Year 2020 is a unique year that has spring both pleasant surprises and alarming tragedy even as the agony and the effect of corona virus ravage across the world is yet to be shaken off.
But, then, it's also a year that had Liverpool winning their 1st EPL title after 30 years of waiting and a year that has a black man from the continent of Africa, specifically Nigeria, winning a league title for an european club and qualifying the club for the prestigious UEFA Champions League as a coach. A feat that has not been achieved by an African until now.
Ndubuisi Emmanuel Egbo, TK Tirana coach
The success story of KF Tirana of Albania would not be complete without the mentioning of a Nigeria import Ndubuisi Emmanuel Egbo. The journey began in 2001/2002 season when he joined the club as a goalkeeper from Al Masry of Egypt. A period that had him won the Albanian league title and FA cup during his 3 years stint.
Born on July 25, 1973 in Aba, Ndubuisi Egbo began his football career with Nitel Vasco, Enugu, Nepa of Lagos before joining Julius Berger of Lagos in 1996 where he spent 3 season before moving to Al Masry in Egypt and on the recommendation of his Egyptian club's President, Egbo moved to Albania in 2001 to join TK Tinara.
In a chat with journalists on Monday in a topmost whatsapp platform NSM, Ndubuisi Egbo narrates his journey to Albania both as a player and as a coach, his success story and the challenges facing African coaches in European countries.
"The President of my club in Egypt was also the President of a club in Albania, he invited me to Albania to play for his team and that's how I came to Albania in 2001 to play for the same team that I have coached now to win the league championship.
I played from 2001 to 2004 with the team and we won the League, (FA) cup and the super cup in those years."
Egbo returned to Egypt for his second stint with El Masry, played in South Africa with Moroka swallow before returning back to Albania to sign for Bylis Ballshi in 2008 where he retired at the end of 2011/2012 season.
"After finishing my football career as a goalkeeper in 2011 I eventually go into coaching, I obtained my goalkeeping coaching licence in UEFA B, and later UEFA A. During that time I was goalkeeper coach and Assistant coach until 2013/2014 after I got my UEFA ProLicence and became the head coach of my former team Bylis Ballshi in the (2013/2014 season) Albanian Super league.
After seeing my exploit with Bylis Ballshi, my current club President called me to join his team TK Tirana in 2014/2015 as the goalkeeper trainer/Assistant coach."
TK Tiran team
It was not a bed of rose for Egbo as he had to contend with and shrug off challenges faced by African coaches in European land to establish himself and stamp his authority in Albania.
"It's a very huge experience and you have to be ready to face the hurdles. I know how to speak Albania language and I'm also like a citizen of the country, it makes it much more easier when you can speak the language of any country you are.
It is a big hurdle being an African and being a color person, not an european, not a white man. There will be jealous and attempt to bring you down but when God is with you there is nothing anybody can do. You just have to have God in your life. if you believe only in your experience and your work without God upon your life there is no way you can make it.
"I am a fighter, I am a survival, the more people tries to bring me down the more it gives me confidence and more power to work harder in order to actualise my goals.
With God everything is possible; impossible is nothing with God. You have to put your faith, work hard and gain more experience. You need to train yourself and endure some sleepless nights trying to achieve what you need to achieve and trying to give your maximum.
You have to be in different level above European coaches to be able to get the job. You can't come in to a foreign country to take away their job from them when you are not 100-200% better than them.
"That is what the club President saw in me before offering me the offer of goalkeeper coach/Assistant coach of TK Tirana after seeing my exploit with my former team (FK Puiliz). I was skeptical before taken the job. Between 2015-2019 I have been shuffling between goalkeeping coach, assistant coach and also the head coach when some of the coaches have been sacked due to poor results or related cases before another coach takes over until last year December when the second coach was sacked due to lack of good result and I became the substantive coach.
"We were in the 8th position in a league of 10 teams and in such position you are going to play in the play off for relegation zone. I took the team in that position and I won 3 straight matches and was given the opportunity to continue. We played between 23-24 matches, we won 19, lost 2 and drew 1. That is story of how I led TK Tirana to winning the 2019/2020 Albanian league championship after they had waited for eleven years not winning the championship."
