Nigerians are always a step ahead of their counterparts in whatever they do. The people have always stood out in their endeavors. The lifestyles of the Nigerian people who are located in West Africa are worth sharing. Nigeria, a country with diverse culture, religion, language, and so on, has yet been united against all odds. You’ll surely see the people pulling stunts wherever they are found.
Those found in the football viewing centers should be referred to as ‘Football-Mania’. Nigerians are followers of European football leagues, especially the Barclays English Premier League. Few Nigerians see the home-based teams in Nigerian Professional League action during the weekend, the majority stay glued to cable TV supporting their favorite European teams. Here are five types of people you’ll meet in football viewing centers around the country.
A viewing center is not functional if there are no super analysts of the round leather game. These set of people never miss a football game and pre-match analysis. They keep records and facts of every football teams even more than Wikipedia. They know almost all the details of the 22 players on the soccer pitch. The manager’s profile is right on their palms as well as names of stadia. They analyze the team’s sheet as if they were with the manager in the locker room. They cannot but show themselves; they make the football viewing room lively.
Next to the ‘omni-knoweths’ are the debaters. They make sure they come up with a topic for discussion as the match progresses. They get the attention of the spectators like a public address system with their audible voice. These people will tell you Christian Chukwu is better than a Diego Maradona so as to drag words with their co-debaters. Some even go as far as betting to prove they are on the right side while debating. These set of people show how competitive Nigerians are.
Just like you have banter boys right in the stadium, there are also banter boys in the viewing centers. They make sure they tease their rivals, leading to a frenzy mood at the center. They make the place lively and interesting, even a non-football fan would laugh at their antics. They would say ‘This Manchester United will lose to the third team of Gabros FC, Nnewi.’ They show the funny sides of Nigerians.
American female rapper once said, ‘I only argue with them when the LAKERS is on’. The same can be said about the passionate ones who go all the length to defend their teams. These people act as if they are been paid by their team so they are just too loyal to their cause. They go as far as attacking their rivals/opponents verbally or physically. They are just too addicted to the game.
These set of people always show up at the viewing centers just to know the outcome of their stakes for the day. They don’t care about anything except for their predictions so as to get their money. They believe that sports betting is the reward for their passion, so they wait anxiously for the results of the day’s match games. They check their betting slips at intervals, waiting for a miracle to pop up from the live scores update on the TV screen.
These are the people you’ll meet in Nigerian viewing centers. You can as well add yours to the list if you have been to any of these venues. And if you have not, you can definitely give it a try this weekend.