It was two
decades ago, at the Sanford stadium in Athens, when the footballing world stood bewildered, head in hands, thanks in no small part to the gargantuan feat a nation
had just pulled off. The Nigerian "Dream team", as they were fondly
called, had just shocked the world. A herculean task, in all its entirety, this
was football at its swashbuckling best--passion,sweat,unrelenting,victorious.
A tightly knit group of talented and determined footballers, had just sent joy
trickling down the heart and minds of many back home on the African continent. As former international,
Taribo West, famous for his unique--and sometimes scary-- dreadlocks puts it,
" the key to our comeback in the second half was our extraordinary determination".
A Brazilian soccer team, boasting the likes of Bebeto, Roberto Carlos--a squat figure,with a heavenly-gifted left foot--, the
fleet footed Ronaldo De Lima, not to mention Rivaldo, had just been treated to
a classic. They were in dreamland, while their African opponents rewrote
football's reality. The "Dream team", had just upset the apple cart,
storming from two goals down, to defeat the "Samba boys", from Brazil
4-3. A similar tale would follow, as the effervescent men, clad in green and white, defeated
a Hernan Crespo led Argentina side 3-2, coming from behind. They just won't
back down.
A new page had
been written. A new chapter opened. Indeed, Nigeria had earned its place on
the footballing map. No flat-track bullies, but rather, confidently going toe
to toe with football's "Einsteins". In a golden decade for Nigerian
football, the men's soccer team reached the knockout phase of the USA 1994
world cup--winning many plaudits along the way, with their
"football-from-heaven" style of play-- a second round finish also
ensued at France' 1998-- scoring a major upset by defeating Spain 3-2--cut
short only by a 4-1 defeat to Denmark. Ranked 5th in the world, after the 1994
world cup, noted by many as the most entertaining national side to watch, there
is no gain saying the fact that Nigerian football had the "world at its
feet". Strong performances graced the new millennium, as Nigeria narrowly
lost to Cameroon in the 2000 Africa cup
of Nations (AFCON) final-- thanks to a wrongly disallowed Victor Ikpeba goal. A third
placed finish at the 2002 African cup of nations, consolidated Nigeria's position as one of
Africa's best footballing sides. Those were the hey days of Nigerian football,
when the round-leather game offered joy and hope, and a breather from the worrisome domestic
economic downturns and mishaps. Fast forward to the present day, and those times seem a
long-gone distant memory. Many wish those days could come back.
Years of
nonchalant, purposeless, and conflict ridden management, have contrived to
place the Nation's football in a dire state. It is one thing when citizens
strive to secure the best possible lot for their country, and another, when
individuals hustle for leadership positions with the ulterior motive of self
aggrandizement, being the driving force. Indeed few nations are blessed with the
pool of football talent like Nigeria's, yet she finds herself lagging miles
behind, as the train of development sweeps through the continent and beyond. A century that had started
with so much hope, looks bleaker than ever. Consequent upon the heights of the
1996 summer Olympics, and the 1994 and 1998 FIFA world cups, not forgetting the
AFCON of 2000 and 2002, the stage was set for years of dominance by Nigeria, of
African and world football. A time for calm heads, but unfortunately,
how many were up to the task? It was almost farcically appropriate; a barrel of
premium gunpowder, and no one having a clue as to how best to light it. After
the shame of failing to qualify for the 2006 FIFA world cup, and the ignominy
of a quarter-final exit at the 2010 African cup of Nations, more disgrace was
to follow, as Nigeria missed out on the 2012 edition, staged in Equatorial-Guinea and Gabon. Sandwiched in between was the abysmal 2010 world cup campaign
in South Africa--now famous for the unbelievable open-goal miss by a certain
"Yakubu Aiyegeni". Indeed, football administration in Nigeria, has descended
into something of a farce.
