The Nation Newspaper

Category: Ade Ojeikere

  • Our best players are in Europe

    Our best players are in Europe

    I was tempted to title this week’s column ‘’Let’s boo Claude Puel.’’ I changed my mind because he isn’t well known. I pitied Puel since he is a stop-gap coach, who is on trial and doesn’t have the technical know-how to handle an innately gifted lad such as Nigerian international Kelechi Iheanacho. I can imagine the mental torture Puel subjected Iheanacho to as if Manchester City’s former manager made a mistake in recruiting the former Golden Eaglets star. Perhaps, there is the need to remind Puel that Iheanacho was the best player at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. He beat other players, including those from Europe. Iheanacho couldn’t suddenly become a bad player. But what do you expect from a coach who was suddenly sacked by Southampton?

    I just hope that Puel isn’t just biased given the way he pulled out Iheanacho from the Fleetwood Town game in the 80th minute. With the way the game was going, only Iheanacho could have scored for Leicester on Tuesday night. More experienced coaches would have left the Nigerian on the pitch to see if he would score a hat-trick, which could have helped his confidence. Not so with Puel, who must have been under pressure to justify his preference for Japanese Shinji Okazaki.

    On a level platform, especially with what Iheanacho exhibited, Puel will do better, if he finds a role for the Nigerian. Puel is fixated about Mahrez and Vardy. But Iheanacho’s intelligence and runs off the ball give him the edge over Okazaki. If Iheanacho gets the playing time Okazaki has, he will score more goals.

    Indeed, in a post-match interview on Tuesday, Iheanacho said: “You don’t need to get frustrated. Stick together and work hard every day. If the chance comes, you take it. That slowed things down a little bit. I am happy I am getting to come back. I am feeling better, stronger and working hard in training every day to progress. I hope I will have a very successful and injury-free second part of the season.

    “I am fit now and confident. We have so many more games to come. Keep working hard, and keep playing and help the team to achieve. Fans have seen a bit of me, I hope to continue like that in the future and in the games to come.

    “The first part of the season is gone and it is the second part now. I am happy to get the two goals and now hope to progress in the future. It gives me more confidence to play well, get back in the team and help them achieve great things in the future,” said Iheanacho.

    That is the spirit, dear Iheanacho. Keep training with all the vigour required, knowing that the Russia 2018 World Cup is the platform to showcase your talent and get bigger clubs with experienced coaches to free you from the Leicester bondage. What you did against Fleetwood shows that you are not a finished product nor did you waste Leicester’s money.

    Ahmed Musa left Kano Pillars as the best in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to the home of beautiful football, Netherlands. His exploits took him to Russia from where he joined Leicester City after dominating the league.

    However, some players weren’t happy with the huge fee paid for his services and that led to the sack of Italian Claudio Ranieri. Today, Musa is hardly on the match-day squads for the Foxes – not because he is a bad player but because clueless Puel won’t give him a chance.

    If Iheanacho had not scored in the FA Cup third round replay against Fleetwood, perhaps, the manager would’ve justified why he left him on the bench since he arrived in October 2017.   What is the manager’s reaction to Iheanacho’s performance? Interesting.

    “Kelechi showed a good attitude, worked hard for his teammates and got between the lines. His first goal showed a lot of quality and the second was a fantastic move between him and Mahrez,” Puel told the club’s official website. Can you beat that? So, Puel, why did you not allow Iheanacho complete the game, when he was the best player on the pitch? What did Vardy and  Okazaki do better than Iheanacho when they came in? Nothing. Leicester’s game went down.

    Until Tuesday night, the argument was on the essence of inviting Iheanacho and Ahmed Musa to Nigeria’s World Cup camp if they aren’t playing for their clubs. What we have seen from Iheanacho’s case is that he is a victim of a manager’s warp selection. I always knew that but needed such feats as Iheanacho’s to stress that we need not judge our players by their club performances, especially when it comes to vying for shirts with their host country’s indigenous star. Not in a World Cup year, as such a country is also billed to participate. Our players must consider these variables in picking clubs they want to play for.

    Watching the CHAN Eagles play a draw against Rwanda was boring. Most fans hissed all through the game, making the argument that the players were unlucky not to have won the game laughable, given the pedigree of the two countries in world football. Not one player in the team showed any trait of being capable to handle World Cup matches. Those in Morocco are upstarts. Even if Nigeria wins the trophy, none of them, except the goalkeeper, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, can get a World Cup shirt.  It is clear now that our best players are in Europe, with the way borderline players such as Iheanacho played on Tuesday night.

    Advocates of having a Nigerian handler for the Super Eagles during big competitions such as the World Cup always talk about using the domestic league to judge the development of the game in Nigeria. Their submissions are laced with sentiments and patriotism, which don’t add up to growth when we are pitched against the rest of the world.

    Football isn’t as simple as kicking the round object around the field by 22 players for 90 minutes. Players’ skills and how they go about interpreting the instructions given to them by the coaches are sacrosanct. Where the coaches’ technical savvy is obtuse and dense, it reflects in how the boys play the game, which the greatest Edson Arantes do Nascimento once described as beautiful.

    Watching the Nigerian team groomed by our coaches can be boring and frustrating. Our game isn’t exciting, not because the players lack the skills. The players are as good as the coaches.  Our domestic players lack the basic rudiments of the game, such as controlling the ball and making good passes that could lead to goals. Besides, our playing pattern is laborious and lacks imagination, which make it not exciting.

    The structure of the domestic league is faulty and incapable of producing the desired results, especially where the administrators think they are the best. Our domestic league administrators, including the regulators, are self-serving and myopic. They are easily hoodwinked by what is found outside the country, without looking at our peculiarities. No deliberate effort is made to train and re-train the coaches and the auxiliary staff, in a bid to improve the quality of skills impacted on the players at all levels. This is why watching the domestic league  can be a nightmare.

    Rather than evolve a system that would enhance the growth of the game at the grassroots, our administrators prefer to roam European countries looking for templates which create more problems for the system, when the initiators leave office. Globally, clubs are encouraged to have academies where the youngsters are taught the rudiments of the game. These rookies become the future stars of such big teams, with the exceptional ones going to bigger teams, which translates to big revenues for the teams they have left.

    Unfortunately, our domestic clubs don’t think it is necessary to have youth teams. The management members have refused to see the league as a business. Rather than fashion how their teams can attract the fans to watch their matches, they are contented with taking government money.

    No investor will do the business of sports where the government holds over 70 per cent of its equity. The government, which owns most of the clubs, should encourage the team’s management to outsource their revenue. Sadly, the regulators of the domestic league like to err on the side of caution instead of enforcing the rules that encourage commercialisation of clubs’ operation, with particular reference of taking them to the Nigeria Stock Exchange.

    If it means having only five clubs which satisfy the rules of running as a professional outfit, let the league matches begin. With time, others will take it seriously and do what is required to qualify as a professional team. This idea of clubs owing their players and coaches wages of over nine months is cruel. Equally worrisome is the manner in which some governors whose states own the clubs behave towards them as if they are doing the players and coaches a favour by paying them as and when due.

    It was quite appalling to watch how a particular governor allowed his security operatives to manhandle players, especially the girls who stormed the Government House in a peaceful protest. They were beaten groggy and made to look like criminals, not sports ambassadors of the state, which is what they are. Don’t remind me that nothing is happening to the governor. Elsewhere, the ignoble act would cost him his future in politics.

  • Wanted: A psychologist for Super Eagles

    Wanted: A psychologist for Super Eagles

    I don’t envy Gernot Rohr at all, given the daunting tasks he has on his hands. The Russia 2018 World Cup is just five months away. Rohr carries the hopes and aspirations of over 180 million Nigerians on his shoulders, with many setting unbelievable targets for the Super Eagles, even if the team’s preparations for the Mundial have not begun.

    Funding for the team has not changed, Sport Minister Solomon Dalung has vowed to meet the players’ needs without recourse to Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) chiefs. The minister cautioned the soccer chiefs that he would insist on seeing the cash before March, the proposed month to begin payment of all outstanding wages to the team. Dalung knows the World Cup script already. He must be given a pat on the back for shunning the wasteful Presidential Task Force (PTF), hitherto peopled by interlopers who increased the problems in the team’s camps instead of resolving issues. Most times, these PTF members take over the roles and functions of the NFF, thereby creating divisions between the NFF members and the players.

    These PTF members, especially those who know a little about coaching, seize the duty of the coaches and technical crew by asking to be part of the selection of players, in the event that the team didn’t play well in the first game. They become auxiliary coaches, dishing out instructions from the state box as if the players would hear them. They are the ones who storm the players’ dressing room in flowing robes to give irrelevant pep talks, leaving the  coaches with little time to tell the players their flaws and how to play in the second half.

    I wasn’t surprised when Dalung told the international media that Nigeria saved N7 billion in this year’s World Cup campaign in the absence of the PTF. Little wonder there wasn’t much rift in our World Cup campaign, except for the usual minister’s enquiries which centred on knowing how the government’s cash is spent as if that shouldn’t be sacrosanct.

