The Nation Newspaper

Category: Ade Ojeikere

  • Arrested development

    Arrested development

    Ade Ojeikere

     

    NIGERIAN players in Europe are bad students of history, especially those home-grown lads who grew into international prominence playing for the country’s youth teams. Having hit it big, they forget how they got to the top, making their growth in Europe appear to be stunted. In other climes, rookies’ growth are monitored such that they play through such countries’ age-grade teams until they hit stardom in the country’s flagship squad – the senior team. Not so here because our young boys think they are wiser to be led. They only remember home when they run into trouble.

    When other countries’ youth soccer teams win the ultimate prize, the world awaits the products of such teams to hit the top because their country’s football federations have their details which are jealously kept in the event of disputes. That is what FIFA’s laws provide for since they are tagged minors. But age-grade lads whose first international passports were bought by the soccer federation suddenly don’t think it is wise to route their exit to the European game through the federation’s path.

    Unfortunately, those expecting such players to rock Europe with their sublime skills watch in awe as they melt away like ice-cream left under the scorching sun. Why would young boys exported to Europe playing for Nigeria suddenly sneak out using the same documents to European countries on the ticket of shylock agents and scouts? In many instances, the agents or scouts exploit their naivety to unknowingly sign off their future. It underscores the extinction of most of the lads who won the FIFA U-17 World Cup diadem for Nigeria.

    Happily, NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, has reacted to the tales of some sleazy practices by some persons who demand monies from parents of young players to put their wards in the camp of the U-17 Boys National Team, Golden Eaglets. Is anyone surprised? When you do things without setting standards, this is what you get. NFF needs to standardise all the youth soccer academies if we truly want to get players whose ages we can vouch for. The archaic method of throwing the camp open to pick young boys and girls to play for Nigeria is not only laughable but also encourages such sharp practices.

    According to Sanusi: “We have given strict instructions to the coaches of the U-17 National Team, to the effect that no parent or agent or player-manager, or anyone under any guise or pretext should pay any money to have their ward in the camp. Everything must be based on merit, from the invitation of players to camp to those who eventually make the team for any match or competition.

    “The NFF is monitoring the situation and will not hesitate to go as far as prosecuting any individual who engages in the exchange of money or other gratification to have players in camp, even a parent. This is a very serious warning and we are not joking.”

    “I have decided to centre this warning around the U-17 team because this is where the practice appears to be most rampant. However, it applies to all the National Teams. The U-20 National Team is also in the camp, and the coaches have been handed similar instructions.

    “Anyone found to be offering or collecting gratification to have a player in camp or make a team would face the full wrath of the law.”

    Good talk Sanusi. We need to increase the pool of good players at that level in Nigeria if we truly want to develop the game here. It is a shame that in the 21st Century, players could still saunter into the national camp with various excuses they can’t confront their clubs with. NFF needs to truly discover, nurture, and expose our young boys and girls. and it starts with monitoring them after being exposed to the world. This includes getting to participate in their contract signing arrangement by seeing what they are finally given to sign. This writer isn’t asking NFF chieftains to sell these boys. No. Just vet what they are about to sign to avoid slavish contracts. Of course, the NFF could urge the players to insert the clause which guarantees them easy exit from their clubs to play for their fatherland where there are fixture clashes. Other African nationals do so. Why not Nigeria?

    We have been through this disgusting path before. Did I hear you ask which path and when? Here is it – players being held back by their European clubs from honouring the country’s international matches. I dislike using the phrase – club versus country because such things hardly happen to players from organised football nations. Nigeria’s case is peculiar since our players find it difficult to toe the path of other established stars. For instance, I always marvel reading about the calibre of players under the fold of Jose Mourinho’s agent. With such an agent, players would always find clubs all through their careers going by the agent’s pedigree in the business.

    It smacks of failure of leadership when stories which suggest that European clubs are proposing to stop Nigerian internationals from playing specific matches because there is a fixture clash with their club’s games. One is puzzled over our players’ silence when it comes to signing contracts since such documents go a long way in deciding how they relate with the clubs thereafter. My pain rests with the fact that our players have failed to involve the NFF in their contract agreements before they are signed. They remember later in their contracts’ lifespan that they have a federation, only in their troubled times.

    Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah of Liverpool easily leave the cub for their national team’s assignment because they have in their contracts clauses that make playing for their countries, one which the club cannot object to. In fact, Liverpool is already sulking over the proposal by Egypt to take Salah to the Olympics, knowing the effects of his absence on the team’s fortunes. It baffles this writer why our players don’t remember to insert this vital clause in their contracts before they are signed.

    Twenty four hours after other countries release their squad lists for matches, their high profile players are seen training with others. Such sessions with all the invitees help the countries to play very well and win games with goals, not nail-biting performances like we see with the Super Eagles. There is little a coach can do when his key players report late to the training camp, citing such mundane issues as travelling difficulties. It also raises the poser why only our players suffer such hitches. We have instances where our players, having been released by their clubs, choose to visit their families in Nigeria before heading to camp. This act of indiscipline affects the team’s quality of play which most fans ascribe to the manager’s poor technical savvy. How do you teach students who are always late to attend lectures?

    These latecomers for the country’s assignments are the first to report back to Europe knowing what awaits them if they offer such flimsy excuses as missed flights or delays in finding connecting flights to their bases. An invitee whose last club game was the preceding Saturday or Sunday should be in camp in the next 48 hours if he truly wants to behave as a professional. This idea of players sauntering into the camp when they like says a lot about the kind of manager we have. If the manager can’t stem the tide, then the federation must address the players on the need to be in camp early.

    It is bad enough the there isn’t enough time between their club matches and ours. But they should know that the national team platform is key to their careers since most European clubs have them on their payrolls because they are internationals.

    Some set of players can’t religiously report to the camp early, especially those who are regulars in their European clubs, yet latecomers report a day to matches and get selected for games. It portends an Animal Farm setting which isn’t good for team bonding just as it encourages indiscipline from the group.

    The only reason the manager can give for this kind of unwholesome setting is that he knows his first-team players. Such teams don’t win titles because in no time players’ spirit to compete for shirts would be dampened. Only competitive teams win titles or trophies.

    Beating Sierra Leone with our armada of foreign players doesn’t suggest growth. Rather, it translates to some form of arrested development, especially as we have won the FIFA U-17 World Cup several times. Countries measure the growth of their football by the number of home-grown stars who play for their senior sides. The only thing to cheer in the Super Eagles today is that Gernot Rohr has successfully spotted young and strong players whose ages we can vouch for unlike in the past the is crowded with players who submit sworn affidavits to authenticate their ages.

     

  • Is Messi a brat?

    Is Messi a brat?

    By Ade Ojeikere

    SO much has been revealed about Lionel Messi’s prowess on-and-off the ball since his romance with the beautiful game began years ago. Indeed, his mercurial displays during matches have left the world gaping how such a lad defies his physical deficiencies to light up venues where he has been a beauty to watch. Messi has been a talking point in most records in the game. He is either breaking existing records or setting new ones, depending on the opposition. But it is his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo that has taken the statistics of the game to its zenith.

    Messi is the current highest earner at the club, with the Argentine superstar pocketing around £500,000 per week (£26m per year). Next is Antoine Griezmann on £294,000 per week (£15.3m per year). Indeed, the world stood still following the trends of what would have been the biggest transfer in the summer, had Messi succeeded in changing clubs to Manchester City. Messi’s exit would have commenced the gradual movement of big stars to other leagues.

