The Nation Newspaper

Category: Ade Ojeikere

  • Football can be cruel

    Football can be cruel

    Football can be cruel sometimes depending on the timing and number of misses the losing sides pass through, especially in the closing stages of matches. Fans of England’s senior soccer team, the Three Lions would in the years to come, continue to remember the missed chance arising from gangling England’s striker Palmer’s last-minute header which was saved by one of the Spanish players to send the Englishmen to their second back-to-back European Nations Cup final, having lost to the Italians on home soil at Wembley in 2021.

    Had Palmer’s header rested inside the net, the celebration would have been riotous all over the world, especially, inside the stadium and it could have changed the character and enthusiasm of the game, with the Englishmen more energised to end a seeming jinx with trophies which entered its 58th year – the last time English team at the senior side won a trophy.

    Had Palmer’s effort tied the game 2-2 at regulation time, the Spaniards would have blamed their tough luck. Most such late-scoring teams end up winning the game and the trophy, depending on how the game eventually ended. Indeed, the conceding side would need more than effort to kick themselves back into the game, if they eventually do.  Palmer would have become one of the greatest Englishmen in world football had he tied the game at 2-2, having already drawn the English side 1-1 as a second-half substitute with a grass-cutting low shot to leave the Spanish goalkeeper sprawling on the turf.

    As they say in global football parlance, football is like a biscuit, nobody knows where it would crack. No doubt, the Spaniards were the best playing side at the concluded European Cup competition held in Germany, winning all seven games on their way towards lifting the trophy. Sunday night’s victory was Spain’s fourth in the competition. But the beauty of Spain’s 2-1 win over England was it was not only achieved by a crop of enterprising, hungry for glory and highly disciplined players, but also in the execution of their manager, Luis de la Fuente’s pre-match plans which differ with each game. Of course, no two matches are the same.

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    Many average soccer fans would be asking where Spain’s Euro 2024 Cup-winning coach Luis de la Fuente emerged from, raising the hope of many purists who argued that a country’s football is as good as how well such a country’s football is administered at the domestic level. Spain’s preference for the tiki-taka style permeates across all her national teams, male or female. So, who is this new name that the Spanish have introduced to world soccer?

    Did I hear you say, dear reader, Luis de la Fuente who? His credentials are intimidating just as he comes across as the quintessential grassroots coach who has discovered, nurtured and exposed some of the best players across all the positions in the beautiful game such as Ferran Torres U-19, U-23, Olmo U-17, U-19, U-23, Unai Simon (GK) U-23, U-19, Zubimendi U-19, Pedri  U-23, U-19, Pau Torres – U19- U23, Merino U-23 and Oyarzabal U-23, U-19.

    No prize for guessing right that he had too many young players in the squad which would manifest fully during the 2026 Senior World Cup.

    Barrister Godwin Dudu Orumen sums up the potential of the Spanish side going forward thus: ” The Spanish team was very young, talented and energetic. It was very businesslike and entertaining as well. The Manager was an unknown quantity in football but the visionary administration in Spain entrusted him with the responsibility of giving the country a new team, one that can compete against the best anywhere in the world.

    ”Winning EURO ’24,  I dare to say, is a rehearsal, precursor to their ambitions in World Cup 2026. They trusted this man Luis de la Fuente Castillo (born 21 June 1961) a Spanish football manager and former professional player who played as a left-back with their team as manager of the national team.”

    According to Dudu Orumen: ” Luis de la Fuente coached the Spain U-19 (2013-18), Spain U-21(2018-21), and Under- 23 (2021-22) before he was moved up to the senior team. While coaching the youth team, he won the U-19 European Championship in 2015 and the U-21 European Championship in 2019.

    He also coached the Olympic team to the silver medal in 2020 and took over the seniors in 2022 in which he won Euro Nations League 2023 and Euro Championships 2024..

    ”Luis de la Fuente started a production line that has proved very rewarding, lacing the team with some experienced players like Morata and Cavajal and of course the very precious Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams,” Dudu Orumen concluded.

    What comes out clearly in this Spain template is the focus and sincerity of purpose of the Spanish FA members to rewrite their country’s football history for the good of the game, their political will to re-jig the squad with truly young lads who are talented, hungry for glory and exhibited an uncommon determination to play the seven games as if their lives depend on each one’s result.

