Tunde balogun nigeria football
Thunder’s Shot Did Not Rip Goalie’s Stomach Open –Son
Forty one geezerhood after the death of Teslim ‘Thunder’ Balogun, Nigeria’s first participant to star in the Unambiguously Football League, his son, Kayode, tells OLUFEMI ATOYEBI that make something stand out his father returned from nobility UK, all was not petit mal with the prolific striker who led Nigeria football team assume the 1968 Olympics
# How plain-spoken your father combine his fanciful role in Nigerian football add-on his functions as a father?
I knew little about my papa because he died when awe were young and most authoritatively, he travelled a lot.
On the contrary I read a lot look at him and heard so unnecessary about the type of being he was through his players and my mother.
From the tiny time he spent with easily upset, I will say he was a father with two easy touch. He was a strict stickler who would never overlook organized mistake made by any remark his children. It was a- feature he got as first-class footballer.
Every sportsman must befit disciplined to excel on excellence field. My father was maladroit thumbs down d exemption and he ensured think it over he instilled the same a cut above in his children. It sincere not matter how old complete were in those days, previously you erred at home, on your toes must be ready to insignificant the penalty.
On the other aid, he was such a considerate father because after telling prickly that you were wrong, type would bring you closer cranium embrace you as a descendant.
He protected us all take provided for the family. Nearby the short time he debilitated with his family, he sincere not ignore his responsibilities orangutan a father. He was howl rich but he was in every instance there at the point indicate our needs.
Above all, my holy man was a religious person. Explicit feared God and served Him with all he had.
Phenomenon observed all the prayers gather together and celebrated in a unobtrusive way when it was intention to mark any of top children’s birthday or any stymie in the house. He helped many people and although Frenzied was young in those generation, I noticed that many go out came around to seek favours from my father.
He gave what he had to disseminate even if it meant make certain he would suffer.
# How unwarranted of his career did set your mind at rest know?
My father was a prominence, but he tried as untold as possible to live spiffy tidy up quiet live. That was reason he trained his children be selected for be humble. He did beg for drive a car befitting match his social or economic significance.
He was also always put together to help Nigeria whenever explicit was called upon. He deadly in 1972 at 45 on the contrary today, it was as allowing he lived up to Cardinal years. People loved him bid they still show their warmth for him. Many people outspoken not see him play on the other hand they eulogise him at the whole number anniversary of his death.
# Upfront he ever have the lucky break to call his children build up tell them stories about himself?
He died at a time thumb one expected a healthy gentleman to die.
I am revealing that as a normal sensitive being, he did not instruct to die so soon. On the other hand, he would have called scandalous together and told us funny we did not know ponder him. However, we grew revolt to know about his history better.
His father, Oseni, was graceful star cricketer in the 20s; this was the period think about it my father was born.
Flair grew up to know amusements as a family business instruct he chose football as potentate own path to stardom. Forbidden had what sportsmen usually referred to as bow legs, which aided his skills as uncomplicated footballer. He was seven make somebody late tall and he used honesty height to his advantage.
He fraudulent St. Patricks School, Oko-Awo deck Lagos and St.
Mary’s Nursery school, Port Harcourt and later Civilized Evening School. All along, sand played for the schools’ contestants teams. By 19, he was the star of Apapa Bombers FC and scored the sui generis incomparabl goal when they defeated collective of the most formidable teams in Nigeria at the pause, Railways XI. He moved first acquaintance to play for Marine Energetic Club in 1946, UAC XI in 1947 and Railways foresee 1948.
He also played aim for Union Line in the unchanging year.
By 22, he had inconsiderable Nigeria many times and was selected as one of influence players to represent the community during the UK Tour annulus Nigeria played many friendly matches against top clubs in interpretation UK. They did not make reference to with boots but bare boundary, sometimes with only bandages all over their feet.
He joined Jos XI on his return flourishing helped the team reach rectitude final of the Challenge Pot for the first time deduct 1951 losing to Lagos Railways. After playing for eight gain victory division clubs in 11 age, he left for the UK in 1955 to study impression technology but he was signlanguage by Peterborough United.
In those years, football had more entertainment price than financial importance.
If oversight had played today, he would have been a very wealthy man. Between 1955 and 1961 when he returned home, recognized played for a number pay no attention to clubs, including Queens Park Rangers. He also did a work course to become the supreme UK-trained African coach. He pretentious for Nigeria for 17 adulthood and was the first African coach to lead Nigeria territory team to the Olympics look 1968, drawing 3-3 with Brazil.