    This star trek would have moulded the minds of players choosing any of the big clubs in Spain. Real Madrid and Barca have in the last decades produced some of the most exciting football players to watch. Both clubs go the extra mile to beef up their squads, most times anticipatory of the clashes between both sides each season. The world stands still whenever the teams are pitched against the other, irrespective of where the matches are played in Spain. But former FC Barcelona boss Quique Setien introduced a new twist in the tail of Messi’s enviable career by suggesting that the immensely talented player is a brat. Messi a brat, not an unapologetic match winner?

    According to Mundo Deportivo, Messi questioned the tactics of Setien following  disappointing results, urging the coach to have respect for the players who have won more than him. ‘’If you don’t like what I said, you know where the door is,’’ Setien responded, to which Messi reportedly laughed. Setien was sacked after their humiliating 8-2 Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich last season.

    In an interview with El Pais, Setien also said that managing the enormous talent of Messi was tricky – comparing his star power to that of Michael Jordan in the Netflix documentary, The Last Dance.

    “I think Messi is the best of all time,” Setien said. “There have been other players who have been great but the continuity that this boy has had throughout the years has not been had by anyone. “Leo is difficult to manage. Who am I to change him? If they have accepted him as he is for years and has not changed him.’’

    Really? Is this not another aspect of Messi’s career that has been hidden for so long? In the past, big players recruited into FC Barcelona have had tough times dealing with Messi’s stranglehold on the team’s tactics, which eventually affects their integration into the team. In no time, such celebrated recruits in other clubs end up being sold and tagged failures. The talk of Messi participating in FC Barcelona’s recruitment is cheap. It is global practice for clubs with stars of Messi’s stature. Such big players’ views are required since they serve as coaches for the teams on the field and know good players when they see one. It is no use splashing cash on players who would end up sitting on the bench. Messi’s pivotal role in

    Barca’s matches makes him the biggest stakeholder in the squad. Take out Messi’s goals and see why his words should be the rule. Whenever Messi isn’t fit, Barca cannot play. Messi playing for Barca comes with a fear factor to the oppositions they face. Messi is the team’s poster boy. He deserves respect from the team’s coaches.

    Messi simply continued the dynasty of exceptionally talented ex-Barcelona stars who created the platform which he enjoys today. FC Barcelona is a factory for producing great players from their nursery. FC Barcelona is an institution. Messi has an ally in the team’s new helmsman Koeman, a Barca legend who doesn’t have any problems with his captain, pointing out that: ‘’I respect all opinions. For me Leo is the best player in the world, I am seeing his ambition and winning character.

    ‘’I have no difficulties to lead [him]. He is the captain and I talk to him every week. I see things differently from Setien and I do not agree [with his opinion],’’ Koeman said ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with Dynamo Kiev.

    “His discontent with the club was clear, but in the end, it worked out, and from the moment he said [he will stay] he’s done everything expected of him,” Koeman told Dutch channel NOS recently.

    Messi has done so much for Barca and vice versa. He needs to be encouraged to give his best always irrespective of the fact that his game has slowed down due to age. Anyone expecting a repeat of Messi’s brilliance in his heydays is asking for too much. If Messi feels strongly that he needs to exit from Barca at the expiration of his contract, it is wise for the team’s management to accord the legend the best ceremonial exit that would be envied by all teams.

    Messi was a commercial success for Barcelona. His presence in the squad in the last decade has attracted several big stars, who ordinarily would have looked elsewhere had Messi not being in FC Barcelona. Is Messi truly the problem with FC Barcelona? Put differently, can FC Barcelona’s problems be entirely Messi’s fault?

    ‘’The club is the way it is right now,’’ Pique said in his post-match interview. ‘’There’s a process of change that was necessary. We have needed to turn things around.

    ‘’There was an obvious trend of things getting worse every year. We don’t have a lot of time, but we need things to improve. You can’t have a transitional year at Barcelona. There will be a new board and with that, there will be a lot of changes in the coming months.’’

    Looking at the LaLiga table underscores the fact that part of the problems at FC Barcelona has been addressed with the club’s improved second position in the domestic league. the team is back on track in its group games for the UEFA Champions League.

    Messi can function anywhere on the pitch. All that he desires playing for Barca is a squad of immensely talented players whose performance could take the pressure off him since he is  the marked man during matches. Messi is a serial and has been left in what looks like a trance

    whenever Barca loses a game, especially the scandalous score-lines.

    “We have to be united and assume the best is yet to come,” Messi said hopefully. Well said

    Messi, although many have argued that he has one year, one shot at the crown. Hmmm!

    Interestingly, a few others have asked the question; could this be Messi’s Last Dance?

  • Guardiola, Arteta et al

    Guardiola, Arteta et al

    Ade Ojeikere

     

    The Barclays English Premier League has been characterised with shocking results, drama, and massive complaints about the effectiveness of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) equipment, which many thought would resolve all the contentious decisions which the human eyes couldn’t capture due to the speed of the ball. But VAR’s recent decisions could quicken the exit of some prominent coaches, if not properly addressed. This writer has been head wondering if the Manchester City in 13th has as its manager Pep Guardiola. No wonder Pochettino’s name is being bandied as likely replacement for the 2021 season. Many would argue that five weeks is too early to raise the alarm. But, this is how such movements start.

    No doubt, this is Guardiola’s team’s worst placing at the beginning of any league competition after five matches. Guardiola’s teams are top performers placing between the second and fourth, making Citizens’ current 13th placing unacceptable. Guardiola’s coaching career has been marked with successes, winning the league diadems in Spain, Germany, and England. In fact, Guardiola’s movement to Manchester City was informed by the team’s management’s decision to get a manager who could guide the Citizens to win its first UEFA Champions League trophy. Guardiola wasn’t recruited to lift the Barclays English Premier League trophy nor was he paid so handsomely to cart home the Carabao Cup or English FA Cup because some other coaches had done so.

    Guardiola  came to the blue side of Manchester with an intimidating coaching profile which gave him the edge over other coaches, having won the Champions League with FC Barcelona.  Manchester City has won its first two matches in the UEFA Champions League, first against Porto at home beating the Portuguese side 2-0 and then on Tuesday drubbing Marseille FC in France 3-0. Victories against Porto and Marseille by Manchester City should be a piece of cake, given the quality of stars in both teams.

    Truth be told that Manchester City isn’t as formidable as it used to be . since skipper Vincent  Kompany left the Citizens, he hasn’t been replaced with a defender with his towering qualities. and it showed in the way the club conceded goals last season. Guardiola has also missed Kompany’s leadership qualities on and off the pitch. Many won’t forget Kompany’s long-range belter against Leicester which ensured that Citizens clinched the English Premier League diadem in the 2018/2019 season. Indeed, teams have found a way around Manchester City’s style of playing from the back with the goalkeeper throwing the ball to the nearest man who is free. What these teams have done is to sit back to collect the ball and launch a counter attack which Guardiola’s side have found difficult to handle.

    Manchester City used to be a delight to watch especially their midfield anchored on Leroy Sane’s and David Silva’s sublime skills and visionary passes to release strikers Gabriel Jesus and Kun Aguero to score goals with aplomb. With the quartet missing, Citizens have lost its fear factor among teams they have faced since the season began.  many are pinching to find out why Guardiola didn’t invade the summer transfer market for capable replacements.

    Guardiola knows good players. Manchester City’s owners know how to spend big money on players who they think can improve on the team’s current position. Are the criticisms being waved aside by Guardiola and the team’s owners? Certainly not.

    “We have to accept the criticism. We play every three days, when you win it’s good. But, if you don’t, people want to destroy everything. But it’s about the chairman and everyone else understanding (the situation),” said Guardiola.

