Former Green Eagles international, Coach Amusa Adisa of WNDC/IICC fame, has decried the absence of a reliable goalkeeper for the national team that will compete for the Africa Nations Cup in Ivory Coast, this month. He insisted that the goalkeeper was the last line of defence, and his agility between the goal post was critical to bolster the team to a scintillating performance.
Fielding questions from newsmen shortly after he delivered a guest lecture at annual get-together of Fabulous Sparkling Sparks F. C , Ilorin held at the Henry George Motel Adewole Estate, Adisa insisted that priority should be given to the person that would mount the goal posts, in view of his indispensable status and unique role as the only person who can use both his hands, legs and other parts of his body during play.
Going down the memory lane, Adisa recalled that bias and impartiality were never allowed to intrude into the choice of the goalkeeper and the other outfield players, during his time. According to him “I was drafted into WNDC in 1964 from Osogbo F. A team, by Chief Lekan Are, during the Western Region Challenge Cup match against the dreaded Ibadan F. A. selected, because I saved three penalties in a match . At that period, I was serving in the Native Authority Police in Osun constabulary. And when I got to Ibadan the competition was stiff because the goalkeeper of the national team Olu Onagoruwa, who was recruited from Prot Harcourt and …was still active. It was from that moment that I took over to win the 1965, 1969 and 1971 with Ibadan Lions”. And I had the opportunity to be in goal for the Green Eagles of Nigeria.
He further stated that just as Dosu Joseph was stabilising his position as the national team goalkeeper, in the late 1990s, he sustained a fatal injury. However Chief Adegboye Onigbinde went swiftly into the Nigeria national League to bring in Vincent Enyeama and gave him the chance. Adisa said that when he joined the Super Eagles as the goalkeeper trainer with Christian Chukwu and Austin Eguavoen as the Chief Coach and Assistant respectively, they maintained the trend, as Austin Ejide and Rotimi Sunday were also thrown into the fray for tough competition. In a tone of lamentation, Adisa maintained that “goalkeeping is our weakest point at this period and I challenge our coaches to look at the home league and be impartial”.
“When I got to the limelight in the early 1960s, Inuwa Lawal Rigogo was the best goalkeeper in the country. When Peter Fregene started to show high quality, he took over. Then I had my chance after I had shown my ability from 1964-1969, when we defeated Warri 5-1 in Challenge Cup final and also when I stopped Godwin Achebe’s penalty in 1971 for Ibadan Lions to win the cup. Cyril Okosieme, Joe Erico, Emmanuel Okala, Best Ogedegbe, Peter Rufai, Patrick Okala and the others too, in that succession came to give great attention to themselves later.
He therefore urged the handlers of the national teams to devote special attention to the the number one spot, adding that “when the goalkeeper is dependable, the outfield players will be confident to showcase what they have been taught by the coaches. In fact they will even take initiatives that will mark them out and make the difference against their opponents. There is no team, either at the club side or national levels, that can be great without a good goalkeeper. He maintained that the 1982 Brazilian team is, till date one of the best teams ever assembled in the world. But they could not not win the world cup, because their goalkeeper Vladimir Perez let in goals that ousted the team.”
Adisa went on to obtain a degree in Physical Education from the University of Ilorin when he became the football coach of the institution. That was his final workplace before he finally retired.
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