John Fashanu tells BLESSING OGUNLI that he created Football Challenge With Fash, a football talent hunt reality television show sponsored by Oceanic Bank, despite claims by another person
Q; Who actually conceived the idea of Football Challenge With Fash?
A: This show was conceived by myself and my partners in 2002 back in the United Kingdom. In 2003/2004, we went live on air. This was a football reality show exactly as this, where nearly 30,000 footballers applied. We later reduced the number to 2000 and then to a final 20. The show, which was aired on television in the UK and all over Europe for three years, was called Fashanu Football Challenge, Fash F.C. It was nominated for three different awards. It was on Sky television, a satellite station, and Bravo. On coming to Nigeria, I brought many different initiatives. One was called tyre protector, a wonderful new tyre sealant, which saves, protects lives and also offers employment. We now have 3000 people in employment today in Nigeria. The second one was Deal or No Deal, an award-winning television game show, which went to number one in ratings in 48 countries. That was shown on DSTV. And the third one was called Fashanu Football Challenge, Fash F.C, which as you can see, looks like is already one of the biggest reality shows in the world. It is certainly, the first football reality television show in Nigeria. On arrival here, I was totally surprised after taking the show to two or three banks and deciding to work with Mummy (Cecelia) Ibru and Oceanic Bank, to hear that a gentleman called Segun something from 24/7 was claiming that I had taken his reality show. He said he registered his show in 2007. The poor man didn’t realise that we had the show in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 in the UK. He was giving totally incorrect information to the public. He said in his statement that I used to be a consultant to his company. I have never met the guy. I have never heard of him. He said I stole the idea of Football Challenge in 2007 and for that he is suing Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, because it allowed us to register Fash F.C too early. He is also suing, I understand, Guinness, because he says Guinness stole his idea again of the First Eleven. He decided to take court action and he is suing Oceanic Bank, he is suing Corporate Affairs Commission and my company, Football Challenge. That is where we are. The show, I understand, had 300 applicants. That was all they had. I do not know if it is true, but they say the show only drew 300 applicants. I do not know who Mike Obiku is; I have never heard of him. Neither do I know Segun or whatever his name is. I do not know if he played for Barcelona or Man United. Maybe he played for England or Aston Villa, I do not know. And if he was in the football world, he would have known that in football, you do not go take people to court. You sit down and talk things over.
Q: What will you do if he gets an injunction stopping the show?
A: We have screened 11,000 footballers so far. The show is getting bigger and bigger. The show is not about John Fashanu; it is not about Oceanic Bank. The show is about the people of Nigeria. If he feels he wants to try and get an injunction and he wants to stop the show, then Oceanic Bank, Football Challenge Limited, and Corporate Affairs Commission will defend it as best as they can. That is normal. That’s the call. I am not a lawyer. All I am interested in is making sure that these kids enjoy playing football. We have the biggest talent hunt football show in the world. We are looking for good footballers. He has been lying. Just pretend that I am a liar and Segun is a lair and go to the Internet. You will see things for yourself.
Q: Don’t you think the N3000 for the scratch card is rather expensive, given that those who play football are mostly from humble backgrounds?
A: It is one of the reasons that we made sure that the amount of N3000 was going to be very cheap. Oceanic Bank can never recoup the hundreds of millions they have spent on the show. The bank has spent millions of Naira on this show and I am so proud that ‘Mummy’ Ibru and the entire Oceanic Bank family are seeing the show as a Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR. They are not seeing it as a business. Twenty per cent the profit goes to the Nigeria Football Association, NFA, for the development of grassroots football because this is what it is all about. Three thousand naira is a very small administration cost; it is not a charge at all. Somebody said before that we should make it N5000. Another said it should be N1000. Whatever it is, people will say it is too small or too big, depending on what they are. You cannot all have all of this for free. The bank is spending hundreds of millions. When I say hundreds of million, I am telling you hundreds of millions. We want to discover talents and this is the best way. The show has not even taken place yet. Everytime I look at the invoices, it’s either for N20 million, N100 million or N40 million. We are filming this all over Nigeria, all over Europe. The filming alone will cost over N100 million, just for the number one production team in Africa called Jungle. They are the ones who did the Ultimate Search. We have the best of the best because this is what Oceanic bank and Fashanu demand. I smile when people ask why we are charging these boys.
Q: You are giving cars as gifts to the lucky 15 and you are taking these players abroad. What happens to the cars if the winners secure contracts abroad?