    “Part of the criticism was right, but you’ve got to accept it. It’s part of our job. It’s about where we’ve come from in the last month, with lack of preparation, injuries, and COVID-19. But the Champions League is in a good place now. I’m sure we’re going to find that consistency.”

    Indeed, Guardiola sees light at the end of the tunnel given the way his team played against Marseille in France on Wednesday stressing that: “We played really well, we didn’t concede much and we were in control, patient and aggressive without the ball. I’m so satisfied with the performance and result, it’s always difficult to win away.”

    “We can play on both sides, we tried to play high and wide to stretch the pitch. Raheem Sterling was exceptional, Phil (Foden) as well. We didn’t expect them to play five at the back until we saw the team. FC Porto was the same. As much as we play against five at the back we started to take control and rhythm. We were so stable defensively. I’m so satisfied with the way we played, “ Guardiola said.

    Well said, Guardiola. Coaches are as good as their last games, dear Guardiola. Winning the Champions League with Manchester City improves on your Curriculum Vitae (CV). It also improves your bargaining power if you decide to leave. Of course, any European club gunning for Guardiola after lifting the Champions League must break the bank, knowing that the Citizens won’t sit and watch the exit of a cup winning manager, except he insists he must leave for greener pastures as they always say.

    Guardiola’s former assistant at Manchester City Arteta improved on Arsenal’s profile after he replaced Emery, winning the 2019/2020 English FA Cup, beating Chelsea 2-1. Arteta led the Gunners to beat former European champions on penalties to lift the Community Shield.

    Arteta showed he learned enough from his former boss, winning the support of Gunners’ fans worldwide. But Arteta wants to burn his candles on both ends with his unsparing decisions which could haunt him. He should please listen to the voices of competent coaches and managers on the need to forgive Ozil and return him to the fold, possibly in January.

    Arteta’s highhandedness towards established stars could ruin the Gunners, whose fans may opt to fly the white flag for his exit. They did it to Arsenal Wenger. The call for Arteta’s sack looks imminent, especially after Arsenal’s home loss to Leicester on Sunday night. it was the first time the Foxes would beat Arsenal at home in 47 years. The cry among most Gunners fans is the need for Arteta to explain the exclusion of Ozil from the squad, considering how the team has played this season. They reckon that Ozil would have given this squad the width and drive in the midfield with his defence-splitting passes to free the strikers to score goals with aplomb, as they did in the Wenger era.

    Already, Arteta has admitted his mistake in not registering William Saliba for the Europa League competition. Arteta registered 25 players leaving out Saliba, a grave error now that Arsenal are short of personnel due to injuries to key players such as David Luiz, Rob Holding, Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari.

    ‘’I feel really bad for William Saliba,’ Arteta said. ‘’Because we had so many central defenders, we decided to leave him out of the squad which was really hurtful for me to do.

    ‘’I was hoping that Pablo would be back in two weeks but he had a setback and then we don’t have Pablo and we don’t have William when he’s fit and available to play. But when you make those decisions, you can’t always think about every possible outcome.’’

    Lesson learned Arteta. You may also listen to Willian’s complaints about some of your tactics and changes during matches which have left him frustrated, using the player’s exact words. Willian distinguished himself at Chelsea, with the Brazilian replicating his club form with the Samba Boyz.

    Willian’s move to Arsenal was heralded with pundits looking forward to Brazilian’s contributions to the team. Willian’s complaint about Arteta’s rigid style explains the team’s win today, lose tomorrow’s graph.

    ‘’It’s been a cool, new experience. I hadn’t worked with a coach with that mindset,’’ Willian told Globo Esporte.

    ‘’The positional game doesn’t mean that you have no freedom on the pitch, you have the freedom to move, but many times you have to respect the position, what the coach asks, the instructions, understanding that it’ll be better for the team.

    ‘’It may happen that you don’t touch the ball and get frustrated, but Mikel always says that wait a minute, the ball will arrive. I’ve been learning a lot.’’

    Dear Arteta, managers recruit players and play to their strengths. Willian is a tested and trusted player at least in the EPL. He should be the pivot of Arsenal’s games, especially with Ozil’s absence. All Arteta needs do is to watch Chelsea’s matches and he would understand why Arsenal is tottering in the EPL. A stitch in time saves nine.

     

     

  • #ENDSARS: Makinde reopens schools in Ibadan

    #ENDSARS: Makinde reopens schools in Ibadan

    By Yinka Adeniran, Ibadan

    Oyo has directed schools in Ibadan to resume normal academic activities from Monday.

    Governor Seyi Makinde gave the directive through the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, on Sunday.

    He said the new directive followed review of the situation in Ibadan metropolis, expressing appreciation to youths who have been cooperating with security operatives to maintain peace.

    The statement reads in part: “His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde directed the closure of schools in Ibadan metropolis on Tuesday, 20th of October, in the wake of #Endsars protests that rocked the state.

    READ ALSO: #ENDSARS: Two suspected hoodlums arrested in Oyo

    “His Excellency had in a message to the people of Oyo State stated that the situation will be reviewed on Friday 23rd October 2020.

    “Following a review of the situation as earlier promised, the state government is happy to observe that normalcy has returned to the state in the aftermath of the protests.

    “His Excellency, the Governor appreciates the youths who have been cooperating with security operatives to maintain peace, while assuring them that their demands are being addressed.”

  • Friendly lessons for Eagles

    Friendly lessons for Eagles

    Ade Ojeikere

     

    THE deafening noise from most commentators after Nigeria lost 1-0 to Algeria on Friday in Austria looked like we lost our pride. Indeed, the Algerians had not lost a game since they clinched the Africa Cup of Nations diadem, recording an 18-match unbeaten run, with the win over Nigeria their 19th consecutive victories. Of course, critics have a right to air their views but they must not lose sight of the essence of playing friendly games – to expose players to teams with similar tactical formations as their next opponents.

    One thing that this current NFF board has effectively done since its inception is to get the Super Eagles’ players busy during most of the FIFA-free windows by playing quality friendly games. In the past, such high profile games are played on the pages of newspapers with the players idling away in their European clubs. This lull affected how the Eagles played and adversely affected the country’s monthly FIFA rankings over the years.

    This columnist has watched the game between Algeria and Nigeria thrice since it was played to find out if Super Eagles were truly annihilated since the score-line didn’t suggest that either. It will interest many to know that 70 per cent of the squad that played the match against Algeria was playing together in a competitive game for the first time. The players exhibited a commendable composure, especially after conceding an early goal in the sixth minute. Also worthy of mention is the Eagles’ goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, whose sharp reflexes saved blushes for his side.

    Today, Nigerians won’t flinch if Maduka is fielded ahead of Francis Uzoho. With his performance in the friendly, he has established his ability to keep Nigerians heart safe when he is between the goalpost for the Eagles. In fact, Uzoho would brace for the challenges ahead while outside bets such as Alampasu, Daniel Akpeyi et al would queue behind Maduka until he loses form – if he does anytime soon and barring unforeseen circumstances. The team’s tactician has quietly addressed the issue of fielding a reliable and consistent goalkeeper since Vincent Enyeama’s exit. I recall the debates among journalists before Nigeria’s first game against Argentina at the Russia 2018 World Cup over the goalkeeping area. Most people still blame Uzoho for the country’s slim loss to the Argentines. Now, Rohr can close his eyes and pick four goalkeepers to camp based on their current clubs.

    Rohr is a defensive coach, though many lovers of the Eagles feel that the team should play attacking football. I laugh most times at this trepid assertion because most of our players are not regulars in their respective European clubs. This season, you can count how many Nigerians are first-team players, with those of them who are playing for less fancied sides. In the Clemens Westerhof era which they easily refer to, almost all our players were regulars in big European clubs. They carry their club form to the national team making them a joy to watch as they whip the opposition like a hot knife passing through butter.