    Rohr is back with his plans, which he unveiled in an interview on Monday in Supersports’ Monday Night football show monitored in Lagos. It was nice listening to Rohr talk about sending a coach to Spain to work with Deportivo da La Corona’s Nigeria-born goalkeeper Francis Uzoho. He was silent on his moves to get former Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama back to the squad. Rohr gave conditions for having Enyeama back. It appears Enyeama may not meet those conditions since he isn’t active with any team, except for a game with Lille’s U-23 side, where he saved a penalty kick.

    Uzoho, from the way Rohr spoke on Monday, is sure of having a shirt in the Eagles. What isn’t certain is if he would be the first choice goalkeeper. But if the manager decides to send a coach to train the goalkeeper, it is almost certain that Uzoho will step out against Croatia on June 16 as Nigeria’s first choice goalkeeper.

    Enyeama is history, not because of his competence, but his attitude and conduct. Those who don’t want him in the team talk about his influence on others. They argue about a likely rift with Captain John Mikel Obi. Enyeama’s problem with the football chiefs isn’t personal, but with his unbending stance on matters concerning his mates whom he often intercedes.

    For Ikechukwu Ezenwan,  Dele Ajiboye et al, the matches of CHAN competition holding in Morocco offer the best chance to compete with Uzoho. Ezenwan was in goal during Nigeria’s Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers. But some of his elementary errors have created doubts about his ability to handle more critical situations on bigger stages, such as the Mundial in Russia. Will Ezenwa garner the required confidence when he reads comments from Rohr about the search for a new goalkeeper?

    Rohr needs to have a psychologist in the team who will spend time talking to Ezenwa on how best to be confident during matches. It is the psychologist’s duty to prepare players psychologically for matches from the time they are in the camp. Such a psychologist will have nothing to do with team selection. A situation where Rohr doubles as the manager and psychologist has effectively ruled Ezenwa out of contention for the first team shirt. Rohr’s mind is made up on having the CHAN Eagles captain in goal at the Mundial and it is unfair because with a trained psychologist, Ezenwa could bounce back by regaining his confidence.

    Interestingly, Rohr revealed in the Monday night interview that he had recruited two trainers and two scouts to look out for new players for the team, with five months to Nigeria’s first game against Croatia. I waited for Rohr to talk about having a psychologist in the team to no avail. I don’t think Rohr would be a better psychologist than a Nigerian. Our players are not that sophisticated. They need to be talked to in the language that they understand. Rohr would be too emotionally attached to the team to know how to psyche up his players if things go awry during matches.

    Ezenwa’s problem isn’t his ability, but how to handle little things about goalkeeping which come with experience through exposure during matches. It is true that Rohr’s deal with NFF gives him the free hand to pick those he wants to work with. But the NFF should tell Rohr that there is no country where the manager doubles as the psychologist. The psychologist’s job is not coaching, especially in football. NFF chiefs must insist on getting a psychologist for the Eagles. Two top NFF workers have PhD in psychology. What can be better than that, especially when they were active sportsmen in their youthful days. One of them is a multitalented sportsman who played volleyball and soccer. The other lectured in the university and coached before joining the football federation.

    By his or her professional training, a sports psychologist understands the mental and environmental factors that affect a player’s performance. Such factors include anxiety, tension, stress, pressure (from press, spectators and fans) etc. The sports psychologist is trained to teach the players the skills to handle these factors and thus maintain an optimal performance. The coach lacks these skills (training).

    Where a team is trailing behind or is being led in a match, it becomes very difficult for the coach to detach himself from its fate. More often than not, the coach finds it extremely difficult to maintain his mental balance and composure and to focus on his task of passing the right instructions. It is the psychologist’s duty to prepare the coach(es) on such possibilities or occurrences and how to remain effective!

    Rohr touched the nerve of his team’s fortunes at the Mundial when he urged Kelechi Iheanacho and Ahmed Musa to dump Leicester City during this January transfer window for other teams, where they could be playing regularly, if they hope to secure a World Cup shirt. What Rohr didn’t reckon with was the players’ mind-boggling wages which not many teams can afford. Those teams which can pay for their services won’t go near them since they have been benchwarmers since the season began in August 2017.

    Simply put, Iheanacho and Musa are not marketable. Clubs shopping for players in the January window look for quick-fixes to their problems. These can’t be players who are playing for average teams, such as Leicester, with due respect to their recent feats.

    Soccer legend Segun Odegbami feels strongly that Iheanacho and Musa are good players who may be suffering from the biases of their manager who prefers others to the Nigerians. He insists that both players couldn’t have lost form under one year not to command regular shirts in an average side, such as Leicester. Odegbami believes that Iheanacho, if fit, could complement Victor Moses’ efforts in Nigeria’s campaign in Russia.

    ‘’Moses plays better for Nigeria than with Chelsea. Iheanacho could have been one of our aces at the Mundial, if he was playing, but he is still a good player and I tip him to do well in Russia. With another coach, Musa and Iheanacho could have been playing regularly because I don’t see those that Leicester’s manager is parading in their places as being better,’’ Odegbami said.

    He went on: ‘’It is true that Wilfred Ndidi is playing regularly for Leicester in the English Premier League. But he isn’t in Moses’ class. Ndidi plays better for Leicester than with the Eagles. Ndidi marks well, his ball distribution is good but he isn’t that all round player like Moses.’’

    So far, the plans by NFF and Rohr for the Eagles are laudable, especially the top notch friendly matches. These games can help the team’s blending and elevate the players’ morale, if they win the four matches ahead of the Mundial.

    We hope that no player sustains injuries that could rule him out of the competition. One is excited that Henry Onyekuru’s injury doesn’t require any surgery. Onyekuru has returned to Everton FC of England’s medical crew for proper treatment. It means he could still make the country’s 23-man squad to the Mundial. Good luck Super Eagles. Up Nigeria!

  • When cometh our ex-soccer star- President?

    When cometh our ex-soccer star- President?

    It was an interview I needed to do, but the organisers were not helpful. They practically left me to my own devices. I decided to somehow force my way through when the players were on their way to lunch.

    In my hand was a copy of “World Soccer” magazine, fresh from the press. On the cover was the big, bold picture of my would-be interviewee – the legendary George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah.

    That was in 1999  at the Taribo and Friends game in Lagos. I was the Sports Editor of “Thisday”.

    The “World Soccer” cover did the trick. It came out the previous day and I was sure Weah hadn’t seen it. He walked towards me, politely asked to see the magazine and held me by the hand. We walked into the lunch room.

    Weah asked for my name and we got talking, but I noticed he was engrossed with the content of the magazine. I asked him to keep it. He got up to embrace me and I asked him if he could give me a few minutes after the game.

    Weah agreed, but he changed his mind. He asked me to follow him to his hotel room for the interview right away, stressing that he could leave immediately after the match in his jet. No protocols. It all seemed magical.

    Please, don’t ask me what it could have cost me if it was a Nigerian superstar? Weah was seeing me for the first time. No appointment. I was a stranger. He didn’t feign being unable to speak English and I got his attention just by flashing a magazine with his picture. He  saw it and walked away from the strolling pack to ask for it.

    Dear reader, pardon my long preamble. It is in a dramatic bid to join the debate – Can a Nigerian ex-soccer star become president? My candid opinion? No; not yet.

    We like to be pacesetters. When we are not, we strive to cover up with a quick fix, not minding the culture shock that comes with such copycat ventures. Why must it be Liberia to have a former soccer star as its president? Why not Nigeria? After all, Liberia isn’t a football power in Africa. But our soccer stars don’t have the simplest criterion to endear themselves to voters.

    Everything that Weah (born October 1, 1966) did came on impulse. He witnessed all that happened in his hitherto war-torn country, Liberia, and empathised with his people, who endured the horrors of a mindless civil war. He was a soccer star, who started playing on the streets of Liberia, which became grounds for war machines and battle tanks. His rise to stardom and the number one job is the manifestation of an audacious desire, conviction, hardwork, iron-cast will and uncommon commitment to a purpose.

    The dreamer in this case appears propelled by an inner spirit to save his country, his people from pain, poverty, destruction and all things odious to peace and the destiny of his fatherland. This trait and inclination he showed several times as a footballer, carrying the Liberian national football team on  his shoulders time and time again. He paid bills and match bonuses of his teammates, besides chartering aircraft to take the team to match venues.  Weah also engaged in charity work on which he spent his money.

    Weah isn’t Liberia’s President because he played the beautiful game. He is because he embarked on people-oriented programmes in those dark, eerie days of war. Weah spent millions in hard currency to alleviate the suffering of his people. He could have changed nationality in 1995 after he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d’Or, becoming the first and only African player to win these awards. In 1989, 1994 and 1995, he was named the African Footballer of the Year. In 1996, he was named African Player of the Century. Not even the allure of playing at the World Cup could tempt him to change nationality.

    Weah single-handedly sponsored the Liberian soccer team, making efforts to get the war-torn country to the 2002 Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup. Nigeria stopped Liberia because it was our golden era in soccer. Need I name our stars who played against Liberia? Like they say in boxing, it would have been a no-contest fight.

    Since Weah became Liberia’s President, soccer followers, including some avid readers of this column, have asked me whether it is feasible for an ex-footballer to be Nigeria’s president. In all the discussions on this topic, I have remained silent, preferring to listen to their arguments. But many of them feel strongly that I need to lead the crusade for a Nigerian player to become our next president.

