TheCable

The world has changed a lot between the last time Kano Pillars lost 2-1 to Julius Berger in Kano on June 21, 2003, to the recent defeat on August 23, 2015, to Nasarawa United.

Let us flash back to exactly 12 years, two months and four days ago!

FUEL SOLD FOR N40

It was even N26 a day before Pillars lost to the defunct Julius Berger of Lagos.

The club’s unbeaten run at home is quite impressive by any standard but the cost of living because of the hike in the price of fuel impacted on the standard of living of many Nigerians.

Transport fare skyrocketed by almost 150 per cent. A journey from Oshodi to Apapa which normally involves commuting in two buses cost N50 but moved up to N120 after Pillars lost at home!

TYSON ARRESTED AFTER HOTEL BRAWL

Former heavyweight boxing champion, Mike Tyson, got annoyed after he heard that his beloved Kano Pillars lost to Berger and got into a fight.

We made that one up! But the retired but not tired pugilist was arrested after a brawl with two men outside a New York hotel the day Pillars lost in Kano. He was later charged with assault and disorderly conduct.

THE RELEASE OF HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

Fans of Harry Potter (which we aren’t) welcomed the fifth Harry Potter book as Pillars said goodbye to their invincibility at home.

US TROOPS SMASH OPEN HOMES TO HUNT IRAQI MILITANTS

Hundreds of U.S. soldiers, aware of Pillar as a stone or metal not as a football club, staged a raid in a suburb of Ramadi, 100 km west of Bagdad.

The raid on the homes of suspected guerrillas was part of a campaign to stamp out mounting armed resistance to the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

U.S. now occupy Iraq!

Let’s move to familiar soccer terrain before we are summoned to The Hague as a prime witness to a case we know little about…

IFEANYI UDEZE CAPTAINED SUPER EAGLES

Udeze in club colours

Ifeanyi Udeze was still in the Super Eagles and he even captained the team as they booked a place at Tunisia 2004 Nations Cup after playing a 2-2 draw with Angola at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.

Uche Kalu scored on his international debut as the Eagles came back from a two-goal deficit. Osaze Odemwingie scored the second goal from the penalty spot.

LIBERIA LOST AT HOME

It’s not an irregular occurrence, but Liberia and George Weah lost 2-1 at home to Guinea in a 2004 Nations Cup qualifier the same day Julius Berger inflicted that defeat on Kano Pillars in Kano.

CAMEROON QUALIFIED FOR CONFEDERATIONS CUP FINAL

Cameroon were in their indomitable best after Geremi’s stoppage time penalty was enough to see them book a ticket – at the expense of Turkey – to the Confederations Cup final in France.

LIONEL WHO?

Lionel Messi was yet to make his Barcelona debut on the day Pillars lost to Berger. He eventually did in November, five months later, and the rest, as they say, his history like the unbeaten run of the Nigeria Professional Football League side.

ROMAN WHO?

The word Roman was only associated with Rome, numerals, empire, and behaviour (when in Rome do as the Romans do) 12 years ago when Pillars lost at home.

All that changed few days later after a certain Roman Abramovich became the owner of Chelsea football club of London.

Arsenal, also based in London, and their fans have had no peace since then!

CLAUDIO RANIERI WAS CHELSEA MANAGER

Before becoming the first manager to be fired by the Russian, Ranieri was in the Premier League as the manager of Chelsea.

Twelve years after Pillars defeat, he’s back in the Premier League with Leicester City who are second on the log ahead of Chelsea in ….(look that up yourself)!

ONLY ONE RONALDO

Well, there were two if you want to consider Ronaldinho. But on the day that Pillars tasted defeat, there was only one Ronaldo Nazario De Lima – one of the greatest strikers the football world has ever seen.

Now, we have a Portuguese Ronaldo who, like the American troops earlier, knows pillars only by the dictionary definition of the word which is a large round stone, metal or wooden post that is used to support a bridge, the roof of a building etc.

Hmmmmm…that definition brings up an interesting thought.

A bridge appears in the definition of a pillar and Julius Berger who defeated Kano Pillars were called the Bridge Boys!

COVER OF FOOTBALL MAGAZINES IN JUNE, 2003

In the month Kano Pillars lost at home, Yakubu Aiyegbeni was on the cover of the now rested (?) Complete Football magazine.

FIFA Magazine, which is dead in “flesh” but alive on the internet, had Senegal’s Mamadou Ndiaye on its cover.

The Battle For Beckham was the headline while the then Manchester United player adorned the cover of the number one international football magazine (their words and ours) World Soccer.

We are sure that some fans in the stadium were with the Nigerian edition of Kickoff magazine which had Austin Okocha and Obafemi Martins on its cover when Pillars played Julius Berger.

A fewer fans, maybe those in the VIP section, had that week’s edition of Match magazine which had 21 players on its cover. Maybe that explains why Pillars lost 2-1!

God started with an Adam, so we (risking being accused of playing God) end with an Adam!

ADAMS OSHIOMHOLE

Before the defeat that would be Kano Pillars’ last for 12 years, Adams Oshiomhole wore his unique attire when he was the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress.

He still wears that unique attire as a governor (sounds like a demotion after being a president) of a state in Nigeria 12 years to the next Pillars’ defeat.

Some things don’t change, right?

Many thanks to my colleague, Mansur Ibrahim, and the guys at Irish Examiner for the inspiration for this story.