The secretary-general of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr Mohammed Sanusi has sent messages of congratulations to Barcelona Femeni of Spain attacker, Asisat Oshoala, the duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Onyinyen Ndidi at Leicester City of England as well as former national team goalkeeper, Emmanuel Okala.
While Okala gained Sanusi plaudits after attaining the platinum age of 70 on Monday, the NF scribe added that everyone at Sunday Dankaro Football House was excited seeing Oshoala win the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Sunday with Barcelona, while Ndidi and Iheanacho won the English FA Cup on Tuesday with Leicester.
Sanusi also celebrated were the Glasgow Rangers of Scotland duo of Leon Aderemi Balogun and Joe Aribo for officially being crowned Scottish Premiership champions on Saturday, a day before Oshoala helped Barca defeat Chelsea of England to lift the UEFA Women’s Champions Cup.
Megasportsarena.com reports further that the NFF scribe also recalled that Okala was an imposing figure in goal at 6feet 5inches, having emerged during an era that Nigeria produced a long line of exceptional goalkeepers, including Inua Rigogo, Peter Fregene, Amusa Adisa and Eyo Essien.
Sanusi praised the towering goaltender for his glorious service to Nigeria in the round leather game, delivering his best anytime he turned out for both the team, then known as Green Eagles, and his club, Rangers International of Enugu.
Okala earned his first cap in a friendly against Tanzania in Lagos that Nigeria won 3-2, and was in the team that won All-Africa Games football gold in Lagos in 1973, took bronze medals at the Africa Cup of Nations in 1978 and finished as runners-up at the All-Africa Games in Algiers four months later.
He was also in the Green Eagles’ squad that won Nigeria’s first Africa Cup of Nations on home soil in 1980 and was named Africa’s best goalkeeper by the Africa Sports Journalists Union in 1975 and was in the Rangers FC squad that won the Africa Cup Winners’ Cup in 1977.
Sanusi posited: “We felicitate with Asisat (Oshoala) on the victory of Barcelona and wish her many more medals and honours in her career with Club and Country.
“We celebrate with Balogun and Aribo for their success in the Scottish Premiership. They are our worthy ambassadors and we are happy for them as we are happy for Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho who won the English FA Cup with Leicester City on Saturday.
“We all remember the heroic feats and unforgettable deeds of the great Emmanuel Okala. He served Nigeria to the best of his ability and we commend him for his patriotism, discipline, dedication and sense of duty.
“We wish him a happy Platinum anniversary celebration and many pray that he lives many, many more years in good health and in joy.”
