Mayukh Ghosh

August 13th 1989.
Most major newspapers missed reporting on a World Cup qualifying match in Africa.
Nigeria played against Angola in Lagos.
Nigeria won 1-0 to move one step further towards Italia '90.
One particular player figured twice in the record books.
In the fifth minute Samuel Okwarajai received a yellow card.
In the seventy-seventh minute, he was substituted.
He should have made headlines in the next day's newspapers.

'Sam' was Nigeria's best player. A play-maker with blistering pace and astonishing vision.
He spoke English, Italian, Spanish, German, Yugoslavian and Igbo fluently. He was about to complete a PhD in law.

The Nigerian FA was pleased with him. So were the supporters and his team-mates.
Popularity in both 'dressing' and 'board' rooms is rare.
Okwaraji was special.

On August 12th, there were 60,000 in the stadium. Nigeria led 1-0 when in the 76th minute a bad tackle earned one of their opponents a red card.
There was movement elsewhere in the field as well.
Okwaraji slumped to the ground with no one near him.
He was substituted.
He was pronounced dead on his arrival at a hospital. Cardiac arrest it was.

Twelve spectators died of heat exhaustion. Nigeria won that day but they knew that they had actually 'lost'. They showed no fight against Cameroon in the decider.
Roger Milla went on to enthrall the world.
If only Sam Okwaraji was alive.....