    The Spanish FA chieftains, unlike ours in Nigeria, headhunted Luis de la Fuente based on his achievements in previous assignments, not primordial sentiments leading to Spain’s record performance at the concluded Euro 2024  competition held in Germany. Indeed, Spain won all her seven matches by dominating most of the games with their crisp short passes which ensured that their opponents were left gasping for breath. Spain was certainly the best-playing side in their first game. And left nobody in that their pre-tournament ambition – lift the trophy by breaking all the existing competition. Spain players won the youngest star earned rightly by Yamal and the tournament’s best player clinched by Rodri, who plays for Manchester City. Spain contributed five players to the tournament’s Best 11 players’ team.

    For Spaniards, the future which includes qualifying to play at the 2026 World Cup is virtually secured. They wouldn’t rest on their oars. Rather, they would continue to introduce fresh boys into the team to create the right competitive fight for starting 11 shirts. Not so for the competition’s runners-up, the Three Lions of England, whose manager Gareth Southgate resigned honourably after being the most vilified coach of the tournament. Indeed, Southgate took the Three Lions out of the murky waters, by making them the competition’s favourites to win trophies in the last seven years.

    Several names litter the media as likely replacements for Southgate with most of the pundits not inclined to accept the talk of the next manager being English. They would rather have the best manager to replace Southgate, having seen where he left the Three Lions since he took charge almost eight years ago.

    Southgate took the bullets when the team’s outings were labourious. Yet, his critics failed to credit his tactical savvy when the players lifted their best to beat good teams such as the Dutch on penalties at the last Euros held in Germany. History would remember Southgate as the man who rescued the team from its soccer abyss to become one whose matches kept her nationals on their feet whenever they had a game – hopeful.

    Already the media is awash with reports Yamal’s agent has requested an immediate pay increase for the teenager from Barcelona as part of the fallouts of the EURO 2024 tournament as the best young player of the competition.

    The 17-year-old Spaniard became one of Europe’s most famous teenagers with his astonishing performances as Spain won Euro 2024. He scored a beautiful goal in the semi-finals against France and assisted four throughout the competition as he reigned supreme on the right flank.

    No tears for Harry Kane as another European soccer season begins with renewed hope with a trophy in his illustrious football career. Will he? The events of the new season would provide the answers. We wait.

  • Coaches as game changers

    Coaches as game changers

    Coaching football isn’t any guess work. It is essentially about taking risks. Much of the risk-tasking rests on the quality and intellect of the players to quickly implement plans hatched in their different sessions back at home. Coaching is a trade for thinking managers, though the mantra of coaches being as good as their last games holds supreme. An imaginative technical crew strives to outshine its opponent through tactics that leave docile managers scratching their heads in anguish at dusk. Indeed, a team is as good as its bench.

    Interestingly, no two matches have the same styles. What counts are the extras that winning teams bring to bear on subsequent games based on their opponents’ previous outings, especially for cup series – knockout football. Snoring coaches bank on prayers without efforts to win beyond passing the ball among themselves whilst creating goal-scoring chances. It doesn’t matter how many such chances are fluffed.

    England’s manager, Gareth Southgate, his players, especially the goalkeeper, and other coaches pulled out on a stunt ( it wasn’t happening for the first time) before the penalty shootout between England and Switzerland last weekend. The goalkeeper carried one water bottle which had inscribed on it how and where each Swiss player involved in the penalty shootout would place the ball, beginning with Manuel Akanji. This ‘magic’ wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment package. It was something done as part of their preparations for the Swiss game. Of course,  using relevant information from English boys playing with the Swiss boys in their different European clubs. It was the difference between both countries at dusk in Germany. The information on the water bottle that the England goalkeeper carried showed that Akanji would kick the ball to the left side of the goalkeeper, which the Manchester City defender much to his consternation. So, what the goalkeeper did was to try some mind games by walking towards the ball that had been placed on the spot. But the experienced centre referee stopped the goalkeeper in his tracks, asking him to return to his goalpost for the kick to be properly taken.

    But the Swiss defender told the media in a post-match interview, that he didn’t see all the antics employed by the English goalkeeper. He fell into the distraction trap set by the goalkeeper. So, when Akanji shot his penalty kick to the goalkeeper’s left side, it didn’t come as a surprise to the English because something foretold before the game- a weird strategy you may say, but it worked.

    The English game may have been ugly to watch but the players fought for the coach who trusted them. Indeed, Southgate brought young boys into the Three Lions and they did well in changing the way the Three Lions played when they were introduced. Today, Oliie Watkins is the new swan song in England and he isn’t playing for the traditional teams. Watkin shone like a million stars last season for Aston Villa, making his inclusion into the Three Lions inevitable.