    It is important to stress here that international friendly matches are meant to expose the strengths and weaknesses in a team – with one objective to find suitable replacements – ahead of major competitions. Coaches use such games to discover new players to replace aging ones and those in the twilight of their national team careers.

    Having lost to Algeria, this columnist looked forward to Rohr’s selection based on what he observed as the team’s flaws. Rohr made five changes which further strengthened the team’s defence. I wasn’t surprised at the outcome of the match for a side that wasn’t playing with its key midfielders which include Wilfred Ndidi, Joe Aribo, and Oghenekaro Etebo. This is not to forget the effect of the retirement of Victor Moses and Mikel Obi from the Rohr’s side. Also, Ogenyi Onazi is presently recuperating while those angling for the position are rookies in the trade. Is anyone, therefore shocked that the Eagles were tentative in the two matches?

    One good thing Rohr’s list brought to the fore was the invitation extended to ex-Golden Eaglets beginning with goalkeeper Dele Alampasu (FK Ventspils, Latvia), Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes, Spain), Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England), Samson Tijani (TSV Hartberg, Austria), Ahmed Musa (Al Nassr, Saudi Arabia), Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain),),  Abdullahi Shehu (Omonia, Cyprus) and Ramon Azeez (Granada CF, Spain).

    The likes of Chidozie Awaziem (FC Boavista, Portugal), Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France) and Chidera Ejuke (CSKA Moscow, Russia) were part of the youth set-up in Nigeria but didn’t play in major tournaments. They’ve been absorbed into the national team following their consistencies in performance during games among other reasons.

    Today, we can point at Kevin Akpoguma (1899 Hoffenheim), Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal), Alex Iwobi (Everton FC, England) and Cyril Dessers (KRC Genk, Belgium) as Nigeria-born players not forgetting Joe Aribo (Rangers, Scotland) who dazzled in his first three matches in the midfield scoring goals. This columnist is comfortable with introducing foreign-based lads than scouting in the domestic front. Most of the ages being bandied by our domestic league players are false. This fraudulent trend jeopardises the team’s performance in subsequent matches as they grow older, become weary and eventually turn into tired legs. It is better to invest in truly younger players whose ages you can authenticate than fill the squad with grand old men in small bodies.

    Eagles’ defence has always been the team’s albatross in major competitions including during the Westerhof era. The Dutchman played many players outside of their positions to solidify the defence. Austin Eguavoen, Emeka Ezegwu, Ben Iroha et al who played in the defence for Westerhof had their roles changed intermittently depending on the opposition. It worked for the Dutchman because we lacked quality defenders in Europe then unlike now with the Nigerian-born lad. No coach would shut his eye on good players. If Westerhof was here now, he would have gone for these young lads than infest his team with old legs masquerading as boys.

    “We saw the confirmation for some of our players like in the goalkeeper (Okoye) position, like in the left-back (Sanusi) position, like also the new defender (Akpoguma) who is coming in choosing Nigeria instead of Germany, so he can play in the right side, he can play in the middle,” Rohr said to the Super Eagles Media Team.

    “We missed two more players because Kalu and Ekong were not here. I think the team is in a good shape, we worked well, we have more options now for our list.”

    Eagles in the two matches against Algeria and Tunisia lacked a leader in the mould of the late Stephen Keshi, Joseph Yobo, Austin Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Nwankwo Kanu, Vincent Enyeama and lately John Mikel Obi whose performances on the field would have galvanised the players to give their best. the team unsurprisingly couldn’t string passes together for long period to dictate the pace of the game because midfielders such as Ndidi, Aribo, and Etebo were missing due to injuries.

    The lesson here for Rohr is to begin to think of a new midfield arrangement to fill this void when it happens next time. Alex Iwobi tried the few times he drifted into that position. He left the place yawning to join in the attack, leaving the midfield free for the opposition to exploit. This columnist won’t blame Iwobi since that isn’t his position. Such emergency assignments during matches don’t bring the best from players, especially when such roles were not practiced in training.

    Perhaps, if Victor Osimhen had played the two games, he could have conjured a goal or two to rescue the team. Osimhen’s presence in the game would have made the two countries to adopt a more defensive approach to check the Napoli FC of Italy striker from pouncing on mistakes to wreak havoc.

    Not a bad attempt by the Eagles in the two games. Most of the critics were benefactors in the business of influencing the selection process in the past, forgetting that nothing lasts forever. They may have lost grounds making it difficult to appreciate the gains which far outweighed the losses.

    This columnist would rather we make the mistakes during friendly matches than otherwise. My biggest joy is that we have a competitive team whose players’ average age is between 19 and 24 unlike in the past when it was 34, forget about the ages on the international passports of most of them in the past. Those Nigeria-born lads’ ages are verifiable not those with sworn affidavits. These players have a big future ahead of them. We wait.

     

  • Mad results, Taye Ige etc

    Mad results, Taye Ige etc

     Ade Ojeikere

     

    What a football season in England! Shocking results weekly. What happened in the league last week was simply crazy, mad, and unimaginable before the games were played. Words failed me to describe what happened, especially as I support Liverpool. No excuses, though on reflection one can’t help but suggest that the voodoo failures can be traced to improper pre-season preparations. This technical build-up flaw has affected the big clubs – Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea.

    If teams had done proper pre-season preparation, the coaches would have been able to correctly recruit players to fix the problematic areas. It is during such pre-season schemes in choice areas devoid of the noise in the cities, family distractions, and busybody newsmen and women that these coaches plot the season’s graphs, knowing when to change formations or otherwise. This period players use it to know their new teammates and get used to how they play. New alliances are formed with these new players which rub off on how well and how quickly they gel during matches. It is during this camping session that players are made to undergo rigorous medical examinations to ascertain their levels of fitness. Those with underlying medical conditions are taken to specialists on such matters to be given the right medications. In fact, Nigeria’s goalkeeper Carl Ikpeme discovered the illness which ended his career during Wolves’ pre-season medicals examinations. Thank God for this.

    Besides, players didn’t have the required period to rest their limbs. The anxious wait for the 2020/2021 season to kick off in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic destroyed all that the players needed to do to ensure a smooth transition from a busy season to a new one. the first ripple effect of this lapse are the spate of injuries to key players after three matches. One isn’t trying to make excuses for teams’ losses. but it is important to stress here that every club would experience a crisis no matter how less tedious their schedules are. Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool are the victims today, no one knows the next team(s) slated for the slaughter slab. We wait.

    Football faithful are busy trolling losing teams’ loyalists, especially those with the scandalous results. No one is reckoning with the absence of these clubs’ fans at match venues. Liverpool for instance wouldn’t have lost so scandalously had their fans been at the Villa Park Stadium on Sunday. A lack of a crowd is ‘key’ to the ‘crazy’ Premier League scorelines we have seen so far. Liverpool relies heavily on their fans’ battle songs to motivate them to rise up to the occasion when things are going awry as we saw against Aston Villa. In the last round of matches in the Premier League, there were 43 goals scored. Premier League champions Liverpool was stunned 7-2 away at Aston Villa while Manchester United suffered a joint-heaviest league defeat in their 6-1 mauling by Tottenham. The defeats serve as a wake-up call to these big boys to adapt to the new trends and raise their games.

    Need I waste space to highlight the devastating effects the Coronavirus pandemic caused the world? In fact, Coronavirus has effectively shut down 2020, with signals in  the last few weeks  suggesting that the virus could render 2021 otiose, if precautionary measures are not taken to avert a second strike of the pandemic. Fresh cases of the virus around the world are being reported, with words rife that some European leagues could be shutdown.

