Making History in Jewish Football
Maccabi Football Club Nigeria set to become the first black African soccer team to compete in the Israeli Olympics Tournament:
By Eben Kislon Cohen
Since its inception, the game of football has had an undeniable historical impact on the societal lives of global communities over centuries. It has evolved so fantastically today that every nation in the world has its own national team, and wealthy individuals and companies own most of the popular football club sides. There is no corner of the world where it has not reached and played on different levels, offering a source of entertainment and relaxation, and of course making the money go around.
On a global stage, just like how the International Olympic Committee (IOC) organizes the summer Olympics, the Maccabi World Union hosts the Israeli Olympics known as the Maccabiah, which is the world’s largest Jewish athletics competition. The Maccabiah’s primary mission, according to the Union, is to facilitate a worldwide gathering of Jewish athletes in Israel and strengthen their connection to Israel’s state and the Jewish people.
However, unlike the summer Olympics, where the IOC determines the host country and rotates it every four years, the Israeli Olympics take place only in Israel, usually a year after the general Olympics. This international Jewish multi-sport event is also the second largest sporting event in terms of the number of athletes competing. Since its inception in Palestine in 1932, when 390 athletes from 14 countries participated, the games have expanded to accommodate a staggering 10,000 athletes from 80 countries across 42 distinct sports in their 19th edition, which took place in Jerusalem in 2017.
Despite over 3,000 tournaments being recorded in the games so far, no football team from black Jewish communities across Sub-Saharan Africa have yet participated. However, with the Maccabi World Union’s desire to accommodate more countries with active sporting enthusiasts, things seem to be going well for a newly formed Nigerian Jewish team that is poised to become the first black African soccer team to compete in the prestigious Israeli tournament.
The establishment of the national youth Shabbat some years ago marked the beginning of Jewish football in Nigeria. Youths from all over the country converge in a synagogue to observe Shabbat, study the Torah, exchange ideas, and strengthen the national Jewish unity. In addition to the important general meeting that occurs the day after Shabbat before the youths depart for their various destinations, the males gather to play football, while the females participate in various other forms of sports. Initially, the football teams would be selected randomly, but with time, as the national youth Shabbat gained traction, it became the hosting state against the visitors.
The national youth Shabbat football matches have become not only a source of entertainment but have played a crucial role in fostering Jewish unity. The excitement surrounding these games has become a highlight of our community calendar; with tales of the matches the youths played dominating discussions across Jewish enclaves in Nigeria. In addition to this occasional national football match, we have witnessed football matches at the state level between different synagogues. A typical example is the frequent match between Tikvat Yisrael Synagogue and Gihon Hebrew Synagogue, both in Abuja. Olam Torah and Ohr Torah communities in Aba, Abia State, have played friendly matches among themselves with the sole aim of solidifying mutual understanding and coexistence.
In 2022, the Beth Harachman Jewish community formed Harachman FC, a formidable football club, in Akwa Ibom, a coastal state in southern Nigeria. The Beth Harachman Jewish community, the club’s owner, fielded a group of young chazanim as its earliest players, who actively participated in friendly matches against other local teams in Ekpene Ukim, the locality where the Jewish community is located, on the outskirts of the state capital, Uyo. And with time, Harachman FC recruited and signed some new players from the surrounding villages who were not Jews, promoting interfaith mutual relationships. In December 2023, they played in a 32-team state tournament in honor of Senator Godswill Akpabio. They defeated two teams in this knockout football game to reach the round of 16 before losing out in the quarterfinal stage.
But the latest entrant in the Jewish football space is the Maccabi football club of Nigeria, borne out of the inspiration to fight for a spot in the future Maccabiah. Based in Abuja, the team comprises players from Gihon Hebrew Synagogue and Tikvat Yisrael Synagogue, in addition to key players from other synagogues across the country, ensuring a nationwide spread.
‘’The choice to name the Abuja-based team Maccabi Football Club of Nigeria was truly inspiring, I’d say. The Maccabi-games is a goal we aspire to, and I have full confidence that the new club’s name will inspire us to push ourselves every day until we proudly represent Nigeria in the Jewish Olympics. I understand that this will not be so easy, but I am committed to leveraging my influence to foster collaboration with the Xriso Sporting Club. Together, we can share training facilities and occasionally train alongside each other to keep the team prepared and fit to favorably compete with other teams in our debut outing in Israel.“
Shlomo Ben Yaakov, a senior hazan in Gihon Hebrew Synagogue, is currently the team manager of Xriso Sporting Club, an indigenous football club based in Abuja that supports and develops young, talented players from different states in Nigeria who make up the team.
