..After Nigeria stunned ’em @ 1968 Olympics

By Jacob Ajom

It is 52 years since the demise of one of Nigeria’s most gifted football players, Teslim ‘Thunder’ Balogun whose exploits on and off the pitch continue to reverberate around the world. Balogun brought a lot of joy to millions of Nigerians who watched him play. In his book “Teslim Thunder Balogun, Legacy of a Legend”, football historian and renowned sports journalist, Kunle Solaja wrote: “to many who were born in the 1940s or before 1960 – Balogun was the best footballer to have come from Nigeria. He was regarded as a total footballer who combined scheming skills with that of striking. He was seen as a footballer with sharp shooting, dribbling and heading skills.

Balogun played in Nigeria for a number of teams, including Apapa Bombers, Marine Athletics, UAC XI, Railways XI, Jos XI, Pan Bank Team, Dynamos Club and SCOA XI. He was a serial winner of the Challenge Cup which he won a total of five times in seven finals He was the first player to score a hat-trick in the competition, in Pan Bank’s 6–1 rout of Warri in 1953.

In 1949, Balogun was selected among the first assembled Nigerian national football team famously called The UK Tourists. Following the tour of the UK, the quintessential footballer returned to the United Kingdom in 1955 to sign with Peterborough United and spent time with Skegness Town before moving to Queens Park Rangers, scoring 3 goals in 13 appearances in the Football League during the 1956–57 season.

Balogun returned to Nigeria after a short spell with Holbeach United, a non-League side.

His return to Nigeria was occasioned by an intervention by the then Premier of the Western Nigeria, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. According to Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, “Chief Obafemi Awolowo was in London for one of the pre-independence talks. He met with Teslim and persuaded him to return and help develop football in the western region. Fortunately, he(Thunder) was already a football coach. He agreed to return and took the job of chief coach of the Western Region.

Balogun became the first African to qualify as a professional coach. 

Balogun’s coaching career also extended to the national team. In 1968, Balogun assembled a highly talented national team for the Olympics. In the team were players like Peter Anieke, Fred Aryee ‘Baba Ali’, Sebastian Broderick, Peter Fregene, Iowe Mohammed Lawal, Clement Obojememe, Kenneth Olayombo, Sam Opone among others. 

Nigeria was in Group C alongside Spain, Japan and Brazil. After losing 3-1 and 3-0 respectively, the relatively unknown Nigerian team played out an astonishing 3-3 draw against Brazil in the last group match. Nigeria took the lead through Kenneth Oloyombo in the 10^th minute. Peter Aneke doubled the lead in the 19^th minute. Oloyombo made it 3-0 in the 41^st minute to end the first half 3-0 in favour of Nigeria. On resumption, the Brazilians fought back and scored in the 50th minute and an own goal by Olumodeji on 59 minutes. They drew level in the 68^th.

Despite the draw, the Brazilians found it hard to believe what they saw. Coach Onigbinde revealed, “The Brazilian Football Federation offered Thunder a coaching job, but the government of the Western Region then led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo vehemently refused to allow him go.” He remained in Ibadan, covering the entire region, which extended to current Edo and Delta states, developing the game wherever he went.”