Not many Nigerian players would let an opportunity to represent their country go, even if it means reducing their ages. But former Julius Berger captain, Ambrose Duru, tells ’TANA AIYEJINA that he shunned a national call-up because he was above the age limit
There is no more sign-on fee for players while the least amount a player should earn in the Premier League is N150,000, says LMC. Are you comfortable with this arrangement?
That plan has been on ground for a very long time but it hasn’t been implemented. It started about three years ago. How many teams can afford to pay players N300,000, N500,000 every month? If they can afford it, then the players have no cause to complain if they save very well. That will now serve as their sign-on fees. I think implementing it is the problem. My last team in Uganda, Vipers Sporting Club, where I coached, you don’t owe a player for just one month. If you do, the player automatically becomes a free agent and can wear another club’s jersey the next day. That is why they don’t owe. Here, some players will tell you they have not been paid for four, five months. How can they survive without sign-on fees? If they can implement it and make sure any club that is owing doesn’t play their next game and forfeit the three points, then the clubs will sit up. Players rely on sign-on fees to invest. Having bulk money is different from monthly salary.
What do you think Nigeria can learn from the Ugandan league?
Their league is not better than ours but over there, the win-at-all-cost syndrome is not there. I lost the league at home because we couldn’t win our home games. We came second. In Uganda, there are shocking results; there are away wins. I still follow the league here. The home teams all win at home while the following week, the clubs who lost away and are now playing at home, win all the matches. That will not improve our league. This is where the issue of security comes in because most of the referees complain that they are not well secured. After the first half, they send thugs to beat them up in the dressing room. Once these men in black are secured, they will do a perfect job.
After coming second in the Ugandan topflight league, why did you part ways with the club?
They have a rule; you don’t owe a player but you can owe the coach. They were owing me for four months and for me, that was not a problem. The problem was that they were expecting me to recruit from a school because the school belonged to the owner of my club. They said I must win the league and I told them if I must win the league, I need two foreign players and two players from the league. But they refused and I told them I couldn’t guarantee them the league. How can you expect me to play with secondary school children and win the league? That was where we started having problems before we parted ways. It was in week six of the league.
What you just stated is a case of interference, which is against FIFA rules. What message do you have for officials who interfere in the coach’s handling of his team?
The message is that if you want to dictate to coaches, then you write an undertaking that if the coach fails, everybody including the club chairman, team manager or any other official involved failed. Because you cannot force me to use a player then fire me because I didn’t win a match you imposed a player on me for. There was a match they told me to field a player and I told them, “Write an undertaking that it is you who fielded this player.” They thought I was joking but I insisted that if they don’t write an undertaking, I won’t use the player. I stood by my word and I didn’t use the player. That was where my problem started from. Some ex-players who handle positions in some clubs after retirement tend to influence coaches to play certain players because they once played the game. It’s happening in the Nigerian league. Coaching and management are two different ball games; they should face the management of the club while the coach does his job. Then if he fails, he knows his letter is waiting for him. The job is hire and fire. It’s not a new thing.
After what you experienced in Uganda, do you still hope to go into coaching?
Yes, because I feel what happened is a challenge to me. I came second in the league and FA Cup in my first year in Uganda. It was a great achievement for me and it would certainly encourage me to do more.
What are your immediate plans?
I will not let the cat out of the bag but I am watching. Things may happen very soon.
You spent 10 years playing for Julius Berger. What kept you so long at the club?
Then, Daniel Idama was still alive and he encouraged players. He did a lot for me. Every year, I had offers from clubs like Heartland and Enyimba. I will call him and say, “Chief, these people are here again.” He will ask, “How much do they want to pay you?” I will tell him. He will add more money to what I was earning. The following year, same thing will happen again. I was equally disciplined; I played under coaches that were very disciplined like Fatai Amao, Tunde Disu, Godwin Uwua and so many others. They taught me a lot of things discipline-wise. I know when to party and when not to. That is why I had a long playing span. I am not actually the party type but once in a while, I take a bottle of beer or two. That’s all.
Berger got to the final of the now rested African Cup Winners Cup in 1995 and 2003 but lost on both occasions. Would you say you were unlucky to have lost twice?
We lost in 1995 to JS Kabylie of Algeria in ’95 because of the mistake from the players. We played very well, created chances but we couldn’t utilise them. They got their chance and made use of it. The Nigeria Football Association then didn’t play their part well. We were told that the first leg would be played in Onikan Stadium, where we had been playing our matches. However, it was only a week to the game that we were told that the venue of the match had been shifted to the National Stadium, Lagos. JS Kabylie even trained there before us, the home team. CAF sampled the ball, which would be used for the final. Our opponents came with 12 of the balls and we had none. We had to beg them to help us with two of the balls. So, before we could adjust to the field, adjust to the ball, the game was over. I was injured in the first half and was taken out. But we lost the second final because of bad management. They brought in Adewale Kuti to manage the club and I feel that is the worst mistake any club in the world will make. Idama was managing and we got to the semi-final without losing a game but he was changed. Kuti took over and we lost the semi-final first leg away but we managed to win at home. We reached the final and we were two goals up but we still lost 3-2 on aggregate to Etoile du Sahel. I blame that loss on Kuti and the management of the club because they sidelined Idama. In the Champions League, we reached the quarter-final but our best was not good enough.