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    In Nigeria, a boy such as Ivan Toney who plays for Brentford would have been excluded from the Three Lions because of his hitherto gambling addiction. Southgate brought him to Germany and he provided the pass which resulted in the goal which rescued England. Not many soccer critics, especially in England, gave Southgate a chance to get the team into back-to-back European Cup finals. The most vilified coach in the competition went ahead to substitute Harry Kane in the quarter-final game against Switzerland, though it was imminent that the game was heading for a penalty shootout, which eventually happened. Toney scored his penalty like others did. But where this writer sat to watch England versus Switzerland, the prayer among the fans in the viewing was for England to win the penalty session, having fielded mostly black boys. The silence in the hall when Saka was about to take his penalty kick was palpable and the deep breath which broke into a tumultuous enveloped the hall, with many recounting the slur jibes at Saka when he lost a penalty in a previous shootout in 2021.

    What kind of Three Lions squad would Southgate present on Sunday night in Berlin? What does Southgate think about the Spaniards? One thing is clear, Southgate knows he has given his best in terms of the substitutions he made during matches and most importantly, having the guts to pull out one of England’s icons in the game, Kane in the last two matches. No brickbats against Southgate by the boys nor did we see Kane express any form of resentment as he walked off the field towards the bench, hugging Southgate. It was a delight to watch.

  • Journeymen coaches? Not again

    Journeymen coaches? Not again

    Let’s face the brass task. It would be easier for the proverbial carmel to pass through the eye of the needle than for Nigeria to qualify for the 2026 World Cup competition. Reason – South Africa has more ‘home’ games than others in the group with the Zimbabweans opting to play their home fixtures where they can garner points in South Africa. No chance. Not when Bafana Bafana are smelling blood with Nigeria’s wobbling performance in the first four qualification games. Super Eagles haven’t won a match which includes drawing Lesotho in Nigeria and holding the Zimbabweans to another nerve-wrenching draw. Need I remind ourselves about the Eagles’ shambolic 2-1 loss to the Republic of Benin on neutral ground in Cote d’ Ivoire. Note this game will be a piece of cake under the same setting for South Africa when the fixtures are played on this neutral ground. I love Nigeria but truth must be told if we hope to correct our flaws.

    It is only the unrepentant optimist who won’t raise the alarm about Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the next Mundial. I dare to be different. It serves us right. The rot of our game in churning out good and talented players from the nurseries, if they do exist, is far and wide apart from the dentition of 100 years 100-year-old humans. Let me state here categorically that the present Super Eagles are a bunch of average players (no thanks to the late Shuiabu Amodu), who talk too much before games are played rather than allow their outings to speak for their capabilities.

    These loquacious players have made the Super Eagles lose their fear factor whenever they step onto the pitches for matches anywhere in the world. One can’t forget how Nigeria lost a 4-0 advantage to Sierra Leone to draw 4-4 against the Lone Stars inside the Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City. The players won’t forget in a hurry how they were smuggled out of the stadium in a commando fashion to escape the wrath of the irate fans who were visibly miffed by their sickening performance on the night. Indeed, these Super Eagles are good for nothing, otherwise, how do you explain their insistence on having their share of the Africa Cup of Nations’ $4 million largesse for the last tournament in which Nigeria finished as runners-up to the eventual winners, Cote d’ Ivoire? For all that the players, coaches, and officials got from the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration as rewards for being beaten finalists, it leaves a sour taste in the mouth that they could be fighting for more cash after being paid all their entitlements, daily allowances, flight tickets and housed in some of the best hotels in the world anywhere they stayed.

    I still insist that had President Tinubu not released N12 billion to the NFF to offset debts owed to the players, coaches, and officials across all the national teams, the Super Eagles wouldn’t have played in the finals of the last edition of the Africa Cup of Nations. So, those who during the Nations Cup told all of us that Nigeria would lift the diadem should allow us our sanity and stop blaming President Tinubu for doing what he did by rewarding the silver-winning Super Eagles. These are the enemies of the game here. Has he forgotten the ‘golden’ bronze Super Eagles?

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    Has he forgotten that he informed Nigerians that the Eagles with a Nigerian coach sitting on the technical crew bench was all that we needed to sail smoothly? This President Tinubu blame game is part of the gimmicks they use to sell themselves to the government to become members of any committee on the Super Eagles. I digress!

    How much is $4 million that the players, coaches, and officials can’t ignore at a time the fans are grieving over a likely eight-year absence from the senior World Cup? As it is, the team is in a precarious fifth place in a group that has Lesotho, Zimbabwe, the Republic of Benin, and South Africa. Did I hear you say, dear reader, who the hell do they think they are? Absolutely.

