Saturday, 13th October is the day Nigeria is going to have a date with the Mediterranean Knights of Libya in Group E encounter of Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier. Of late, what easily comes to mind when you hear the name Libya is war, the country has been under siege, chaos and anarchy since the ousting of their maverick ex-president Muhammad Gadaffi. It's been a tumultuous experience and the devastating effect still linger. But at a time when the country is desperately in need of a unifying factor, when the citizen need something to cheer about and make them proud of their country once again and makes them forget the seed of discord and enmity that has manifest in the country for almost a decade, football which has proven over time a means of subtle way to attain peace and unity has come in the front burner yet again to unify the otherwise deeply disintegrated people of Libya.
The same feat has manifested in the past. When sectarian war was ravaging Liberia, George Weah, the then National team captain used football as a mechanism to bring the people of Liberia together. He used the fortunes he made during his illustrious football career to bettered not just the lives of his National team-mates but of that an average Liberians on the street across the Nation. Small wondered the country repaid him with the initial post of a senator and later was elected the President of the Liberia.
Again, another Africa football legend, Didier Drogba also tow the path of seeking peace through the round leather game. Cote D' Ivore was engulfed in war during the early years of the 20th century. The country was deeply divided, warring factions were claiming supremacy, war lords emerges and the country was in comatose.
The civil war had been raging for five years when, moments after leading his nation to the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany back in October 2005, Drogba picked up a microphone in the dressing room and, surrounded by his team-mates, fell to his knees live on national television. He begged both warring factions to lay down their arms and, within a week, his bold wish had been granted.
"It was just something I did instinctively, All the players hated what was happening to our country and reaching the World Cup was the perfect emotional wave on which to ride." The culmination of the peace process came on the second day of my trip, when the White Elephants played an African Nations Cup qualifier against Madagascar in Bouake, the old rebel stronghold about 300 kilometres north of Abidjan. "Seeing both leaders side by side for the national anthems was very special," Didier said. "I felt then that that the Ivory Coast was born again." That was Didier Drogba remarks.
Using sports, especially football, as a means of seeking peace is not peculiar to Africa countries alone. The war torn Eastern European Nations like Bosnia, Croatia, Azerbaijan etc at one point or the other used sportsmen and women as a good will Ambassador to advocate for peace and tranquility and propagate peace.
As the Mediterranean Knights of Libya file out against the Super Eagles of Nigeria on Saturday, I sincerely hope the country embrace peace and untiy the match is going to bring beyond the 90mins.
The same feat has manifested in the past. When sectarian war was ravaging Liberia, George Weah, the then National team captain used football as a mechanism to bring the people of Liberia together. He used the fortunes he made during his illustrious football career to bettered not just the lives of his National team-mates but of that an average Liberians on the street across the Nation. Small wondered the country repaid him with the initial post of a senator and later was elected the President of the Liberia.
Again, another Africa football legend, Didier Drogba also tow the path of seeking peace through the round leather game. Cote D' Ivore was engulfed in war during the early years of the 20th century. The country was deeply divided, warring factions were claiming supremacy, war lords emerges and the country was in comatose.
The civil war had been raging for five years when, moments after leading his nation to the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany back in October 2005, Drogba picked up a microphone in the dressing room and, surrounded by his team-mates, fell to his knees live on national television. He begged both warring factions to lay down their arms and, within a week, his bold wish had been granted.
"It was just something I did instinctively, All the players hated what was happening to our country and reaching the World Cup was the perfect emotional wave on which to ride." The culmination of the peace process came on the second day of my trip, when the White Elephants played an African Nations Cup qualifier against Madagascar in Bouake, the old rebel stronghold about 300 kilometres north of Abidjan. "Seeing both leaders side by side for the national anthems was very special," Didier said. "I felt then that that the Ivory Coast was born again." That was Didier Drogba remarks.
Using sports, especially football, as a means of seeking peace is not peculiar to Africa countries alone. The war torn Eastern European Nations like Bosnia, Croatia, Azerbaijan etc at one point or the other used sportsmen and women as a good will Ambassador to advocate for peace and tranquility and propagate peace.
As the Mediterranean Knights of Libya file out against the Super Eagles of Nigeria on Saturday, I sincerely hope the country embrace peace and untiy the match is going to bring beyond the 90mins.
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