Yemi Tella: Remembering the late coach who led Nigeria to World Cup glory

Sixteen years ago, coach Yemi Tella led the Golden Eaglets to the FIFA U-17 World Cup title in South Korea.

Months before the tournament began in the Asian nation, the promising lads had been brought together from different parts of the country to challenge for the world title.

These boys were rookies eager to carry the country to world success, but even more visionary was the gaffer. Yemi Tella was a tactician who masterminded that famous triumph on the 9th of September, 2007.

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The Golden Eaglets beat Spain 3-0 on penalties after playing a goalless 120 minutes of football action.

However, a month and some eleven days after leading the U-17 men’s national team to World Cup glory, Tella was lost to the cold hands of death.

His demise sent shock waves across the sporting world. He was 56.

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Yemi Tella was born in 1957 and was at a time, lecturer at the National Institute of Sports, Lagos.

He led Nigeria to the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup title in 2007. He was awarded the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic medal (MFR) for his great achievement by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

This award of MFR was conferred on him just a month before he passed away.

During the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) awards, Tella was awarded the ‘2007 African coach of the year.’

It should also be noted that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer before he took the team to Korea. This was during a pre-World Cup eight-nation tournament in June – two months before the World Cup.

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Unfortunately, shortly after the World Cup triumph, Tella spent the last two weeks of his life at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital.

FIFA U-17 World Cup title

The win was Nigeria’s third after previous victories in 1985 in China and 1993 in Japan.

Kabiru Akinsola, Chrisantus Macauley, Yakubu Alfa, Haruna Lukman, Ganiyu Oseni and Dele Ajiboye formed the core of the 2007 team.

Many, including myself, hoped these players would go on to take the football world by storm. The Nigerian U-17 team to the 2007 World Cup remains one of the best Nigerian teams witnessed.

It had a plethora of talents that were too good not to make the Super Eagles. Unfortunately, a large chunk of the lot ‘wasted away.’

The most disappointing case is that of the tournament topscorer Chrisantus Macauley who won the Golden Boot and Silver Ball.

Macauley scored seven goals throughout the tournament. He imposed himself as one to truly watch out for but his career didn’t pan out as envisaged.

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He played for the likes of Hamburg and Las Palmas as well as some obscure clubs abroad.

Presently, 2007 Golden Eaglets cannot match counterparts

It may interest you to know that the likes of David de Gea, Toni Kroos and Victor Moses participated in the tournament. Moses scored three group stage goals before England were eliminated.

Kroos led Germany to a third place finish (they had beaten Ghana in the third place match). The Real Madrid star also won the Golden Ball award for best player of the tournament.

De Gea, of course, helped Spain to the final where they eventually lost to Nigeria. Nigerian goalkeeper Ajiboye was rated as much as, or higher than, De Gea after the tournament.

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Holistically, we all can see the vast difference in the careers of these aforementioned players and their Nigerian counterparts.