A: We are not giving anything away. These are prizes which these young men will win. We are not giving gifts. If they play hard and they do well and become part of the Fash FC, what they do with the car is entirely their business. What they do with the money is entirely their business. The bank will advise and support them and make sure they do not lose their money. The question is: if I give you N10 million and you go to London, what would you do with it? You put it in the bank and you can draw from it. And if he wants to sell the car, he can sell the car. If you want to give to your mother, you can give it to your mother. If you want to leave it for use, that is the choice the footballer has to make. And this is one of the reasons, we are making sure that if you come into the camp, there must be educational elements to all the teaching because we want these boys to learn. To be educated and to show them how to make money and equally show them what happens if you lose money as well. I want you to understand that not all the players will go to Europe. The 30 players that make it to the camp will get automatic scholarships in the Pepsi Football Academy. That one is secured. Only the best of the best will go abroad. We are not sending players abroad, who we think will not make it. There are some players who will come into the camp and who are not good enough to go abroad. Remember, it is a reality show. It’s not just about the talent of the player; it is about the person. We should put more emphasis on the players, but there are one or two players who are going to be there because of their entertainment value.
Q: This is the third zone in which you are conducting screening. Can you give us an insight into the type of players you have come across so far?
A: We started it in Sokoto State before moving to Bauchi. Sokoto and Bauchi were similar. The players are very gifted, technically. The players are very tall, a lot thinner. But the gift of the touch is there. In the East, Abia State, our third zone, the players are different. They are more aggressive and more attuned to European football. The players here, I will say are more energetic because of their climate. In Sokoto State, you are playing under a temperature of 180 degrees. You cannot run around for 11 hours under such condition. Here, it is a lot cooler and the players can run. The fact that the coach has already said that he has seen a unique team and he tells me that he has seen the best footballer in all of the three zones is a testimony that the players are good. But remember, we are not looking for just good players. We are looking for characters as well. Some of the players that are going into the camp are not just the best technical players, but characters.
Q: We have a deaf and dumb player here today. What are his chances of making it to the next stage?
A: The fact that the deaf and dumb boy chose to come here is a testimony to what we want to achieve. He came here and said: ‘I am going to make it. I am deaf and dumb, I have disabilities, but they will not work against me.’ We will not discriminate. Football is not a game in which you discriminate. Let’s put it this way: he has a good chance of getting into the camp because it sends a message to thousands of physically challenged people, not just in Nigeria but around Africa and the world. I want to make sure that this boy has an opportunity.
Q: A few weeks ago, the NFA came out with disclaimer on the show, but later endorsed it. What actually happened?
A: What I would say is that the Chairman, Sani Lulu, is a special breed. He is a different type of chairman. I made it very clear to the members that where they are sitting and what they are doing, I was doing for four years as a former board member and former chairman of Nigerian Football League, NFL. I know they are in the hot seat. I know the problems they face. But I wanted them to understand what this is bringing to Nigeria. Lulu embraced it straightaway, though he had not seen it. I thank Lulu because he is the instigator. He is the man who said: ‘Yes I have the show, and this is a wonderful show.’ We are not trying to re-invent the wheel. This show has been a massive success in Europe and this is why it can only be a success in Nigeria because the footballers are better here in Nigeria. We have more money to play with here than in Europe and we now have the partnership and support of the governing body of football in the country, which is the NFA. If the NFA had said it would not support it, I would have closed down the show.
Q: Why?
A: If you do not have the support of the mother football authority of the country, you are not in business. As the former chairman of the NFL, I know too well that if you don’t have the support of the NFA, you are not in business.
Q: You said the show will bring a lot to Nigeria, can you throw more light on that?
A: What are we bringing to Nigeria? We can see already that we have brought peace to Nigeria. You see 3000 or 4000 footballers here, in Abia State, who have smiles on their faces. They are enjoying themselves. There is no threat of violence. Nobody is stealing. Nobody is raping. The governor himself has said that this is an incredible situation. We are showing the NFA and state FAs that we want to partner with them. I want to share my ideas of 20 years of international football. This has never been done in Nigeria. This is a talent hunt. The last person who tried this kind of thing was Westerhof and he is not a Nigerian. Westerhof is the only person that tried to do something similar to this. We have about 50,000 footballers in Nigeria and they are having the opportunity to show their talents and it does not matter even if they are not selected. We can not select all the best players. They know that the show will start again in a few months and they will have an opportunity, yet again. So, nobody should be discouraged. At the same time, all these footballers are being given water, food and shelter. Wow! This is a lot for the bank. Mummy Ibru needs a pat on the back. The bank is spending hundreds of millions of naira and I could not have been able to do the show without the support of the bank.
akinola waliu ademola
24 July 2008 09:26posterity will surely judge,there is clear line between an optimist thinker and a pessimist thinker.Nothing stops these Fash accusers from learning from the situation and go back to the drawing board to re-invest and reversion there own reality shows that can even better Fash’s.They ‘ve only shown that ther mercinery sent to distrupt this commendable programmes.I challenge them (accusers)to come out with similar programme or tell us the one they have done in the past.Fash has told us that he has done it before, he is still doing it and he can still do it.
Moses Amusan
28 October 2008 (4 weeks ago) 23:14This is a good idea in Nigeria. Keep it up Fash!!!