{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Mathematical 7","provider_url":"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7","title":"The Onigbinde that I knew - a humble tribute! - Mathematical 7","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"MYwV9YU9dK\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/the-onigbinde-that-i-knew-a-humble-tribute\/\">The Onigbinde that I knew &#8211; a humble tribute!<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/the-onigbinde-that-i-knew-a-humble-tribute\/embed\/#?secret=MYwV9YU9dK\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;The Onigbinde that I knew &#8211; a humble tribute!&#8221; &#8212; Mathematical 7\" data-secret=\"MYwV9YU9dK\" 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\/2026\/03\/Adegboye-Onigbinde.jpg","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":330,"description":"I was one of many that did not like Chief Festus Onigbinde (that\u2019s how he was referred to at the time) when I first encountered him half a Century ago, around 1976.   He came in from the blue.  He was not known in the football circles of the old Western Region, or any football circle anywhere for that matter. He had no known pedigree either in playing the game,\u2026or in coaching it. He did not \u2018exist\u2019 in the football firmament until he was recruited by the Oyo State Sports Council as one of several coaches to drive grassroots football development in the very ambitious new Oyo State in 1976.   He was the least known of that generation of coaches that mostly emerged from the cadre of former national team players - Ayo Adeniji, Jide Johnson, Olu Onagoruwa, Bayo Alli. These were all renowned ex-internationals.   Chief Festus Onigbinde started to attract some attention in Ibadan when he was posted to coach Water Corporation FC, a team made up mostly of players from the academicians cadre. They had been a constant threat to IICC Shooting Stars FC, the club that was being promoted as the counter \u2018movement\u2019 of the Yoruba people to Rangers FC of Enugu, the team from the East of River Niger that emerged following the Civil War. It was a deliberate, well-planned strategy by the Igbo to use football as a soft power tool to lead \u2018defeated\u2019 \u2018Biafrans\u2019 back into the mainstream of life in Nigeria by rising to the apex of the only sport that occupied a special place in the head and heart of all Nigerians.   Chief Onigbinde was an object of \u2018dislike\u2019 only because the threat posed by Water Corporation FC under him was real and serious. The matches between the two clubs in Ibadan were wars. His posting to Water Corporation was not intended to make life difficult for Shooting Stars FC in Ibadan and to produce another champion. The city could not accommodate two champions without affecting the sponsoring spirit behind \u2018Sooting Star\u2019."}