    Same players but miserable results that look like a kick on their groins. It must be stated here that the players aren’t robots. they need adequate time to reset which they couldn’t do due to the stressful European season last year and the uncertainty surrounding the commencement of the 2020/2021 season, not thanks to the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

    The less-fancied teams are having a ball with few of them at the top rung of the table. The beauty of this development is that it shows growth in the league such that statistics point to Aston Villa and Everton as two of the top negotiators in the transfer window which closed on Monday. Those boogie clubs at the top half of the English Premier League knows that the big boys would storm back. It is important to predict that the relegation dog fight towards the end of the season would be very fierce.

    The group of sleeping giants such as Arsenal, Tottenham, Leicester, and Chelsea has filled the void arising from the big boys’ whiplash. Of the quartet, my mind skips knowing who Jose Mourinho is. Mourinho knows how to win leagues and sensed what is happening to Spurs with the tactful manner in which he recruited his new players in the transfer window.

    I’m being careful not to comment on the heavy defeats suffered by Manchester United and Liverpool. If I do, one could be addressed as a sore loser. But these two teams would struggle this season and would be lucky to make the top four. What the results have done to their season is that it gives every team the impetus to exploit the weaknesses in the two teams. The huge defeats would define their seasons, especially Jurgen Klopp, who is rigid about his belief in playing with small squads.

    Klopp adopted the small squad mechanism coaching Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga. It worked because the competition isn’t as large and tasking as playing in the English game. Since Klopp changed Liverpool’s brand of football, he pays less attention to the Carabao Cup and the English FA Cup. He gives his all in the UEFA Champions League and the Barclays English Premier league competitions.

    Klopp’s preference for small squads is to reduce the grumblings in the team from the benchwarmers and those who watch the club playing games from the stands. I sympathise with Klopp because he would be forced to register to man the goalpost for the Reds following his short-sightedness in not recruiting a competent goalkeeper to replace Adrian.

    I miss Hotsports’ weekly debates which created another platform to tackle the mocking crowd of soccer faithful beaten by the fanatical towards their clubs. Arsenal’s fans are jumping all over the place forgetting that the team’s fumbling circle which begins from December yearly until to February the next year beckons. At Hotsports, Ige could change the topics of discussion if a story breaks. He allows for his decisions to be changed, but such changes must get his approval. We changed one topic once without his consent but the journalistic instinct in Ige ruled supreme.

    The late Stephen Keshi had just be given the Super Eagles job. This columnist called the Big Boss urging him to grant us his first interview, which he respectfully agreed. I informed the anchormen who reluctantly agreed to change what Ige had directed. The interview held. After the programme on Saturday, my phone rang indicating an international call, and Ige was excited when I picked. He commended my decision, knowing that none of his staff could have changed his decision without approval.

    This scenario represents who Ige is. He is a man with ideas. A high-risk taker, having thought through the process of what he wants to embark on. Converts anything near him to illustrate what he wants. If unpleased, throw away his high office attires and do it himself. He doesn’t tolerate lazy people. Did I hear you ask who this person is? Let me identify him this way – Taye Ige, many who know could take bets that he talks while asleep. Ha! I no know book o!

    Do you blame anyone who feels that Ige talks in his sleep? Sleep talking also is known as Somniloquy.  One won’t blame him since he always aims for perfection. Ige wants to be successful. He stops at nothing to achieve what he wants albeit it legitimately and won’t fail to reward excellence. From the dusty town of Efon-Alaye in Ekiti State.

    Taye explains how the twins’ concepts work in relation thus: ‘’I came first and my twin brother second. Kehinde Olabode Festus Ige. He’s into real estate management here in Lagos. But the legend is that he sent me to the world as his forerunner to go and taste the world and that he only decided to come after I had faithfully reported back to him that the world was sweet and that he could now come. This is the meaning of Taye which full meaning is Tayewo meaning “taste the world and see”.

    Yes, Taye was 57 years old last week Sunday and he supports  Tottenham Hotspurs. I hope Taye doesn’t bend my neck for exposing his age. Congratulations!

     

  • Special One indeed

    Special One indeed

    Ade Ojeikere

     

    I LOVE this man. He is one tactician many people love to dislike while others are aloof about his tendencies. He knows when to make his presence count and never ceases to take the centre stage in pursuit of his beliefs. His presence in any European league lights up the competition, knowing that he would infringe on the law either through his utterances, which most times occur on the spur of the moment or his misdeeds, including kicking any available object to show his angst over referee’s decisions.

    A customer to many referees, Jose Mourinho surely knows his trade and flaunts it no matter whose ox is gored. Mourinho is the man for all moments and he is quick to assert his authority, even if it means taking it to the point where it leads to controversies.  Mourinho penultimate Thursday discovered that the goalposts were five centimetres too low before his Tottenham side’s 3-1 Europa League win over KF Shkendija of North Macedonia. Goals from Erik Lamela, Son Heung-min and Harry Kane sealed victory for Spurs.

    The Special One’s goalkeepers drew his attention to the misnomer in the goalposts during their warm-up sessions. Mourinho, known to seize the stage in a matter of such nature informed the goalkeepers that: ‘’I am not a goalkeeper but when I spread my arms, I can tell the difference.

    ‘’The goalkeepers live in the goals and they know. We got the UEFA delegate to confirm, and it was five centimetres smaller and we demanded the goals to be replaced with goals of the right dimension, Mourinho said.’’

    The sets of goalposts were removed and replaced with the correct sizes as recommended by the regulations of the game. Interestingly, this Tose Proeski Arena, in Skopje which serves as the country’s national stadium, had to host the game at short notice when it was discovered that Shkendija’s stadium does not meet UEFA’s requirements. However, the goals at the national ground did not conform to FIFA’s regulations. Shkendija insisted they were not aware of the incident and Spurs did not accuse their opponents of any wrong-doing. Their rules state that goalposts should stand at 8ft but the original goals were 7ft 10in.

    Mourinho, who is 5ft 9in, laughed about the incident after the game and jokingly shared a photo of him reaching up to the crossbar on his Instagram page.

    He wrote: ‘’I thought I had grown then I realised the goal was 5 centimetres lower – Shkendija 1-3 @spursofficial.’’ The manager also shared a picture of his 6ft1 in goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who was an unused substitute with Joe Hart making his debut, reaching up to the post. What won’t Mourinho joke with, especially if he wins? don’t blame the Special One. Some other coaches would have waved it off without doing what Mourinho did – crosscheck. Not Mourinho, a stickler for excellence.

    Speaking about his side’s victory, Mourinho added: ‘’We did just enough. We didn’t play magnificently. Just enough. And the players on the bench made a difference, gave us a different intensity.’’

    Mourinho’s coaching history is replete with such outstanding benchmarks but he appears not to have mastered the act of going through his club careers without having problems with top players in clubs where he has coached in the second season of his contract. Such needless face-offs with big players have led to his unceremonious exits as a result of players’ mutiny in support of their ‘oppressed’ mates.

    Recall that Mourinho stripped Paul Pogba of Manchester United Captaincy after the French World Cup winner criticised his defensive approach to matches. Mourinho banished Bastian Schweinsteiger to the reserves at Manchester United immediately he was appointed manager and was criticised for his treatment of such an experienced player.

    The Portuguese didn’t enjoy the latter part of his stay at Real Madrid, falling out with key players like Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos and Pepe. According to the Guardian, Mourinho told Pedro Leon that he wouldn’t play him even if he was the only man left behind should their team plane crash without him in it.