TK Tirana celebrating the 2019/2020 Albania league championship.
But, then, it's also a year that had Liverpool winning their 1st EPL title after 30 years of waiting and a year that has a black man from the continent of Africa, specifically Nigeria, winning a league title for an european club and qualifying the club for the prestigious UEFA Champions League as a coach. A feat that has not been achieved by an African until now.
The success story of KF Tirana of Albania would not be complete without the mentioning of a Nigeria import Ndubuisi Emmanuel Egbo. The journey began in 2001/2002 season when he joined the club as a goalkeeper from Al Masry of Egypt. A period that had him won the Albanian league title and FA cup during his 3 years stint.
Born on July 25, 1973 in Aba, Ndubuisi Egbo began his football career with Nitel Vasco, Enugu, Nepa of Lagos before joining Julius Berger of Lagos in 1996 where he spent 3 season before moving to Al Masry in Egypt and on the recommendation of his Egyptian club's President, Egbo moved to Albania in 2001 to join TK Tinara.
In a chat with journalists on Monday in a topmost whatsapp platform NSM, Ndubuisi Egbo narrates his journey to Albania both as a player and as a coach, his success story and the challenges facing African coaches in European countries.
"The President of my club in Egypt was also the President of a club in Albania, he invited me to Albania to play for his team and that's how I came to Albania in 2001 to play for the same team that I have coached now to win the league championship.
I played from 2001 to 2004 with the team and we won the League, (FA) cup and the super cup in those years."
Egbo returned to Egypt for his second stint with El Masry, played in South Africa with Moroka swallow before returning back to Albania to sign for Bylis Ballshi in 2008 where he retired at the end of 2011/2012 season.
"After finishing my football career as a goalkeeper in 2011 I eventually go into coaching, I obtained my goalkeeping coaching licence in UEFA B, and later UEFA A. During that time I was goalkeeper coach and Assistant coach until 2013/2014 after I got my UEFA ProLicence and became the head coach of my former team Bylis Ballshi in the (2013/2014 season) Albanian Super league.
After seeing my exploit with Bylis Ballshi, my current club President called me to join his team TK Tirana in 2014/2015 as the goalkeeper trainer/Assistant coach."
It was not a bed of rose for Egbo as he had to contend with and shrug off challenges faced by African coaches in European land to establish himself and stamp his authority in Albania.
"It's a very huge experience and you have to be ready to face the hurdles. I know how to speak Albania language and I'm also like a citizen of the country, it makes it much more easier when you can speak the language of any country you are.
It is a big hurdle being an African and being a color person, not an european, not a white man. There will be jealous and attempt to bring you down but when God is with you there is nothing anybody can do. You just have to have God in your life. if you believe only in your experience and your work without God upon your life there is no way you can make it.
"I am a fighter, I am a survival, the more people tries to bring me down the more it gives me confidence and more power to work harder in order to actualise my goals.
With God everything is possible; impossible is nothing with God. You have to put your faith, work hard and gain more experience. You need to train yourself and endure some sleepless nights trying to achieve what you need to achieve and trying to give your maximum.
You have to be in different level above European coaches to be able to get the job. You can't come in to a foreign country to take away their job from them when you are not 100-200% better than them.
"That is what the club President saw in me before offering me the offer of goalkeeper coach/Assistant coach of TK Tirana after seeing my exploit with my former team (FK Puiliz). I was skeptical before taken the job. Between 2015-2019 I have been shuffling between goalkeeping coach, assistant coach and also the head coach when some of the coaches have been sacked due to poor results or related cases before another coach takes over until last year December when the second coach was sacked due to lack of good result and I became the substantive coach.
"We were in the 8th position in a league of 10 teams and in such position you are going to play in the play off for relegation zone. I took the team in that position and I won 3 straight matches and was given the opportunity to continue. We played between 23-24 matches, we won 19, lost 2 and drew 1. That is story of how I led TK Tirana to winning the 2019/2020 Albanian league championship after they had waited for eleven years not winning the championship."
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