I keep seeing posts (on Nairaland and Twitter) by people who claim that foreign football, especially English football, was not shown on Nigerian television before the year 2000. This is very shocking to me because I watched Brazilian, German, English, Dutch and other foreign football matches on my TV here in Lagos in the 1970s, '80s and 1990s. It has shocked me into creating this thread about football programmes (both foreign and local) that were shown on Nigerian TV in the 1970s, '80s and 1990s.

1) Brazilian Football: You did not watch television in the late 1970s and early 1980s if you don't know about Brazilian Football. It was a tradition. It was produced by O'Rede Globo and shown on the NTA at 10pm on Sundays. Vasco da Gama, Flamengo, Fluminense, Sao Paulo, I watched them all. This was a popular programme in Nigeria back then, so you did not watch TV if you don't know about it.

This was during the era of Zico, Socrates, etc. Do you remember that chewing gum that had pictures of the players (especially players at the 1982 World Cup)? I can't remember its name, but I remember that the pictures of Zico and Paulo Rossi were in high demand.

O' Globo also produced a variety programme called Fantastico, which was also shown at the weekends in the late 1970s and early 1980s.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YZMqyMTV0U?si=jg3CyI92fPLLJ0WL


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eplU8ycp6oc?si=HdgxgrLZVe0guVYF


2) Football Made In Germany: This was initially shown in the late 1970s and early 1980s, then it was stopped in the mid-1980s, then it was started again in 1990 (after Germany won Italia '90)and ran till almost 1999. Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and all the Bundesliga teams featured on the show. The commentator was Tobi Charles and this was the format:

They would show short clips of last week's matches, then they'll show about 30 to 40 minutes of one of this week's matches (that would be the main match of the week), then they would show highlights of other matches that took place that week.

It was on Football Made in Germany that I watched Karl Heinz Rumenigge, Franz Beckenbauer, etc in the late 1970s and early 1980s and the fantastic teams of Eintracht Frankfurt, Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Stuttgart and Cologne in the 1990s.

There were Anthony Yeboah (the Ghanaian Yekini), Jay Jay Okocha and Maurizio Gaudino in Eintracht Frankfurt. I remember a match in which Okocha dribbled the entire Bayern Munich defence and beat Oliver Kahn, only to miss the goal by less than an inch. The momentum of his run took him behind the goal and Jean-Pierre Papin (the legendary French striker who played for Bayern at the time) came to meet him and pulled his shirt over his head (Toby Charles said that it was as if Papin was saying, "How can you dribble everybody, beat the keeper and fail to score?" )

I watched Jonathan Akpoborire (Johnny as Toby Charles called him) play for Hansa Rostock, watched Sunday Oliseh at Cologne, etc. I remember how the fans would chant Heeeiiiiiiikkkkkoooooo Heerrrrrrllllich.

I remember Andreas Moller and Julio Ceaser at Dortmund, etc,

Football Made in Germany was produced by Transtel Cologne and they also produced TeleMatch and Musicladen (which was called Top of the Pops in Nigeria), both of which were shown in the 1970s and early 1980s and again in the 1990s and many detective shows that were shown in the 1990s.

This (in the video below) is basically the same programme, but this one was produced for the United States, so the name is Soccer Made in Germany. The version that was produced for the NTA was called Football Made in Germany.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOTchs7zDGI?si=VCmlnhFih2c_Cfrh


3) Big League Soccer: I remember this, although I did not watch it as religiously as I watched Brazilian Football and Football Made in Germany. This is English football and I remember watching Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Kevin Keegan and Bruce Grobbelaar (the Zimbabwean) on this show. The NTA also showed a lot of other English football games (FA Cup final, etc) but they were often irregular (not at set specific times).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7WT-P0yKaI?si=_MoqkXy-iED_OPnp


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk1xPkOm978?si=1Msn29PYXKVlYT3f


4) Serie A: Serie A was the best league in the world back then and I believe that this show was also started because Italy was going to host the World Cup in 1990.

naptu2:
Memories


Sunday mornings were quite special in 1989/1990. We had a special breakfast and I usually over-ate. I usually ate while watching two really very special programmes on TV.


First there were the flares, ticker tape, smoke, colour, wonderful graphics and great opening theme music of Italian Football, presented by Segun Odegbami and then there was the amazing and very real and dramatic pictures of Soldiers, A History of Men In Battle, presented by Frederick Forsyth.


These two matches were kind of special (I'm only posting one of them). A.C. Milan were European champions, while Napoli were Italian champions.

Napoli, apart from having the famous MA-GI-CA connection (Maradona, Giordano and Careca) also had Gianfranco Zola.

AC Milan, apart from having the three Dutchmen (Van Basten, Gullit and Rijkaard), also had most of the players of the Italian National Team.


The interesting thing about these games is that Napoli won 3-0 in Naples and Milan won 3-0 in Milan.


Goals by Daniele Masaro, Marco Van Basten and Paolo Maldini (Careca and Zola came on as substitutes for Napoli).



AC Milan 3-0 Napoli (February 1990)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX_onkSYy2s

naptu2:
Memories.


Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard at AC Milan.

