We are not in an AFCON year, but it’s the international window for the 2024 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
With the qualifiers so far marred by seemingly shocking results — including Nigeria’s infamous defeat to Guinea Bissau at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja — Nigerian fans cannot wait for the end of what is now a relatively torturing international break.
Indeed, Nigeria may have put out the best of displays despite their somewhat redeeming victory in the return leg of their clash against Guinea-Bissau, but not to bore you with despair and shadowy sadness stemming from the recent woes of the Super Eagles, shifting the focus to the glory days of the three-time African champions, here’s a quick look into the victorious days of the 1994 Super Eagles team that represented Nigeria in Tunisia, and what they have been up to lately.
At the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations Cup (AFCON) tournament in Tunisia, Nigeria paraded quite a squad – fearsome to say the least. They were a team any opponent would wish to avoid, and remains arguably the best Super Eagles squad in the nation’s footballing history. Coming into the tournament as one of the three favourites for the title, Nigeria’s 1994 AFCON side ended up securing the win, as expected.
Grouped alongside Egypt and Gabon in group B and now dubbed as the “golden generation” the team led by Dutch coach Clemens Westerhof approached the competition with caution especially with the “marauding ghost” of previous AFCON final losses still hovering. Surprisingly, taking the initiative, the team began their campaign on a bright note as they dismissed Gabon 3-0 in the opener with two goals coming from the late Rashidi Yekini and Mutiu Adepoju. Their second game was a goalless draw against Egypt to book a place in the knockout stages.
Facing Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in the quarter-final appeared quite a difficult task but on the wings of Rashidi Yekini’s brace, the eagles soared into the semi-final to face arch-rivals, Ivory Coast. In what was a pulsating encounter with little to call between both sides, the Eagles triumphed on penalties after 90 minutes plus extra time ended at 2-2. This win set them up for the final against a revamped Zambia who had lost 18 of its players to a tragic plane crash just the year before.
It was the Super Eagles against the world as Zambia earned the sympathy of the football’s global family and were spurred radically to complete what could have been one of football’s greatest comeback stories – quite a fairytale it would have been.
The Chipolopolo drew the first blood through Elijah Litana but a double from youngster Emmanuel Amuneke was enough to ensure Nigeria smiled home with the trophy.
Unbelievable was the feat achieved by this Super Eagles team and little wonder they were ranked fifth in the world by FIFA when the rankings for men’s football of April 1994 were released.
The 23-man squad, where are they now?
Peter Rufai
Without a doubt one of the safest hands in Africa when it comes to goalkeeping. The shot-stopper featured in every minute of the African cup of Nations. The former Stationery Stores and Femo Scorpions goalkeeper also played for Dragon FC of Benin, K.S.C Lokeren, and SK Beveren (in Belgium). He also had a successful career at Farense (Portugal), Hercules, and Deportivo La Coruna in Spain. Rufai who jettisoned a chance to be crowned as King of Idimu kingdom currently shuttles between Lagos and Spain. Once an ambassador of Remita, he runs youth football clinics in Lagos.
Alloy Agu
He was the second goalkeeper in the 1994 squad that Clemence Westerhof listed for the African Cup of Nations in Tunisia. He was one of the first Nigerian goalkeepers to feature in the Dutch Eredivisie before calling it quits with active football. Agu was on the payroll of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as Super Eagles’ goalkeeper trainer until he was replaced by Ike Shorunmu in April 2022.
Wilfred Agbonavbare (Late)
He was tipped to be No.1 despite his healthy rivalry with Alloy Agu in the qualifiers, but after weeks of training camp in Papendal and Amsterdam, Holland, he dropped to third in the pecking order of goalkeepers. Agbonavbare retired at the early age of 31 and resettled in Madrid, worked as a baggage and cargo handler at Barajas airport, Madrid. He also had a brief stint as a goalkeeper trainer. He sadly lost his wife to cancer in 2012 and died of a similar disease in 2015.
Austin Eguavoen
Converted from a midfielder into a full-back, ‘Cerezo’ was a dominant part of the back-four that took the Eagles to the 1994 AFCON title. He worked as Super Eagles manager at Egypt 2006 AFCON where Nigeria settled for Bronze recently had his infamous second stint as head coach in the recently concluded AFCON in Cameroon. He currently works with the NFF as a member of the technical committee.
Ben Iroha
Left-back Benedict Iroha was the preferred choice ahead of Nduka Ugbade, given the array of talents at Coach Westerhof’s disposal, and he justified his inclusion in the squad with his ability to combine his defensive and attacking instincts. He was an assistant coach when Nigeria won THE 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea. It is assumed that Ben Iroha has taken a break from football and has returned to other personal business.
Uche Okechukwu
Revered as the ‘Gentle Giant’, his towering presence was amongst the many reasons behind Nigeria’s triumph in Tunisia. The former Brondby and Fenerbahce centre-back also featured for Ocean Boys and Bayelsa United after a successful stint in Europe.
Uche retired from active football at 41 and neither embraced coaching nor featured in club events because of his shyness. He is currently based in Owerri running his business.
Stephen Keshi (late)
Probably the most decorated player on this list. Although Keshi got injured weeks into the tournament, coach Westerhof opted to pick him because he was an inspirational captain of the squad. Keshi won the AFCON both as a player and a coach with the national team. He also managed the Togolese and Malian national teams. Sadly, Keshi passed on in 2016 after a cardiac arrest.
