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Ebenezer Bajela
Former England player of Nigerian descent, John Fashanu, is set to receive an honorary award 34 years after guiding FC Wimbledon to their FA Cup triumph, The PUNCH reports.
Fashanu was part of the ‘Crazy Gang’ Wimbledon side that shocked Liverpool to win the 1988 FA Cup.
Wimbledon had enjoyed a meteoric rise in English football, only winning promotion to the old fourth division in 1978, before gaining three consecutive promotions in just four seasons.
But even though they were an established First Division side at the time, few gave them a chance going into that final against one of the greatest teams in England.
In celebration of the 1988 team, Wimbledon, before the kick-off of Saturday’s League Two game against Barrow will honour Fashanu and the other players.
Speaking with The PUNCH from England, the 59-year-old said, “It is a great honour that I have been invited with my family to receive an honorary award.
“I am so elated and I can’t thank the club enough for the gesture.
“The FA Cup in 1988 was the biggest domestic football match in the world and we had 100,000 fans at Wembley watching and about 100,000,000 people around the world watching as well.
“That was the biggest and most exciting day of my life because nobody thought that we would ever be able to contest, let alone beat the mighty Liverpool, not even the media and the bookies. Nobody thought that we will beat Liverpool but there we were, 90 minutes later we beat them 1-0. It was a wonderful moment and opportunity.”