{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Mathematical 7","provider_url":"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7","title":"The Inglorious exit of the\u00a0Flying Eagles! - Mathematical 7","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"A4V9jRKDae\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/the-inglorious-exit-of-the-flying-eagles\/\">The Inglorious exit of the\u00a0Flying Eagles!<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/the-inglorious-exit-of-the-flying-eagles\/embed\/#?secret=A4V9jRKDae\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;The Inglorious exit of the\u00a0Flying Eagles!&#8221; &#8212; Mathematical 7\" data-secret=\"A4V9jRKDae\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Flying_Eagles_Crash_Out_2019.jpeg","thumbnail_width":800,"thumbnail_height":800,"description":"I recall the good old days of Academicals football in Nigeria.\u00a0\u00a0The secondary schools used to produce football players of quality in an endless stream. No one asked about their ages. Studentship determined and separated the boys from the men.\u00a0You had to be in secondary school to qualify to play in the regional or national academicals team of those days. Football encouraged enrollment of youths into school, and scholarships for the best players were a great incentive to play and excel.\u00a0  Many of the national team players came through the academicals from all parts of the country. The transition from Academicals to the\u00a0Green Eagles was smooth, based purely on the merit of the performance. The public was as much a selector as the national coach in charge of the team.\u00a0  I also remember the birth of the\u00a0Flying Eagles with\u00a0great nostalgia. They metamorphosed from the\u00a0Nigeria Academicals. Both were feeder teams for the\u00a0Green Eagles. That\u2019s how some of the greatest players in Nigeria\u2019s football history rose to the top. Their list is very long.\u00a0Meanwhile, the strength of Nigerian football was in the individual skills of players honed on the rough, hard playing grounds around the country. As a result of very bad pitches, there wasn\u2019t much emphasis on tactics. The limited knowledge and experiences of the country\u2019s dedicated first and second generation coaches could also only produce players that could express themselves freely on the ball through dribbling, running at great speed, shooting powerfully, or making great crosses. The bottom line is that there must be something exceptional in a player for him to qualify for a place in Nigeria\u2019s national team, beyond the common ability to kick and follow the ball.\u00a0\u00a0  I recall that Sam Garba, Peter Anieke, Ismaila Mabo, Babatande Nakande, Tony Igwe, all had to register as students in a secondary school in Jos,\u00a0Academy Institute of Commerce, for them to be able to play their football at Academicals level from where they moved up to the senior national team.\u00a0\u00a0So, being in secondary school was a requirement to play in the Academicals.\u00a0\u00a0You could not play from outside it, and academicals football was big, very big. It was a subtle enforcer of enrollment into secondary school for those who did not ordinarily want western education. It also promoted College football as a football development module. And it worked magic in the country.  Student players and teams packed stadia. Haruna Ilerika, alone in Zumratul College Agege, Lagos, could fill the Onikan Stadium with spectators. Stephen Keshi, the Olukani brothers, Tarila Okoronwanta, and Henry Nwosu, all in both St. Gregory's College and St. Finbarr\u2019s College, packed stadia with fans. It was a similar story in different parts of the country.\u00a0"}