Plato Academy In The Eyes Of A Storm

 Azeez Adekunle

The storm accurately depicts the travails of Plato Academy this session. To whom much is given, much is expected. Though no one has given the Philosophy Department’s football team a dime, either financially or in human capital, Plato Academy has placed itself on a high footing that warrants comparison with this adage. Over the course of three years, they have differentiated themselves from other departmental teams with their success in every elite competition they have participated in at the University of Ibadan.

Their impeccable success in the football arena of the University of Ibadan made every soccer lover in the school expect nothing less than the absolute best from Plato Academy each footballing session. Like a mantra, before the start of any football competition, the Philosophy Department team was consistently expected to either become the champion or the first runner-up. This shows the extent to which people rated the footballing abilities of Plato Academy. To further emphasize this point, Abiola Ibrahim, a football player from the Linguistics Department, made the following assertion about Plato Academy: “Top 2 in the school for the last 3 years, Best in Arts, Elite squad each year, UI standard.”

Oftentimes, some people wonder if the Philosophy Department had a slot for players in each admission year, which contributed to the growth of Plato Academy. Some believed it was based on luck. While these notions are based on assumptions, they point to the fact that Plato Academy possesses quality players. Folarin Emmanuel, a Religious Studies student, mentioned the quality players that Plato Academy has produced in the last couple of years: “In the last 2 to 3 years, Philosophy has produced some really good players like Ebuka, Samuel, Etim, Pope, Awo, Lakesjay, Prime, Keye, and Iyanu, to mention but a few. Many of these players are really good ballers.”

The above-stated players are graduates of the first and best institution. While they are now outside the four walls of the university, their exploits on the field precede them. Of particular interest among this group of players is Awolowo, popularly known as Awo. Though he shares the same name with one of Nigeria’s founding fathers, his sphere of influence is not in politics, but in soccer. Awo can be compared to a magician with the ball at his feet. He makes the attacking midfield position look so easy with his understanding of the game. He brings to life well-curated passes and set pieces that defy expectations.

Through his otherworldly set pieces, he has left many writhing in pain. If any department could forget him, Political Science (POS) would not forget him easily. His masterclass in the 2022/2023 Seals Cup final etched his name in the minds of many. “We all on campus can’t forget the famous free kick played by Awo in the 2023 Seals Cup final against Political Science,” said Adeosun Silver, a History Department football player, attesting to Awolowo’s brilliance in the final. The magnificent free-kick shattered the hearts of Political Science students in the dying minute of the game, which they went on to win through a penalty shootout.

While this is one of the many brilliant moments from last session’s graduates, one individual also stands tall with his exploits in Plato Academy: Papi, the current captain of Plato Academy and joint top scorer with 14 goals in 16 games in Seals Cup history. He is a complete No. 9 in all ramifications. His partnership with Awolowo produced magical moments, and one such moment was the third goal against History in last session’s Dean’s Cup semi-final. He rose high to head in a corner kick that cemented the victory for Plato Academy, taking them to the finals, which they won, sealing their second Dean’s Cup trophy within the space of three years.

The 2022/2023 session produced the best moments for Plato Academy. In the space of a year, the team won the Seals Cup, Dean’s Cup, Super Cup, and they were runners-up in the Super 4 tournament. Many of their players also won Inter-Faculty Gold by representing the Faculty of Arts in the Inter-Faculty Football Competition. At one point last session, they were unplayable, and many considered Plato Academy the best departmental team at the University of Ibadan.

However, in contrast, this session, things have taken a turn for the worse for the team. The Seals Cup 2024 exposed the fragility of the team. For the first time in years, the Philosophy Department team (Plato Academy) failed to qualify from the group stage of a major tournament, thus dampening their hopes of defending the Seals Cup crown they had won in style. They could only muster 4 points from a possible 9, a feat that would have been unrealistic in previous years. While this outing shocked many, their Super Cup knockout at the hands of Political Science (POS) in the quarter-final— a cup they had won the previous session—further cemented the fear of football lovers at the University of Ibadan that Plato Academy is in the eye of a storm, and this could mark the end of a golden era.

Their recent decline in form has been attributed to the loss of many key players who have graduated, and some believe that when empires reach their peak, they are bound to fall. Silver shared his view on this, emphasizing the law of nature at play: “Well, the Plato team has been amazing for the past three years. They have conquered the entire university football community, winning all possible trophies in the space of three years. This undoubtedly is great. However, we all should know that anything that goes up will come down. It is always difficult to establish and maintain a well-formidable form for more than three years, especially when players go and new players come.”

Abiola Ibrahim also shared this view, but believed they still possess a strong squad due to other aspects of the game: “They have always been a team with a philosophy of playing. They trust themselves and the process a lot of the time. They always have a good coach (picked in the department), and they always plan before each match. Their present coach once told me that whenever they have an important match, they have team preparations where all players will be present, and they’ll analyze their opponents well and make plans before they go. Though they no longer have some players they used to have, those practices will continue, and those things account for 50% of what is needed for them to win. So as I said, they are not as strong as they were in terms of player quality, but they are as strong as they were in all other aspects. So, as much as they aren’t an elite team anymore, they are still a very strong squad.”

Folarin Emmanuel, while acknowledging the impact the loss of key players has had on Plato Academy, still tipped the team to be the favorite for the Dean’s Cup: “We all know football is a game where anything can happen. Philosophy has shown how good they are and why they are a force to reckon with over the years. However, this session has not really been kind to them, owing to the fact that some of their starters have graduated, which places more burden on their talisman, Papi. Right now, I think only a few of them have campus tournament experience, and this was evident in the way they conceded two goals in the dying stage of the match against Political Science (POS) in the Super Cup. But nevertheless, they are still the favorite in the Dean’s Cup.”

Looking at the submissions above, it is true Plato Academy’s recent decline in form is a cause for concern to many and has raised eyebrows, the team needs to start winning and delivering in competitions again so it can regain its status as the best team at the University of Ibadan.