Icheoku watched the finals of FIFA Club World Cup championship played in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirate, between Congolese Tout Puissant Mazembe Englebert (TPM) and Italian Internacional Milano (Inter Milan), and came out happy and proud of the Africans performance against Europe's best. Admitted they lost 3-0 to the Italian side but the two first goals could have beaten any other goalkeeper as placed; including the third goal which was also well played.
Icheoku is particularly impressed at the heads-up performance put up by TPM faced with star-studded Inter Milan side, the current European champions; yet they played as if they were playing any other side without unnecessarily being intimidated or afraid of the big names on the Italian clubside. Such confidential performance is what every African needs in any given situation; but not shere timidity and cowardice faced with Europeans, Americans, Asians and other peoples of this world. The same level of courage is alos required of African political leaders as they deal with their counterparts the world over as they strive to get for African and Africans equal playing field in global issues.
However some interesting points emerged out of this soccer encounter including a fascinating TPM's butt-hopping goalkeeper Muteba Kidiaba, who celebrates every goal his side scored by butt-dancing while throwing his funky hairdo about. Also standing out of the pack and worth our particular mention is TPM's African Senegalese coach Lamine N'Diaye, who was a great sight to behold cheering and urging his side on as their number one fan in chief. That he is as dark as it comes out of Africa and indeed Senegal is rehashing the obvious; but Icheoku admires his calm mien under pressure and his white-toothy smile on the few occasions he shared it with the world. The road traveled to the finals by the Lumumbashi Congo based TPM to and in the Abu Dhabi was such as is required of champions - they real passed through crucibles of champions; beating CONMEBOL's Sports Club Internacional of Brazil 2-0 in the semi finals; thus becoming the first African club side to progress to the finals of the championship, where they lost to Europe's finest FC Internazionale Milano.
Icheoku congratulates the African side with an African coach for putting up quite a stellar and impressive performance at the FIFA Club World Cup in ABu Dhabi. It shows that African coaches are as good if not better than their European and Latin American counterparts and should be encouraged by African Football Clubs to always do their best. Icheoku is an apostle of internal salvation for Africans such that they must start looking inwards for the solutions to their numerous problems instead of constantly looking overseas for solutions. Icheoku also congratulates Inter Milan on their victory lifting the FIFA Clubs World Cup gold trophy which now makes them in addition, the best of the best football clubside in the world. Concluding, Icheoku reiterates the governing principles behind TP Mazembe Englebert success which according to the narrative is their coach's insistence on hard-work, concentration and team-spirit. According to the coach, these three tenets of success are very important as "Hard work is good, because without that, talent is useless. And total concentration is good because, as without that, hard work is pointless and then team spirit, which makes each player play as if he is ready to die for the other out on the pitch.” Icheoku says, good, good and good. Congratulations TPM for doing Africans proud and showing to the world that soccer artistry can also be found in motherland. What's up with those hairdos; or is it the in-thing in Congo; and Icheoku also observed that no 'pigmy' made your team or have they all gone extinct?
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Christy 'Apena' Essien-Igbokwe , the wife of Jegede Shokoya of the New Masquerade and Nigeria's lady of songs is dead; she was 51years old. Although her family claimed that "brief Illness" killed her like so many Nigerians; Icheoku retorts that it was most likely AKwa Ibom voodoo and remote control that was used to arrest her. It is on record that she had fallen out with the governor of her native Akwa Ibiom State and have been having a relentless war for political turf with the governor? So who knows whether she was sacrificed to Ekpe cult or even Alusi-Okija as an offal; afterall African science is still very much alive and portent. May her soul rest in peace.
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