By Femi Fashetire
My yuletide message is a reminder about the presence of spiritual power in the human tongue.
This provides an answer to why I am ostensibly forgotten by people who I assisted in their teenage years.
I am also struggling financially, despite having known eight former Super Eagles’ players from their days in secondary school before they became stars.
Aside from those who went on to play for the Super Eagles, there were several others who got deals in Europe after being groomed at National Grassroots Dream Team during my years as their mentor and coordinator.
I also made huge marks in journalism; starting with my emergence as the originator of Grassroots Sports by any media publication in Nigeria (which I did with Complete Football magazine on October 1st, 1994).
I soon became a full-fledged editor in record time (traversing some of the biggest sports media houses across eight years of my stint in print journalism).
Then came nine years as an ace broadcaster with Brila FM up till 2011 when I left that noble organisation.
I then turned to full-time teaching, yet continued hitting the journalism beat as a freelance contributor in various print, radio and online media.
So, the big question is: Why am I apparently forgotten and struggling financially?
Before I answer that question, I hereby present 11 players I knew when they were starry-eyed teenagers and became football icons later on in life:
1. Obefemi Martins did not play under me but lived near our training ground at White Sand Field, Orile-Iganmu, where he was known as Akin. He was with four of my boys at the first under-15 national team, Baby Eagles’ camp in Oshogbo, and he always admired me when I visited them.
2. Kelvin Onyekachi Amuneke scored the first goal for National Grassroots Dream Team when we played an exhibition game against Union Bank FC at Volks Pitch, Ojo, Lagos in December 1998. Our pioneer gaffer (Anthony Onuoha) was his coach at Soccer Warriors FC, which was at that time sponsored by the lad’s older brother, Emmanuel Amuneke.
3. Kazeem Atanda Yusuf (Ayila) was groomed by Coach Shola of Glory Boys FC at LOCO Field, inside Railway Compound, Yaba, Lagos. He played some matches for National Grassroots Dream Team because he was a friend to some of our best players.
4. Sunday Uwafili Stephen (aka Onya and later Sunny, when he played for Spain’s junior national team) also had some matches with us when invited by his friends. He was groomed by Abuade Babes of Oshodi and Tamuno Inaemi National of Ikeja, then sponsored by Taribo West, with Joseph Dosu as team manager.
5. Stephen Ayodele Makinwa (The Tiger of Lagos) was the very first direct product under my stable to play for the Super Eagles. He also played for 10 different clubs in Italy and is currently a very successful players’ agent.
6. Ebenezer Olufemi Ajilore (Mayor) was the captain at Tamuno Inaemi National, but I lured him to our team because he is a cousin of mine. He was part of Nigeria’s silver medal team at Beijing 2008 Olympics.
7. Ifeanyi Emeghara (Fifty) was a midfielder we converted into a central defender and soon caught the eye of Barrister Churchill Oliseh. He was part of Nigeria’s team to Ghana 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, but injury prevented him from playing a single match.
8. Nnamdi Vincent Oduamadi played some matches for the Golden Eaglets under Yemi Tella, but he was hooked by AC Milan after he dazzled for us against Marshal Mbre’s Flying Sport Academy at FESTAC Town. He became the first Nigerian player to score a hat-trick in a senior FIFA competition when he netted three against Tahiti at the 2013 Confederation Cup in Brazil.
9. Philip Chidi Onyemah (Phenomenon) was in the Baby Eagles’ camp with Obafemi Martins and at Soccer Warriors with Kelvin Amuneke. He was signed by FC Porto of Portugal during the days of Jose Mourinho, but Kashimawo Laloko refused to release his transfer certificate.
10. Benjamin Chukwuka Onwuachi (Investment) was invited to our team after I spotted him during the final of a competition at Jubril Martins School near Costain, Lagos. He was soon signed by Juventus of Italy through Barrister Churchill Oliseh, but distractions from the death of his daughter (Gabriella) stopped him from getting the due rewards of his true potentials.
11. Riliwan Hassan was in our sister project, Community Action Through Sport (CATS), and dazzled at the 2002 YSFON/Abidoye Cup in Oshogbo, wgere Oduamadi was the MVP. We took Riliwan to a competition organised by Barrister Churchill Oliseh in Sagamu and he became our youngest player to travel abroad when he joined FC Mydtiljand of Denmark – well ahead of Paul Onuachu and Frank Onyeka.
Apart from these popular names, who I knew before they became stars, several other products of National Grassroots Dream Team also achieved great things in their latter days.
So, the big question is: Why is Bros Femo forgotten and financially struggling?
The answer … because I often declared naively when I was growing up that ‘I don’t want to be rich. I only want to be famous for works of charity.’
Is it a prayer answered or a curse fulfilled? Whatever it is, the effects are weighing me down now.
Two of my cousins Adeola Olanihun (now late) and Sunday Fasetire used to caution me back then that there is power in the tongue. Now I know what they meant….