    Let me disappoint you, dear friends, an ex-footballer can’t become our president. Why? Simple; our players are peacocks who want to be seen with only the elite, not the common man. Weah is a giver and a leader with purpose and mission. The Nigerian footballer or ex-footballer is a prig and perhaps morally obtuse and dense to all that Weah, a champion of the masses stands for.

    Weah’s aspiration received blessings from all. The Nigerian footballer has to be begged and paid for any charity work; he bluffs and struts around with bodyguards who always get in the way when you try to engage him for any service to the society. All these are negative traits many of them need to drop – if they must command the type of followership Weah has.

    And now that Weah has showed what is possible and some footballers think they too can follow the same path and become President, I advise that they study his script very well and adjust their thoughts and version of the dream for a superb career like Weah’s. Dreams unsupported by positive moves die fast.

    A few times you find our celebrity players in a public gathering, they are always in a hurry to leave when it dawns on them that fans know they are around. Rather than worm themselves to these Nigerians, majority of whom are soccer faithful just seeking autographs, selfies etc, they  ensure that their bodyguards show their might. When faced with surging masses, they resort to throwing cash in the opposite direction to distract the fans while they make good their escape.

    You need to see the mad rush for the cash while our stars zoom off at breakneck speed, leaving others with the urge for autographs and selfies struggling to flee the stampede. Not Weah; he comes out of a vehicle to greet the fans, stretching his hands and holding on to those who need attention. Weah is never in a hurry to leave the fans. He holds them in high esteem. He shares in their problems.

    With all the disasters and terrorists’ carnage in the country, how many of our players have identified with our large army of Internally Displaced People (IDP)? If anyone has, he would have been taken there as a celebrity, paid and sponsored by a state government. Not so for Weah. He was daring in his support for Liberia’s post war efforts.

    Without a Weah-kind of player here, we are forced to challenge the government to rescue our ailing sports stars. I ask, where are our players? Take a bow Tajudeen Disu, the late Stephen Keshi, Paul Okoku, Francis Monidafe et al who live in the United States for all that you have done for your Alma Mata in Nigeria.

    It won’t come as a surprise if Mohammed Saleh contests any electoral position in Egypt in the future and wins. He is already a cult hero, drawing global applause.

    Salah showed he has not forgotten his roots by donating 27,000 pounds to a charity helping out retired Egyptian footballers. The Liverpool winger has loosened his purse strings to help out the Association of Veteran Egyptian Players, which supports ex-footballers struggling to make ends meet. The money will help around 120 families, reports Egyptian news site “King Fut”.

    How many of our players give back to their communities? A few of them, but such projects start like a house on fire only to melt away like ice-cream under the scorching sun, largely because they are always self-serving projects.

    Obafemi Martins towers above everyone in terms of people-oriented programmes. Martins has touched lives where he lived. He identifies with them and participates in their affairs through his lieutenants. He cherishes the physically-challenged people, who defy their physical disabilities to appreciate his presence anytime he is with them. Is Martins thinking politics? I don’t think so. But if he decides to run for any position, the song in such an area would be “winner o, o, o, winner… Martins you don win o!”.

    Please, don’t remind me of those soccer stars who mounted the rostrum urging the late Sani Abacha to remain in power in the infamous One Million Man March in Abuja, in spite of what the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola did for some of them. The late Abiola was the Pillar of Sports in Africa; you remember?

  • A peep into 2018

    A peep into 2018

    This is the time for new resolutions – whether or not we kept the ones of last year. Such shortcomings form the neuclus of new decisions to be taken, God permitting. I don’t believe in resolutions because every new day offers fresh challenges to reshape my life. I’m also not scared to do the needful.

    For sports, we can sit back and celebrate Nigeria’s sixth appearance at the Mundial in Russia in June, not minding the point lost for fielding an ineligible Shehu Abdullahi in the meaningless last game against Algeria, which ended 1-1. I’m sure if Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr had fielded our second-string side or the home-based players in the game, even with Nigeria’s qualification ticket secured, and lost, the long knives would have been drawn. We are sour losers. On the hindsight, we know better because we eventually lost the game in the boardroom.

    I’ve shied away from talking about the boardroom loss because everyone is guilty. Rohr, who ought to have known players eligible for the game, weeks before he named his squad. In fact, the quest to know the eligble players for the Algeria game should have started when he submitted his technical report of the last game against Chipolopolo of Zambia inside the Nest of Champions Stadium in Uyo.

    The layers of blame starts with the administrative arm of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), but the truth is, the manager ought to have done this line check since he uses the players to achieve our objective. This is the reason he signed an agreement where his decisions are unchallenged. If so, then the finer details of what he needs ought to have been done in conjuction with the other arms of the chain in his decision-making. I don’t like to dwell in the past. But I feel strongly that Rohr’s employers must sit down with him to design how the Eagles should be constituted, such that the Algeria experience is not repeated.

    We need to structure the Eagles to meet the demands of being a World Cup bound team. NFF chiefs and Rohr should look at what operates in other teams to streamline our operations. I must quickly point out to them that Eagles need a psychologist, among others. This idea of Rohr doubling as manager and psychologist is unacceptable. The danger in this arrangement is that when Rohr is overwhelmed by the circumstances of our performance at the Mundial, he won’t be in the best frame of mind to motivate the players. This is why teams have neutral and trained psychologists to energise players after every game, especially losses.

    For our football 2018 holds a lot, if the Eagles qualify for the quarter-finals of Russia 2018 World Cup. It would benchmark our best performance after six attempts. And you can only imagine how Nigeria would be bubbling as the team marches through the first four games. Indeed, a berth in the quarter-finals will mean a lot to the Muhammadu Buhari-led government, which may break its strigent finacial trasactions to motivate the players and coaches to fly over our quarter-finals foes.

    At the quarter-finals, anything is possible, especially with Nigerians when properly motivated. I’m glad that the countries in our group don’t think we have what it takes to upstage them. They are guaging Eagles based on their inconsistency. That could be a dangerous way to judge Eagles because the country would support them –  in every way possible that could swing the game in Nigeria’s favour. Nigeria’s group is tough. Every game is dicey, with the Croatian game serving as the Eagles’ biggest test since they are a very organised side eager to make their mark at the Mundial.

    The Croatian game reminds me of Nigeria’s opening game against Spain at the France’98 World Cup. The Spanairds were hot. Pundits ruled the Eagles out. But the avaerage Nigerian’s spartan spirit is one which shouldn’t be taken lightly when the stage is as big as the World Cup. The Spaniards were stunned 3-2, with Sunday Oliseh’s cannon shot from a rebound highlighting some of the best goals in the Mundial’s history.

    My only worry with this crop of Eagles is that they aren’t as talented as those who were in France over 19 years ago. but what these new boys have going for them is team unity, which is sacroscant.

    Two players stand out as the Eagles’ pivot, going by their European clubs’ performances. Victor Moses and Wilfred Ndidi are the leading lights in Europe, although many pundits would include Alex Iwobi, based on his cameo appearances with Arsenal in the Barclays English Premier League and Europa league matches.

    Interestingly, the trio Moses, Ndidi and Iwobi are the links from the midfield to the attack. It appears that the team’s skipper John Mikel Obi wants to make this World Cup a memorable one and given the extra efforts he is making to remain fit, knowing that the Chinese League won’t give the type of competition prevalent in the EPL, Europa and/or the UEFA Champions League. Mikel has recruited a fitness trainer and dietician. He displays his training on instagram, facebook, whatapps etc.

    If Mikel is fit, Eagles would get the balance that they need to attack and defend because Kelechi Iheanacho and Odion Ighalo would need good defence splitting passes to outwit the opposition and score goals with aplomb. It appears Rohr has fixed the team’s hitherto leaky defence, with the remarkable way in which Troost-Ekong and Leon Balogun have marshalled the rear in Nigeria’s matches.

    My joy stems from the fact that Troost-Ekong and Balogun aren’t our products. Troost-Ekong’s and Balogun’s approach to games have reduced the defensive errors prevalent in the team when our home-groomed lads held forte. Troost-Ekong and Balogun covered up the team’s weaknesses from the right and left back positions. Ebuehi and Aina Ola, given their performance against Argentina, could plug the team’s problems in the defence, with Shehu Abdullahi serving as back-up, not because he hasn’t done well. Abdullahi is a midfield player who won’t be able to bench Mikel or Ndidi. The way Ebuehi played against Argentina showed the difference between a natural defender and an adhoc one.

    I won’t dwell much on Eagles’ goalkeepers. I know that none of the 32 teams at the Russia 2018 World Cup is flawless. What has happened to the doctrine of the goalkeeper being as good as the team’s defence? I feel Rohr should evolve a pattern where all the players start to mark the ball as soon as they lose possession, reminscent of the way Manchester City FC has prosecuted its matches this season.

    I stumbled on easily Nigeria’s best football player ever Segun Odegbami at Eko Hotel, Lagos on Tuesday and we got talking about Eagles. Odegbami was cautious intially, but he opened up when he needed to express his views.