In its latest encounter, Maccabi FCN defeated Mehamizrac FC with a convincing 2–0 victory, a match played on the 4th of August in Abuja at the end of the national youth Shabbat hosted in Gihon Hebrew Synagogue. The team proudly adorned the logo of Kulanu, their international sponsor, on their jersey. Kulanu, a non-profit Jewish organization based in the United States, has been supporting returning, isolated, and emerging Jewish communities in over 33 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Kulanu provides funding for various Jewish purposes, such as technologies, education, Jewish materials, and grants for Jewish festivals, and micro-agricultural projects that promote food security. In addition to providing entertainment support for films, music, and short documentaries, Kulanu has expanded its involvement in youth development through sports, specifically in Jewish football. Recently, the organization marked its 30th anniversary since its formation in 1993.
The Maccabi FCN is also lucky to have attracted the interest of another indigenous organization, which is one of its major sponsors. The Initiative for Progressive Judaism Development (IPJD) is a non-profit incorporated trusteeship committed to the sustainable improvement of Jewish lives and the expansion of Jewish communities in order to pave the way for a brighter future. Among the array of Jewish-related activities they support, the organization acknowledges that football is a global sport, and their objective is to organize and train a national Jewish football squad to represent Nigerian Jews in international competition.
The director of the IPJD, Yatov Ben Israel, remained true to their vision by attending to support the newly formed Maccabi FCN as they faced off in their inaugural match against Mehamizrac FC. After the Abuja-based team’s impressive win, he awarded Shimon Yaakov ben Avraham the man of the match recognition. In light of the team’s impressive performance, he stated that the IPJD management intends to support the team’s objective of participating in the Maccabiah games in Israel in 2025
Another proud indigenous supporter of the Maccabi Football Club is the Avraham Ben Avraham Foundation, a community-driven organisation that focuses on some of the unique needs of Jewish communities in Nigeria and beyond. Motivated by the determination and readiness of the Jewish football team, the organisation is collaborating with them to enhance media outreach and promote Jewish football in Nigeria. The A.B.A. Foundation, as stated by the management, will be working in collaboration with all parties involved, both domestically and internationally, as the collective plan to prepare the Nigerian team for the upcoming Israeli games unfolds.
As the clock ticks down with fewer than 260 days remaining until the next Israeli Olympics, the Nigerian team is eagerly anticipating the possibility of participating in the tournament. The club’s official roadmap outlines plans to register as an entity and create a website for accessing real-time progress information. On September 29, 2024, players from Maccabi FCN embarked on their recent community service efforts as reverse tashlich debuts in West Africa . Alongside the global Jewish community, they engaged in a marine conservation initiative focused on repairing the sea by organizing a beach clean-up at Jabi Lake in Abuja. The IPJD, in partnership with Abuja Jewish youth, organized the voluntary exercise to collect and dispose of debris littered around the park by the lake, receiving praise from the public. The concept of reverse tashlich centers on the idea that we pollute water bodies by tossing crumbs of bread into them. Therefore, it is logical to do a reversal action by cleaning waterfront areas to reduce plastic pollution ahead of the High Holidays. It was commendable for the members of the Maccabi FCN to engage in this community service as a team, supporting the initiative and becoming one of the first participants from Nigeria to be part of this global movement.
The Israeli Olympic Games can be a very daunting experience for those who are considered to be the underdog. To achieve success, it is necessary to put in a significant amount of effort in terms of training prior to the beginning of the competition. The Maccabi FCN has arranged a monthly schedule of training sessions and friendly matches with local Abuja teams. One such important arrangement is a proposed friendly match with an assembled team of young Israeli nationals residing in Abuja during the festival of Hanukkah. For the Nigerian team, this match is of utmost significance because it would be their first meeting with a Jewish opponent from another country, serving as a preparatory exercise in a form of simulation for their eventual participation in the Maccabiah.
Without doubt, their fate is dependent on the involvement of an influential global organization such as the Commonwealth Jewish Council, which is a strong partner of the Maccabi World Union who is responsible for organizing the multi- sport Jewish tournament every four years. While no soccer team, except South Africa, from sub-Saharan Africa, has taken part in the football at the Maccabiah games, the CJC has established collaboration with representatives in more than 15 African countries, including Cameroun, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, and Nigeria, just to mention a few. Therefore, given the opportunity to accommodate more participants in the Maccabiah going forward, the Commonwealth Jewish Council, with its extensive presence across Africa, is better positioned to influence and facilitate the possibility of achieving such a historic inclusion in the games.
Making it to Israel in this 20th edition means a lot for the Nigerian football team, as it would tremendously boost the eternal connection and affinity to the land of Israel for thousands of Igbo Jews and non-Igbo Jews residing in the West African country. Just as the Super Eagles of Nigeria command respect on the world football stage, it would not be surprising if the Jewish counterparts, despite being underdogs, pull off a major surprise. Over the years, people in this area have only witnessed trips to Israel for pilgrimage, tourism, business, education, employment as immigrants, and participation in yeshiva, aliyah, or conversion. The idea of representing the Jewish population in Nigeria as a soccer team in Israel opens up a new chapter in history, serving as a catalyst to inspire more African teams and talented athletes to dream and aspire for Jewish glory in the games.
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