This is victory for Nigeria, says Kalu
By Kunle Solaja
"DELE Aiyenugba is our joker for the final", an elated Governor Orji Uzor Kalu told The Guardian yesterday minutes after Enyimba defied odds to get into the final of the lucrative MTN/CAF Champions League.
The governor in a telephone call to The Guardian said that he was in constant touch with the Enyimba bench and personally asked the coach to replace goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama with Dele Aiyenugba.
The latter turned the match hero, stopping three of the Tunisian penalty kicks in the nerve-wrecking penalty shootout that dragged into "sudden death", when the regular first five kicks could not break the tie.
The governor said he had always have confidence in Dele Aiyenugba and had watched him closely since he was guarding the goal for the Golden Eaglets. "He has been stopping penalty kicks and has been doing well in training.
The governor said further that he wanted Aiyenugba to be in goal during the first leg, not because he had anything against Enyeama, but because the national goalkeeper had just survived an auto crash in which lives were lost.
"He was not psychologically fit for the match but the coaches felt otherwise", said the governor.
He was very elated. "By this victory, God has shown that he has something in stock in Abia for the people of Nigeria. This he will reveal in 2007.
"It is a victory for all Nigerians", said Governor Kalu who was particularly grateful to President Olusegun Obasanjo and the sports minister, Musa Mohammed for their support to the team.
He also thanked CAF man, Amos Adamu and Taiwo Ogunjobi, the NFA secretary general who was more of a team manager to Enyimba. His profound gratitude also went to Vice President Atiku Abubakar who reportedly had a telephone conference with the players minutes before the match.
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