    Asked if he thought it wise for Vincent Enyeama to return to the team, his expressionless face underscored his response.

    Odegbami said:’’You want my views on Enyeama’s return? No. Even when he was on tip-tip shape, he wasn’t world class. So, how does anyone think that Enyeama, who is presently recuperating, clubless and has not been involved in matches should make the World Cup by any stretch of imagination. Let’s give those who have fought for the ticket a chance to prove their mettle. Or is anyone thinking Nigeria can win the World Cup?

    Odegbami went on: ‘’I tip the Eagles to reach the quarter-finals. if that happens, it would be our best performance at the Mundial; then we can build on that. The World Cup isn’t a stroll in the park. I must commend Gernot Rohr for transforming the team, but the truth is Eagles have average players. I can pick out Victor Moses as the world class player who would trouble teams that Nigeria will face at the World Cup. How far Eagles will go will depend on how well the other players complement Moses during our matches.’’

    Won’t Ndidi be impactful at the Mundial? Odegbami replied: ‘’Ndidi is a strong player. He dominates the midfield very well. But, unfortunately, he plays well for Leicester City better than with Super Eagles. Unlike Moses, who plays better for Nigeria than when he is playing for Chelsea. Ndidi is okay but it is Moses that holds the aces for Eagles at the Mundial.

    ‘’I’m also looking at Mikel as one of our jokers, but I’m not thinking of Nigeria winning the World Cup. I feel we can get into the quarter-finals. But my fear is with our first game against Croatia, even though I feel too that we can nick a win over them, with the right motivation.’’

    ‘’Look, Ade, you and I and indeed all of Nigerians deserve to benfit from our participation at the Mundial. I’m excited that we are at the World Cup. Let’s get to quarter-finals and I can tell you that anything is possible thereafter, not only with the Eagles,’’ Odegbami concluded.

  • Messi’s trumpet

    Messi’s trumpet

    Lionel Messi is excited and it is showing in his utterances. Consider the dismissive manner in which he talked about Nigeria’s chances at the Mundial. But the Eagles must take to heart Messi’s observations and shut his trap with another resounding whiplash of Argentina. Dear Eagles, this is a task that must be done, with proper planning, when both teams meet in the last Group D game in Russia. It will be the most exciting photograph to see Messi on the cover pages of newspapers, his face buried in his jersey, after another humiliating defeat. Tough task though.

    Messi used to allow his feet do the talking than be indulged in verbal jibes, which translate to mind games. He is talking now and the world is taking note, so much so that many pundits don’t believe that Nigeria can beat Argentina by the same margin  (4-2) at the Mundial. They agree that the result would have been different if Messi played. No doubt about that, but the difference could have been more goals conceded because the Argentines were awful in the second half.

    I don’t intend to speak for the Eagles. I know the players will prove their mettle when the chips are down. Messi’s message should compel Manager Gernot Rohr and NFF chiefs to prepare well for the June competition. Need I waste space to enumerate Messi’s qualities or his feats as one of the greatest players in the world?

    Aside Messi’s jives at the Eagles, he has raised a fundamental question which should provide insights in doing a comparison of who the greatest player in the world is. The Argentine is thinking of winning the World Cup for his country again. If it happens, he would join the league of soccer greats who won the World Cup, a status Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) and Diego Maradona enjoy.

    Messi needs to win the World Cup for his country to first match his compatriot Maradona, a feat which will silence Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the real threat  to the Argentine’s stardom in the 21st Century. Where do we start from in highlighting Messi’s achievements? His records can only be matched by Ronaldo, but he wants to win the World Cup next year to join soccer greats and seal the difference between him and Ronaldo. It will be easier for Messi and Argentina to win the world Cup than Ronaldo and his mates from Portugal. The Argentines have better players than the Portuguese.

    ‘’I hope football will repay its debt. I heard what Jorge Sampaoli said, in fact, he told me himself. I don’t think the pain of the 2014 World Cup final defeat to Germany will ever heal. I think I’m just going to have to live with what happened, it will always be there. The World Cup provides nice memories, but also some very painful ones,’’ Messi told FIFA.com in an interview last week.

    One man who knows Messi’s qualities aside grooming him from youth to stardom is Manchester City FC of England’s manager Pep Guardiola. Pep nurtured Messi from his infancy to glory. He thinks Messi is matchless and shouldn’t be likened to anyone because of the things he does with the ball.

    “I feel sorry for those who want to compete for Messi’s throne – it’s impossible; this kid is unique,’’ Guardiola said, after Messi became Barcelona’s all-time top scorer at 24 in March 2012.

    Ronaldo will be facing Messi for the first time since he was declared the best player in the world by FIFA and France Football awards. But Ronaldo holds the ace in this evening’s encounter, largely because he gives his best when it comes to the big games especially Barcelona.

    “You will go and say that I have a big head, but when you’re at the top, it’s normal that you’re criticised,” Ronaldo told France Football. “I am the best player in history, in both good and bad times.”

    Ronaldo’s and Messi’s pre-match utterances have raised the game’s profile, with everyone expecting a thrilling 90 minutes.

    Messi said: “Titles are our goal. If individual statistics are there also, that’s even better, but they are not the objective.” Indeed, Messi.

    Messi and Ronaldo have four Champions League titles, with Messi’s eight league titles twice higher than Ronaldo’s. This is despite the fact that Ronaldo played for Manchester United FC of England and plays for Real Madrid. The usual head-to-head analysis for such big matches tilts towards Messi, having outscored the Portuguese 19-17, since Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009.

    Tonight, soccer faithful will be glued to their seats around the globe to watch the El Clasico in Spain between Barcelona and Real Madrid. The two characters who make the game the most glamorous in Europe are Messi and his rival Ronaldo. Gamblers would have placed several bets on Messi and Ronaldo to do things such as scoring a goal or two each. Both men serve as the pivot of their teams’ style of play. The winner will be leaving the pitch on Sunday, with the bragging rights of being the better of the two until the return leg game next year. Real Madrid are 11 points adrift Barcelona, but have played a game less due to their participation at the Club World Cup. Barcelona sits on top of La Liga with 42 points. Real Madrid are fourth with 31 points.

    Ronaldo and Messi are talking about the 278th El Classico with interesting comments that have raised the stakes in previous matches. Indeed, words from Real Madrid’s camp suggested that Ronaldo could miss the game against Barcelona. ‘’Cristiano Ronaldo worked separately from the group. Luka [Modric] also trained alone out on the pitch as he continues his recovery process,’’ a club spokesperson said.

    Not many will believe this submission, especially after Rondalo said in subsequent reports on Wednesday: ‘’I felt an issue in my calf in the second half, but I kept playing. For sure on Saturday I will be fine.’’

    Ronaldo takes this game seriously as if his life depends on it. He sees the game as one which real Madrid must win, if it wants to close the gap between the two sides on the La Liga table before today’s game.

    So, who wins tonight’s game? Barcelona’s captain Iniesta’s submission tells the story of what to expect in the 278th El Clasico.

    “That is in the past, we’re in another competition and in a different moment. It’s a completely different game and nothing to do with how we were back then,” Iniesta told Marca.

    “I don’t look at the league table before a ‘Clasico’. They are unique games and form has no impact. We know what’s at stake and we’ll try to take an important step towards winning the league.”

    May the best side win. But it is looking like a draw, if Ronaldo is declared fit by the doctors this morning.

     

    Good luck, for Moses

    The Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) didn’t shock anyone when it dropped Nigeria international Victor Moses from the top three nominees for the African Footballer of the  Year Award. Since the story of the Nigerian’s exclusion broke on Monday, many readers of this column have called to ask if I knew that Moses would be dropped.

    Moses did well for Nigeria, no doubt, but there were other African players who played pivotal roles for their countries en route the Russia 2018 World Cup and at their European clubs.

    Mohammed Salah, Saido Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did well for Egypt, Senegal and Gabon in the Mundial. But Aubameyang was awesome for his German side, Borrussia Dortmund last season, scoring 31 goals. Mane and Salah did well in the World Cup qualifiers for Senegal and Egypt. They are both captains of their national teams. They play for the same European club, Liverpool FC of England and all three are strikers.

    Perhaps, being strikers put Mane, Salah and Aubameyang ahead of Moses, who plays from the right wing-back position. Will anyone blame CAF for their decision? After all, the essence of football is scoring goals. It is the reason the fans throng match venues and sit around the world to watch the games.

    The atmosphere is different when goals are scored. Goal scorers get all the attention, not defenders. This is not to say that defenders have not won such awards. Moses has done well. He needs to start scoring goals regularly and pray for an injury-free season. Good luck, Moses.

  • A thought for Moses

    A thought for Moses

    The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) award for African players in Europe is one prize big African players strive to win every year. Winners emerge from an exhaustive voting system, which cannot be faulted. I tried voting several times for Victor Moses, but the feedback kept reminding me that I had voted. I marvel at the efficacy of the voting system.

    What stands the BBC Africa Footballer of the Year Award out is that players are assessed based on their performance in one calendar year – January to December each year. So, it is easy to compare what the winner has achieved based on what others earned, when controversies, such as the Moses issue, crop up. Moses could have lost ground this year due to an injury which ruled him out of action for close to seven weeks, during which Salah was scoring goals for Liverpool and Egypt with aplomb.

