Panaji: Churchill Brothers FC posted a teaser on social media that grabbed everyone’s attention.“One surname. Decades of skipped heartbeats. Unforgettable memories for Goans, and nightmares for rivals. The country. The name. The legacy. It’s only a matter of time before an OKOLI dons the Red again. It was always meant to be,” the club said in a recent post.Okoli, or rather Okolie, rings an instant bell for anyone who has followed Churchill Brothers over the years. From among the countless Nigerian players the club has signed – starting with Chibuzor Nwakanma in 1996 – there’s one name that has always stood out. It’s Odafa Okolie, without a doubt, the greatest to have represented the club.Now, like the club teased, there’s another Okoli. It’s John.Churchill have completed the signing of Nigerian striker John Okoli, a player who has proved himself in multiple leagues across Africa, Europe and Asia. His last assignment was in Libya where he represented Al Hilal in the CAF Champions League.“It wasn’t easy for us to secure his signature,” a senior official told TOI on Sunday. “The boy had offers from Bashundhara Kings (a cash-rich club from Bangladesh) and almost decided to return to Egypt, but we spoke to him and told him the story of Nigerian players at the club, how Odafa landed here and created history. He was convinced.”Odafa, one of the most dominant strikers in Indian football, had two stints with Churchill and won the club three trophies in a single year, 2009 – Durand Cup, I-League and IFA Shield – scoring almost 50 goals. He won the Golden Boot for three years in a row in the NFL/I-League between 2006 and 2009, scoring 18, 22 and 24 respectively in the top tier league.John Okoli surely has big boots to fill.Okoli, 29, began his professional career with MFM FC in the Nigerian Professional Football League and moved to Cyprus the next season. It was in 2021 that he shot to fame scoring 18 goals in 22 games for Saif Sporting Club in the Bangladesh Premier League.His noteworthy performance resulted in a move to Mokawloon Al Arab SC, for whom he made 48 appearances in the Egyptian Premier League. Stints with Asswehly SC (Libya), Al Karma SC (Iraq), Al Hilal Benghazi (Libya) followed, before Churchill convinced him to move to India.Churchill will make their debut in the Indian Super League (ISL) this season after Tata Steel approved the transfer of its 100% stake in Jamshedpur FC to the Goan club. The club has signed three other foreign players in Sebastian Gutierrez (Colombia), Wayde Lekay (South Africa) and Dramane Salou (Burkina Faso).
