Sports
I Thought My Career was Over – Obodo
Christian Obodo has stated that he feared he would never play football again during what he describes as the dark period of his injury torment.
Obodo, 27, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in April 2007 and spent over two years out of football.
“That was the worst time of my life. “Some days I would wake up in the middle of the night fearing that I would never play football again.
“It was so bad that I could not even bear to watch football. I kept thinking, if I can’t play, how can I watch.
“It was a dark period for me, but I thank God that I was able to overcome it”
The midfielder was training with Udinese for a midweek fixture against Empoli when tragedy struck.
“It was our last training session on that Tuesday. Our captain passed the ball to me and I was just running to control it when I heard something pop as I put my foot on the ground and then I felt the kind of pain that I cannot describe.
“We went for the check up immediately and they said it was a tear”.
That injury kept him out for about 8 months.
On his return in December 2008, he featured in just one game, the final match before the winter break against AC Milan before suffering a relapse.
“I was playing and just felt some pain. After the game against Milan, I had to go for a check up. It was there that they told me they had to re-open it and scrape it again.
“That was like doing the surgery all over again.”
Again, he was out for about another eight months, only to suffer more injury woes when he was kicked from behind in a pre-season game friendly against Ascoli in July, 2009.
“It was the last day of pre-season and we were playing against Ascoli. I went up to control the ball, and as I landed, one defender kicked me from behind, in the same place where I had the operation.
“As soon as it happened, I knew I was going away again.
“I felt really bad about this one because at that time, I had a lot of offers coming in. some were from England, one was from Spain and there was even one from AC Milan.
“But Udinese put a price of 20 million Euros and I had to even beg them myself to come down on it because that was too high for a player just coming back from injury”.
“Times like this show you the people who really care about you and I thank all the fans and the club fore standing by me”.
Eventually, the injury rendered that situation academic.
Obodo eventually returned full fit in January 2010 and played four months without injury with Uddinese before he was loaned to Serie B side Torino that summer.
This season, he has had again gone out on loan, this time to Lecce in Serie A. As he enjoys a career revival, Obodo said that fear of an early retirement haunted, then pushed him.
“It was like a nightmare. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Sometimes, I was even scared to touch the ball because I was thinking I would get injured again.
“But I had to encourage myself because football is in my blood. It is the talent that God has blessed me with and I told myself that I can’t allow my talent to waste without trying.
“So I pushed myself during my therapy and I made sure I did everything they told me to do”.
The fierce defiance paid off. Since joining Lecce, the midfielder has started and lasted all 90 minutes of the club’s Serio camping, and although they have only managed to glean 4 points from seven, the Nigeria is basking in his rejuvenation.
“Every day I play, I discover how much I missed football. I always want the ball, and all the old things I used to do with it are coming back to me, and I am even trying some new ones.
“I am just like a little child that has discovered something new to play with.”
Obodo, who lost his father during that trying period, said his family was a rock behind him.
“My family always encouraged me. My mother kept telling me not to give up, and they were all behind me.”
Even the Udinese fans stood behind their injured player. “I got so many cards and letters from the fans of Udinese that I couldn’t believe it. Even when they saw me on the streets, they would wish me well.
“Times like this show you the people who really care about you and I thank all the fans and the club for standing by me.
“I think they are the best fans in the world.”
The silky midfielder now hopes to help Lecce stay in Serie A, and was heart-broken when they surrendered a 3-0 lead to lose 4-3 to AC Milan on Sunday.
“Milan are a big team, and even when you are leading 3-0, you have to keep your concentration. We did not, and they punished us for it.
“But that is behind us now. Our focus is to stay in Serie A, and we will do it.”
Obodo last played for Nigeria in a World Cup qualifier against Sierra Leone, scoring in a 4-1 rout, but says his focus is to maintain a consistent club run.
“It is sad what is happening to our national team. I could not believe it when I heard we did not qualify for the Nations Cup.
“But I think what is important for me is to continue to play well for Lecce.
“Whatever will happen, will happen.”
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.