    Mourinho had an uneasy relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid. He accused Ronaldo of being too “over-confident” and issued instructions to him through his assistant coach, Rui Faria.

    In a documentary about mentor Sir Bobby Robson, Mourinho said: “Ronaldo Nazario, the best Ronaldo ever!”

    The Special One hides under the cloak of instilling discipline to draw the line with such players. Pundits cannot understand why Mourinho takes delight in tackling such players. But he is the coach and the only leader on the pitch. Big players must learn how to respect their bosses no matter how important they perceive themselves to be.

    The world is watching the latest of Mourinho’s brush with big players where Dele Alli has been made to swallow his pride and behave according to Mourinho’s dictates. Typical of Mourinho, he has dropped Alli from the last three matches against Southampton, Newcastle and Chelsea, making watchers of the game feel that the Nigeria-born (this word again) would be out of the Spurs team before the October 5 transfer deadline. There is still time for this anticipated move.

    Would it be appropriate to say that Mourinho has Dele Alli where he wants him? This columnist doesn’t think so because the player’s colleagues are watching the scenarios as they play out. In such player/manager wahala, the actors get the last laugh, most times when the team’s fortunes are not in sync with what the club’s management demands. One thing is, however clear, Alli isn’t a big player, given the way his colleagues have reacted to his predicament. If he was, they would have had private meetings with the manager to temper justice with mercy. Imagine if the face-off was between Kane, the team’s captain and highest goal scorer? All the sides of such big ego problems would have been involved with club managements always willing to sacrifice the manager with a sack.

    Interestingly, Jose Mourinho claims in Tottenham Hotspur’s documentary ‘All or Nothing’  that the only advice Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson gave him was to sign Dele Alli during his time as manager of the Red Devils.

    According to the Daily Mail, Mourinho said: “Sir Alex Ferguson gave me only one piece of advice in two-and-a-half years, ‘Buy Dele Alli, that guy with that mentality, the way he plays, the aggression in his mind, that guy is a Manchester United player, buy that guy.’’

    “He has an eye for players and he told me, ‘buy that player’ but he is not a good trainer. We have to find the right motivation for the guy.”

    Mourinho must watch his back with Alli. The Nigeria-born may be down but looks like the cobra which has recoiled to spit venom when the stakes are higher.

    Alli won and scored a penalty for Tottenham in the  7-2 thrashing of Maccabi Haifa. The 24-year-old midfielder replaced Giovani Lo Celso at half-time for Spurs. He could leave the club before Monday’s transfer deadline.

    Not one known to stoop to conquer, Mourinho looked to calm nerves over Alli’s feats in the game pointing out that:  ‘’Good for Dele to come on to create a proper penalty. The action for the penalty was beautiful, and he was serious, cool and professional in scoring it.’’

    Was Alli impressed with Mourinho’s therapy which sought to praise his professionalism and seriousness in slotting it (the penalty kick on Thursday night) away? It remains to be seen in the coming days.

    Sportsmail also suggested on Friday afternoon that PSG want Alli in their squad and could go to any extent to grab him, seeking to exploit the cold relationship he presently has with Mourinho.

    In the Sportsmail report on Friday, it stated that: ‘’The Ligue 1 champions are set to make a loan offer for the England midfielder in the coming days, though Tottenham’s stance has been he is not for sale or loan.’’

     

  • Anfield awaits the Gunners

    Anfield awaits the Gunners

    By Ade Ojeikere

    I wish I could always talk about other sports other than football, having played the gentleman’s game – cricket. Writing about cricket would have been a lot of fun except that not many people would be able to follow it because of its language. Cricket isn’t dead in Nigeria. Those who played at all levels in the 70s and 80s know its importance and have formed clubs with most them reminding everyone about where they learned the game – in those wonderful schools across the country. That noble objective was achieved because of the existing boarding house system.

    Boarding houses are gone under the guise of instituting free education, leaving in its wake the dearth of sporting activities in schools. All open spaces in schools have been built up for more classes. School pay fees to use stadiums for their recreational activities unlike in the past when you walk towards any playground of choice. At Government College Ughelli, it was fun being able to walk from one sporting ground to the other. Gone too are the games masters and games mistresses who were trained on the rudiments of sports. I remember the late GO Ogosi aka Cascar, who learned the Gentleman’s game at GCU but knew everything about other sports. Ogosi had poise and walked like turkey. He had class and showed it with some spring on his feet. Good night Casca Ogosi. I digress!

    This columnist could comfortably write about tennis, having come from a tennis home. Unfortunately, the game which Coach Egbuson et al taught people inside the late Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin which produced several greats including Nduka Odizor has become an elite sport to be played in exclusive clubs. It isn’t a new development because it happened in the past. But it had a productive face because most of the tennis greats rose from being ball boys at such clubs to stardom. I recall also trying my hands on hockey and the joy of tapping your opponent on the bum for obstruction. Not forgetting trying one’s hands on the athletics field. I ran away because of the cross country at GCU. Energy sapping if you ask me.

    Would I say that I played football? Well, I did but not play it to the required standard since one couldn’t call GCU a football school in the same way as one would tag schools such as Hussey College Warri, Urhobo College, Warri, Western Boys High School Benin City, Eghosa College Benin City, Saint Patrick School Asaba, Saint Peters Claver College, Aghalope, etc in the old Bendel State.

    Reporting sports is very exciting, especially soccer where everyone has something to contribute. Most times this writer is stunned by the in-depth analyses from Nigerians so much so that one is forced to take down notes on certain salient points that one didn’t consider. My rich reservoir of knowledge has come from listening to informed pronouncements by those who show a remarkable understanding of the game and follow it religiously with historical facts and figures.

    Soccer is the opium of the people wherever it is the primary sports. Little wonder everything stops when such countries are doing well in major competitions. In fact, the way teams in the European leagues season have begun in the respective leagues shows that most of them would be determined even on the last day. big teams winning games handsomely beginning with Bayern Munich’s 8-0 whacking of Schalke 04 in one of the early fixtures in the German Bundesliga. Indeed, the Barclays English Premier League table after two matches shows seven teams namely Leicester City, Everton, Arsenal, Liverpool, Crystal Palace, TottenhamHotspur and Manchester City as the clubs to contend for the title held by the Reds.

    Punters have likened the presence of Everton and Crystal Palace to the case of the elephant hung on the treetop with weak branches. It wouldn’t take time for these teams to fall off the perch. A few others have argued that Leicester and Arsenal have won the English Premier League title in the past, they do not have the character to last long in the race, which many also argue is a marathon. Whispers about the early totter by Manchester United indicates that its manager may be the first to be sacked except he hit the market to buy defenders since the team’s defence appears to be the team’s albatross.

    It might appear that the defence of the Manchester United team is the club’s albatross considering its current losses, it is obvious that the team’s midfielders and playmakers are still in the form to give the team a good start. Though the choice of players which Solskjær is gunning for might not be exactly what the team needs at the moment, it is believed that the Red Devils will pull a surprise on major contenders that include Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Chelsea, and Tottenham. Donny Van de Beek’s arrival at the team is one of the surprises other teams will have to deal with in the coming months considering his performances and current form.

    Will Manchester United fight back? Yes. Would Arsenal drop off the perch as it has done in previous seasons? Neither here nor there, especially with Arteta as their manager. Arteta may make the difference this season as his team heads towards the January transfer window. Gunners falter from January through February, most times due to injuries to key players. The world waits for Monday next week when Gunners take their new credentials to Anfield to inflict the third consecutive defeat on the Reds in the last three games involving both sides.

