Patrick Pascal

Pascal was the kind of player you want to have in your corner when you go into battle. He was rugged and committed, giving his all in every game he played for club or country. Above that, he was Mr Versatility himself, capable of playing in any position on the pitch.

Courageous and hardy, Pascal made his name in domestic football with 3SC of Ibadan in the early 1990s but his romance with the game started way back on the streets of Bauchi in  North-Eastern Nigeria where he was born in the Kobi area of the state capital on December 14, 1974 although his family are originally Tapshin from Tafawa Balewa Local Government of the state.

He attended Kobi Primary School as well as the Bauchi Teachers College for his secondary school but in both schools he was known as the pupil more likely to succeed in football more than academics because he had time for the game alone.

At Kobi, he was in exalted company as one of his teammates in the school team at the time was His Royal Highness, Dr Rilwan Suleiman Adamu who’s the current Emir of Bauchi. And, at the BTC, one of his biggest admirers and ardent supporters was Barrister Yakubu Dogara who’s today the Speaker of the House of Representatives in Abuja. He had guys like Yakubu Yankari (now with Wikki Tourists) and Hamisu Kesto etc for teammates at college.

He joined a youth team, Kerker FC in Bauchi under Coach Rilwan Maidawa who had a profound impact on the young Pascal. Maidawa taught him the rudiments of the game and gave him the first hint of what a career in football would be like. He left Kerker for another youth team called Flying Flamingo under the tutelage of Audu Coach. These two teams formed the basis of his footballing career even though he was still playing for fun.

After leaving secondary school, and thinking of what to do, he was invited to work for CBN (a public utility agency) as a maintenance worker and play football as part-time player. However, instead of working, he would rather play football and only came to work when there’s football to be played.  Shortly after, there was talk about the formation of a state team and he teamed up with others as foundation members of Wikki Tourists in 1991.

“I left CBN without tendering a resignation letter because I was excited about the new club that was to be formed. Besides, I went to CBN with the understanding that I was going to play football but they were forcing me to do maintenance work so I said good riddance to bad rubbish and crossed to the other side of town to join Wikki. My teammates at the time included ex-Golden Eaglets star Baba Jibrin, Joe Dikko who’s currently coordinator of the national U-23 now and several others. Wikki got off to a flying start and performed beyond the expectations of the founding fathers. We had a crop of players who were not only talented, they were also committed to the cause.”

Pascal’s consistently good performances for Wikki facilitated an invitation to the U-23 team which was preparing to play the qualifiers of the All-Africa Games scheduled for Cairo in September 1991.

Ultimately he failed to make the final squad to Cairo even though he played in the qualifying tournament in Togo but he had done enough for a renowned coach like Kashimawo Laloko (who was Wikki’s coach at the time) to mark him down as a star for the future.

He returned to Wikki but it was apparent that his days at the modest club were numbered. He had become a big fish in Wikki’s small pond and, in order to continue to grow, he must leave for a bigger opportunity somewhere else.

His opportunity for a big break came from unexpected quarters. 3SC, one of the powerhouses of African club football were struggling and swimming in relegation waters during the 1993 season, just a year after finishing second in the league and winning the inaugural CAF Cup,  and something urgent had to be done.

Coach Laloko contacted the club’s chairman, the late chief Femi Olukanmi and informed him of the availability of some very good players at Wikki who could help in the battle to escape the drop.

Chief Olukanmi travelled down to Bauchi to see the team play and penciled down Pascal as well as Austin Okolo. Transfer formalities were quickly concluded for them to join 3SC in time for the resumption of the second stanza of the league. The reception at 3SC was, at first, lukewarm as the fans were skeptical of the quality of players who were bought from the lower league.

He recalled: “Ibadan fans were criticizing Chief Olukanmi for going to Bauchi, of all places, to buy players when there were better players in Lagos and the East. It was a tough time for the Chief but he stood his ground. However, because the period was difficult for the club, we were put in the starting eleven two days after we arrived Ibadan.

“The coaches, apparently not sure of my ability when I told them I could play in central defence pushed me to the right full-back position where, I supposed, they think I won’t be able to cause too much damage. It was a game against VIP of Lagos and we won 3-1 with a brace from Austin Okolo. I think I gave a very good account of myself as Chief Olukanmi was vindicated and from that time till today, Ibadan fans have shown nothing but respect and love to me. 3SC still occupies a special place in my heart till now.”

A utility player, it was at 3SC that he lived up to the full meaning of that tag. After starting out as a right full-back, he went on to play in central defence, as an attacking midfielder and then as a striker when the exit of the team’s top strikers Edith Agoye and Olumide Harris left the coaches shorthanded.

