Football Riddles: 20 Questions for the Viewing Centre
Twenty football riddles in three rounds, from the laws of the game to Naija wahala and World Cup history. Tap to reveal each answer.
Twenty riddles in three rounds. Read the question, make your guess, then tap to reveal the answer. No Googling. Pele is watching.
Round 1: Proper football riddles
I have 32 black-and-white patches in the traditional design, but I am neither a chessboard nor a die. What am I?
A football. The classic design has 12 black pentagons and 20 white hexagons.
A team scores three goals, concedes three, yet nobody scores a hat-trick. How is that possible?
The goals were shared out. Different players scored, so nobody got three.
A goalkeeper saves a penalty, but the referee orders it to be retaken. Why might that happen?
The goalkeeper came off the line too early, before the ball was kicked.
A player takes a corner kick and the ball goes straight into the opposing goal without anyone touching it. What is awarded?
A goal. You can score directly from a corner.
A player is standing in an offside position but receives the ball directly from a goal kick. Is he penalised for offside?
No. There is no offside directly from a goal kick, a corner or a throw-in.
A match finishes 1–1. One team wins the penalty shootout 5–4. What is the official match score after 90 minutes?
1–1. The shootout decides who goes through, not the score.
Can a player score directly from a throw-in?
No. If the ball goes straight into the opponents’ goal, it is a goal kick.
A defender deliberately passes the ball to his goalkeeper with his foot. The goalkeeper picks it up. What is the decision?
An indirect free kick to the other team, from where the goalkeeper handled it.
Round 2: Naija football wahala
Comic riddles, with a little familiar Nigerian football culture thrown in.
My club has lost five matches in a row, but I insist that the coach needs another transfer window. Who am I?
A fan who believes the solution is always one more signing.
Before kick-off, I predict 3–0. After losing 2–0, I explain that the referee, the pitch and the weather conspired against us. Who am I?
A football pundit with an excuse for every result.
I have been “90 per cent completed” for three months. My medical is always tomorrow, but my unveiling never comes. What am I?
A transfer rumour.
When my team wins, I say we won. When we lose, I ask what the coach has done for us lately. Who am I?
A fair-weather fan.
I am the only football match where everybody is a coach, every missed chance is a crime, and every substitute is a mistake. Where am I?
A Nigerian football viewing centre. Or the fan debate afterwards.
Round 3: Nigerian and world football history
Real answers. Keep score if you dare.
Which country did Nigeria defeat to win its first Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980?
Algeria. Nigeria won the final 3–0 in Lagos.
Who captained Nigeria to its first Olympic men’s football gold medal in 1996?
Nwankwo Kanu.
Which Nigerian scored the winning goal in the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations final?
Emmanuel Amunike. He scored both goals in the 2–1 win over Zambia.
Which country won the first men’s FIFA World Cup in 1930?
Uruguay.
Who scored the famous ‘Hand of God’ goal at the 1986 World Cup?
Diego Maradona.
Which African country became the first to reach a men’s World Cup quarter-final?
Cameroon, at Italia ’90.
Who scored the fastest goal in men’s World Cup history, after approximately 11 seconds, in 2002?
Hakan Şükür of Turkey, against South Korea.
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