Stationery Stores F.C.

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Stationery Stores F.C.
200px
Nickname(s) "Flaming Flamingoes", "Adebajo Babes"
Founded 1958
Ground Onikan Stadium
Ground Capacity 5,000
Chairman Tilewa Adebajo
Manager Yomi Peters
League Nigeria National League
Current season

Stationery Stores F.C. is a Nigerian football club based in Lagos.

History

The team was founded in 1958 by Israel Adebajo, who ran the Nigeria office of the Stationery Stores Supply Company. They immediately established themselves as one of the dominant teams in the area and country, supplying the bulk of the first editions of the national team and winning a total 13 Lagos State Challenge Cups, the preliminary round for the Nigerian FA Cup. The club's glory years started in 1967. Their fluid and entertaining style of play endeared the club to Lagos fans as they delivered two FA Cups within that period. The first 11 of the Nigerian national team in the 1968 Mexico City Olympic football event had 9 Stationery Stores players, including Sam Opone and Peter Fregene.[1] Between 1973 and 1993, Stores was in the top division of Nigerian football. Throughout those years, they enjoyed a particularly brutal rivalry with Enugu Rangers International F.C., going back to the East vs. West feelings from the Biafran War.

Relegation/Financial Problems/Hiatus

The final title for Stores came in 1992. However, the next year Stationery Stores were relegated because of failing to complete their fixtures, not because they finished on a relegation spot. The team continued the next five seasons in the second division. However, in March 1998, the NFA was compelled to cancel all outstanding Pro League Second Division games involving Stationery Stores following an injunctive order issued by a Lagos High Court restraining Stationery Stores from playing any Pro League games pending the resolution of a lawsuit filed before the court to determine the ownership and control of the club. This action constituted the culmination of a long-festering ownership dispute involving two of the Adebajo siblings (each of whom was a director of The Nigeria Office of Stationery Stores Supply): Gloria Adebajo-Fraser whom exercised administrative control over the club's affairs throughout the course of the 1997 football season and her half-brother Adetilewa Adebajo whom (with the apparent blessing of the NFA) assumed de facto control of the club's management for the succeeding 1998 football season. The lingering management crises and festering lawsuits so decimated and depleted this much-celebrated clubside that, throughout the course of the 1998 football season, its players were compelled to campaign without the benefit of formal contracts, sign-on fees, bonuses or club-supplied playing equipment.[2] The team was demoted to the amateur ranks in 1999 after the club had been suspended nine matches in the 1998 season due to the family wranglings.[3] They returned to the professional level in summer 2004 but were relegated after failing to make several games and fielding several unregistered players.[4]

Return

There have been requests since 2007 for the Lagos State government to revive the team.[5] The team's former players played a pair of games in July 2008 in an attempt to jumpstart support.[6] In January 2009 efforts gained steam with a launch of a website. The team was supposed to play friendlies and enter the FA Cup before entering league play the next season.[7] The team was poised to enter the Nigeria National League in 2012 and play in a pre-season friendly tournament at Onikan.[8] However they withdrew from the tournament. In February 2014, it was announced Stores would buy Union Bank F.C.'s slot in the National League a ten-year exile. [9]

Current Squad

[10] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
2 Nigeria Adeniregun Quadri
3 Nigeria Thomas Okanlawon
7 Nigeria DF Festus Ajah
8 Nigeria FW Onyekwelu Chibuzor
10 Nigeria Chinonso Nwawu
12 Nigeria Ajabor Ihedu
14 Nigeria Tinat Gideon
15 Nigeria Ayo Filani
16 Nigeria Richard Harrison
No. Position Player
17 Nigeria Onwirebe Rapheal
18 Nigeria Jimoh Olawale
22 Nigeria Jimoh Lucky
11 4FW Oyedele Abdullahi (1997-10-20) 20 October 1997 (age 27) 24 8
23 Nigeria Falolu Adeola
24 Nigeria Ukatu Kingsley
25 Nigeria GK Oghenovo Uzeze
28 Nigeria Jejelola Olaniyi
30 Nigeria Musa Sadiq
33 Nigeria Ogunloye Adeniyi

Trivia

The King Sunny Adé song "Challenge Cup 1967" was written about Stores' first FA Cup win.[11]

Foreign exhibitions

Achievements

1967, 1968, 1982, 1990
1992
1981 – Runners-up

Performance in CAF competitions

1968: Quarter-Finals
1970: Second Round
1993: Semi-Finals
1981 – Finalist
1983 – withdrew in Second Round
1991 – First Round

References

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. http://www.cybereagles.com/default8b74.html?id=nigerian_league [dead link]
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  6. http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/sports/article09//indexn3_html?pdate=170708&ptitle=Stores'%20ex-stars,%20Green%20Eagles%20to%20play%20for%20late%20Adebajo&cpdate=170708
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  8. Stores resurrects, as 2012/2013 pre-season tourney begins (Guardian)
  9. Stores to make Nigerian League return (SuperSport.com)
  10. Stores 1 Abia Comets 1
  11. King Sunny Ade bio
  12. http://www.supereaglesnation.com/detail.asp?sno=10
  13. http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/editorial_opinion/article04//indexn2_html?pdate=151208&ptitle=Adieu,%20Haruna%20Ilerika
  14. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links