My Generation of Rangers Players wanted to Surprise Nigeria’ - Emma Okala

Emmanuel Okala is one of the earliest generations of Nigerian footballers whose name is etched in gold. Okala was the goalkeeper of the “invincible” Rangers team of the early 70s for whom football was a war without weapons. Okala left a trail of excellence in a career that is laden with honours from club and country. He was the first Nigerian to win the African Footballer of the Year in 1978 and he is also a winner of Nigeria’s first Nation’s Cup in 1980. I a recent close up, Okala looks at his Rangers days with nostalgia and foresees hope for Rangers and FC Ifeanyi Ubah in the coming season. Excerpts ---
You played for Rangers during its golden era. The club has just won the league after 32 years. How did that victory come to you?
It was a thing of joy that after 32 years Ranger won the Premier League. I belong to the Ex-Rangers Association. We have a very powerful association here in Nigeria and in the US. We supported them all through the league season and we are happy that they won after 32 years. So, it is a thing of great joy and we are still celebrating it. But we are not losing our heads for next season.
Are there similarities between the current squad of rangers and the Rangers of your time? Similarities in style of play, similarities in terms of drive and ambition?
There are a lot of similarities. These guys that won the league were as committed as we were in our time. They knew where they came from and where they were going. That was what sustained them; with the support of the governor of Enugu State. I give them a lot of praises. But there were a lot of things that were happening in Rangers before – funds would be sent to the management and they would be embezzled. But this season, such things will stop. We give God the glory.
What were the things that motivated your generation of Rangers players? Looking back, what would you say was the secret of your successes?
The name of the place we came from; the fact that you are an Igbo man. Rangers signifies a lot things but the most important thing is that the Igbo man was defeated in the war. So, we wanted to surprise Nigeria. And we did that through playing football and winning all the laurels that the time. And Igbo people were behind us hundred percent. So when you remember that you were playing for the Igbo nation, you would go all out to do anything. But it was not even Rangers alone. The first National Sports Festival was won by East Central State in 1973. The second one in 76 was equally won by East Central State. That will tell you how serious the Igbos were in the game of football in Nigeria. People only remember Rangers. We went beyond Rangers to shine at National Festivals. During the first and second national sports festivals, we showcased what we could do in the game of football, winning gold medals on the two occasions.
Now, if you look at the recent victory of the Ifeanyi Ubah Football Club in the Federation Cup along with the Rangers victory, do you see what we might call a re-awakening of the Igbo spirit? You said your generation played to restore the Igbo pride. Now, Ndigbo again have their backs against the wall in Nigeria today. Do you think that the same spirit is beginning to wake up again?
Exactly true, because if you look at the proprietor of Ifeanyi Ubah FC, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, he is a serious businessman that has Igbo blood in him. So, he has come all out to back his team. What he wants is that you show him where he can get the best of players and coaches and he would get them. It is paying off now and I wish him the best because he is lifting up our name.
Looking at these two victories, where do you see the two clubs in the coming season?
I wish them all the best of luck. The sky is there limit this season. They will go very far both in the local league and on the continental scene.
How would you rate Nigerian football league in recent times?
There has been a lot of improvement. In the past, the home team always won. But now things are beginning to change. Home teams are being humiliated in games. What we see in the English Premiership is happening here now. So, we give glory and thanks to the administrators of the game. They are doing well. We are coming up. I believe that next season will be better than the last season.
I personally watched some night games featuring Rangers in Enugu. I had an awesome experience. Would you advocate for more games to be played in the evening in the coming season?
That is exactly the best time to play our games here in Nigeria because in the daytime people go to their various businesses. You don’t expect them to abandon their businesses and run to the stadium to watch football. So whoever initiated the late evening games did a very good job and it will pay off. It has started paying off because people around me always rush to the stadium to watch the night games since they don’t have much else to do at that time of the night. So, they rush to the stadium. That’s why the stadium is always jam-packed during night games. That idea has my support.