    Are the Eagles saying that they can’t resolve to qualify the country for the next Mundial by applying themselves the way they do during their European clubs’ matches? Isn’t it also true that some European clubs also owe big players some cash which we only get to read about when they are changing clubs? There are six matches left for the 2026 World Cup qualification series and we can only qualify if the players play for their fans as if their lives depend on it. The fans are tired of the players’ mercantile tendencies at such critical times when the country’s pride ought to be celebrated by beating our opponents groggy with goals.

  • Wanted: NPFL calendar

    Wanted: NPFL calendar

    The domestic league in Nigeria has in the last decade witnessed deliberate efforts to change the narrative of being the most corrupt league in the world. No hyperbole. This is a statement of fact. What hasn’t happened in the old order of the Nigeria league doesn’t exist. One is, however, excited that the domestic league can come to an end with thrills, embellishments, pomp and ceremony, and not tales of the unexpected.
    Most of the dubious things that happened in the past have passed away, with some club owners still one of the sore thumbs in the equation to rewrite the Nigerian league. The other plagues of the league are the referees and other match commissioners. No prize for guessing right that these men in black and their match supervisors and some unscrupulous owners who are desperate to have results, in their favour, remain the obstacles that should be flushed out in the coming football seasons.
    One was taken aback when the news filtered in that the NFF Appeals Committee was sitting two days before the already advertised end-of-season formalities to hear the appeal of the undecided game between Enugu Rangers and the hitherto defending champions Enyimba FC of Aba. The boardroom has a place of magic with members churning out laughable decisions with third-placed winners on the pitch, the eventual winners in the past. I recall all that transpired between Sharks FC of Port Harcourt and the defunct Udoji United FC. This was the setting that brought me in close contact with Chief Adokie Amiesimaka and Barrister Christopher Green, two gentlemen who gave their best to make the league the one of first choice in Africa, at least.

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    This time around, the Appeals Committee’s members showed that there was still something to cheer for in the league system with their remarkable decisions which ensured that the winners of the 2023/2024 Nigeria League emerged from the results secured on the playing field and not the mago mago in the boardrooms.
    Honourable Nduka Irabor stands out as the most impactful COO of the domestic league with breath-taking decisions that spoke to most of the flaws of the league. Like with all the good things in Nigeria, the sharp practices of the league fought back leading to Irabor walking away like the nobleman that he is. The older order led by the late Oyuki Jackson Obaseki in particular stepped on toes to rewrite the narrative of the league. Chief Gbenga Otolorin Elegbeleye and Prince Davison Owumi end the short list of people history would remember, who took bold steps to reinvent the domestic league. There are others too many to write about, but those mentioned, especially Irabor, earned their stripes here.
    Elegbeleye and Owumi must turn the corner of the domestic league with innovations such as GTI Asset Management and Trust Limited. Today, the winners of this year’s league diadem went home with N150 million given to them in a replica cheque ready to be cashed. Now that everyone knows the prize money for the league, it is important to ask how much is the competition or is it the league worth? How much of what is due to the league board from the 20 clubs is remitted? What is the level of compliance to all the requirements the 20 clubs must satisfy before they can truly be professional clubs, not quasi-professional clubs as they are today?
    When would we see the complete extinction of government clubs from the domestic league? Who says we can’t have a league competition of between six to 12 clubs that can satisfy the full requirements? Until the league organisers enforce this aspect of the league, we would just be running in circles on the spot. Need I state the effect of this running in circles entails?
    Which is the richest club in Nigeria and in what order are they ranked? What is the permissible salary cap for players in the Nigeria League? Is it appropriate for a relegated team in season 2023/2024 to buy up the space of a newly promoted team yet it retains the name of their relegated status in the mainstream league in the 2024/2025 season? Meaning a relegated team returns to the elite class through the backdoor bearing the same name?

  • Where are the elders?

    Where are the elders?

    I won’t join the maddening crowd seeking to apportion blame on either Victor Osimhen or Finidi George, depending on the side of the divide they want to protect, leaving Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifier ticket on the cliff hanger. The social media is bursting at its seams with all manner of vulgar words poured on Osimhen, with a few others insisting on jabbing Finidi as if they didn’t know that the NFF chiefs served Finidi the World Cup wine inside a poisoned chalice. If Nigeria had 10 points from the possible 12 points from the four matches so far played, it would have been celebrations everywhere. Pray, the loser is an orphan.

