AUGUST 7, 2013
Efe Sodje
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Nigeria defender Efe Sodje tells ’TANA AIYEJINA about his current job as player/assistant manager at National Conference side Macclesfield Town, the 2002 World Cup, his sporting family and more
How is life as a player and as an assistant manager at Macclesfield?
It’s been good; the job is exciting and I am enjoying it. I have always talked when I play, so it’s not difficult fitting into the new position. Nothing has really changed; the younger players look up to me and I guide them as much as possible. To be fair, they know I have played at the World Cup and they know I have played for Macclesfield before. They see my pictures everywhere. I don’t need to tell them what I have done because they know my reputation in this country (England). I make sure we work together, no big man or seniority thing. We do everything together. It’s a team work.
At 40, you are probably Nigeria’s oldest player still playing actively. Do you agree that Nigerian players falsify their ages?
It’s not only Nigerian players they accuse of falsifying their ages. They say all African players falsify their ages; they say South American players do the same thing as well. You heard of an issue concerning the age of a big player like Radamel Falcao from Colombia. For me, I cannot cut my age; I have always used my real age. People say, “what is your secret?” It’s easy; I train hard and take care of my body. With that, everything is okay for me. I don’t drink and I don’t smoke; that helps me as well.
Are we going to see you play till 50?
To be fair, I feel happy, I feel good still playing at over 40 years of age and I hope to keep on playing. I spoke with a former Everton assistant manager and he said, “Sodje, keep on playing until nobody wants you to keep playing anymore.” So I will keep playing. I can even come to Nigeria to play if they want me to come down. If a club in Nigeria needs me, I can move down and come and play in Nigeria too. I am serious about it; if they are ready, they can contact me.
The likes of Mikel Obi and Victor Moses are Nigeria’s top players in England at the moment. What is your assessment of Nigerian players in England?
Mikel, Moses and all of them now are all young boys. When you talk about the reputation of Nigerian players in England, you have to remember we had players like (Austin) Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Daniel Amokachi, Finidi George and even myself. We have made an impact already and they respect Nigerian players because of what they have done. All Nigerian players that play in England are household names. So when you mention our names, we are known everywhere. And now the new generation like Mikel and Moses are doing their best as well.
How were you able to break into the 2002 World Cup squad as a lower league player in England?
It was so funny because obviously I was in the Nigeria squad two years earlier for the Africa Cup of Nations but I never played a game. I was called up by Bonfrere Jo but Nigeria had big time players; they were massive I must confess. But I got the opportunity again to play under (Adegboye) Onigbinde; he said, “Sodje come and play for me against Paraguay.” It was a preparatory game ahead of the 2002 World Cup. That is how it all started for me. That was how I played. I play as a central defender but that day, Nigeria had no right-back and I had to play that position. That was the first time I played at right-back for Nigeria. That’s the story. I agree there were big players but I had belief and confidence in myself and I wanted to give my best for my fatherland. I have no other country, so I had to keep my best for my country. And more importantly, I was invited on merit; I was good.
Can you recall your goal against the Republic of Ireland?
First of all, playing for your country alone is a rare privilege. In my club football career, I have scored 38 goals in all the clubs I have played for. And all these goals have come as a defender, which is very rare. It’s hard to find defenders scoring 20 goals in their entire careers. So, one-on-one, I knew I was going to score. When Pius Ikedia took the corner-kick, I just told myself, “jump”. As soon as I knew Roy Keane was the one going to mark me, I knew I was going to score. Keane is good in the air but if you call me in this country (England), people will tell you, “Sodje is very good in the air, he is quick and strong.” That’s the reason why I knew I was going to score.
Were you under pressure playing against superstars like Claudio Lopez and Gabriel Batistuta at the World Cup?
You know what, let me make it very clear here, I am a Warri boy. Coming from Warri, we always believe in ourselves that we are the best and we always believe that we could play football against anybody anywhere. So, for me, I had no problem, no matter who I played against. That’s the Warri mentality. You put us on the pitch, we will play against anybody. Playing against Claudio Lopez, Batistuta and Gonzalez didn’t bother me one bit. All I went there to do was to play football. That is the attitude I took with me to the World Cup.
Back home Onigbinde was criticised for Nigeria’s first round ouster because he omitted big players like Sunday Oliseh and Finidi George. Do you agree?
To be fair, I was just thinking of how we were going to qualify for the next round. The manager and the coaches had their own agenda; they knew what they wanted. I cannot criticise Onigbinde because he is the one that made me play for Nigeria; he took me to the World Cup. People criticise him but I will never do that because he made my World Cup dream come true. It’s a shame that we got knocked out in the first round but again our group was labeled the Group of Death. It was a tough group including Nigeria, Argentina, England and Sweden. So, any of the four teams could have been knocked out.
After a fine outing in Japan/Korea, observers felt you should have been part of the national team for more years but you were left out. What happened?
That is a question that you should ask the coach that took over (from Onigbinde). You know Onigbinde left the squad after the World Cup and another coach took over. So that coach should be in a better position to answer that question. I can’t say anything.
How would you compare and contrast the present Eagles and that of your time?
There is something people don’t understand. You asked earlier how I broke into a squad with very big players. Those caliber of players in my time like the Finidis, Okochas, Olisehs, Babangidas and a lot of others will never be seen again. It’s a new caliber of players that we have right now and you can’t really compare this present squad with that of my time. I am not going to say because this present squad won the Africa Cup of Nations, they are better. No, that would be a big mistake. The team now are good but you cannot say outright that they are better than the team of before. That’s not football.
Why did you opt for your rugged style of play?
I have always played as a defender when I played for Steel Pioneers and Invincible Leopards in Nigeria. I was always known as a hard footballer. I was never the most skillful of defenders. I know that and I play to my strength. My strength is my speed, my heading and my strength. So, when I came to England, that is what people here knew, that is what they wanted from a defender. I had an adavantage, which was good for me.
Who is the best footballer from the Sodje family?
Back in the days, my mum and dad were all sporty people, which was good for us because we took over from them. We were all very good footballers but really, the best footballer among us was our senior brother, Solomon Sodje, who is a lawyer now. He was the best but as the senior son he decided to train as a lawyer. When it came to football, Solomon was way ahead us but I made the name more.
Do you have any regrets not playing in the EPL and the UEFA Champions League?
The answer is no because there are a lot of players that have played in the Champions League but haven’t played in the World Cup. Guess what, the ultimate dream of every footballer is to play in the World Cup and I have done that. You can play in the Champions League 10 times but you can never play in the World Cup such number of times. I have played at the World Cup and it’s a record you can never take away.
Can you recount your best and worst moments?
I have played for 10 clubs in England and I have won eight promotions. Playing at the World Cup and representing Nigeria were all my best moments as well. I think my worst moments were when I didn’t play enough times for Nigeria.
Have you been a victim of racism?
Yes, I have always been a victim. When I first came to this country (England) in 1996, I was a victim and since then, it’s been like that. But we have to keep fighting it.
Is it true the bandana has brought you luck?
It brought me luck and people know it as my trademark. I got noticed with it and my other luck was from my family because they all supported me. You know I am from a big sports family.
In what ways have the Sodjes given back to the game that brought the family so much popularity?
We’ve been doing that for long, in the last 15 years. We have the Sodje Sports Foundation and every time, we take a thousand pairs of football kits to kids in Nigeria free of charge. We did some work with Lagos State a year and a half ago and in May, we also worked with the Edo State Sports Commissioner.
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