    Salah, who is the English Premier League’s top scorer with 13 goals, is on the right path with a specially outstanding year for both club and country. He was the central figure for Egypt as they finished runners-up at the Africa Cup of Nations early this year. Salah was the architect of the seven goals, with which the Pharaohs qualified for the Russia 2018 World Cup. He scored five goals, provided two assists, which led to goals, as the Egyptians finally ended one of African football’s biggest mysteries.

    But will Salah’s BBC feat shut out Moses from winning the Africa Footballer of the Year award in Ghana in  January? Not likely. we have instances in the past where BBC winners lost the Africa Footballer of the award. Besides, the period September 2016 to June 2017 showed clearly that Moses was the best African player in Europe for both club and country.

    Nigerians have an apathy for online voting. It has cost us dearly, if one recalls how Austin Okocha lost to the pony-tail haired Moroccan Mustapha Hadji in the Africa Footballer of the year award in 1998, despite Okocha’s mercurial performance at the France’98 World Cup. The decision shook the world because Okocha was clearly Africa’s best. He did so well that he became the highest paid player in the French league playing for Paris Saint Germain (PSG) FC of France. Morocco was at the Mundial, making many to wonder what informed Hadji’s choice over Okocha. Need I ask anyone to do a comparison of Okocha and Hadji? No contest, yet Okocha lost because the Francophone region sees anyone from their abode as theirs. This explains why most of the past winners are from the Francophone areas.

    Moses may have lost because of the pedigree of his English side, Chelsea put against Liverpool among the Europeans. Many who are ardent followers of the game will easily vote for Salah, who has been Liver pool FC’s best player. Indeed, Liverpool’s global fan base is awesome, especially when the team is doing well. Besides, the Arab world will vote en masse for Salah, an edge Moses won’t even enjoy among Nigerians. Egyptians literally worship Salah. He practically guided Egypt to the Russia 2018 World Cup, like Moses did for Nigeria.

    Salah  has scored 18 goals for Liverpool this season (13 EPL, 5 UCL). He scored 17 goals for Roma FC of Italy last season (15 goals in the Serie A and two goals in Europa). These figures show that Salah did well for his European side, Roma in the Serie A, although the team didn’t win the Italian League diadem. Moses with Chelsea, won the prestigious English Premier League. Perhaps, playing at the Europa League where he scored two goals gave Salah the edge. On the contrary, Chelsea didn’t play in Europe, so its feats could be localised even if the EPL is the world’s acclaimed best.

    Moses played 40 games for Chelsea last season, scoring four goals. He became the Nigerian player with the most English Premier League appearances for a title winning team. On 27 May 2017, he played in the 2017 FA Cup Final against Arsenal which Chelsea lost 2-1. After being booked for a foul on Danny Welbeck, Moses got another booking. This resulted in a red card, after diving in the penalty area. He became the fifth player to be sent off in an FA Cup final.

    Moses’ loss should be our wake-up call for online voting when one of the contestants is a Nigerian. With a population of 200 million. Winning such awards for deserving Nigerian should be a right. Moses is our brightest for any football award today. If he doesn’t win the 2016 Africa Footballer of the Year award in January, it will take another Nigerian close to five years to make the final three cut. With the way Salah is playing, he is mostly likely to win this year’s edition. He may not leave Liverpool in June, next year, no matter what Real Madrid or the other big spenders offer him.

    It appears Salah and Moses will reenact the Messi/Ronaldo scenario in Africa. On Tuesday night, Moses joined the league of Nigerians who have played 200 matches in the English Premier League (EPL). Same night, Salah was crowned the best player in Liverpool for November. As we wait for Confederation of African Football (CAF’s) decision, pundits only hope that the best player emerges.

    We will celebrate Moses, if he nicks it for Nigeria after over 18 years wait. Some people are fasting for Chelsea to triumph in the tough opposition they will be facing in the two-legged ties against FC Barcelona in one of the Round of 16 matches. A loss by Chelsea (God forbid) will count less for Moses, if Salah is still playing at the UEFA Champions League after the round of 16. This isn’t to say that Liverpool’s two-legged ties against Porto in the round of 16 will be a stroll in the park. In football, anything is possible.

    My worry for Moses at the continental level for the Africa Footballer of the Year Award is Gabon’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who plays for Borrussia Dortumd in the Bundesliga. Aubameyang finished as the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 31 goals last season.

     

    Eagles need a psychologist

    NFF President Amaju Pinnick has done the right thing by taking responsibility for the mistake which led to the point deduction by FIFA, even though it didn’t affect Nigeria’s qualification for the Russia 2018 World Cup.

    The mistake would have been costlier if we needed the draw against Algeria to qualify. thank god it isn’t the case. However, it is good to see that the NFF has constituted a four-man committee to take appropriate action against the offenders. I don’t know the committee’s mandate but I expect they must introduce a body, which will document all our international matches’ details, not just Super Eagles’.

    Those to be punished must be given fair hearing. No one should be made the fall guy for some ”untouchables”. Dead woods should be removed from NFF’s operations, given its history with such administrative lapses. Nigerians should be patient with the committee to enable it do a thorough job. There should be no media trial.

    What happened with the point deduction should inform the need for the operations of the team to be run professionally. This idea of doing Gernot Rohr’s biddings has backfired. Rohr picked the team. He should have asked questions on players’ eligibility for the game before sending out information.

    NFF chiefs should appoint a psychologist for the Eagles. This idea of Rohr doubling as coach and psychologist is unacceptable. The shame from the point deduction is the NFF’s not Rohr’s, but he too should take the flak and apologise like Pinnick did.

    The other 31 teams going to the Mundial next year have psychologist(s) distinct from the manager, who is the technical head of the squad. Nigeria shouldn’t be exception to the rule. If the composition of national teams includes having a psychologist, the NFF must hire one now. Rohr can walk away tomorrow but we must be seen to have done the needful.

  • Eagles aren’t hard tacklers

    Eagles aren’t hard tacklers

    The draws are known. Group opponents are plotting strategies to outwit one another. Mind games rule the media space, with pundits taking a dig at tough tackling teams to spite them. Will you blame them? The fixtures have laid the path through which the next world champion will emerge from seven matches to be played at the Russia 2018 World Cup, which begins on June 15.

    It is Nigeria’s sixth appearance. There are great expectations, especially with Argentina as one of this country’s Group D foes. The difference this time is that the fixture is the last for Group D. Many are tipping both countries to approach the game with caution, with a point enough to qualify them for the Round of 16, if they play to their full potential. For ardents of permutations in soccer, any roll of the dice produces several options. But when matches are played, losers sulk, knowing that their chances of qualifying from the group get slimmer with every bad result.

    For winners, the last group game decides who the round of 16 foes will be. In most cases, certain countries avoid stronger opponents. A case in point is the last group game between Nigeria and England in Japan, when the English wanted to avoid France at the 2002 Japan/Korea World Cup.

    Gernot Rohr knows these jigsaw puzzles and would fix them. Rohr feels the Super Eagles may confront France in the round of 16, a repeat of what happened in Brazil 2014, when we were beaten 2-0. This shameful result arose because players, coaches and officials were busy sharing the $3.8 million cash brought by an official a day before the French game. The players didn’t sleep and it showed in their lacklustre approach to the game. The setting will be different in Russia because Rohr means business. How Rohr has tipped France as our likely opponent in the Round of 16, isn’t informed by any lottery or a throw of the dice, but on permutations informed by the tactical savvy of the coaches in Nigeria’s Group D. This is how battles are fought  -largely on projections, not blind chase or asking your nationals to pray for you as if others don’t know God, like Nigerian coaches also do.

    Some interesting perspectives about the Eagles’ strengths and weakenesses have flooded the media, with the most critical being the physical power of the players. I would have ignored it but for the fact that it seems our group opponents want to set us up for the yellow and red cards. Soccer is no romantic exercise; it is a combat sport.

    What the Craotians, Argentines and Icelanders are saying is that Nigerians are hard tacklers. But they have forgotten that most of our boys play in Europe and they are not serial red or yellow card earners. This could be another way to weaken the Eagles before their matches. I’m scared. Take the grit out of the Eagles’ game, then we have lost it all. Our players should be allowed to express themsleves in the best possible way. Decisions must be fair and not informed by off field sentiments which our group foes are advancing before the first kick of the ball at the Mundial. NFF had better call them (our group opponents) to order; otherwise, what happened in Brazil 2014 would recur. France’s Blaise Mutidui hacked down Oguenyi Onazi in Brazil during Nigeria’s game against France. He got no card. If it was the other way, Onazi would still be serving out his ban. No hyperbole.

    My consolation is that Brazil’s gem, Neymar, has seen other qualities in the Eagles which made him celebrate Nigeria’s absence from the Samba Boyz group. Neymar said:  “We (Brazil) have to be at our best to get a good result, particularly in our first game of the tournament. The teams in our group are difficult to play against.

    “I am happy it wasn’t a group where we had to play against African teams like Nigeria. They run a lot and are very physical in their approach. We are no doubt still up against strong sides at the World Cup.”

