Twenty years after the Nigeria’s Dream Team won gold medal in football in Atlanta 1996, the Group Managing Director, Complete Communications Limited, Publisher of complete sports Dr. Mumini Alao has set to publish a book chronicling the pros and cons that traversed within the camp of the Nigeria’s Dream Team in football during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
The GMD who covered the sporting showpiece relived the experiences of the legs that strived to clinched the gold medal during a sport program titled sports zone on 91.3FM in Lagos on Monday attributed that feat on the alter of sacrifices and doggedness.
“Before they went to the Olympics, they played friendly against Togo, they lost by 3-1. They actually sneaked out of Nigeria, they were supposed to go back to Enugu which was they were camping before they came to Lagos for the game against Togo, alright and, then Bonfere decided that we are not going back to Enugu any more, we are leaving for United states and they actually sneaked to the United States and they were under the radar, nobody knew what was going on in the camp but we (journalists) kept in touch with them and a lot of them were dealing with their transfers, Amokachi was going to move and Babaginda was going to move, Amuneke was going to move, Kanu was going to move, so a lot of transfers were going.
“So, they were flying from Europe to America in camp and then they were short of money because they left without money from the NFA, some of the players have to bring out their credit card to finance some of their expenses, so in term of the sacrifice, quite a lot.”
Narrating how he started putting his thoughts into words for this book, he shared that his intention was published the book immediately after the tournament but hit roadblock when he concentrated with carrying out his office job.
“Actually, I planned to publish this book immediately after we won the gold medal in 1996, I already five chapters but when we came back from the Olympics, I got busy producing complete football, working on complete sports, so many things even distracted me, at a point, I actually misplaced the chapters manuscript chapters that I have that time. So, game over you might say but I was at the back of my mind that this something that needs to be done.
“So, at the start of this year when I finally completed my Phd, that again took a lot of time, writing my thesis. I now decided that look I want to go back to book writing and so I decided to go and dust up this manuscript. I misplaced it but I knew I didn’t lose. I rarely lose things and I say that with all modesty, I knew I will find it.
“After a month, if found it and by the time I read the five chapters manuscript, I said this book must be done, so I started devoting time to it and my target was august when it was 25 years we won the gold medal but then the preparation for son wedding came to play so I couldn’t get it publish again in August.
“Coincidentally, a TV production firm from the UK came to Nigeria, a couple of month back around that time August, September and they were going to do story on the Dream Team, so that told me that o look I felt it already too long but this are British people who are still interested in that story of the first African team to win the gold medal in football, so if they are that interested, then we should also be able to put this on record because I think this has been Nigeria most prestigious achievement in world sports not just football because really it put us on a global map. And I felt this should be kept for posterity.
“So, after my son wedding I got back to finishing it and now I have 18 chapters because by the time I got back to my laptop memories started flooding back, a lot of research and I have the book now and I am quite happy about it.” Said elated GMD.