Former Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan defender, Ajibade Babalade, admits their CAF Champions League final defeat to Zamalek still hurts, 24 years after.
The Oluyole Warriors lost 5-4 on penalties to the Egyptian giants after aggregate scores were levelled at 3-3 in the final in 1996.
The 48-year-old, a member of the Super Eagles squad to the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations, said the defeat also denied them several rewards promised them by the state government.
“Before the final, the then military administrator of Oyo State, Colonel Ahmed Usman, promised us many things, which included cars and land, if we won the competition” the ex Stationary Stores defender said in an interview
“Even if we were not promised those gifts, we wanted to win the cup and create the record as the first Nigerian club to win the CAF Champions League.
“Yes, I remembered that I scored against Zamalek at Ibadan and Patrick Pascal did too. We won 2-1 in the first leg and then lost by the same margin in Cairo.
“Officiating in the second leg in Cairo was bad and I complained to the referee in French that he was being wicked to us.
“We all wanted to make history, win the cup for 3SC and for Nigeria. When I look back, I still feel the pains of us not being able to bring that cup home, but that’s football for you. You win some, you lose some,” the former 3SC Team Manager said.