    Well said Neymar. Nigeria’s physical appproach to matches shouldn’t be scary to our opponents; they don’t need to start flying like saucers in the air at the slightest tackle.

    Nigerians have not forgotten how the Italians injured Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Amuneke with their crucnhy tackles which didn’t fetch anyone of them a card. Yet, Amokachi and Amuneke never played the game at top level again after the tackles.

    Former Croatia coach Miroslav Blazevic said: “We must immediately say the group is tough, not just because it really is, but what is needed for us work on our mentality.

    “Yes, the group is loaded, in one part, and spectacular. It can because we have a squad of high-value footballers. Nigeria is our biggest rival in our group. They are desirous of proving they are Africa’s best,” Blazevic told dnevno.hr.

    Croatia are our first opponents in Russia. We need to know their big stars and how they play. Croatia are regulars at the Mundial (1998, 2002, 2006 and 2014) which makes them bad customers.  Croatia placed third in 1998, losing in the semi-finals, qualified for the group stage in 2002, 2006 and 2014.

    The pressure will be on Nigeria if Argentina beats Iceland, which is the group’s opening game. We must grab the three points of the first game. Iceland won’t want to lose to Nigeria in the second game, if the Argentines whack them. Our two matches against Croatia and Iceland will determine our stay in the competition. If we lose or draw either of our first two matches, Argentina could be spoilers seeking for revenge with the last group game. It could be dicey.

    Who should we be looking out for in Iceland and Croatia? Argentina’s players are well known. Croatia have Ivan Rakitic, who plays for Barcelona. Rakitic has 88 caps with Barca and has scored 13 goals, which means he will form a formidable midfield team with Luka Modric, a Real Madrid gem who has 103 caps and has scored 12 goals. Croatia has scoring midfielders who should be prevented from linking up for any attacking onslaught.

    Croatia has gangling Mario Mandzukic, whose aerial strength should worry Eagles’ central defenders Leon Balogun and Troost-Ekong. Our players must stop Mandzukic from entering our 18 metres box. He is quick and strong. He is a relentless fighter on-and-off the ball. To keep him quiet in a game could be difficult. Of course, part of the ways to check Mandzukic is to ‘’arrest’’ Ivan Perisic, who plays for Inter Milan. He has 63 caps and has scored 17 goals. Perisic plays on the left wing for Croatia. Either Shehu Abdulahi or Ebuehi must stick to him like glue to stop him from sending out crosses from the flanks. These four men, if well marked, can create an easy path for Eagles’ victory.

    Iceland, with due respect, are unknown – going by their World Cup pedigree. They are being dreaded because they eliminated England at the last European championships. Is England really a football power at the World Cup? Not anymore. Iceland’s four key players are Gylfi Sigurosson (Everton FC), Johann Berg Guomundsson (Burnley FC), Aaron Gunnarsson (Cardif City) and Alfred Finnbogason (Augsburg FC in Germany. I really don’t think that Iceland will win a game in this group. Eagles have no business stopping Cameroon from this Mundial, if they get beaten by Iceland.

    I’m glad that Rohr understands the dynamics of the Mundial, even though this will be his first appearance. He told the international media on Thursday: ‘’We won’t approach every game the same way. There are things we will take into consideration before setting up tactics for any game. First of all, we have to focus on doing well in our first game against Croatia before thinking about our remaining group game against Iceland and Argentina.’’

    Can Nigeria lift the World Cup? Yes, otherwise why are we going for the Mundial? The bulk of our players excel with their European teams. So, what stops them from replicating their club form playing for Nigeria. The Sports Minister said after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday that the team’s entitlements would be ready by March, when the team would have been involved in at least two friendly matches.

    The implication of the minister’s revelation is that the Federal Government has accepted the sharing formula submitted to it for approval. It means also that there won’t be any disgraceful scene where players would be protesting over their entitlements. It shows we have learned from what happened in previous tournament. This is the way forward.

    Major competitions are replete with upsets; otherwise, how could a Nigerian side that was rushed out of the country with less than 45 days to the Olympic Games win the gold medal? It is about time our boys played their hearts out for the fans, who also give their all to support the team with prayers for those who don’t have the cash to give them.

    Everything stops when Eagles have a game. The country is aglow when they win matches. It is always a graveyard when they lose. A lot is lost by Nigerians who key into the marketing windows of the country’s participation in the Mundial like making gift items from the players’ shirts, calendars, mufflers of the team etc. Business centres experience a boom when Eagles are doing well. Viewing centres expand their operations to cope with customers’ demands. Up Eagles, Up Nigeria!

  • Setting the markers

    Gernot Rohr is ambitious. He wants to make the Super Eagles the fairytale team of the Russia 2018 World Cup by fielding young boys who will fight to the death during matches. Today, Nigeria is going to the Mundial with the youngest set of players whose average age is 24 years and nine months. A team for the future, but do we have the culture of allowing any group to blossom after the Mundial? Don’t remind me of the failed promises by NFF and the Federal Government with our U-17 World Cup winning Golden Eaglets squads since 1985.

    The Franco-German manager has introduced new systems into our football, which explains why developed football countries excel at big competitions. Friendly matches aren’t just organised on the pages of newspapers and media online platforms. Gone are the days when names of countries were dropped. If a match is to be played, our football chieftains have learned how not to squeal the bean.

    Contracts for friendly games are kept under wraps. Rules for sealing them are kept secret. We won’t be shocked if some of the countries being bandied get to play the Eagles before the Mundial, if they are not in Nigeria’s group. NFF men and their scouts have learned this time not to suggest countries, such as Jamaica, Azerbaijan, Republic of Benin, Sierra Leone, Gabon, Maldova and foreign clubs, with due respect to them as likely opponents for friendlies.

    Not many people believed the game against Argentina would take place, especially when the talk centred on whether Lionel Messi will play or not. Nigeria’s emphatic 4-2 victory over Argentina still resonates in the media, with Nigerians dreaming of better outings at the Mundial. If Nigeria is placed in Argentina’s group, for instance, many Nigerians won’t flinch in putting their cash on the Eagles for an encore victory. Our players will go into the game with great confidence. The Argentines, this time, will be playing with caution, knowing what happened in Russia last month.

    These markers en route the World Cup in Russia explain why better organised countries don’t rebuild with every World Cup appearance, irrespective of their performance. The biggest marker is Rohr’s revelation that no injured player would be taken to Russia, irrespective of such a player’s status in the team. The tactician has told his players desirous of another World Cup appearance to ensure they are injury-free. Rohr can talk like this after seeing his young boys recover from a two-goal deficit to run the rule over the Argentines in Russia last month.

    Rohr’s cordial relationship with his employers is the secret tool for his success. The synergy between the two parties, especially in the settlement of his entitlements, has stabilised the team, with the players having no reason to be recalcitrant. Rohr serves as the team’s chief spokesman, of course, after meeting with the players on what they expect from the federation.

    Rohr doesn’t hide anything he does with the players and the federation’s chieftains.  This has eliminated rumours or baseless suggestions which divide the players and the coaches instead of uniting them. Both parties have met in Moscow to decide Rohr’s plans for the Mundial. The media aren’t anxious to second guess what was discussed because such uninformed stories affect their platforms, when the news eventually breaks.

    As for speculations about the players likely to be invited to the camp, it isn’t an issue anymore. Rather, the talk is about how to strengthen the weak areas in the squad, with some names being bandied as replacements. I expect shockers from Nigeria’s final 22-man squad to Russia. Some big players will lose their jerseys to younger and better ones. But, this won’t rock the boat because those dropped will accept their fate with equanimity.

    The outcome of mock draws held before the real one on Friday threw up several possibilities, with Nigeria’s likely opponents from South America being Argentina or Uruguay. Many Africans haven’t forgotten how Luis Suarez held a goal-bound shot on the goal line from a goalmouth melee. Suarez was red carded. But the Ghanaians lost the vital penalty, which ended their South Africa 2010 World Cup dream.

    Pundits would cherish a Nigeria versus Argentina rematch, with the star actor being Lionel Messi, who missed the 4-2 whiplash by the Nigerians. Many are waiting to see if Messi’s absence was responsible for the defeat. The Argentines are bad customers, although they are bad starters in big competitions. My worry in the four mock draws held was with the countries from Asia and Europe. The Europeans say they are scared of Nigeria. But this is another in the series of mind games, if you consider how thorough they are with big matches. I dread the Europeans because most of our players ply their trade in Europe. They must have started compiling data on the strength and weaknesses, which they will exploit when the chips are down.

    It will be election year in 2018. We have a good team that could become the first African team to play in the semi-finals, with what we have seen the players exhibit. If the permutations are right, how do we intend to build on what we are expecting? This question is pertinent because every four years produces a new NFF board without resolving the reason for the change.

    The World Cup is serious business, considering the fact that we are going to get $2.5 million for being among the 32 countries expected at the Mundial next year. If we exit at the second round, like we have done in our last five appearances, FIFA will pay Nigeria $10 million. This $12.5 million doesn’t include earnings from the gates, television rights etc, which come with such big tournaments. We should also not lose sight of the benefits to our players who do well in the competition. Austin Okocha became the richest player in French Ligue Un after the France ’98 World Cup. Need I elaborate on Okocha’s pedigree in the game?