Jurgen Klinsmann, Lothar Matheus and Andreas Brehme at Inter Milan.

Maradona, Giordano and Careca at Napoli

Salvatorre "Toto" Schillaci, Roberto Baggio and Thomas Hassler (the magician) at Juventus.


Legends - Franco Baresi at AC Milan and Giuseppe Bergomi at Inter Milan.


And the Italy and Inter Milan number 1 goalkeeper Walter Zenga.

(Sunday morning Serie A was always fun).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDxYWCY8tgo


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR4e9Jv1b9E

naptu2:
I HAVE FOUND IT!



I didn't want to post this until I had posted their individual video reels, but this is just so beautiful that I can't help but post it right away.


Two of the greatest players in the world, two famous opponents, Brazil and Argentina, combine to totally destroy Bayern Munich.

These are two of the greatest players ever, playing for the same club. They were part of a fantastic trio in that club.


Careca and Maradona totally confuse Bayern Munich's defence many times over and over.

This is just beautiful!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZARChzqpfGc

naptu2:
NOSTALGIA!

Maradona and Careca perform magic.

(To be fair, there were a lot of magicians all over the pitch).


You've got to remember that this Inter team had Klinsmann, Mathaus, Brehme (the three Germans), Bergomi and Walter The Cat Zenga on that same pitch. You also need to remember that Trapatoni was Inter's coach.


Can you imagine Maradona vs Mathaus??


This was epic!


Napoli 2-0 Inter (October 1989).



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbkfIGhFXgE?si=SoA6QoDGKOYEzgAK

5) Segun Odegbami: NTA2 Channel 5 began a breakfast programme called Morning Ride, so NTA Channel 10 started a lunch programme. It was perfect for Channel 10 because Channel 5 had a habit of going on break from 12pm till 4pm during the weekends, so this was an opportunity for Channel 10 to steal some viewers.

The lunch programme was called The Sunday Show and it had celebrities that hosted segments in the show. Fran Kuboye hosted the art segment and Segun Odegbami hosted the sports segment.

Big Sheg had a habit of showing lots of clips of Belgian, Dutch and French league matches. This wasn't a surprise because Nigerian players were flocking to Belgium and Holland in the late 1980s.

The Sunday Show was shown on NTA Channel 10 from around 11am or noon on Sunday.

This segment became a separate show of its own around 1990. That was where I first saw Tony Akiotu. He was Segun Odegbami's assistant. It was now a one hour show and they showed lots of clips. I remember that they had a competition for goal of the tournament after Senegal '92.

Big Sheg also hosted a Serie A show on NTA2 Channel 5 from 1989 till 1990.


6) Sports World/Sports Spectacular: This programme had different names, but I call it Sports World because the BBC also had a similar programme that was called Sports World.

This programme was shown on the NTA from 4pm till 7pm. It featured any kind of sports. The show usually started at 3pm if Nigeria was going to play a match that Saturday.

Like I said, this show featured any and every kind of sports. If Nigeria was playing, then the live match would be on the show. Nigeria often played junior world cups in places with odd time zones like China, Canada, Japan, Chile, etc in the 1980s and the matches took place at night, Lagos time, so there would be a repeat of the match on Sports World on Saturday.

The Champions League was shown on the NTA beginning from 1994 and the matches were usually repeated on Sports World on Saturday.

They also showed documentaries about European football, Brazilian football, etc. If something significant had happened elsewhere, there would be a short clip of it on Sports World.

7) UEFA Champions League on CFI: Canal France International had the rights to the UEFA Champions League and the NTA began showing it in 1994. The commentator was usually Archie Macpherson.

I remember that this was where I watched that epic match between Barcelona and Manchester United in 1994. Romario and Stoichkov combined to punish United.

I remember that there was an instance when Stoichkov failed to pass to Romario, even though Romario was in a better position. Romario complained and Stoichkov said, "F**k off" and Archie Macpherson said, "Well I hope you can't lip read". But Stoichkov and Romario combined to score another goal just moments later. Barcelona beat United 4-0 at the Camp Nou.


8 ) Bournvita Match of the Day: Of course there was the Nigerian league and from c1986 till c1988 this was shown at 10pm as part of Bournvita Match of the Day. The intro was fantastic. Part of the intro featured an old man that was at the stadium. He was so engrossed in the match that was taking place in front of him that he was moving his hands and legs as if he was a player on the pitch.

I watched stars like Uwem Ekarika (Calabar Rovers), Osaro Obobaifo (Bendel Insurance), Bright Omokaro, etc on this show. It was hosted by Akinloye Oyebanji and others.

9) The Best of Football: Godwin Dudu Orumen's Pepsi The Best of Football began around 1992 and continued into the 2000s. They also showed lots of clips of European league matches. They had a news segment, they had discussion segments and they also had a match of the week.

10) Rothmans: English football made a comeback with Rothmans English Premier League around 1994 or 1995. The format was very similar to Football Made in Germany.

11 ) Satellite: Of course, in the late 1990s you could also watch the English Premier League on Supersports.

Multichoice came to Nigeria in 1993, but they didn't prioritise the kind of sports that Nigerians loved (that is, football and athletics). People complained, so eventually, sometime around 1997, they created Supersports 3 to show football.

