Decision to return to school saved me – Zion Ogunfeyimi, former Nigeria goalkeeper

Former Nigeria goalkeeper Zion Ogunfeyimi tells OLUFEMI ATOYEBI that the Super Eagles must still earn a ticket to the next Nations Cup despite the 2-2 draw against Liberia in Monrovia

 His time as the national team goalkeeper was short-lived but Zion Ogunfeyimi has a fond and eventful memory of his career as a player.

Ogunfeyimi lifted the first international trophy to be won by a Nigerian club when as the goalkeeper of  the Shooting Stars, he helped the team to win the African Cup Winners Cup in 1976. Now retired, the prince of Ugbo-nla kingdom, in Ilaje area of Ondo State says his post-service life is more rewarding because of a decision he took in 1981.

“I weep when I see some of my colleagues because of their poor living condition, but I thank God for my life. I left football with nothing but soon after retirement, personal efforts gave me joy and comfort. I am not a lazy person and mentally, I am active. Apart from playing, I was also in government service and I retired finally in 1993. I made a decision in 1981 to study further and I got an admission into the University of Ibadan,” he begins.

“I also played for the school and captained them to Nigeria Universities Games in Benin, where we won gold in football. It was a decision that shaped my future because I would have been in poor state if I had let the chance slipped through my fingers. The recognition I now have as a high chief of Ugbo-nla kingdom and as a goalkeeper trainer is because of the social confidence I have, which is a product of the education I have.”

Earlier before enrolling at the university, Ogunfeyimi had a chance that slipped through his fingers in 1976. He says the event triggered his determination not to rely on the present but to seek knowledge for a better future. He says service to the nation stopped him from going to the US to study at the time.

“In 1976, I had an admission letter to study in the US but I was in the national team preparing for the Nations Cup. The Western State regarded its indigenes that played in the national team as ambassadors, so they begged my father to allow me to take part in the Nations Cup, promising that they would sponsor my trip after the competition in Ethiopia,” he states.

“But I lost the opportunity because admission closed before we returned from Adis Ababa. But I was determined to grab the next opportunity. I was also at the 1978 Nations Cup finals in Ghana.”

Born to a royal family of Ugbo-nla in Ilaje, Ondo State, Ogunfeyimi is a direct descendant of the late monarch,  Dr. Elisha Lene Ogunfeyimi, and a high chief in the court where Obateru Akinruntan now presides as the king. The former goalkeeper says he had a modest background, one that was not based on his status as a prince, adding that football was his second hobby back in those days.

“I grew up like any other child of my time. I did not enjoy preferential treatment even though I am from a royal home. I enjoyed swimming in the ponds and rivers around my community. Ugbo-nla is an island so we enjoyed nature a lot. I would have been a swimmer but I opted for football.

“Far back in those days when I was in the primary school, I chose football and when I moved to St. Stephen School, Moloney Street, Lagos, there was a big opportunity for me to express myself. I was a goalkeeper and I played for the school until I left.

“I returned home later for my secondary school education and I became the first choice in my second year in the school. When I was in Form Three, I played in a competition meant for all Anglican schools in the South -West and helped my school to win the trophy, beating Ibadan Grammar School in the final.”

The heroic performance did not go unnoticed as Hessey College, Warri came knocking with scholarship offer which he accepted.

“At the college, I developed my high jump, pole vault, long jump and sprinting skills. I also played club football for Warri Wolves in the Challenge Cup,  which lost to the Western State team in the semifinals. Before going to Ibadan, I played for Works of Warri. In Ibadan, I was the goalkeeper for Radiovision, a small team managed at the time by Segun Odegbami, who was working at the establishment then.”

In 1972, Ogunfeyimi declined an offer to work in Cooperative Bank after helping Coop Giants gain promotion to Ibadan Football Association division one league. He says personal reasons were responsible for rejecting the offer.

