Ezeani And Reinvention Of Nigerian Football

Many football pundits tend to forget that the first serious victory for the Nigerian national team was the soccer gold won at the 1973 All-Africa Games staged in Lagos.

For many years before then, Nigeria flattered to deceive with an array of football masters such as Teslim “Thunder” Balogun, Dan Anyiam, Etim Henshaw, Dejo Fayemi, Godwin Achebe etc. Some of these early star players were seen as irreplaceable, and they played for Nigeria for many years on end. In fact Godwin Achebe who had been playing for Nigeria since Independence in 1960 was still the captain of the 1973 All-Africa Games until a young centre-back straight out of Christ the King College (CKC) Onitsha, Dominic Ezeani, replaced the great man, thus helping Nigeria to win her very first major soccer title.

Curiously, whenever the list of Nigeria’s greatest-ever footballers is compiled, you more often than not find that Dominic Ezeani’s name is missing. What even makes it more scandalous is that it was not only Godwin Achebe that Ezeani retired but that other football great known as Victor Oduah. A player who ended the era of two of Nigeria’s greatest ever defenders deserves his place among the immortals of Nigerian football. It was with Ezeani that the modern era of effective libero application began in Nigeria.

Popularly known as “Hugo Harris”, Dominic Ezeani was the pillar in the defence of the all-conquering East Central State Academicals of 1971 that won the All-Nigeria Manuwa/Adebajo Cup. The team boasted of such schoolboy soccer artistes as Ahamefula Umelo, Pat Ekeji, John Azinge, Moses Nweke, Obed Ariri, Godwin Ogbueze, Kenneth Ilodigwe, Tony Uzoka etc. After winning the Manuwa/Adebajo cup competed for by the secondary school footballers across the then 12 states of Nigeria by beating Kwara State 2-0 in the final, the East Central State Academicals were paired up in a match with Enugu Rangers. Within a short time the schoolboys were three goals up, menacingly thrashing the great Rangers team. Soccer administrators in Enugu had to think fast to save the pride of the Igbo nation, such as Rangers was seen after the Civil War, from total disgrace. The administrators met with the match officials to ensure that the match ended as a respectable drawn game! It was there and then that Ezeani was drafted into the Rangers squad, and was soon made the captain of the team.

—Uzor Maxim Uzoatu