Solaja’s book on Super Eagles’ gets Blatter’s endorsement

The goodwill message, which originally was to be incorporated in the book titled Super Eagles … Through the Ages, was sent by e-mail by the Media Attaché to the FIFA President, Daniela Leeb.

Among other statistical details encapsulated in the book, it also captures the origin of the various kits that the Nigerian national team had put on. On January 12, 2010, when the Super Eagles lined out to face the Pharaohs of Egypt at the Africa Nations Cup in Angola, its World Cup kit was unveiled. But before then, there had been other apparels the Nigerian side had donned.

It started with olive green shirts over white baggy shorts in 1949, before shifting to red shirts and sometimes vertically red and white strips in the 1950s, before inadvertently putting on green again in a January 1, 1960 Olympic qualifying tie with the combined team of Syria and Egypt (United Arab Republic). Since then, and before the Green-White-Green flag of Nigeria was adopted 10 months later, the team’s home strip had become green colour.

Also, before the current kit supplier, Adidas, Nigeria had patronised others such as Puma, Erima and Nike. Not only that. When Tunisia’s Oussama Darragi scored a last-minute goal that initially set back the Super Eagles’ chances of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, it seemed an unusual occurrence. But the coming book chronicles all other instances where Nigeria had experienced such dramatic ending of crucial games.

According to the author of the book, Solaja, sometimes football reveals its emotional, glorious and even cruel elements when the clock is ticking down to few seconds. Like the one scored by Tunisia against the Super Eagles in Abuja last year, such goals scored in the final or penultimate minute of regulation or extra time and even in stoppage time of a match can bring joy to the scoring side and emotional breakdown to the conceding side.

How many times has Nigeria experienced this phenomenon? Super Eagles Through the Ages brings the details.