12) TV Africa: TV Africa was a free television service that came to challenge Multichoice in the late 1990s (around 1998). It was based in South Africa, but registered in Mauritius. They syndicated their programmes to terrestrial TV stations across Africa and many of the new private TV stations in Nigeria showed their content. They got the free to air rights for the English Premier League and even the NTA took footage from them.

13) Mastersports: This show was created by Danladi Bako, who also created Morning Ride. It began in 1990 or 1991 and it was shown on NTA2 Channel 5 from noon (after the news) on Saturdays. The hosts were Paul Bassey (aka Sports Bassey, he was the sports editor of Champion Newspapers), Chris Eseka, Mitchell Obi and Sam John. Paul Bassey was the main anchor. They often showed clips of Nigerian professionals abroad, reviewed the sports pages of the newspapers, discussed important issues in Nigerian sports.

Something very funny happened one day in 1990 or 1991. I was watching the show with two people. I was sitting on the chair close to the TV, while the other two were on a coach at the other side of the room. Then Paul Bassey said, "We are still expecting our guests Mr *** and Mr ***". He mentioned the names of the two people on the coach. I looked at the couch, then looked at the TV. I looked at the people on the coach and then looked at the TV again. They started laughing and one of them said, "Don't mind them".


This list is not exhaustive, but it should give you an idea of what I mean when I say that Nigerians did not just start watching foreign football in the year 2000.

Wow...this is incredible! I remember watching Rothmans football show that time. Although this is limited to football I don't know if you remember "Gillette World of Sport"? Nice memory....thanks @Naptu2. The living library!

funshint:
Wow...this is incredible! I remember watching Rothmans football show that time. Although this is limited to football I don't know if you remember "Gillette World of Sport"? Nice memory....thanks @Naptu2. The living library!

Yeah, Gillette World of Sports was one of those omnibus sports shows.

There used to be ABC Wide World of Sports, The Champions ( "They run, they jump, etc) in the early 1980s, then George Michael Sports Machine, Gillette World of Sports and Trans World Sports (I have been trying to remember that name for a long time) in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Okay.

We that grew up in the early 2000's we may not know these ones but I can remember the following;

Sports Reel on NTA

Hotspots or HOTSPORT NETWORK ... sponsored by Gala sausage...

African player of the week... Sponsored by Guinness Nig plc

FIFA football Mundial...
Please add yours

Sports extra on AIT by Michelle obi, Godwin Spiff sagbama etc

The good ol' days.

Best of football with Godwin Dudu Orumen on Sunday afternoon was my favorite, it was all actions. Unlike mastersport, with boring talk by Mitchell obi and Paul bassey.

Seen

OK,

Shown àbí showed? Just asking out of curiosity ni ó.

I remember Transtel Cologne. Watched a lot of highlights through that channel.

Not live matches though,but it was entertaining

Ventura1:
Best of football with Godwin Dudu Orumen on Sunday afternoon was my favorite, it was all actions. Unlike mastersport, with boring talk by Mitchell obi and Paul bassey.

Always looked forward to that program every Sunday afternoon. Very interesting then.

Ancient of days I salute una oohh😍😍

Bazooka Chewing gum?

You must watch PSL - richest league on the continent (South Africa)

1. Mamelodi Sundowns
2. Kaiser Chiefs
3. Orlando Pirates

Wasn't the football type but those saying Nigeria media wasn't hooking up to soccer matches must be the millennials. Even local TV in Edo state showed some premier league games in 1993/94 during Eric cantona era.

Indomie generations missed alot

Wow

Mrazor:
Sports extra on AIT by Michelle obi, Godwin Spiff sagbama etc

Na this one I remember, in fact it was AM sports. Michelle Obi, Aisha Falode and Ejiro Omonode. Then there was back pass with Larry Izamoje on mitv. Na this people teach me football. I wanted so much to become Michelle Obi. The wistful soundtrack of am sports dey play right now in my head all the way from 98. Good times

If naptu2 enter football viewing center, you dare not argue with him. Naptu2 na agba firiyoyo, baba na real O.G . Baba should be in his early 60s or in his 70s. I salute sir

Where is European football show. Sir

Lord I disliked football while growing up

This is the problem with Gen Z ,they think everything started during their time . MBI was showing premiership back then ,I remember "Football Made in Germany" well.

We watched Champions league on CFI ,almost all stations tuned in to broadcast champions league including NTA.

Characteristics of Gen Z ,"Guardiola is the best coach " they always think football started during their time .

You think Marcelo was good ,wait till you see Cafu or Roberto Carlos.

Nobody asked

Ishilove:
Lord I disliked football while growing up

Even roberto carlos once said in an interview that marcelo was better than him

Slayar:
This is the problem with Gen Z ,they think everything started during their time . MBI was showing premiership back then ,I remember football made in Germany well.

We watched champions league on CFI ,almost all stations tuned in to broadcast champions league including NTA.

Characteristics of Gen Z ,"Guardiola is the best coach " they always think football started during their time .

You think Marcelo was good ,wait till you see Cafu or Roberto Carlos.