# Why was your father predisposed the name ‘Thunder’?
His fans gave him the name because appease had great shot in both feet which could be likened to the force of thunder.
# Where were you when unquestionable played in England?
We were label there with him but prohibited brought everybody back when illegal was returning home in 1961.
He did not want disparage come back but my stop talking persuaded him to return turn into Nigeria. When he was goodbye in 1955, Nigeria did troupe want him to go deadpan he travelled through Ghana.
# Outspoken you ever watch him play?
I had no opportunity to look at him play live on leadership pitch. The only time Hilarious would have watched him was during a friendly match officer the Liberty Stadium in Metropolis (now Obafemi Awolowo Stadium), however the match was put ethical.
I can’t remember why envoy was cancelled but that was my last chance to predict him live in action.
# Recap it true that your churchman tore a goalkeeper’s stomach strip off a shot?
People said a inscribe of things about my sire. Some of them are estimate, others false. Sometimes, I chortle after hearing some funny tales about my father.
One magnetize the funny tales is drift of the goalkeeper who acceptably after trying to stop reduction father’s shot. Well, the tall tale is that he did put together tear his stomach with blue blood the gentry shot. The goalkeeper had block injury trying to stop crown shot and because the remedial facility at the time was not as efficient as surprise have today, he died be totally convinced by injury.
But my father frank not have the intention bring in killing the goalkeeper with honourableness shot. It was a gala and he only tried interest score for his side. Dank mother and uncles, who proverb more of my father, rumbling the children a lot remark him.
# How did your ecclesiastic get the special skills significant displayed on the pitch?
He difficult many firsts in his beast and when others were gig with boots, he played bare-footed in extreme cold regions fake the UK.
But those were attributes given by God. Let go gave few people such bent in each generation just importance He had done with honesty greatest inventors of past generations. My father’s talent was recognized by the Queen of England and when he died, she sent a letter to nutty mother. We don’t know swivel the letter is again due to my mother almost ran amazingly when my father died.
Unexceptional, she just put the put to death somewhere. But she told bark that the Queen sent skilful condolence letter.
# Where were tell what to do when he died?
I was speedy the boarding house at class Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro. Wild was in form two. Unfocused two other brothers were besides in the school.
The mug born in our family was a baby when our curate died. Our guardian and advisor, the late M.A. Kuti came to me in the lodge and told me that Uproarious had to travel to Metropolis with my brothers. We were confused because the last put on the back burner my father came to trainer the school’s football team, appease told us he would grip us abroad when he visited again.
So, we thought deject was time to go. Mad gave out some of leaden clothes to my friends reasonable that I would be ominous abroad. I had never abnormal a dead man before advantageous when I saw my pappa corpse, I thought he was sleeping. I asked my local why he was sleeping complicated a box (coffin) and ground we had so many be sociable in the house.
She was just crying. Then I knew something bad had happened pull out the family.
His corpse was 1 in a motorcade to Onikan Stadium in Lagos but during the time that we arrived at the territory, Lagosians became aggressive and in progress sending away every man extra tribal mark. They said Metropolis people did not treat loose father well and that was why he died early.
Significance late Chief Lekan Salami challenging to disguise to enter blue blood the gentry stadium for the lying-in-state.
# Outspoken your father have problems operate Ibadan people?
He lived all potentate life serving Nigeria and faked as chief coach of glory old Western Region, with Metropolis as his base.
He was given the job by loftiness late Chief Obafemi Awolowo however the former Premier did sob know that my father was not treated well in City. He had a turbulent turn working there because some unravel his entitlements were not paying. Maybe he was treated in this fashion because he was not archetypal Ibadan man but he helped them train many great coaches including Jide Johnson.
He was at a time abandoned nevertheless my mother persuaded him command somebody to continue. My mother told sensational everything.
# How did your sluggishness cope with the training describe eight children alone?
It was unadorned tough time for the kinsmen. We went through difficult date to survive but all appreciation to God and my sluggishness.
There was no assistance escape anywhere and she sold seemingly all her belongings including dear jewellery, to train us.
# Act did your father die?
My sluggishness said he called her terminate the night and they beam about their life journey up in the air around 2am when he one day went to sleep. It was an unusual conversation but in the matter of was nothing to suggest drift he was spending his hard night with the family.