Isaac Semitoje
The former Super Eagles and Iwuanyanwu sweeper sat on the bench through the tournament, given the pedigree of other defenders in the team. Little is known of his personal life, but it is believed that the former defender is into a few personal businesses.
Nduka Ugbade
The former U-17 skipper also watched from the bench as Nigeria emerged as African champions after beating Zambia 2-1 in the finals. In August 2011 he was appointed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to be one of the two assistant coaches for the Golden Eaglets (Nigeria’s under-17 national football team).[ In 2013, the team won the silver medal in the CAF U-17 tournament in Algeria and won the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the UAE.
In 2013, Ugbade was named head coach of Lagos club MFM FC. He currently serves as the head coach of the U-17 team of Nigeria – the Golden Eaglet.
Austin Okocha
Infamously known as ‘Jay-Jay’, this mercurial midfielder was one of the best playmakers Nigeria ever produced. A man so good he was named twice, he is arguably the best football player Nigeria ever produced. His dazzling skills and abilities were second to none. He gave the world a slice of his talent during the tournament and alongside Oliseh formed a formidable partnership. The midfielder has since retirement been once the FA Chairman of Delta state, an ambassador of the Bundesliga in Nigeria, and currently, the brand ambassador for sports betting brand BetKing.
Mutiu Adepoju
The former Real Sociedad player was instrumental during the competition for the Super Eagles including scoring in the opening game against Gabon. He is believed to be an ambassador of the Spanish football league La Liga.
Efan Ekoku
Ekoku featured in Nigeria’s 2-0 win over Zaire in the quarter-final of Tunisia 94 World Cup and had to be replaced when he struggled to have a single shot at goal. The former Norwich and Bournemouth striker once worked as a commentator for Premier League production. He is based in the UK and works as a soccer pundit.
Edema Fuludu
A fringe member of the Tunisia 1994 AFCON winning team, Edema was respected for his versatility and business-like approach to matches. The former Julius Berger star played his last active game for Turkish side Always SK before retiring from football. He lives in Delta and is actively involved in politics.
Thompson Oliha (Late)
He was known as the team warhorse for his tireless play. He came as the best replacement for Moses Kpakor, who quit the scene because of a career-ending injury. Whenever Westerhof saw danger from the opposition, he deployed Oliha to keep such a player at bay. Oliha was Westerhof’s beloved player because of his work rate and dedication. Oliha worked with the Kwara football academy before his death in 2013.
Daniel Amokachi
‘Da Bull’ was a key member of the winning side, and his tenacity and work rate played a huge role in ensuring that Nigeria emerged champions in Tunisia and he featured in two AFCON and World Cup tournaments. Amokachi is currently the special adviser on sports to President Muhammadu Buhari. He is also an ambassador for a couple of brands.
Emmanuel Amuneke
Amuneke shone like a million stars scoring Nigeria’s two goals in the finals after Westerhof confined him to the bench throughout the group matches and knockout stages. Amuneke had a successful career in coaching after he led Nigeria U-17 to a World Cup triumph in 2015. He ensured Tanzania qualified for its first AFCON in Egypt in 2019. The Super Eagles forward was lately the manager of Misr El-Makasa.
Finidi George
The former Real Betis man also featured hugely during the course of the tournament. Although he had a quiet tourney, his contribution cannot be overlooked. The Eagles winger since retiring has been shuffling between Seville and Nigeria and he is currently the Ambassador of online bookmaker Luckybet and the current coach of two-time CAF champions league side Enyimba.
Rashidi Yekini (Late)
CAF adjudged the “goals father” as the dreaded striker at Tunisia 94, where he scored five goals. Yekini was on target in Nigeria’S 3-0 win over Gabon in the Group B opener, scoring two goals with Mutiu Adepoju on the scoring sheet. Gangling Yekini also bagged a brace in Nigeria’s 2-0 win over Zaire in the quarter-finals and a goal against Cote d’Ivoire in the semi-finals.
The former Shooting Stars striker gave in to depression in the latter days of his life, although his death is still a mystery to many that were close to him.
Samson Siasia
Siasia is regarded as one of the most skillful strikers of the golden generation, even though he failed to score a goal in the competition. Since hanging up his boots, he notably formed the SiaOne Academy in Abuja as well took up managerial positions with the country’s national teams across certain spells. The former Nantes and Lokeren striker is currently out of coaching after FIFA banned him for alleged match-fixing.
Victor Ikpeba
He was also one of the fringe players that Nigeria paraded at the Tunisia 94 AFCON. Ikpeba was a part of the Nigeria Dream Team that won Olympic gold in Atlanta 96. A discovery from Nigeria’s youth system, he had stints in Belgium with Standard Liege, Monaco where he was at his most prolific and won Africa’s best player award in 1997. Retired in 2007 and has since delved into football punditry.
Sunday Oliseh
Oliseh played a vital role in ensuring that Nigeria emerged as African champions in Tunisia 94. The former Juventus and Ajax midfielder had a successful coaching career with Fortuna Sittard FC before coming over to manage Super Eagles in 2015. He is a member of FIFA’s technical team and also works as a soccer pundit.
Uche Okafor (Late)
The former Michelin FC and Hannover 96 defender combined well with Uche Okechukwu at the heart of the Eagles’ defence. Kizito was not as flambouyant as other members of that team and kept a low profile. He worked as a football pundit with ESPN before his death in 2011.
