By Clement Nwankpa Jr
One of the most notable achievements recorded by the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare should be the revival of the Principal’s Cup. It should even be noted that Dare had taken it a notch higher with the National Principals Cup because there was never a national version of the tournament.
When he inaugurated the National Principals Cup Committee last year, not a few would have been skeptical considering the logistical issues that could undermine such a tournament being held at a national level. But having carved a niche as a Minister that backs words with actions, it surprised a few when the opening match of the National Principals Cup was held at the Agege Stadium last week, as the Organising Committee lived up to the promise to start the tournament in March 2021.
According to the competition format released by the organisers, the tournament will run from the states to the zones and the finals slated for Abuja.
Words of Chairman of the Organizing committee Dr Ademola Are; “All is now set for the states, zonal and grand finale of the revived National Principal’s Cup.The States finals would run from March 8th- 12th, with four teams per State, State champions will proceed to the zonal finals across the Six geopolitical zones from March 18th- 22nd , while the national final takes place from April 1st- 4th in Abuja. We are working round the clock to ensure a hitchfree competition”.
IN THE BEGINNING
ROLE OF PRINCIPALS CUP IN THE AGE GRADE NATIONAL TEAMS IN THE 80s
The history of Nigerian football, particularly age-group national teams can never be complete without mentioning the contributions of the Secondary Schools tournaments, notably the Principals Cup. Most of the players paraded by Nigeria in the junior national teams between 1979 and 1987 were drawn from the Principals Cup.
Principals Cup at the time was fiercely contested. Students moved between schools just for the sake of featuring in this tournament. It was common for schools to poach players from rival schools. These schools employed scouts/teachers whose major role wasn’t to teach students but to identify students/players in other schools that could be recruited to boost the schools’ chances in the Principals Cup.
In the early 80s in my school (Emmanuel College Owerri), we had a teacher/school team coach named ‘Biafra’ whose primary role was to poach players/students from rival schools. He facilitated the switch of Benedict Iroha from National High School Aba to Emmanuel College. And ECOL dominated secondary schools competition in the old Imo State at the time.
So the transfer of players between schools was very common. Most times (of course) those transfers involved the students’ parents and incentives were dangled before such parents, where necessary, for their wards to switch schools.
These raised the stakes in the Principals Cup. Before the platform provided by the junior national teams, the tournament was a veritable platform for clubs to recruit players. Why not? With such fierce competition and the concomitant attention accorded the tournament, it should produce quality players.
The competition was as popular as the national league and matches were broadcast live on Radio Nigeria. There was a lot of fun. You would see ‘old boys’ coming to support the schools with their school ties and luxury cars. Then female schools coming to support their brother schools. The atmospheres were carnival-like with rented danfos, molues conveying students who drummed, sang and trumpeted deafeningly in support of their teams.
Products of the Lagos Principals Cup who would go on to make waves in the junior national teams include Stephen Keshi (St. Finbarr’s College), Henry Nwosu (St. Finbarr’s College), Tarila Okorowanta (St. Gregory’s College), Franklin Howard (St. Gregory’s College), Jonathan Akoboririe (Igbobi College), Paul Okoku (St. Finbarr’s College), Samson Siasia (St. Finbarr’s), Raymond King (St. Finbarr’s), Nduka Ugbade (St. Finbarr’s) and Fatai Atere (Igbobi College).
Raymond King, Keshi, Okoku and Nwosu were part of the St. Finbarr’s College team that won the Principal’s Cup in 1977. It was no surprise that most of them made the list of players invited to the U-20 national team in 1979, the first-ever age-group team assembled in Nigeria. St. Finbarr’s were one of the most successful schools in the Lagos Principals Cup and largely regarded as the most successful Secondary School football team in Nigeria. They won the trophy 11 times at the last count.
Fatai Atere and Jonathan Akpoborie, members of the victorious U-16 national team at China 85, broke out from the Igbobi College team that won the Principal’s Cup for the first time in 1984.
OLD BENDEL PRINCIPALS CUP
Similarly, there was the Old Bendel Principals Cup which involved secondary schools in the old Bendel State with memorable matches between Edo College and Immaculate Conception Benin. One of those notable matches that would produce future national team greats was the 1975 final between Hussey College and New Era College, who paraded the likes of Bright Omokaro and Humphery Edobor.
