Ahmed Garba (aka:’Yaro Yaro), a former Enyimba CAF Champions League winner in 2003 and current Assistant Coach of Kano Pillars, has exclusively told Completesports.com that the widely held belief about Kano Pillars’ inspirational midfielder Rabiu Ali’s age is inaccurate.
Ali, often described as Nigeria’s oldest domestic league player at 44, was born on 27 September 1980 – six months after Nigeria’s Green Eagles lifted their first African Cup of Nations on 22 March in Lagos by defeating Algeria 3-0 in the final.
However, Yaro Yaro insists that the Sai Masu Gida midfielder is younger than reported. He attributes the confusion to a documentation error dating back to 2007, when Ali’s former club, Nasarawa United, competed in continental tournament.
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“You know, Rabiu Ali joined us from Nasarawa United. At the time, when they (Nasarawa United) were set to play in a continental competition in 2007, I think it was the CAF Champions League, a mistake was made in his CAF registration document,” explained Yaro Yaro, who is also a former Super Eagles forward.
Yaro Yaro (left) with Kano Pillars Technical Adviser, Usman Sheriff Abdallah
“When he joined us ahead of our 2009 CAF Champions League campaign, the age in his document couldn’t be changed, as it was already recorded by CAF. Any attempt to alter it would have caused more issues, so it was left as it was. Since then, people have assumed he is 44 and, therefore, considered old,” he added.
When asked by Completesports.com what age he believes Rabiu Ali might have been at that time, Yaro Yaro suggested Ali could have been between 17 and 19 years old.
“Rabiu was still a very young player then, probably around 18 or 19 years. When he joined us at Kano Pillars, there was nothing we could do to correct the age, as it was already recorded by CAF. So, I believe Rabiu is not as old as reported. It’s just a documentation mistake, which could happen to anyone.”
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Rabiu Ali has yet to respond to these claims despite several efforts to contact him, including phone calls.
Yaro Yaro also praised the impact of Ali’s reunion with former teammates Ahmed Musa and Shehu Abdullahi, noting that it has greatly benefited Kano Pillars.
“Kano Pillars has been the major beneficiary of this. Rabiu’s reunion with Musa and Shehu is not only inspiring him further but also boosting the confidence and performance of the other players. When you see the combination of Musa, Shehu, and Rabiu on the pitch, their experience and understanding show that experience is crucial in football,” Yaro Yaro concluded.
Kano Pillars are currently fifth in the NPFL table going into Sunday’s Matchday 12 clash against ninth-placed Heartland of Owerri, who have garnered 12 points from 11 matches so far.
