Twenty four years before he led Brazil to USA’94 World Cup victory, Carlos Alberto Pereira,was with Enugu Rangers as they prepared for their first WAFU Cup finals against AS Police of Senegal in Dakar.
The Flying Antelopes were forced to a draw in the Lagos first leg and were not new to the Senegalese. Both teams had met in the quarter finals of the Africa Winners Cup in 1977 and after a barren outing in Lagos, the hosts were humiliated 2-1 in Dakar. That result came with consequences. The Nigerians were causing Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo to send an aircraft to bring back the victors safely.
Pereira was part of the Brazilian coaching crew of the Green Eagles who were preparing for the 1980 Nations Cup. He came with Prof. Otto Gloria and fitness trainer, Rao Carlesso. Eight days to that crucial WAFU Cup second leg in the Senegalese capital, the NFA drafted Pereira to the Coal City team.
After drilling and perfecting the squad, the Brazilian could not travel with Rangers due to a very strange development. The NFA said they could not get visa for Pereira. It was unbelievable but true. The import was that the Flying Antelopes departed without a coach. Full back, Patrick Ekeji, took up the challenge and served as player/coach.
The Nigerians lost the match 2-1.Goalkeeper, Emmanuel Okala, refused to join his Green Eagles mates for that game. Christian Chukwu, Ekeji, Aloy Atuegbu, Ifeanyi Onyedika and Sylvanus Okpala, who scored Rangers lone goal, made it.
Pereira was to suffer more for getting close to Rangers. When the team returned and the five national team players went back to the Eagles’ camp, Ekeji made a case for the Brazilian to be given a wider role as the Nigerians trained for the Nations Cup. Otto Gloria did not like that. He frustrated his fellow Brazilian until he left before the tournament. Ekeji suffered same fate.
Chukwu and Pereira were at the USA’94 World Cup. While the former was Manager of cup winners, Brazil, the latter was assistant coach of debutants, Nigeria, who lost to Italy in the Second Round. Pereira’s squad beat the same Italy in the grand finale.
Later in 1980, Anambra State governor, Jim Nwobodo, hired a Brazilian coach, Roberto Paolo Diaz, for Rangers. The team’s inability to secure a continental ticket in 1979 did not go down with the governor who was Chairman when they won the Africa Winners Cup in 1977.
Diaz came and tried to take Rangers back to winning ways. In 1981, they were double champions once more, a feat they had attained in 1974 and again in 1975. And for the first time, two Brazilians were registered to play in the Nigerian League. One of them, Da Silva Pereira, gave a very good account of himself.
Another Brazilian, Denilson Custodio, also handled Rangers after Diaz. That opened the way for other expatriates. Ante Buselic, of former Yugoslavia, came in 1986 but left unceremoniously when he said his daughter was involved in a car crash back home. Dutchman, Janusz Kowalik, was hired by Ben Osi Umunna in 1987.
Until the early 1990s, Rangers’ city rivals, were Vasco Da Gama. There is a Brazilian club that goes by that name. Unfortunately, both Vasco teams never met. The outstanding teams from the South American country that visited Nigeria were Pele’s Santos and Fluminense.
At the time Pele came with Santos in 1968, there was no team as Enugu Rangers. Some of those who would later emerge as pioneers when the team was founded by Jerry Enyeazu in 1970 were busy fighting for Biafra. First captain, Godwin Achebe, his successor, Dominic Nwobodo, Chukwuma Igweonu, Ernest Ufele and Nwabueze Nwankwo among others.
Nwobodo was of the Biafran Commando division led by, Col. Rolf Steiner, a German mercenary. His elder brother, Chris, who also played soccer died in battle defending Owerri. Ekeji crossed over to Rangers from Vasco in 1977 and was of the Biafran Army Signals.
Otto Gloria led Nigeria to victory in 1980. When the Eagles won All Africa Games gold in 1973, their coach was a Brazilian named Jorge Pena. Another Brazilian, Carlos Alberto Torres, who was hired by the NFA after the 1994 World Cup hurried back to his country claiming that he was told ‘Nigeria don’t pay’.