Can you tell us your best and worst moments?
Lifting the FA Cup in 1996 remains a very great moment for me. I was a small boy those days when Christian Chukwu was lifting the FA Cup for Enugu Rangers and I told myself, “One day, I will lift the Nigerian FA Cup too.” We beat Katsina United in that final. The worst moment for me was losing the final of the 2003 Cup Winners Cup to Etoile du Sahel. It was a sad moment.
What were the major challenges a Nigerian player encountered during your playing days?
Then, there was no money unlike what you have now; there was no motivation, there was no medical care and facilities. But we worked something out of nothing. The challenges were so many, I must tell you. Then, we went from house to training but now you see clubs keeping their players in hotels for a whole season. There were no good pitches then. If you go to Gombe to play, you were virtually playing in the desert. In terms of money, we got the little they promised us. Berger was not used to owing but it was not like that with other clubs.
What memories do you still have of Berger?
At every given time under Idama, we were always playing continental football and going for trophies but when Kuti came in, we were always battling relegation. So, it was two worlds. My disappointment was Kuti coming to the team. But my highlight at the club was travelling all over Africa playing continental matches.
In your time, you were one of the best players in the domestic league but you found it difficult breaking into the national team. What happened?
There are some players, who are not lucky with their national teams and I count myself as one. My first call-up was in 1991, when James Peters invited me to the U-23 team for the All Africa Games. I was in the camp but with three months to the competition, we played NEPA Egbin and I got injured and I had to leave camp. The next call-up was from Fanny Amun to the Golden Eaglets but I didn’t honour the invitation because I knew I was above 17 years. He later invited me to the U-20 national team but I couldn’t honour the call because I needed to travel to Russia to seal a deal with a club. Christian Chukwu then invited me for the friendly match against Jamaica, which was played at the National Stadium, Lagos. I also didn’t honour that call-up because I was on the move. The only Super Eagles call-up I honoured was from Shuaibu Amodu and Thij Libgrets but the result of that game was a disaster. We lost 5-0 to a Catalonia side and the team was disbanded when we came back. The next call I had was when I was in Dubai. So, maybe I was not meant to be successful with the national team.
Rejecting Amun’s invitation meant you missed out on an U-17 World Cup medal. Did you feel bad when the team returned from Japan as world champions?
I was okay because I knew I was clearly above the age stipulated for the team. As at ’91, I was invited for the U-23 national team for the All Africa Games. So, I felt inviting me to the U-17 team was a mistake. Maybe it was because I looked young. They told me I had a letter from the U-17 national team but I told them, “No.” I knew the age on my passport.
Do you regret not playing regularly for the Eagles?
No. As you can see, I am still very healthy. I can still run for 30 minutes. Some of my mates can’t run for 10 minutes any longer; some are on crutches. I believe it was meant to happen that way. I am still coaching and I believe that whatever I lost playing; I will gain back as a coach.
Every Nigerian player’s dream is to play abroad but you didn’t…
It was a management problem. I had a deal in Russia but we could not get the International Transfer Certificate before the league started. The man that took me there, couldn’t secure the ITC. The time they gave us lapsed but I was kept there playing. I told them I couldn’t continue that way. It was mid-season and Berger were playing on the continent that year. So, I returned to play for them.
What is your advice to present day footballers?
They need to be calm, focused and disciplined.
What is the difference between players of your generation and now?
Nowadays, players believe so much in money but we played for the name. There was no money then but now, you see a player playing on sandy pitches telling you how he wishes to play for Barcelona. And this is not possible. There was seriousness then. They need to start from the local league. You see a player who hasn’t started, telling you, “My manager is working out something for me.” They should play in the Nigerian league; if they are good enough, they will get there. Kelechi Iheanacho is going to Manchester City now because he made his name in his academy before they took him to the Eaglets. It didn’t just come like that. They should start from here and the sky will be their limit.
Having played against the best players in Nigeria, which of them gave you the toughest time?
Baldwin Bazuaye. It was a tug-of-war. Anytime we saw ourselves, we struck the match stick for 90 minutes non-stop. I remember there was Champion of Champions match between Udoju United and Berger in Kaduna. We were told Bazuaye was injured and wasn’t playing. I was to play in defensive midfield but when we got to Kaduna, we saw Bazuaye warming up with the rest of the team a day to the match. There was a change of tactics immediately and the coach said, “Duru go and play at right-back,” just to mark him. He was a great player.
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