994-that was 19 years ago. This is a golden moment to win is again and our people to give us the support we need to win,” Keshi pleaded.