SOUTH AFRICA 2010: WHY NIGERIA MAY NOT MAKE IT
By Olabode Ayodele
The first World Football Competition to be held in the African Continent is scheduled for next year in South Africa, but this writer is of the honest view that Nigeria’s flag may not be hosted as one of the qualifiers.
This is not as a result of the first qualifying match in which Nigeria was lucky to get a barren draw against the Mozambican team, but because of many factors, one of which is the rapidly falling standards of the game in Nigeria. It is scary that many respected sports analysts in Nigeria are very much asleep to see that the so called Nigerian stars abroad are not doing very well.
The grouping of Nigeria for the last leg of qualification by International Football Federation was greeted with joy by many Nigerians some months back. The most popular writers, some former football greats wrote off other participants in Nigeria’s group. This writer, quickly in discussions with some of these writers, and also in write-ups in some Nigerian Newspapers noted Tunisia as the main threat to Nigeria’s qualification.
Before going into the main fears over Nigeria’s qualification for South Africa, let us look at the local development of football in Nigeria. The Football League in Nigeria has almost been completely abandoned by Nigerians with over concentration on the foreign football leagues, especially the Premier League. Most Nigerian youths and football lovers now follow the Premier League more than the local football leagues. This is a sad reflection of the dying development of the game in Nigeria. There is an urgent need to arouse interest in the local leagues of Nigeria so that most participants in it will have some passionate attachment.
Does it bother the Football powers in Nigeria that the local leagues are no longer exciting? Are they doing anything to excite the interest of the players and the fans again?
The Nigeria Football Federation as it is now called needs to go beyond and above to bring out new talents from the local league and this is possible when fans are attracted to its events; and several other encouragements given at all levels toward talent developments.
It will be further football retrogression for Nigeria if she misses out from the first World Cup to be staged in Africa. On the other hand, every thing seems psychologically right for the main opponent of Nigeria in her group – Tunisia.
Can Nigeria defeat Tunisia in Tunis? If Nigeria could only survive Mozambique with the grace of the referee, one should only hope that our bench warming 'star' players will be able to defeat Tunisia in Nigeria. It is also important that matches involving Nigeria and other countries be returned to Lagos where very critical audience is assured. The players need that type of audience to push the players to perform to expectation.
Nigerians should be honest with the situation. John Masteroudes of the famed Leventis United Football Club of Ibadan has been sounding a serious note of warning for a long time. It appears no one cares to listen or most people having control of Nigerian Football are deaf. The standard of Nigerian football has been going down the ladder since the departure of the last members of the glorious 1994 World cup team. There are no longer ready talents to replace our over glorified or undeserving ‘stars’ who play second fiddle roles in their clubs around the world.
The days when Kalu Nwankwo was playing regularly for Arsenal; Okocha playing for his too, or Finidi dazzling every week for his club and many others are missing.
To people who watch all European leagues every week like this writer, most Nigerian players are very far away from the time pictured above.
Even to those who manage to play regularly, we can not compare their actions to what we had when Kanu dribbled the whole Milan defense at San Siro to score great goals, or when he single handedly disabled the Chelsea Football Club while donning Arsenal shirt. Nigeria needs another Kanu so as to allow the current Kanu to voluntarily retire from the Eagles. It is necessary for another Yekini to show up so that the likes of Obafemi, Odenigwe and the likes will know whether to improve or stay away from the National team. It is also important that another Okocha shows up, and another defensive player like Olisehis urgently required, to let the present pretenders know that Nigeria is crying for great performers.
We see Obafemi Martins perform when ever he is on, in the English Premier, and most times you do not see a total performer. The only guy, whose plays could be chosen with great difficulty, as close to what the glorious players of the past gave, is Joseph Yobo. Even at that, I doubt if he would have made a position in the back if we were to have the 1994 defense back in place.
It is pathetic that those who are supposed to know better are always concurring that the Eagles are fine when they are not. These highly respected ex-players or coaches are always talking about leaving the situation as it is. It will be a surprise if they could come around again to speak from another corner of their mouths when the Eagles are no where to be found in South Africa.
Great thanks to Coach Tunde Disu; and others like him. These people have exhibited enough honesty to say that the present Eagles are paper weight.
Emmanuel Amuneke whose glorious career was cut short by injury has also hit the nail in the head by alerting Nigerians that the quality players are missing.
To this author, the Eagles (super? NO) have a slim chance of being in South Africa even if they had won the game against Mozambique. Some thing tells me that if Eagles had beaten Mozambique after the defeat of Kenya by Tunisia, they will still prove their unreliability later.
The old adage says as you lay your bed, you lay on it. Where are the players to take Nigeria to South Africa? Where are the new players to take over from the present sub-standard crop parading the national teams? Where is the modus-operandi of the Nigeria Football Federation? Will Nigeria ever allow round pegs in round holes?
With due respect, it is my considered opinion that Shaibu Amodu is not the man to lead Eagles. IF an indigenous coach is the choice of Nigeria, the guy needs to be one of the modern hands who understands the latest language in Football coaching and administration. This is because the new crop of coaches of Siasia, Amuneke, Oliseh and many others understand the language of soccer better than the old crop. These are players who have won cups and played the game to a reasonably distinguished level.
Importantly, it has always been the suggestion of this author that Nigeria hires a foreign expert with the sole tasks of discovering new talents and helping to develop the game in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Football Federation as presently acting, are drawing back the standard of the game by displaying senseless patriotism when not needed.
It is necessary to emulate the English who dropped their unnecessary clinging to patriotism in appointing an Italian to change their fortunes in soccer. The suggestion of the new crop of coaches of Siasia generation is because of the refrain by some Nigerians for an indigenous coach.Nigeria can afford a good foreign coach. Getting good results in sports is a sure of rebranding the country, and spending money towards this, should be seen as a worthy expense.
The first option of this author will still be a foreign football coach, and if it becomes important to pick an indigenous coach, can Westerhoff who understands the Nigerian environment, and has been involved in developing the game be appointed to train the new crop of coaches? At least, he is a Dutch-Nigerian.
It is sad that Nigeria may not be at the South African Competition by 2010, but it will be good if the Football controllers in Nigeria curtail the down the ladder slide of Nigerian soccer today, by doing away with all sentiments to see that there is no light in the tunnel.
It is time to discover new talents who will be hungry for success or stardom in the National team. It is time to develop the Nigerian Football so that new greats can come up and remake the Nigerian image in soccer. It will be great to have Nigerian players doing very well in European Leagues around the world, imstead of sub-standard displays the present chunk put up every week.
Mozambique has just rubbished Nigeria, who knows what Kenya is going to do? Where are the new players to engage the next matches? Lagos should be made to host Nigerian matches, and the senseless moving of matches around for money should be stopped. Let the Nigerian players get used to a playing field, instead of making them strange to playing fields like visitors. It is hoped that these chair warmers at the Football towers are listening!
A thorough appraisal of every position in the present set up will cry for new players with the exception of the goal keeping , and perhaps in the earlier mentioned position in the back which needs strengthening.
Nigeria could start preparing for 2014 with upcoming players from the local leagues and other national teams.
Olabode Ayodele,
bishopbode@hotmail.com
Atlanta, Georgia
