Abstract
AbstractThe sports pages of the postcolonial press provide a vantage point for viewing the tensions surrounding nation-building in Nigeria. Following independence, coverage of the Green Eagles national football team reflected aspirations for a united Nigeria, but it was also an outlet for the deep political tensions plaguing Nigeria at this time. From 1960 to 1961, contentious games against Ghanaian rivals, disputes around the choice of a national coach, and clashes with referees in international matches all enabled sports journalists to become mouthpieces for both cohesion and discord. Schler and Dubinsky demonstrate that sports pages provide opportunities for viewing the links between postcolonial sports and politics.
Highlights
The sports pages of the postcolonial press provide a vantage point for viewing the tensions surrounding nation-building in Nigeria
The turnaround in relations between Beit Halevi and the Nigerian press came in April 1961, when the Israeli coach led the team to two draws against Ghana, the first in Lagos and the second in Accra
As Alegi has argued, the history of football has mirrored the political, economic, and social crises that plagued the country throughout the First Republic and into the 1970s: “The country’s enormous size, organizational problems, political and ethnic conflict, corruption, and a vastly inadequate infrastructure undermined Nigeria’s chances for success in football as in politics” (2010:59)
Summary
The turnaround in relations between Beit Halevi and the Nigerian press came in April 1961, when the Israeli coach led the team to two draws against Ghana, the first in Lagos and the second in Accra. Drum magazine published a positive review of Beit Halevi’s role in the team’s success, describing him as a coach of “world fame,” who had demonstrated his magical powers with the Green Eagles: “Forty-eight-year-old Beth Halevi from Israel is “juju-man” of our National team He works good magic with our boys” (September 1961). Ekanem wrote a series of impassioned articles in the Pilot on the controversial walk-off, and these articles reflected the seamless ties that linked football fandom, national identity, and postcolonial politics in post-independence sports writing: The following day, Ekanem continued to make his case for why “The walkout is proper.” He charged that the Egyptian was “a wolf in a referee outfit” who conspired to help Tunisia. Howard’s reflections do confirm that it was the Nigerians who infused their sports commentary with nationalist sentiments
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