A new dawn
seemed to have emerged upon the arrival of late coach Stephen Keshi (his soul
rest in peace), as he valiantly led the super Eagles, against all odds, to
glory at the AFCON 2013 in South-Africa. Defying expectations, his young,
assembled team thrived in an atmosphere of rancour and uncertainty-- The
Nigerian football Association (NFF) even booking a flight back home before the team's
quarter-final clash against tournament favourites, Ivorycoast-- Surely not a
way to go. Rather than build on the success of the 19 year wait for glory on the
continent (as Nigeria last won the Africa cup of nations in Tunisia 1994), what followed has culminated in a dark age for Nigerian football,
which many have attributed to unrest in the Nigerian football federation (NFF). A
power tussle deepened further, upon the controversial election of the Amaju
Pinnick led-board. It would be recalled that tension between former head, Aminu
Maigari and late coach Stephen Keshi, led to the latter's resignation after the
AFCON success. Subsequently, amidst the diatribes, and back-and-forth accusations, the super Eagles failed to qualify to defend their
2013 AFCON title.
A round of
sixteen finish at the Brazil 2014 world cup followed, despite the haphazard
nature of preparations. Eventually late coach, Stephen Keshi lost his
job--amidst accusations of months of unpaid salaries by the NFF-- but the
problems proved to run even deeper. On came the "African Guardiola", Sunday Oliseh,
so expertly named on paper only, as his inexperience and lack of technical
nous, belied imagination, to even think he was considered for the Super Eagles
job in the first place. Amaju Pinnick was quoted at the new coach's unveiling ceremony saying, " let me tell
you that we are just presenting to you the Pep Guardiola of Africa... we know
as a federation that Sunday Oliseh will deliver". On hindsight, what an
awful comparison it was. Even the tactics savvy Spaniard-- Pep Guardiola-- must
have been offended by such an out-of-place comparison. The rest they say is
history.
For the first
time in the Nigeria's football history, she has failed to qualify for the 2017
Africa cup of Nations, as the cadet teams, the National Under-20 and U-17 sides
failed to qualify for their respective African age grade competitions, simultaneously. Thus,
starving youngsters the opportunity of showcasing themselves at the next FIFA
U-20 and U-17 world cups-- a platform that catapulted Manchester city star,
Kelechi Iheanacho to success. On came the appointment of German coach Gernot
Rohr, upon the sacking of the incompetent Sunday Oliseh. But the 2018 FIFA world cup qualification campaign comes just as the Amaju
Pinnick NFF led-board have come out moaning about the lack of funds. Ironic
indeed. A supposed lack of funds, and yet the NFF could recently afford to host new FIFA
president, Gianni Infantino and his entourage, in a five-star hotel in Abuja,
while U-23 coach, Samson Siasia is being owed a backlog of salaries. Appalling.
The neglect of the Olympics men football side, at the just concluded Rio 2016
Olympics, further begs the question, why?
How can a
nation's football side be devoid of meaningful and gainful sponsorship, just
three years after being the best side in Africa, and two years on, from being among the sixteen best sides in world football? Why should there be shortage
of sponsors, for a side that boast precocious talents such as Alex Iwobi, Kelechi
Iheanacho, Odion Ighalo, but to mention a few? It is highly indicative of
financial and marketing incompetency of the Amaju Pinnick NFF led-board. What
happened to the allocation received from FIFA, upon qualification for the 2014
FIFA showpiece in Brazil? Or the money due the national team, from sponsorship
agreements signed? Why enter into an unprofitable and disadvantageous
partnership with sponsors, rather than scour for pregnant opportunities? A backlog of curious questions begging for reasoned answers. All these, while the Chris Giwa faction
and Amaju Pinnick leadership tussle, over the reins of the NFF, rages on.
As the National
Under-17 women side, exit at the group stages of the FIFA U-17 world cup,
without scoring a single goal in the process, the state of Nigeria's football
calls for curious and microscopic examination. Enough drawing boards have been
carved out, and gone back to. These perilous times, call for an overhaul of
the footballing system in the country, and a state of emergency declared in the
sector. Indeed, the "big hammer", that FIFA might wield, by way of
sanctions, should be warmly embraced, as it is just what the football house
needs. Reorganization. Square pegs should be put in square holes, and eschew
the dubious practice of having persons who have little or no requisite
knowledge of football, being allowed to run the sporting affairs in the country. Toes will be threaded upon,
but yes, that should be the beginning of the end, for clueless and incompetent
football officials, running the sport in Nigeria.
The people deserve better. The players who
turn down the seductive advances of other powerful nations, to come don the Jersey
of their motherland deserve better. Verily, the blood and sweat of our
"fallen heroes" past, deserve better. The time is nigh, as a sport
with the power to unite, such as football, faces the harsh reality of disappearing into the
wilderness. Enough of "talking the talk", it is time to "walk
the work", and make hay while the sun shines.
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