It will amaze you to know how the Super Eagles of Nigeria got their current name, and the names they have answered before now. Our colonial masters who are British introduced lots of good activities to us with sports inclusive. Talking about sports the best sporting activity introduced to us is football.
According to records, there is no specific date as at when the first football match was played in Nigeria, but it all in the 1920s. The football governing body of Nigeria was formed on the 21st of August 1933 with the name Nigeria Football Association (NFA). The body was charged with the responsibility of making rules for the Super Eagles and the younger team representing Nigeria in football.
In 1954, Tony Enahoro who has raised a motion for independence was finally looked into independence given. Independence changed the former Governor’s Cup which they always play for to the FA Cup. In 1954 the Calabar FC who the renamed FA Cup, they played against Kano Pillars in the final and won 3-0.
The football team in nigeria played without boots it was called the Nigeria UK Tourist team. They played their first match against Marine Cosby and they played without boots they won 5-2. In their next game, the opponent said they won’t play if they dont wear boots they ended up wearing boots and lose 8-0.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria was then called the Red Devils because of their red kits. The Red Devils as they were called was the highest football team in Nigeria. The name later changed because the Red Devils was only coined because of their outfit. It does not match the nation’s color so, immediately after independence, it was changed to Green Eagles. The new name was gotten from the Eagle in the coat of arm of the Nigeria.
Nigeria went with the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations which went well for them, they came back home with a silver medal after a losing to Cameroon in the final. The senior team was called Green Eagles while the now Flying Eagles and Golden Eaglets were called Junior Green Eagles and Baby Eagles respectively. On return from the Africa Cup of Nations they changed the name to the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
The youth team which was Junior Eagles and Baby Eagles was now changed to Flying Eagles and Golden Eaglet. The Super Eagles of Nigeria has since been bearing the name and it looks like they will not change the name anytime soon.
The new name matches our flag our strength and our agility. Nigeria as a country has done so well in terms of football under sports. Nigeria came third in the just concluded AFCON 2019 which was held in Egypt and when by Algeria.
Nigeria joined Confederation of African Football (CAF) in the year 1955 and then joined Federation of International Football Association (FIFA). Now you know the evolution of the change of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, from Red Devils to Green Eagles and now Super Eagles.
