A trip down memory lane: When Mehalla saw wahalla at the Enugu Sports Stadium
By ohsee

It was November 1975, and Rangers International FC of Enugu were in the semi-finals of the African Cup of Champion Clubs—the first time any Nigerian clubside had gone this far. They faced Ghazl Al-Mehalla of Egypt in the two-leg event. In the first leg at Mehalla’s home ground, the Egyptians appeared to be running away with the fixture—the score was 3:0 in the dying minutes of the game. However, Rangers’ right back Ernest Ufele gave the Coal City Boys a fighting chance with a last minute away goal, a surprise header from a trademark Rangers’ corner kick.

Thus began the great drama known in Enugu soccer lore as “the day Mehalla saw Wahalla (trouble).” In the two weeks between the away and home game, it was the only thing the Coal City could talk about. The big question asked by every television and radio pundit—soccer, political or otherwise—was, “Can Rangers do it?”

Children on the street and in football fields answered with spectacular dribbles that showed how Rangers would crush Mehalla; patrons at beer parlours and tombo bars celebrated their assent to a Rangers’ triumph over pre-victory Star and palmie bottles; the “tinkers” of Ogbete Market pounded out a prediction of victory on their metal pans and pots; and “trader guys” shouted, “Ndi ‘Ntashonal ge meri!” (victory belongs to [Rangers] International) to one another as they walked or rode their bicycles to market.

The members of the team appeared on several radio and television shows, and answered the question, “Can you guys do it?” with a quiet confidence that revealed their steely resolve not to disappoint their fans. “We will win,” was “secret weapon” Mattias Obianika’s simple answer to every question. “We will be in the final,” said dashing right winger Emeka “Owusu” Onyedika. “At the end of the day, Rangers will be standing,” said mighty captain Christian Chukwu.

The team leaders pointed out that even though they had lost two pillars of the defense—centre-back Frank Nwosu, and left-back Harrison Mecha—to injury, they had brought back former captain Dominic Ezeani and flashy playmaker Kenneth “Kendo” Illodigwe from the United States where they were studying and playing for US college teams. With these two stalwarts who were still registered with the Rangers, they expected to give Mehalla real “wahalla” on the Saturday of the game.

The passionate interest in this game in the Coal City, and in much of the East of Nigeria was no surprise to anyone who knew what the Rangers meant to the people of that region. As the legendary Daily Times sports commentator Tunde Oshuntolu famously said, the Rangers—a team that emerged from the ashes of a civil war—embodied the fighting spirit of the Igbo people. To the Easterners, the Rangers were much more than a football club. They were a religion.

That was why, on the morning tickets went on sale, all the “popular side” tickets sold out in an hour. That was why hundreds of people from as far away as Asaba, Lagos and Kano camped out for almost two weeks on the grounds of the Enugu Sports Stadium waiting for the game. That was why the stadium was full by 7am on the day of a game that was due to kick-off at 4.45pm. That was why no one left their seats during a terrific tropical downpour that drenched all the “popular side” spectators—luckily the sun soon came out to dry everyone.

In the days before the game, interest grew steadily across the country, and soon, all of Nigeria was rooting for Rangers. It was initially announced that it would not be shown live on television in the Coal City, but as tickets sold out quickly, that decision was reversed.

As game time approached, the Enugu Sports Stadium was awash in brilliant sunshine, a marked contrast from the near darkness wrought by the cumulonimbus thunder clouds of a few hours earlier. The anticipation was heart-attack intense in a stadium filled with brightly dressed nervous people— based on the away goals rule, Rangers needed to score two without letting in any to win on goal aggregate. People wondered what the line-up was going to be, and if the loss of Mecha and Nwosu would harm Rangers.

Mehalla came onto the field first to terrific boos from the crowd. Fans justified this by saying that the fans in Mehalla did the same thing, and worse; the Enugu fans also claimed that Mehalla deserved all the boos they could get for playing the first leg in a motor park instead of a real stadium. These patriotic fictions helped ease the tension before the game.

To thunderous roars of approval, Rangers entered the stadium in single file led by captain Christian Chukwu, their spotless all-white outfits almost shining in the sunlight, giving them, it seemed, a god-like aura. Adoring fans blew their lungs out with screaming and shouting, hoping to carry the team forward by the sheer force of lung power. The team itself looked calm and composed, with a firm intensity of purpose fixed on their faces. The line-up was soon revealed. Ezeani would not play. But Damian Odoh, alias Araby Cho-cho, a hard-tackling defensive midfielder who had achieved fame and notoriety with the Godwin Ogbueze-led St. Theresa’s secondary school team, would replace the injured Nwosu at left-centreback. Another talented former schoolboy, Ihechukwu Ezidinmma replaced Eagles’ man Mecha at left back. The back four was completed by Ufele (RB) and Chukwu (RCB). The legendary Emmanuel Okalla was in goal.

In midfield, the defensive anchorman was the powerfully built Nwabueze “Bulldozer” Nwankwo; the playmaker was Kendo Illodigwe; on right wing, Emeka Onyedika, on the left wing, Ogidi Ibeabuchi; Matt Obianika and Chimezie Ngadi were forwards.

If you thought fan support at the entrance of the Rangers was loud, you needed to hear the eardrum-shattering shout when the game began. And if you thought that was loud, it was nothing compared to the pandemonium when Obianika scored in the first minute as a result of a goalmouth scramble. In the stadium, the earthshaking “Goroaaaarrrrrrrr!!!!” went on for close to five minutes after the game resumed. And then when the cheering lessened—for it never really stopped throughout the game—you could hear the Coal City still roaring its approval all around outside; not to mention the tinkers at Ogbete Market who were banging madly on their metal pots and pans, creating a terrific racket that must have been audible as far away as Lagos.

The game was actually one-sided. Mehalla played as if they came to defend their 3-1 win, and they rarely ventured beyond the halfway line. When they did, though, the mighty Rangers defense, thought to be the best in the country at the time, held. The Mehalla dangerman, the right winger who had caused the Rangers so much okpanikor in the first leg with his fearsome rampaging down the flanks, was tamed, trussed up, and pocketed by the rookie tandem of Odoh and Ezidinmma. Odoh, particularly, subjected the right winger to several ferocious intimidatory tackles, which soon accomplished their aim—the Mehalla right winger quickly passed off the ball any time Odoh gave him one of his patented black looks.

Just before half time, in another goalmouth scramble, Kendo poked the ball into the net. You thought the first goal was the loudest noise you had ever heard? You thought wrong. The famous Biafran “Ogbunigwe” landmines cannot have made the seismic noise the entire country made when Kendo scored. The ground shook and continued to shake until half-time. The Ogbete tinkers continued to bang away well into the second half in celebration of the goal that, if Mehalla did not score, ensured Rangers’ advance to the final. >more