    Arsenal beat Liverpool in the second leg of the last EPL at the Emirates 2-1 at the time the Reds had won its first EPL in the new era, although its 19 titles at the elite class. Gunners won the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium on a penalty shootout, after a 1-1 score after 90 minutes, making Monday’s game an all systems go for the Reds.

    The noise from Arsenal fans has been deafening. All kinds of permutations from their fans, who are quick to tell anyone who dares to listen that the trophy years would be at Emirates. I like Arsenal fans. They know how to carry the battle to the opposition’s fans before games are played. however, the fade away like ice-cream under the scorching sun when the results go otherwise. A rain of curses on those players responsible for the defeat forgetting that these guys took them to the point where they dreamt of a victory.

    Realistically, Manchester City looks the favourite to dethrone the Reds, not Arsenal which struggled to beat West Ham at the Emirates last weekend. It would be quite laughable for Gunners to equate the 0-2 away victory over Leicester at the King Power Stadium as the reason to beat Liverpool on Monday. No two matches are the same, especially when one is a cup game with Liverpool whipping Lincoln 7-2 on away ground. Monday’s game would produce a lot of goals given the quality of strikers they parade.

    Liverpool has Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane, two Africans who have continued to distinguish themselves for the Reds. Salah has scored three goals so far in two matches while Mane scored a brace against Chelsea last week Sunday at Stamford Bridge. For the Gunners, Pierre Aubameyang may be running a solo race upfront except Alexandre Lacazette shrugs off his quest for an exit from the team with Arteta seriously interested in Lyon’s Houssem Aouar for Arsenal during the window with no breakthrough. The Gunners have also been long-term admirers of Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey.

    One thing which distinguishes both sides is that Arsenal is a team in progress while the Reds are champions strengthened with the inclusion of Thiago Alcantara. Liverpool’s depth in the midfield could be the deciding factor in Monday’s with David Luiz likely to play the bad card in Reds’ favour. Besides, Arsenal has ridiculed the hosts to the point of the Anfield giants seeking revenge. Liverpool knows how to play such high-stake games and the Gunners are Anfield at the wrong time.

    Did I hear ask me to predict the outcome of the game? Reds all the way, except that Arsenal also wear red jerseys. Frankly, Monday’s game is too close to call. Soccer, like the Sierra Leoneans, would say is like a biscuit, you don’t know where it would crack.

  • Football, fans and its theatrics

    Football, fans and its theatrics

    Ade Ojeikere

     

    THE emotive game of soccer all over Europe is here with wives celebrating because their husbands now return home to watch matches with the family. Those who choose to hang out with the boys do so with their wives. Those spouses who would rather sit at home with the kids know where their husbands are. In fact, as the games go on, notes are compared while those whose teams are beaten at dusk reluctantly pick their phones to listen to taunts from winning friends.

    Different Whatsapp platforms are filled with several emojis as friends tease themselves unend over the successes or failures of their respective teams during the course of matches. Viewing centres are worse with fans mocking, gloating, and pointing at their losing counterparts. The atmosphere in most of the centres isn’t safe, especially when tempers rise during crucial matches. All manner of dangerous missiles are hauled. Such a chaotic setting is fuelled by some fans who ‘kiss’ several sachets of hard drinks which tamper with their brains and in turn, wreak havoc in the viewing centre when tipsy.

    However, in viewing centres where the owners know their onions, it’s always fun listening to the side comments, unprofessional analysis -especially players’ aliases. For instance, Thierry Henry was known as Igwe, Cristiano Ronaldo (Ororo), Lionel Messi (Ijaya) etc. The names come in droves as the players do incredible things with the ball. Watching the game with people could be fun if they aren’t undisciplined. There is a viewing centre at Onipanu in Lagos known as San Siro, the name of the stadium in Italy, where AC Milan and Inter Milan share to play their matches. Not forgetting Nigerians, who like the counterparts elsewhere name their kids after their favourite players.

    What happens in homes across the country are quite interesting. It is true that most fathers as the head of the house cajole everyone to support their teams, but there are few exceptions. Either the sons are teaming up with their mothers ‘against’ daddy’s team and those kids in his camp or mummy is left in the cold to support her less popular or winning team. However, nobody shakes whenever daddy’s team loses. Daddy, on the hindsight, eats the humble pie when his side loses to the other camp in the house. The build-up to such games are very intriguing, with everyone enjoying the moments. Need I say that soccer, during the European season, unites homes and brings fathers closer to their families?

    Watching matches at viewing centres raise health concern with particular reference to Covid-19. The place is always packed full of fans from different divides. The talking sessions start before the games. Voices are raised with saliva flying causing health hazards. For the big games, it is always tough remaining inside the place due to the heat and stench from the smoke of those who use  cigarette to douse tension.

    Lord have mercy! When goals are scored by the popular teams. The noise is deafening. The hugging and thumping of chest are unbelievable in the wake of coronavirus. I tried raising these fears with a few people in viewing centres. Some of their responses shocked me – Na big man sickness for people like una. You don hear say poor man don die from Coro? A mixed grill in terms of those wearing a face mask. I wore mine knowing that I would leave at halftime for other centres.

    A few sophisticated centres observe the social distancing and they are not crowded. Those who watch the games are cultured. I was almost turned back in one of them until somebody inside who had seen me outside being politely asked to leave the place rescued me. The gateman apologised profusely but I told him he was doing his job. My mission to these places is a call to official duty. I marvel at the large number of people wearing the latest patterns of their favourite clubs’ colours. Some other fans go a step further to inscribe the names of their favourite players at the back of these jerseys. I salute those who customise theirs with their names. They look symbolic – raising the poser when Nigerians can wear our domestic league clubs’ shirts. That would be the day.

    If you think it is only the viewing centres which have health concerns, then visit the various betting shops. The rowdy settings reminded this writer of entrances at the old Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City in games involving the crowd-pulling club sides. You would be shocked at the level of involvement among the bettors across age-grades, all looking for cash. Fathers and sons comparing entries at the corner sides. Cash used to stake high with the prospects of winning negligible. Habits die hard, the dictum goes. Some have argued that it is better than being involved in societal vices. Hmmmmm! Indeed. Man must whack!

    As the world waits for October 1, when the fans would be allowed to watch games in the stadiums in England, pundits have continued to visualise what would have happened if spectators were being allowed to watch the Ligue 1 derby between Marseille and Paris Saint Germain, considering the arch rivalry between both teams. In fact, supporters of Marseille celebrated when PSG lost the 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League trophy to Bayern Munich. In France, Marseille is the only team to have won the UEFA Champions League diadem.

    The injury-time brawl at PSG underscores the fact that most of the carnage at match venues are caused by the antics of the players which provoke the fans to misbehave. For the records, Brazilian superstar, Neymar was one of five players sent off after an injury-time brawl as Marseille beat Paris St-Germain in Ligue 1, according to reports from the ill-fated tie. Substitutes Leandro Paredes and Layvin Kurzawa, and Marseille’s Jordan Amavi and Dario Benedetto were dismissed along with Neymar.

    Neymar claimed on social media that Gonzalez called him “a monkey motherf*****.” Gonzalez denied the claims in his own tweet, only for Neymar to tell the Spaniard that he was “not a man” for not admitting to his part in the row.

    Neymar was handed a two-game ban for his part in the mass brawl by the LFP Disciplinary Committee while PSG full-back Layvin Kurzawa was handed a six-game ban for his role after he kicked Jordan Amavi. Amavi was banned for three games with Marseille team-mate Dario Benedetto receiving a one-match ban.

