As the most populous country in Africa and the seventh in the world, the passion for sports in Nigeria is unwavering. Several decades after its British colonial independence, it has quickly grown to become a home to some of the greatest and richest athletes and sporting events on the continent.
Among many, the most widely celebrated in the country is football. It’s a love affair that has blossomed for several years into an unyielding relationship. In the most plausible analogy described by Osman Sillah, the CEO and founder of Oyah Sports F.C., it serves as a religion where half of the population, about 100 million Nigerians, are active football fans and consumers.
That said, before the sport turned into this grand fervent culture and massive money-making industry, it was initially a symbol of freedom and nationalism in the second half of the 20th century. Here is the story of how a colonial sport became the voice of Nigerians.
History of football in Nigeria
Before all else, here is how you can support your homeland. If you are from Nigeria, then place football bets on this site.
Football was introduced in Nigeria when it officially became a British colony in the early 20th century. Based on the findings of Dr. Wiebe Boer in his book entitled The History of Football in Nigeria: A Story of Heroes and Epics (1094 to 1960), the first recorded match was in Calabar City on June 15, 1904.
Nearly after five decades — despite the efforts of the British regime on promoting polo and cricket — football had become the country’s national sport. Just in the nick of time, it was within the 1950s where several African nations started or took part in nationalist movements against European/colonial power.
Football as a source of national pride
Nnamdi Azikiwe, for instance, was among the country’s nationalist figures who used the sport as a source of national pride and a voice against oppression. He was inspired following the rejection to compete in a track-and-field tournament and join a tennis club because of his ethnic origin. This movement furthered through his nationalist newspaper called the West African Pilot.
The first of the many
Finally, after two formidable decades of struggle, Nigeria attained its independence from British control in 1960. This was the beginning of the sport’s promising passion, culture, and industry in the country. Now, it greatly empowers the community with its history as well as the economy through job offers, tourism, and annual revenues.
Among many of its firsts in 1960, it became a member of FIFA, then later introduced the first women’s football in Africa. If we let the records speak, both the men and women’s national teams, Super Eagles and Super Falcons, respectively, have been dominant powers in Africa.
By numbers, the former is a three-time Africa Cup of Nations champion, has qualified six of the last seven FIFA World Cups, and ranked fifth in the 1994 FIFA rankings. It was the all-time highest spot achieved by any African football club. On the other hand, the latter won 11 times in the CAF Women’s Championships. They had a sweeping feat in the first seven seasons until Equatorial Guinea captured the 2008 title.
Club competitions
The grandeur and gravity of Nigeria’s football follow a series of connected leagues. Its pyramid is made up of three levels. The top-flight is the Nigeria Premier League, where four of the 20 top of the line clubs are relegated in the second tier called the Nigeria National League. Then, six of its 32 clubs are demoted in level three named Nigeria Nationwide League, whereas the other four are promoted to the first level.
The support starts from you
Feel the level of athleticism and experience thrilling actions in these prestigious club competitions. Even better, if you are from Nigeria, then place football bets on this site. Support your favourite Nigerian clubs and players at any place and at any time.