     

    Basketball’s November 30 deadline

     

    I wasn’t expecting a shift in positions from either party in the election quagmire. Each side has its merits, making it imperative for the authorities of the game (FIBA) to rule, now that peace talks have been deadlocked.

    The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) chiefs should face the fact they bungled the entire electoral process. If NOC men had applied the rules properly, it would have been easy to resolve the matter, with loser embracing the winner for the good of the game. NOC has since the death of Raheem Adejumo become the rag sheet of the Sports Ministry simply because those who came after Adejumo were government officials who enjoy spending government cash instead of exploiting the marketing windows which  the international Olympic Committee (IOC) uses to make the Olympic Games, one of the world’s most glamorous events.

    Indeed, the two men anchoring the factions know their onions in the game, but it is good that a neutral body’s verdict would show the new direction for elections and the growth of basketball in Nigeria. FIBA gave us the chance to resolve our matter in spite of the underlining currents from powers that be who should ordinarily be doing what FIBA would do soon.

    FIBA men know the problem. The annoying thing is that they may just send one of their secretarial official to handle the new election. The junior official will be treated as a king. I won’t be surprised if attempts are made to get this FIBA man to visit the Senate President, the Vice President and, perhaps, President Muhammadu Buhari. This is the problem with our administrators. They like to be led by the nose.

    FIBA chiefs have an idea of what they want to do if we fail to reach an amicable resolution. It will be sad if FIBA appoints outsiders to run the game for us as its rules state. The November 30 deadline is enough time for the minister to decide using the acceptable parameters for conducting elections. One fact is clear. If Nigeria did the right thing at the last elections, FIBA would have recognised the new body without setting the November 30 deadline.

    Every facet of the game is business – from the billboards inside the halls, the equipment, floors of the courts, scoreboard, changing plates, television rights and the coverage of the matches e.t.c. They will generate revenue to improve the game. The Americans have built their basketball around schools. It is at the nursery level that the basics can be taught. We need to take sports to kids. This can only happen if we have schools that produce games masters and mistresses who know the fundamentals of games.

  • Clap for Enyeama

    Colin Udoh isn’t a flippant journalist. Udoh is a stickler for details. An engineer, his passion for sports is remarkable. He is an unrepentant supporter of Manchester United FC of England. Besides, he follows the domestic game with almost equal measure. Did I hear you say ‘so what about Udoh?’ Udoh deserves all the accolades because in picking his better half, he chose a former Nigerian woman football icon, former Miss Mercy Akide, to explain how adept he is in sport.

    Mercy Akide stands tall in terms of her feats in soccer, like the late Rashidi Yekini for Super Eagles. In 2001, she was named the first African Woman Footballer of the Year, and was a 1999 and 2004 FIFA World All-Star. She has played for Nigeria in three FIFA Women’s World Cups and also helped Nigeria’s Super Falcons to three African Women Championships (AWC) titles  – 1998, 2000 and 2002. In November 2004, she married football journalist Colin Udoh in her home town of Port Harcourt. In 2005, she was named by FIFA as one of its 15 Ambassadors for Women Football.  I digress!

    Udoh cherishes exclusives. And so, when he wrote on a platform that Vincent Enyeama won’t return to the Super Eagles, I shouted ‘’Eureka.’’  Udoh was so sure of this statement that he asked those who cared to read the message to exchange it for cash at a bank. So, the dust of Enyeama’s likely return to the Eagles for the Russia 2018 World Cup has been blown away.

    Besides, Enyeama has shown that he is a man of his word, having told us repeatedly that he is through with Nigeria’s international matches. The World Cup no longer motivates Enyeama. He was at the 2002 Mundial in Japan, South Africa in 2010 and Brazil in 2014. He has taken part in the Confederations Cup for national teams, so what is left for him? I’m sure Enyeama doesn’t want to be like others who came out of retirement to represent Nigeria, only to leave with ignominy.

    It is good that Enyeama has confirmed his absence with ample time for the coaches to search for better goalkeepers. Goalkeepers are as good as their defences. Gernot Rohr should train his players to mark their opponents as soon as they lose possession of the ball. Goalkeepers Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Daniel Akpeyi and Francis Uzoho have shown the potential to be better players if told what to do during matches. Argentina, for example, isn’t losing sleep over the fact that their first choice goalkeeper, Romero, is a bench warmer at Manchester United. The Argentine coach didn’t consider it a problem when he fielded the reserve against Nigeria in Russia; friendlies are meant to correct flaws noticed in a team.

    Perhaps Rohr should get us the best goalkeeper trainer, like Clemens Westerhof did shortly before USA ’94 World Cup, when he couldn’t decide who was Nigeria’s best. The trainer picked Peter Rufai ahead of others and Westerhof respected the trainer’s judgment. Westerhof wasn’t comfortable with Rufai’s cult hero status with the fans. The Dutch wanted to be the king and didn’t want to share that with any player. Chants of ‘’Dodo Mayana’’  from the fans each time the team arrived on the pitch irritated Westerhof.

    History has an uncanny way of repeating itself. In 1998, Nigeria qualified for the World Cup, with one game to spare, under the tutelage of the white witchdoctor, Philipe Troussier. Troussier, a Frenchman, built a new squad that reduced the number of our established stars, using the 3-5-2 formation. Troussier’s new formation effectively knocked off those stars in the twilight of their careers. Rather than allow Troussier lead the team to the Mundial, a former loquacious sports minister kicked the Frenchman out on spurious grounds that the players wanted to play the 4-4-2 formation that won Nigeria gold at the Atlanta’96 Olympics and our historic outing at the USA’94 World Cup. A case of the student picking his teacher for the parents, only in Nigeria can this happen, largely because of the fixation on how the team should look, without considering the fact that many of the players would have lost form since their emergence as stars. With Troussier out, the players opted for journeyman Bora Milutinovic, who did their bidding, such that holidaying players, who wouldn’t have made Troussier’s squad, returned. Based on fixation, an admixture of those who excelled at the USA’94 World Cup and the Atlanta’96 Olympic Games would fetch us the World Cup. For those short-sighted people, especially the former minister, the Mundial has a long history of surprises, which humbled reigning champions.

    Of course, it took Adegboye Onigbinde to change things in the Eagles with the last game against England, no thanks to the government’s decision to drop some recalcitrant players, who misbehaved at the Mali 2002 Africa Cup of Nations. Enyeama’s refusal to rejoin the Eagles is the elixir the team needs to reinvent its formations for the good of the game.

     

    World Cup sharing formula

     

    In past editions, our players held us hostage at the World Cup over allowances and, most times, unbelievable demands before key matches. The players used such forum to blackmail NFF chiefs. No one has been jailed so far for misappropriating cash meant for the team.

    At France ’98 World Cup, the players got $15,000 upfront before confronting Denmark in the second round. They thought they could stroll through the Danes, especially when the quarter-finals game would have been against Argentina. Most Nigerians felt the Eagles would beat the Danes. A very popular newspaper was not on the stands the morning after the game because it had done a comprehensive package on the game between Nigeria and Brazil, which never held. The Danes whipped us 4-1. I have not stopped asking why players, who got paid at every stage of the competition, would be making incredible demands beyond what is recommended.

    If the France incident was a fiasco, what happened in Brazil in 2014 was laughable because we could have beaten the French if we were focused on the game. And I’m sure the players and officials would have earned more than what they got. What happened in France would have been avoided, if we hadn’t treated the players’ and coaches’ refusal to board the FIFA-chartered jet to Brazil for the 2013 Confederations Cup with kid gloves. Those who led the revolt in 2002 in Mali were stopped from participating at the Mundial in Japan.

    It is good that the sharing formula for the Mundial in Russia has been discussed, with the decisions sent to the Federal Government for approval. I hope the players and coaches were properly briefed about the government’s TSA. I also hope they know that FIFA’s cash comes months after the Mundial.

    I have been waiting to read what they would be paid as match winning bonuses, for drawn games and for daily allowances. We need to know how perennial attendees at the Mundial do theirs without rancour. Nigeria should never be the laughing stock at the Mundial, simply because of some unruly players and officials. Most times, these protests come before difficult games, giving the impression that the players and coaches know that such matches have been lost even before the kick-off.

     

    Nigeria 50th in the world?

     

    I really don’t know how the points for the monthly rankings are allocated to countries. Tips thrown in the public domain seem to be contradictory, especially this latest edition concerning the Super Eagles.

    Ordinarily, Nigeria’s 4-2 victory over Argentina should give our team enough points to lift us above the eighth position in Africa, to say the least. In fact, we have played against some the countries atop us and finished unscathed. We beat others. Nigeria is going to the Mundial unbeaten from a group where three countries that were eliminated were previous winners of the Africa Cup of Nations. Indeed, Nigeria whipped the defending African champions Indomitable Lions of Cameroon 4-0 in Uyo and drew 1-1 against the Cameroonians in Yaounde.

    I wonder where we would have been if Argentina had beaten Nigeria by the same margin. 50th after our unbeaten status going to the Mundial, raises many posers. It puts Nigeria in bad stead ahead of the draws in Russia on December 1.