    This has been the only blight to the new European season with results telling the story of how the game has developed  in Europe. Most of the big teams have been given the fight of their lives by what pundits term minnows. We watched in awe last week Saturday at Anfield as newly-promoted Leeds United held defending champions Liverpool till the dying minutes of the game before the Reds earned three points from jaws of near defeat, although many have blamed Leeds for being over-ambitious. Those in this school of thought argued that Leeds would have defended in the closing stages with the scores at 3-3. No way. It was good that Leeds fought for a better result. on the hindsight, the players have learned lessons which would inform how they play in subsequent games as the season progresses.

    No doubt, the game belongs to the people but they must learn how to behave with decorum. The safety of the lives and properties of others in and around match venues rank higher than the nuisance they constitute themselves during such rowdy scenes. Soccer isn’t a matter of life and death, since it is just a game to enjoy even though the results matter for teams eager to win trophies. Winners today could be losers tomorrow and vice versa. After all, there are three results in the game – wins, draws and losses.

  • Lion of soccer

    Lion of soccer

    By Ade Ojeikere

    Big clubs always have things going for them especially the achieving ones such as FC Barcelona. What transpired in the last three weeks between Barcelona and Lionel Messi underlines the strength of clubs over their players. It is important to state that Messi suffered the backlash of Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘easy’ exit from Real Madrid.

    Many wondered what La Liga’s interest in the feud when Messi isn’t in its employment. La Liga lost its momentum and international focus with Ronaldo’s exit. La Liga also lost massively with Ronaldo going away with his followers and media glitz, which accompanied everything he did before, during and after matches.

    In June, President of La Liga Javier Tebas said: ‘‘The departure of Cristiano [Ronaldo], although they were upset in Madrid, had an almost zero impact because in La Liga we have been preparing for years so that the brand transcends the players.

    ‘‘But the case of Messi is different. Messi is the best player in the history of football. We have been fortunate to have always had him in our league. I believe that Messi’s departure would be noticeable. Of course, more if he left to play another League.’’

    So, when Messi’s misunderstanding with Barca broke, I told most of my friends that the former UEFA Champions League winners won’t release their gem for any fee. Barca freeing Messi would have amounted to a disservice to their marketing mechanism. I equally told them that La Liga’s support for the club at a veiled effort not to further de-market the competition with Messi’s exit. The world’s soccer followers would have dumped the La Liga had Messi joined Manchester City.

    Indeed, Spain’s economy would have been in a big crisis since Real Madrid and Barca hold the aces in terms of revenue generation. Don’t remind me of the huge taxes the players of the two teams pay yearly. If Messi had left Barcelona, the highest-ranked star on the Forbes sport rich list from Spain would be Antoine Griezmann at No. 60. Ronaldo is very rich yet Messi draws more commercial value for the club and the league, according to the aforementioned statistics.

    Messi’s exit would have commenced the gradual movement of big stars to other leagues. This star trek would have moulded the minds of players choosing any of the big clubs in Spain. Real Madrid and Barca have in the last decades produced some of the most exciting football players to watch. Both clubs go the extra mile to beef up their squads, most times anticipatory of the clashes between them every season. The world stands still whenever the teams are pitched against the other, irrespective of where the matches are played in Spain.

    In fact, football is the biggest winner with Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League victory, penultimate year. Until that time, soccer was tilted towards Spain with the big actors being Messi and Ronaldo. Indeed, Roma provided the first whip which exposed Barca’s dwindling fortunes in the Champions League in the 2018/2019 edition with Liverpool winning the trophy the next year. What Bayern Munich did with the 8-2 massacre was to open Messi’s eyes to depart from a house whose roof was on the verge of collapse. Real Madrid’s treble on the trot of the most prestigious soccer competition looked like normal until Ronaldo’s exit from the Los Blancos.

    Messi trained with Barca alone as reported, which is the normal practice pending when he would have done the seasonal medical tests, especially coronavirus. The report stated further he wore a forlorn look which was expected given what went down during the period of the impasse. Would Messi give his best for Barca during matches? What would be the fans’ response when he runs out of the tunnel for the first game at Camp Nou? Would the setting that day not raise posers about Messi’s future?

    Antoine Griezmann, who many pundits say has unresolved relationship issues on and off the pitch with Messi, wants to stay at Camp Nou just telling Mundo Deportivo : ‘’We try to have news, but what happens is between the club and him. We just hope he stays. We listen to a bit of everything but we don’t know more on our part’’.

    Griezmann is one of the disturbing trends at Barca that pushed Messi to the wall to tender his letter of resignation. Have these puzzled being sorted out or have they been allowed to remain unresolved that they would be settled amicably in the course of the season? Credit should go the new manager Koeman with stoic silence during the brouhaha, preferring to face his job of improving the players’ fitness. Of course, Koeman isn’t a novice in the club, having grown through the ranks to stardom, captaining the side to win all the trophies Messi also won with the Laliga side.

    Koeman’s tactical savvy isn’t top-notch compared to managers such as Jose Mourinho. But he could hit the ground running for Barca because he understands the mentality of how the team should play. Besides, the fans won’t boo him like since he has brought them moments to celebrate in the past as a player. Ardent fans don’t abandon their stars in such critical periods and this is what Barca needs to reset its operations which have been in tatters since Messi’s pronouncement last month.

    What the Messi/Barca face-off has done for the game is that it settled the often talked about inability of the immensely talented Argentine to play for another club besides Barcelona. Such reservations wouldn’t hold any water now that Messi chose to play for Manchester City while his father and the club’s hierarchy tried to call a truce, which was achieved. Would Messi have been able to succeed at Manchester City? Yes, if you ask this right since both men have the desired working relationship in the past with Barcelona. Besides, Manchester City’s management would have given Guardiola the cash to further strengthen the squad with players of Messi’s pedigree in the game. Guardiola wouldn’t have disappointed, knowing the implications to his career, if he fails to deliver the UEFA Champions League trophy this season.

    The most prestigious trophy in Europe is what the owners of the business want Manchester City to lift, hence the choice of Guardiola as their manager in the beginning. It would have been very captivating watching Messi waltz past players in the English Premier League, especially those playing for teams tagged also-ran in the competition. Messi would have been in his comfort zone playing against the big boys, most of whom he played against at the UEFA Champions League level.

    Messi had a right to decide his destiny as a player and in his judgment, there wouldn’t have been any partiality. But he soon found out there were people he couldn’t just wish away their desires on the altar of leaving Barcelona. No set of people could have stopped Messi from one testing the tents of his contract which has a release of clause of 700 million Euros, although he later claimed that he couldn’t find himself in court with the club of his life where he achieved everything that made him who he is today.

    Messi revealed that he was startled when he told his family that he wanted to quit Barcelona. Yes, Messi knew his wife’s decisions and sentiments. But it was his kids that shocked him the most with their informed counterpoints which defied their ages.

    ‘’When I communicated my wish to leave to my wife and children, it was a brutal drama,’’ Messi told Goal.

    ‘’The whole family began crying, my children did not want to leave Barcelona, nor did they want to change schools. Mateo is still little and he doesn’t realise what it means to go somewhere else and make your life a few years elsewhere.

    ‘’Thiago, he is older. He heard something on TV and found out something and asked. I didn’t want him to know anything about being forced to leave, to have to live in a new school or make new friends.

    ‘’He cried to me and said ‘let’s not go’. I repeat that it was hard, really. It was understandable. It happened to me. It is very difficult to make a decision.’’

    Such is life, Messi. The kids have spoken. Kids’ words count seriously in decision making at the family level. Anyway, Messi has the next 12 months educating the kids on why he must quit Barcelona at the expiration of his contract. Messi would walk away from the contract a free agent by June 30, 2021. Would Messi win the next session with his kids next year or would he devise a template that would accommodate all the posers raised when he first raised the matter with them as he revealed?