After his exploits for New Era, Omokaro was poached by Edo College. He was part of a talented Edo College squad that featured in a schools tournament in Spain in 1978. This tournament was prioritized by Edo College because CKC Onitsha had won it in 1977. It was a further testament to how highly schools tournaments were rated then that Edo College raided New Era just to have a crack squad for the tournament in Spain.
Omokaro, Edobor and Sam Okpodu were already household names having also helped Bendel to win the football event of the National Sports Festival in 1977. It was not a surprise that they were also listed in that historic Flying Eagles squad of 1979.
DEATH OF PRINCIPALS CUP AND IMPACT ON OUR AGE-GROUP FOOTBALL
The virtual extinction of the Principals Cup and relevant Secondary Schools tournaments have not aided the supply chain in the age group teams of today. Former internationals still relish the good old days when feisty competitions among Secondary Schools helped horn their talents. Many readily admit that those competitions made them the better players they grew into.
Ladi Babalola of the 1987 set of U-20s told The Nation; “Talking about school football in our time, men, is like talking about the English League really because the Principals Cup was everything to every school and every student wanedt to be part of it. Even those that were not footballers wanted to come and support their school team. I think this idea of Super Eagles supporters club came from that kind of schools supporters club of that time. Nowadays, football is money. It is not like the way it was then. Firstly, I will suggest that the organising committee should look out for better sponsors that will increase the incentives for the winning school as an attraction to the game. For instance, a storey building should be built in the premises of the school that wins the Principal Cup. I think every principal will love this.
Member of the 1994 AFCON-winning squad, Edema Fuludu proffered the reason for the dearth of quality supplies to the national teams in an interview with Punch.
His words; “The truth is, grassroots football no longer exist. In my time and the generation before me, we used to play football from the primary school; we were known from that level to secondary school. We had inter-street competitions, inter-community competitions and the Principal’s Cup as well YSFON competitions. We knew each other; people knew quality players even before they started playing for club sides. But today, people come from nowhere and they say they are playing for a Premier League side. These are people no one saw play at youth level. A lot of them are like that. If you see those that played from the grassroots, they are different because of their quality. Club sides and national teams are not where you are taught the basics. When you grow to a certain level, they teach you the techniques and tactics of the game. So our football flair is dead because it normally comes from the beginning, which is the youth level”.
For the records, Principals Cup and YSFON played prominent roles in the takeoff of junior international football in Nigeria. Both were key to the first FIFA tournament won by an African team. Today, both platforms have gone into oblivion. Earlier efforts to resuscitate the Lagos Principals Cup through Corporate sponsorship did not yield desired fruits.
AND DARE DARED
But the current Minister for Sports, Sunday Dare should be applauded for initiating efforts to revive the Principals Cup with the initiation of a National Principals Cup. It must be noted that there was never a ‘national’ edition of the tournament. This move by the Minister to make it a national event is very laudable.
For Nigeria’s exploits in the age group championships and football in general to be sustained, it is of paramount importance to revive the Principals Cup. There doesn’t seem to be a conscious effort to consistently lubricate the conveyor belt for talented footballers.
In nations where youth football is taken more seriously, there are National Youth Leagues. It may be asking for too much here at the moment. Meanwhile, the League Management Company must be commended for the NPFL U15 Futures Promises started in 2017 just as the NFF initiated the Zenith U15 tournament. All these culminating in a national U15 national team. But more needs to be done. This is why the facilitation of the National Principals Cup couldn’t have come at a more auspicious time.
The Sports Minister has spoken glowingly about his plans to spark a revolution in youth football. It has not been restricted to football. He has set up a Talent Hunt Team (THT) saddled with the task of fishing out sporting talents from the grassroots.
This National Principals Cup falls within the purview of that THT scheme. It is good to note that this didn’t end up on paper as the tournament format has been drawn up. By April 4, the winner of the first National Principals Cup would have emerged.
Dare has carved a niche as talk-and-do Minister. He marched words with actions at the renovation of the MKO Abiola National Stadium Abuja and National Stadium Surulere. Nigerian football faithful gleefully await return of action to these arenas this year. Now he has sparked a rebirth of the Principals Cup, taking it a notch higher to a national status.
When he set up the Organising Committee in 2020, not a few were pessimistic but he has defied the odds. Now we can dream of a return to the glory days when competition at Secondary School level was as fierce as the national league.
