AMUNEKE: ‘I WAS JITTERY WHEN WESTERHOF LISTED ME FOR 1994 FINAL’

Emmanuel Amuneke Flashes His Mind Back To Tunisia ‘94 Conquest He scored two vital goals which won the Nations Cup trophy for Nigeria against the Chipolopolo of Zambia in Tunisia ‘94. The 1994 African Football of the Year Award Winner here recounts that memorable experience to ADEBOYE AMOSU as the Super Eagles prepare to face the current champions from Zambia next month in South Africa.


The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations finals in South Africa is a few weeks away. As a former winner of the trophy, you must be feeling nostalgic at the moment?
You are quite right. The Cup of Nations is our World Cup in Africa and it was great to be part of the competition. But you know one cannot play the game forever.
Looking back now, I give thanks to God for counting me worthy to be among the list of players who have won the competition.

Your inclusion in the Super Eagles who represented Nigeria at the Tunisia ‘94 AFCON was a surprise to many as you didn’t play in majority of the qualifiers. Did it come as a surprise to you too?
It’s the aspiration of every player particularly someone who was young like myself at that time to represent his fatherland in a major competition like the Africa Cup of Nations.
I wouldn’t say my inclusion by coach Clemens Westerhof was a surprise except for those who were not following my achievements in the Egyptian league with Zamalek then.
For me, it was a big achievement because I was an upcoming player. It was great to be part of that team and also contribute to it’s success, it was a big thing to me.

Were you in anyway intimidated finding yourself in the same team with the likes of the Big Boss Stephen Keshi, Late Rashidi Yekini, Augustine Eguavoen, Peter Rufai and others?
It was quite interesting playing with those big players you mentioned. I must say I liked that atmosphere in camp and the senior players actually helped me as a young player, to settle down.
Stephen Keshi truly lived up to his nickname “Big Boss” and all of us in the team recognised and appreciated his leadership quality. It was so great training and playing alongside those guys who commanded so much respect from the media and fans.
The fact that we, the young players then, respected them also made them willing to help us. I must say it was so easy blending with the entire team. We were all fighting for the same cause which was to bring glory to our fatherland.
The older players recognized our qualities which were helpful to the team. Humility is one important factor in life which also helped me then.
I realised the Nations Cup was for just three weeks and I needed to make use of that opportunity to bring myself to limelight. It was great that we achieved our goal as a team which was winning the trophy. It also gave us the possibility of going to the World Cup with a lot of confidence.

Coach Clemens Westerhof referred to you as his joker then and you didn’t feature for the team until the final game against Zambia. Was it not frustrating for you, sitting on the bench with your colleagues doing the playing?
That wasn’t a problem for me. You may say I was not playing, but I was still part of the team. In football, it is only eleven players that make the starting line-up. There were other quality players who couldn’t make the final squad. It was a collective success not an individual thing. All players recognize this fact even though some fans do not.
We players see it as a project which everyone was part of. Even if you are not playing ,you have to be ready because you can be called upon at any moment, just like it happened to me in the final against Zambia.
Actually the coach (Clemens Westerhof) told me two days before the match that I will be in the starting line-up. Initially I had a little doubt on what I could do. I had not played in all the matches before then and I kept asking myself how am I going to cope.
But at the end of the day it turned out well and I scored the two goals that gave us the trophy.

How did you do that, coming from the bench to score two crucial goals in the final match of a big tournament like the AFCON?
As a player it’s always important to be ready. I was not playing but kept training hard before then. I trusted myself and knew what I could do.
Most importantly I had to conquer my doubts. That was the key for me because I was a bit surprised when the Technical Adviser told me I will be playing.
I couldn‘t have achieved anything without first believing in myself that I could do it.I was not injured and keep myself motivated for the task ahead.

Would you say winning the AFCON in Tunisia ‘94 was the turning point in your football career?
Well, maybe we could say that was my turning point at the international level. Before going to Tunisia, I was doing well with Zamalek in Egypt.
What I achieved in Tunisia was not a day’s achievement. It was a combination of years of hard work to show my worth to keen viewers of the game. I was very popular in Egypt and won the Best Player Award there prior to the Nations Cup.
In addition, winning the Nations Cup and playing at the World Cup really had their impact but I had always been a good player right from when I was playing in Nigeria.

Did it ever cross your mind while growing up that you would one day become the best player in Africa?
Hmmm. As a young boy playing football on the street with other kids, we had idols and aspirations  of becoming well known in the game. I‘ve always believed in my ability to be one of the best players in the world and winning the Africa Footballer of the Year award in 1994 was a big achievement for me.
To be put in the same list or category with the likes of the George Weah, Rashidi Yekini and other top players in Africa was absolutely fantastic.
I must say I really enjoyed those beautiful moments of my career between 1993 and 1996, I won the Africa Champions Cup with Zamalek, won the AFCON with Nigeria, played well at the ’94 World Cup in USA and was recognized as the top footballer in the continent.

There was this talk about mafia in the Super Eagles then; do you know anything about that?
(Long Laughter). I think it was you guys in the media that cooked up those stories. I was not aware of any mafia in the team then and I don’t think such a thing exists.
There is no gangsterism in football. We all worked for the success of the team then, it showed in results we got.

Looking back now, you must have some moments you treasure and others that you don’t?
I give glory to God for everything I achieved as a footballer. I would have loved to play longer than I did, but couldn’t do that because of certain factors.
But, I enjoyed myself while my football career lasted. Good things don’t last forever. I‘m into a new phase in my life as a coach which is an exciting challenge. I don’t think I have any regrets as a footballer.

Between Clemens Westerhof and Johannes Bonfere, who is better, in your opinion?
The two of them are great coaches. I don’t think picking one ahead of the other would be fair. They are fantastic individuals who gave me the opportunity to exhibit my talents in the national team.
I don’t want to go into what some people have said about them, that was in the past. I really enjoyed working with the two of them.

You played in Barcelona in your active days, would you have loved to play with Lionel Messi?
I don’t think there is anything special in that. Every generation has different sets of players and I think mine did our best while in the game.
Messi is a fantastic player like others who played before me, but there will also be good players who will come after his own generation.

What do you make of the composition of the present Super Eagles technical crew?
It is a combination of experienced ex-internationals and I must say they have done well so far. It would be great for Keshi and Amokachi to lift the Nations Cup as coaches after achieving the feat as players.