Striker: Dominic Iorfa

• Born: 1^st October 1968
• Height: 6'0"
• Weight: 13 stone
• Previous clubs:
  • Nigeria: BCC Lions, Abiola Babes, Ranchers Bees
  • Belgium: Antwerp
  • England: QPR, Peterborough Utd., Southend United (1994-96, 1999)
  • Scotland: Falkirk
  • Hong Kong: Instant-Dict
  • China: Guangzhou Apollo
  • Hong Kong: Hong Kong Rangers
• Former Nigerian international (21 caps), played in the 1988 Olympic Games. Last cap was against Mexico in the Continental Cup's 3^rd place play-off

Further details may be available from:

• The Nigerian Super Eagles site, if you can find them.
• Nigerian Professional Players Abroad

He appears to have last been at Hong Kong Rangers in the First Division where he scored five goals between 10^th and 27^th March. (I've not looked for much more but a search on AltaVista proved fruitful.)

A Falkirk site describes him as one of two players who arrived there having never been seen by the manager. That one of them, Tony Finnigan, has turned out to be decent is something of a bonus.

Apparently, Dom brought with him pace, height and the unenviable record of not having scored in 18 months [sounds like an ideal man for Southend then :-( ]. Stories abound that Dom was really an athlete— a sprinter of 400 metre runner— regrettably, it doesn't really look like he was a footballer.

To be fair, it does appear as though he did some sterling work in Hong Kong but my only knowledge of their footballing prowess comes from the game that Hong Kong Golden played against England just before Euro 96.

A contributor to the Southend United mailing list has said that:

When he played for us before he was absolutely useless. At the time one of the West Bank attendants told me he was an imposter and that we had actually signed his brother, Daniel Iorfa, in error.

Dominic's family still live in Southend, having remained there while he travelled. He now plays in the Ryman League.

Bob Sills writes:

I was watching Soccer AM again and heard a Ryman League player ring in to reveal that when his team played Aylesbury recently a certain Dominic Iorfa was sent-off— before actually stepping onto the field of play! Apparently he took offence to the linesman asking for his name, told him where to go and, with one foot still behind the touchline, the Lion of Lagos was duly sent-off.