“It was coach Kashimawo who first planted the idea that I could play upfront because I had the zeal and instinct of a striker but I always argued with him. However, at 3SC when we were shorthanded because of departures and injuries to key players, coach Shuaibu Amodu also insisted that I was his only hope of getting goals especially as we were playing the African Champions Cup in 1996 after winning the double the year before. Amodu said: ‘I’m not asking you to dribble the whole pitch to score. Once you’re in a good position close to the box-eighteen, take aim and shoot.’ I moved up and enjoyed the new role and I got a couple of goals but the most important was my goal in Algeria against JS Kabilye in the semi-finals of the CAF Champions Cup. I was also the team’s top-scorer and I remain grateful to my coaches at all levels for pushing me so hard to realize my potentials.”

1996 was a very important year in Pascal’s career. After helping 3SC to win the League and FA Cup in 1995 as well as getting an All Africa Games bronze medal in 1995, it seemed as if things couldn’t get better than that but 1996 promised and delivered much more. He was involved in all the qualifying series as Nigeria attempted to qualify for the Atlanta Olympics and was a part of the historic gold-medal winning team. He also led 3SC to the final of the Champions Cup final which they ultimately lost on penalties to Zamalek FC of Egypt.

“It was an interesting time to be a 3SC player as we were easily the best team around. We had very good players like Ike Shorunmu, Abiodun Baruwa, Ademola Bankole, Duke Udi, Olumide Harris, Gideon Imagbudu, David Ogaga, Austin Okolo, Ajibade Babalade, Golden Ajeboh, Emmanuel Teberen, Isiaka Olawale, Ademola Johnson, Gbenga Okunnowo, Dotun Alatishe, Arthur Madueme, Edith Agoye, Heyman Abdulahi, Mojeed Azeez, Tunji Adeyemi and several others. We had fun and we got results. We won the League and the FA Cup and reached the final of the Champions Cup. That was one of the best periods of my career,” Pascal recalled with nostalgia.

After winning everything there is to win on the domestic front, Pascal felt it was time to take his game to another level by moving abroad. Luckily he had a manager who looked after his interests and gave him the best advice possible. He had close to eight offers from different countries but had good counsel on his final choice.

“I was fortunate to have a manager who was honest and who told me that going to Turkey was my best move because wages are tax-free and whatever I made was mine entirely, nobody will share with me. Eventually I moved to Genclerbirligi Ankara.

“The same scenario that played out at 3SC also repeated itself. They were struggling at the bottom of the league table and the season was under way before I joined them but, by God’s grace, I scored about 14 goals and helped them escape from the drop. I played another season with them before making the move to another club called Altay SK Izmir, also in the Turkish League. I also played three seasons for them and I was top-scorer in those three years,” he said of that period.

He also broke into the main Super Eagles squad and played in most of the team’s games after the debacle of France ’98 World Cup. He was an integral part of the team that played the qualifiers for Mali 2002 and the World Cup the same year even though he didn’t make the final cut.

After five years in Turkey, Pascal felt a need to take on new challenges so he quit the country for Belgium to sign for Royal Antwerp where he played for three seasons before moving to Asia to join Lifan in China and played for two years before returning to Nigeria more than a decade after leaving.

He explains the rationale behind coming back home thus: “My decision to come back was for two reasons. One, after I had retired from football there was no need for me to hang around abroad when I could come home and help develop Nigerian football which had given me so much opportunities. Secondly, because football disrupted my education after secondary school, I always told myself I was going to come back and complete my education. So I returned and wrote the necessary examinations and got admission to the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi where I eventually completed my Higher National Diploma.”

Then I went into football administration because that has always been my area of interest.

Unlike the popular maxim, Pascal is one prophet who has been honoured by his people. He’s into full time politics and has held several political appointments including as Special Assistant on Sports to former Bauchi state Governor, Adamu M’uazu. After M’uazu left and Isa Yuguda was voted new governor, he was made the chairman of Wikki Tourists. Four years after, he was offered the meat factory chairmanship position.

He’s first vice-chairman of Bauchi FA and worked as Special Assistant on youth development under the Aminu Maigari administration and was a member of the Technical Committee under Pinnick Amaju from where he was moved to the position of Super Eagles coordinator. Paschal also works as Match Commissioner.

His people conferred the traditional title of Talban Tapshin and there’s also a major street named after him in Bauchi metropolis called Patrick Pascal MON Street.

No greater honour than that bestowed by a grateful people on their son and paschal has had his fair share. For these, and many more to come, Pascal says: “All these I’ve gotten through football and I remain eternally grateful to all those who have helped my destiny at each point in my life.”