Lagos football fans were treated to an extraordinary evening of entertainment and sport as the inaugural Guinness Night Football came to an electrifying conclusion in Nigeria on Friday.
The Pan African extravaganza pitted Nigeria’s finest against top talents from Cameroon, Uganda and Kenya, and brought to a glittering close a fascinating programme of 5-a-side football across the continent.
The evening began with an interview session as African artists Bebe Cool, Salatiel and DJ Neptune met the media and were questioned about their Guinness experiences and asked what fans should expect of them during the evening.
Finally, to pump the crowd before attention turned to football, fans enjoyed a performance by dance group Stinex, who had won many admirers during the GNF event in Abuja earlier in the month.
The Guinness Night Football 5-a-side competition has been contested in regional centres and national hubs across four African territories, unearthing some of the finest street ballers and grassroots talent the continent has to offer.
It finally boiled down to Friday’s finale, as the continent’s champions were crowned.
Shortly afterwards, the performers carried out their sound checks and the arena was opened as the crowd entered the Legend Hotel, Ikeja.
The DJ played in supporters excited about an evening of Guinness and football, before an MC welcomed the evening’s special guest, Manchester United and England legend Rio Ferdinand, to a rapturous ovation.
Accompanied by a large number of supporters, the Guinness ambassador took a walk around the venue, and, of course, took part in some of the games on offer, especially the ‘Mocking Post’ where he showed why he was regarded as one of the world’s best defenders during his playing days!
He also took his time to sign autographs with some of his fans and engaged in a photo session with the players and invited celebrities.
While Africa’s finest 5-a-side talents warmed up for the final, merrymakers at the Legend Hotel were served different flavours of Guinness, nibbled on delicious food prepared by culinary maestros, and were treated to non-stop tunes from the pick of Africa’s performers.
There was also the opportunity to compete on the PlayStation, pick up some limited edition Guinness merchandise, and sample some of the Henna hand and body painting on offer.
Certainly, there was something for everyone at the Guinness Night Football Pan African extravaganza.
For the final, Team Bold United, comprising of Solomon Muleyi (Uganda), Isaac Ochieng and Calvin Ogalo (both Kenya), Njayou Abdou and Membouew Fokouen (both Cameroon), and Ugwuanozie Theophilus (Nigeria) defeated Team Gold Harps 3-2 in a stirring encounter.
Inspired on by guest player and Nigerian hip-hop prodigy Davido, captain Ogalo's brace gave Team Bold control over Bebe Cool’s Team Gold Harp, which also featured Sauti Sol's Bien.
The versatile Ogalo was one of the stars of the GNF Kenya event, as he inspired Kisumu Stream FC throughout the local competition on home soil — embodying the commitment and determination of his Chelsea hero Didier Drogba.
While Prince Kazeem responded with a double as Team Gold Harp looked to battle back into the contest, Fokouen netted the decisive third as Team Bold United sealed the victory and conquered the continent.
During the Cameroon Guinness Night Football event, Douala-born Fokouen had netted twice en route to the final, earning admirers aplenty for his lethal play in front of goal.
After his showing in front of his home fans—as he earned the chance to travel to Lagos—he spoke of how far he’d had to come to arrive at this point and how he intended to represent Cameroon ‘valiantly’ in Lagos.
“This morning I didn’t have transportation money to get here,” he said after the final in Douala, “and now I just won a plane ticket... it’s extraordinary!”
Fokouen, whose favourite club is Manchester United, demonstrated the finishing ability and the intelligent movement of his hero—Marcus Rashford—as he secured the title for Team Bold United.
He may not have played a decisive role in the outcome, but Davido was the game’s undisputed star, and was applauded exuberantly for every move he made and each completed pass.
“This is a big boost for my career and it will motivate me to push harder towards achieving greater things in football,” Man of the Match Ogalo said after the match.
“I will forever be thankful to Guinness for this rare privilege.”
Kazeem, while visibly disappointed, congratulated his teammates for their dignified and battling performance, even if they fell just short.
“I’m not happy that we lost the final, but that is football for you because you cannot will all the time,” he said after the match.
“I must give kudos to my teammates for putting up a good fight,” he added. “The tournament is over, but we will always keep in touch and hopefully, one day, we will meet at the top.”
Beyond clinching the Guinness Night Football title, MVP Ogalo was rewarded for his performance with an eye-watering cash prize.
Before the presentation of medals and trophies, Guinness also handed over some awards following the evening’s other activities.
The Best Dancer of the Night was named — after fans had bopped along to some of Naira Marley’s popular hits, including ‘Soapy' — while the Most Valuable Fan of the Day received an autographed jersey from Rio.
Thereafter, Bebe Cool, Salatiel, Peruzzi, DJ Neptune, Sauti Soland and Do2dtun took centre-stage as they delighted spectators with music and dance, ensuring the party went on until the early hours beneath the Lagos night.
Peruzzi mesmerised with his award-winning track ‘Majesty’, while Davido ran through some of his big hits, including ‘If’ and ‘Risky.
It was his first time in Lagos, yet, Cameroon’s Salatiel won over new fans as he performed many of his most popular songs, specifically ‘Anita’, ‘We are Champions’, ‘Ca se passe ici’ and ‘Weekend’.
While the celebration continued, news of Odion Ighalo’s shock transfer to Manchester United filtered into the venue. It was a perfect way to end the evening, as Red Devils fans were thrown into wild jubilation by the surprise move…further evidence, as if Ogalo’s performance hadn’t been enough, that Nigeria are still giants when it comes to African football!
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