“I rejected it because I did not want to be in trouble. I spent money as I liked in those days and I did not want to work where money was flowing,” the former goalkeeper explains. Instead of working, he returned to school to earn higher education where he met Taiwo Ogunjobi and eventually, made a return to football.

“I got an admission to Ibadan Grammar School for higher studies and met Taiwo Ogunjobi and together we won the Principal’s Cup and we represented the then Western State in the 1973 National Sports Festival. Before the festival, Shooting Stars picked Ogunjobi and I as future stars and after the festival, we joined the club. I played for them until 1981.”

Before he finally retired from football in 1983, Ogunfeyimi had a good relationship with fans who adored him. He says they were the reason he succeeded as a goalkeeper, wondering how players feel today playing in front of a scanty crowd at the Nigeria Premier League venues.

He says, “I performed better playing in front of large crowds. That was something I enjoyed when I played for Shooting Stars. Unfortunately, it is not the same again. The fans don’t have any player to look up to.

“There are no stars again in the Nigerian league. People wanted to watch Odegbami for his dribbling skills, Felix Owolabi for his strength, Ogunfeyimi for his flamboyance in goal, Emmanuel Okala because of his height and other attributes and so on. Today, there is an exodus of players and matches are no longer interesting. Players no longer do anything special and there are cases of match fixing. All this killed the enthusiasm in the spectators. They now prefer to watch European leagues.”

Lamenting the state of the nation’s football, Ogunfeyimi says a decent league will attract players and make home-based young stars to stay, pointing out that Nigeria must learn from the Egyptian experience.

“Egyptian players prefer to play at home and it’s the same in South Africa. Their players are heroes of their leagues because the system gives room for clubs to be successful and independent financially.”

The former international reminisces on the past, stressing the rivalry between traditional clubs and his toughest time between the posts. He says a Zambian striker was a threat to his club’s ambition to lift the Winners Cup in 1976.

“The toughest teams I met were Rangers International and Bendel Insurance, then there was a little team called Asabatex. Matches involving these teams and Shooting Stars were like wars and the players knew the tradition.

“The toughest striker I have faced was Ben Achanda of Rokana United of Zambia. He was the best of his time. He was difficult to stop and he created a lot of problems for us when we played them in the African Cub Winners Cup in  Lagos. We won 3-2 but he scored their two goals, taking advantage of a slip in our defence. But I stopped him in the return leg to reach the semifinals.”

The goalkeeper was the coach’s first choice until the late Best Ogedegbe stepped in after his unfortunate encounter in Ghana.

“I lost the position to Ogedegbe when I had an accident in Ghana. We were there for a match during their sports festival and we were leading 1-0 when a crowd trouble started after I confronted a policeman who ran into my goal post when they drew level through a penalty kick. It sparked trouble and the policemen ran into the pitch after the crowd reacted. They were riding horses and one of them ran over my leg. That was when Ogedegbe had a chance to dethrone me and he did well to help the club.”

But what has kept the Ugbo-nla kingdom prince going since leaving football in 1983? Giving an account of his post football activities, he says that he worked with Heartland when John Obu was the head coach and is now one of the coaches with Ondo State Football Academy.

“I am currently working on a project sponsored by a communication giant in Nigeria. It is an academy that will bring young players with exceptional talent together with the aim of giving them a chance to excel.”

Reacting to the Nations Cup qualifying match between the Eagles and Liberia last Saturday, Ogunfeyimi believes that Keshi is stamping his authority in the team and that Liberia are still a threat to the Nigeria’s 2013 Nation’s Cup appearance.

“The 2-2 draw is a sign that our national team is improving. Keshi is a strong man for the job and he has the experience. He stood his ground on the kind of players he wanted and he is winning the battle. We attended the Nigeria Football Federation interview together when Shaibu Amodu was picked and I was impressed with Keshi’s knowledge of the game. Our players must still fight with focus in the return leg because Liberia will not want to go down easily,” he warns.