The Super Eagles first revealed their identity in 1994 but came into their own in Atlanta at the 1996 Olympics, weaving a tale of skill, tenacity, and triumph that cemented Nigeria’s position as a footballing powerhouse
wenty-seven years ago, Nigeria conquered the world by beating Argentina to win the gold medal in football at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.In the 89th minute, Pierluigi Collina awarded Nigeria a free-kick just inside the left flank. Wilson Oruma took the kick; the Argentines ran out, hoping to keep the Nigerians offside, but Emmanuel Amuneke swung his left boot at the ball, and that was it.
As the team assembled at their Lagos camp in May 1996, the players believed they could achieve something remarkable in Atlanta. The nation was in the throes of a prolonged political impasse featuring the tragic murder of Kudirat Abiola, wife of the denied winner of the 12 June 1993 presidential election, Moshood Abiola.
Unfortunately, the Super Eagles were denied the chance to go to South Africa to defend their 1994 AFCON title as the late General Abacha withdrew the Super Eagles from the tournament in South Africa as a fallout of the condemnation of his brutal junta for the hanging of Ogoni rights activists, Saro Wiwa and his colleagues.
“With the shortage of money to rent the buses from the FA, Victor Ikpeba and I had to use our own credit cards to rent three 12-seater mini-vans for the team,” Oliseh recalled in his book, Audacity to Refuse.Most of his teammates corroborated Oliseh’s claim that they had it very rough off the pitch in Atlanta.
Then, with sublime skill, Kanu struck the sensational golden goal in extra time, securing Nigeria’s place in the final and leaving the football world stunned.Nigeria’s opposition in the gold medal match was another formidable South American team, Argentina, boasting talents such as Hernan Crespo, Claudio Lopez, and Ariel Ortega.
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