    While FIFA puts Nigeria at 50, the parallel organisers of the monthly ranking, the World Football Elo Ratings, put Nigeria at 41, with a point haul of 1,691, as against the paltry 671.07 that FIFA gave us.

    The highly subjective ranking formula will confound even the best mathematician.  The formula is based on multiple factors that are summed up as P = M x I x T x C.

    M states whether the match is won, lost or drawn. A win fetches three points. A drawn match has a point and a loss fetches zero.

    This is multiplied by I, which stands for the importance of the match. A World Cup qualifying match is given the value of 2.5 as against 1.0 for a friendly match. So, Nigeria’s win over Malawi, for instance, will be 3 multiplied by 2.5, which should fetch seven points.

    In the ranking formula, the item T stands for the relative strength of the opposition. The pertinent question is, whether the item “T’’ had no bearing when a Nigerian side ranked 41st pummelled the fourth ranked Argentina in Russia earlier this month.

    According to FIFA, “the strength of the opponents is based on the formula: 200 – the ranking position of the opponents.

    “As an exception to this formula, the team at the top of the ranking is always assigned the value 200 and the teams ranked 150th and below are assigned a minimum value of 50. The ranking position is taken from the opponents’ ranking in the most recently published FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.”

    So, the points obtained from the match are multiplied by the importance of the match and then the strength of the opposition and the continent involved.

  • Why Eagles will shine

    I like Gernot Rohr’s style of running the Super Eagles; it reminds me of the days when coach Adegboye Onigbinde was in charge of the team. Both men have a fatherly disposition towards their players; this has helped in attaining high standards.  Suddenly, the usual clashes between NFF chieftains and the coach are gone – no quarrels over delayed or outstanding entitlements for the team; all the parties agree with what they are told, with no player daring to break the rule, unlike in the past where coaches prompted the players to cry for their entitlements.

    That favourite word, ‘mafia’, has been expunged from our football jokes or is it lexicon. Yet, nothing has really changed – entitlements are delayed, most times payments for games are not done immediately. But the business of winning games has continued; the players give their best. With managers such as Rohr and Onigbinde, there is nothing like a strike or a protest. Don’t remind me of the Eagles’ shameful act in Namibia in 2013, and at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Isn’t it clear to everyone the source of the shameful  protests?

    Like Onigbinde, Rohr has a subtle way of stamping his authority over his players without making a fuss about it. I was extremely impressed when Rohr dropped John Mikel Obi from last Friday’s dead rubber game against Algeria. Mikel arrived late to the camp in Morocco. Rohr welcomed him without referring to his late arrival. But when it was time to wield the stick, by not fielding him against the Algerians, Rohr told reporters he wanted to give others a chance. But Mikel knows better.

    I hope Rohr’s subtle message wasn’t lost on Mikel. As the captain, Mikel should be the first person in camp. He should usher others in. He should lead by example. It is interesting to note that the players were miffed when Victor Moses arrived very late to camp before the Zambia game. And it showed in the way the team played, with Moses unable to strike the rhythm and balance that his skills bring to the team’s style. The coach held his ace, preferring to warn everyone. So, when Mikel crossed the line, he got a shocker. Truth be told, no player is indispensable. Was anyone shocked that Mikel was outstanding against the Argentines? It was a wake-up call for the team’s captain.

    Moses can win the African Footballer of the Year Award back-to-back, if he improves on his attitude towards national team assignments, irrespective of the fact that Chelsea FC of London pays his wages. After all, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi still play with the same zeal for their countries, like they do for their clubs. Even if they must miss their country’s matches, an agreement is struck before such absence, most times for international matches, not key games. Indeed, Ronaldo and Messi have clauses on national team assignments and their club’s matches in the event of clashes.

    It was good that Messi missed Tuesday’s game in Russia, just as Nigeria couldn’t use some key players, such as Odion Ighalo, Ogenyi Onazi, Victor Moses, Moses Simon and Elderson Echiejile. Nigeria fought back from a two-goal deficit to beat the Argentines 4-2. With this setting, not a few Nigerians expected the Eagles to roll over the Argentines. When the Eagles were trailing by two goals, most people looked forward to a whitewash. But Rohr was calm on the bench, preferring to use his substitutes to reverse the trend.

    Rohr’s joker is his reliance on younger and fitter players. Today, the new-look defence is made up of Nigeria-born lads (Tyron Ebuehi, Leon Balogun, William Troost-Ekong, Ola Aina and Brian Idowu ), whose ages we are sure of. The World Cup is for the youth. This, perhaps, explains why ageing teams, such as Italy, Holland, Cote d’ Ivoire, etc, won’t be at the Russia 2018 World Cup. Countries that excel at the Mundial throw up new players with every edition. Unlike in the past where we always rebuilt the Eagles with every failure.

    With Rohr, it is certain that Nigeria will leave Russia a fulfilled side, ready to win the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games’ soccer gold medal, a reminiscence of Atlanta 1996. Nigeria’s debut at the Mundial in USA threw up many talented players; it was easy for Johannes Bonfrere to select his players, including those with World Cup experience, such as Austin Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Uche Okechukwu, Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Amuneke, in the Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games squad.

    Rohr is toeing Clemens Westerhof’s path of rebuilding with younger players. The difference is that Westerhof took rookies, such as Daniel Amokachi, Finidi George, Uche Okechukwu, Friday Elaho, Benedict Iroha et al, from the domestic league to Europe to polish their skills. But the domestic league is dead, in spite of the innovations introduced by the League Management Company (LMC). It looks as if LMC chiefs are beating a dead horse. But they shouldn’t give up.

    Westerhof used 133 players in four years to get the team. But it is taking Rohr just 33 players to achieve the same results, largely because he has opted for Europe to get Nigeria-born boys who are already made. I won’t be surprised if Nigeria wins gold in Tokyo, depending on how we fare in Russia and what happens to Rohr.

    Yes, the Argentines were stunned. They conceded four goals and they are not blaming their loss on goalkeeping faults; they are not ruing the decision to keep their first choice goalkeeper, Romero, on the bench. So, what is all the noise about Daniel Akpeyi’s mistakes? Are friendlies not meant to expose the team’s weak links? What are the duties of the goalkeeper trainer and the coaches if not to correct the flaws noticed in their wards?

    Goalkeepers Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Daniel Akpeyi have shown us their flaws. Ezenwa has problems dealing with crosses like Vincent Enyeama (for those rooting for his return). Ezenwa concedes cheeky goals like Enyeama, for those who can recall the goals Enyeama conceded against the Kenyans at home and against Ethiopia, to mention a few matches. We need to give Rohr and Aloy Agu the opportunity to correct Ezenwa’s flaws instead of dumping him. Akpeyi is scared stiff. He is haunted by his past poor performances. He needs a psychologist to talk him out of those nightmarish outings to regain his confidence . Characteristically, Rohr hasn’t blamed Akpeyi for the two goals he conceded. I hope Rohr takes him back to his trainers to correct his mistakes.

    We cannot jettison Ezenwa and Akpeyi on the altar of mistakes and embrace Uzoho who we dumped in 2013. Uzoho was the third choice goalkeeper of World Cup winning Golden Eaglets in 2013. Uzoho is smelling like gold because Spanish side Deportivo de la Coruna has been grooming him since then. Have we bothered to groom Dele Alampasu who benched Uzoho in 2013? Why do we like finished products? If we must align with FIFA’s objectives of using the stars of age-grade teams to replace the ageing senior players, then, we need to invite Alampasu to fight for the goalkeeper’s shirt instead of wooing Enyeama out of retirement.

    Fielding Uzoho against the Argentines made him an international player, which is what Deportivo needs to give him a regular shirt in the La Liga. The Spanish side will promote Uzoho and bask in the euphoria that he is the first choice goalkeeper of a World Cup bound country – Nigeria, easily one of the best teams in Africa. Today, Leicester FC of England boasts of having eight World Cup-bound players, with Nigeria having three (Iheanacho, Ahmed Musa and Wilfred Ndidi) of them.

    Until recently, the Eagles’ defence had issues, especially with the wing backs, which have been fixed with the discovery of Idowu, Aina and Ebuehi. I feel Echiejile is a better wing back than Chigozie Awazim, who has been very inconsistent since the Rio 2016 Olympics. The quintuplet of Idowu, Aina, Ebuehi, Shehu and Echiejile can solve the wing back problem, excluding Awazim. Rohr’s decision to introduce Kenneth Omeruo as a substitute for Leon Balogun underscores why the players fight for him during matches. William Troost-Ekong stands tall in Eagles’ defence, but he needs to have a good substitute, which I think Rohr has found in Kevin Akpoguma, who  captained the German U-20 side to the World Cup.

    Rohr must be worried on how to organise his midfield and attack, with the way those fielded against Argentina played. Even those who missed the game would sit up, knowing they could lose their shirts, which is good for team cohesion. Odion Ighalo may lose his striker’s shirt if Iheanacho and Iwobi continue with their deft dribbles and seamless play upfront, which left the Argentine defenders sprawling on the turf.

    Imagine the audacious manner in which Iwobi played the ball between defender Mascheranro’s legs before scoring the fourth goal for Nigeria; sheer class, like the commentator rightly described the move.