Amokachie: Staying in Keshi’s shadow
His contributions to Nigerian football as a player are well known. He is currently serving the country as Super Eagles assistant coach. In few days, he will be leading Nigeria’s Team B to Abu Dhabi to play international friendly matches against Ivory Coast and Sudan.Born in Kaduna on 30th December 1972 to Mr. Ikwulechin Amokachi […]
His contributions to Nigerian football as a player are well known. He is currently serving the country as Super Eagles assistant coach. In few days, he will be leading Nigeria’s Team B to Abu Dhabi to play international friendly matches against Ivory Coast and Sudan.
Born in Kaduna on 30th December 1972 to Mr. Ikwulechin Amokachi who hails from Otukpa in Ogbadibo Local Government Area, Dan ‘D Bull’ as he was popularly called in his playing days came to national limelight in 1988 when he broke into the first team at Ranchers Bees FC of Kaduna at less than 17 years.
In 1989, his exploits in the domestic league caught the attention of the then Eagles Manager, Clemence Westerholf who was rebuilding the national team around exceptionally talented local players. Consequently, he was invited to the Eagles Team B side which went on to win the ECOWAS Cup in Buachi in December 1989.
That marked the beginning of Amokachie’s rise to stardom as be became an integral member of the Super Eagles team that went on to place second in the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria. Amokachie was a key member of the 1994 AFCON winning Eagles. He also was part of the team that represented Nigeria in her first FIFA World Cup in 1994. D Bull also inspired the Dream I team to win the Olympic gold medal in football at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Although he was also a member of the Super Eagles team to the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, he played only one match for 67 minutes and it was the Group match against Bulgaria. At that time, he had started battling with a nagging knee injury. In his 44 appearances for Nigeria, Amokachie scored 13 goals.
At club level, his impressive showing at Algeria 1990 was a big advert for him as he became a hot property that was chased after by some of the top European clubs. However, it was Belgian giants, Club Brugge KV that signed the young Amokachie. In his four seasons at the club, he made 81 appearances and scored 81 goals. He later played for Everton in the English Premier League for two years before moving to Beskitas in Turkey in 1996. He spent three years in the Turkish league but that was where his injury woes started.
Due to the nagging injury, he could not continue with his playing career as attempts he made to play for 1860 Munich in Germany, Tranmere Rovers in England, US Creteil-Lusitanos in France, Colorado Rapids in the USA and Emirate Club in the UAE all fell through. In 2005, Amokachie returned home to end his club career at Nasarawa United which he later managed.
Like most of his predecessors who took up managerial roles after retiring from active football, Amokachie delved into coaching beginning with a youth club in Kaduna before moving over to Nasarawa United where he worked with Coach Zachary Baraje and later Amodu Shaibu. After a brief stint with the ‘solid miners’, he moved over to former African champions, Enyimba FC in 2008. Before then, he had served as Eagles assistant coach in 2007.
Meanwhile, in 2006, Amokachie’s first outing as national team coach was a disaster after he and two of his U-23 players he took to South Africa for an international friendly bagged three red cards and were sent out of the stadium. He was heavily criticised and eventually relieved of his position.
However, in 2008, he returned as Eagles assistant to coach Amodu Shaibu. Although Lagerback took over from Shaibu few weeks to the 2010 World Cup, Amokachie attended the World Cup as one of the Swede’s assistants. He would return to the Eagles again when the immediate past board of the NFF under Alhaji Aminu Maigari appointed him to assist Stephen Keshi.
Since 2011, Amokachie has been assisting Keshi, going through thick and thin with his former captain. The harmonious working relationship between the two former internationals is expected. It is an open secret that Keshi as an influential captain back in the days, played a leading role in the selection of national team players and Amokachie is said to be one of those who enjoyed his backing to play for the Super Eagles under Westerhof. His move to Club Brugges is also linked to Keshi who was playing for Anderlecht in the Belgian League.
So since their re-union as Super Eagles coaches, the cordial relationship between ‘son’ and ‘godfather’ has continued to blossom with Amkoachie always doing the ground work for Keshi. He held sway anytime the ‘big boss’ was not available. And even when both are on the bench, they are often times seen conferring with each other.
Following the ongoing contract brouhaha between the NFF and his boss, Amokachie has been handed another opportunity to lead the Home Based Eagles in international friendlies against Ivory Coast and Sudan in Abu Dhabi.
For many, the present task is a golden opportunity for ‘D Bull’ to prove to his critics that he is actually leaving Keshi’s shadow. However, a look at the list of players the assistant coach has invited to camp shows that nothing much has changed.
Eighty per cent of the players invited are those Keshi has continued to recycle. This means the Eagles assistant coach has kept faith with those local players who have become what fans call ‘shareholders’ in the Home-based Eagles.
Maybe drastic changes in the list of players would have been an indication that he is gradually becoming his own man but With names like Chigozie Agbim, Daniel Akpeyi, Gambo Muhammed, Rabiu Ali, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Gbolahan Salami, Mfon Udoh, Joseph Nathaniel, Kinsley Sokari, Osaguona Christian, Christian Obiozor, Solomon Kwambe and Emem Eduok on Amokachie’s list, the story of a coach who is reluctant to leave his boss’ shadow is clearly written.