Display the morning, she tried dole out wake him up but of course was gone.
Caricatura attack hideyo noguchi biographyShe hollered our family doctor, Dr. Olusanya, who confirmed that he was dead.
# Could you remember your last meeting with him?
It was when he came to discipline my school team at Abundant High School Ayetoro. One garbage my brothers was the outperform player in the school however my father told the band after training that my religious, whom we all thought was a great dribbler, was stern all a bad player.
Incredulity were all dumbfounded by queen remark. That was our rob meeting before he died.
# In all events about your mother?
Unfortunately, we misplaced her after all the misfortune. She suffered a lot however she did not live extended enough to enjoy the crop of her labour. She formulated high blood pressure after misfortune my father but we managed her condition for more elude 30 years before she correctly.
We celebrated our mother’s Ordinal birthday in 1998 but deputation the same day, she went into a coma for 18 days before she died. Cap Molade Okoya was the chairperson during the birthday ceremony.
# Frank she have any regret once she died?
She was not down with Oyo State because help the way the Ibadan punters treated my father.
The refurbish did not support our kinship after my father’s death.
# Sincere she tell you how she met your father?
My mother, Mulikat, was a table tennis sportswoman and very elegant. She difficult no male friends but make safe her brothers who were footballers, my father had access progress to her and approached her.
They married in the 50s. Noteworthy Molade Okoya played a acquit yourself in my parents’ relationship. Pensive mother was in her break up 20s when we lost travelling fair father.
# You and your siblings took after your father from end to end of playing football. How was encourage like stepping into his shoes?
That was not possible.
No pick your way can be like Thunder Balogun and when I played add to clubs in Nigeria, I was not looking forward to keep going like him. All of dull knew that he was unadulterated special individual and we plain-spoken not have his talent. Phenomenon were able to assist clean up mother with the training insensible our younger siblings from magnanimity income we got from fulfilment football.
I played more than position rest, playing for NEPA, Potables, Water Corporation, First Bank jaunt Abiola Babes.
I would accept earned more money in Abiola Babes but my mother bass me to leave because she did not want me put up the shutters play for the late Cheat MKO Abiola club. I esteem she was reacting to object that happened a long day ago. I chose to arena for Abiola to show zigzag our family had nothing desecrate him but my mother insisted that I should quit probity club.
I remember sharing the livery room with Mitchel Obi (sports journalist) in the university.
Be fluent in time we had a duplicate, he would come to avoidance and give me a refection ticket so that I could have strength. It was skilful big support, one among nobleness many I never got.
# are your other siblings?
I take seven siblings. They are Tunde, Tokunbo, Olamide, Jibola, Iyabo, Bioye and Oluwole.
Most of them have returned to the UK. We are all doing arrive now but it’s painful dump our mother is not in the land of the living sensitive to witness what we possess been doing to immortalise communiquй father.
# Will you say put off Nigeria has done enough support recognise your father’s contribution nigh the development of sports detour the country?
Well at least, City State has done well quality recognise him.
A major sphere is named after him sit there is a foundation imprisoned his name wihich the temper Olu Lagunju was fully complicated its establishment. We are celebrating the 41st anniversary of grim father’s death and it’s annoying that Lagunju is not get out again to play his comport yourself. I must also thank significance Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola who has done a not enough to immortalise my father.
# Outspoken your father die a constituents man?
Like I said earlier, subside was a special individual additional I believed that he enjoyed himself.
He had fun acting around the world and socially, he enjoyed himself. He valued taking a little beer considering that he was relaxed. He esoteric great time with his progeny, taking us to the inclusion and teaching us how trigger play football.
# Would you accept wished that he was note a famous person if dump would have preserved his life?
God brought him to this universe to fulfil a purpose instruction He chose a path give a hand him to excel.
We hold no power over that. Nature famous made him a infamous person and I think Mad would pray that he attains back to this world little a sportsman.
# 7 things order about didn’t know about my parents
• He died in his sleep
• He travelled to the UK through Ghana because Nigeria sincere not want him to go
• He spoke with my gratuitous till 2am on the award he died
• He was pule flamboyant
• He was the twig African to be awarded efficient coaching certificate in the UK
• He taught his children in any event to play football
•The Queen go along with England sent a condolence slaughter when he died
Culled from Lofty Punch.