    I feel the pains hidden underneath Finidi’s heart because this would be the second time his loyalty towards the growth of the beautiful game in Nigeria is being questioned. As I reflected in my mind’s eye, I discovered Finidi literally walking naked in front of a mammoth crowd, my heart skipped. It went back to the horrific manner in which Finidi’s younger brother Igeniwari George was brutally killed by what today still remains a stray bullet shot by an unknown person around the premises of the Lekan Salami  Stadium with Igeniwari sitting inside Enugu Rangers FC’s bus. It was a dastardly fallout of a Challenge Cup quarter-final game between the Rangers FC (Flying Antelopes) and the vociferous Stationary Stores FC (Adebajo Babes) of Lagos.

    George died of gunshot wounds after a Challenge Cup game between Enugu Rangers and Stationary Stores at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan on September 9, 1995. That was the year his elder brother Finidi won the UEFA Champions League with Ajax.

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    The late Igeniwari George could not be saved after he was rushed to the University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan where it was alleged that the hospital had a water shortage to carry out a surgery operation. He was part of the Golden Eaglets squad to the 1995 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Ecuador. He featured in four games for the Eaglets. His killer remains unknown to date.

    Except for Coca-Cola’s management in one of their Challenge Cup series which they bankrolled, and remembered the late Igeniwari, all other Challenge Cup finals have been played oblivious of the heart-wrenching incident.

    The puzzle around who killed Igeniwari Gorge years ago still finds consonance with the many questions around the Finidi versus Osimhen saga leaving me with a painful question: “Why always Finidi George?” When Igeniwari was killed, many had thought that Finidi would never play for Nigeria. But he didn’t shun Nigeria as he continued to give his very best in all the matches thereafter, preferring to sulk and bear the pains of the irreparable loss. Perhaps, believing firmly that God knows best.

    Finidi must be pondering over another question akin to the unanswered question (who killed Igeniwari George) with his brother’s death. This time the question would be who leaked the fake news that brought out the bestial tendencies in Osimhen? Sadly, the root cause of Osimhen’s vulgar rants has remained mute and unapologetic while Nigerians take their turns in making Osimhen look like a villain.

    My plea to the elders of the game in Nigeria is that Finidi shouldn’t be left in the cold again like they did to him when his younger brother was killed. I marvel at the way many ex-internationals have joined the crowd in pillorying Osimhen, with many of them suggesting an outright ban for the SSC Napoli striker. Not one of them has suggested the need for their parent body which addresses the problems of players – the Nigeria Players Union – to speak with both the coach and Osimhen, who is livid. In fact, Osimhen in his rage revealed that he offered to come to the camp to motivate his teammates which the coach politely rejected. Is there any truth in this revelation, dear Finidi? What harm would Osimhen’s presence in the camp have brought to the camp, we may need to ask Finidi, if indeed, he rejected that request.

    Even the union’s leaders have offered suggestions of how to take the matter out of social media and find a way of getting Osimhen to shake off his angst as captured in his many videos before walking up to Finidi to apologise. Pictures of that gesture with the players’ union members seated would soothe the pains suffered by Finidi. The Players Union’s hierarchy is only interested in being members of the NFF and other affiliate football bodies. Members have failed in this Finidi/Osimhen saga. It is not too late to redeem themselves by calling a truce and letting all the parties shake their hands for the good of the game.

    Osimhen doesn’t look like someone who thinks that he is indispensable. Not with the way he plays for his club and country as if his life depends on it. Osimhen has erred no doubt. Yet, he needs to be given a second chance. Hounding him before giving him a chance to recant isn’t the best. Osimhen must be ashamed of himself now that it is clear that Finidi didn’t belittle him before his employers. Come on Osimhen, apologise to Finidi who is the quintessential gentleman.

    The elders of the game who have been getting traction on the internet with their posts calling for Osimhen’s ban instead of preaching for peace must be ashamed of themselves with NFF’s statement to the contrary of their devious campaigns. Osimhen needs Nigeria badly for his career growth just as Nigeria needs him and all talented players to boost her ranking with FIFA and CAF, especially now that Nigeria dropped eight places to 38 position in FIFA ranking for June 2024. Osimhen is the current Africa Footballer of the Year. It gladdens Nigerians that Ademola Lookman is poised to replace Osimhen as the next winner if he sustains his current form for both his European club and Nigeria. That is what is called growth. Time was when Nigerians dominated the Africa Footballer of the Year awards. It is good to be back.

    NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi expressed amazement at the reports, saying the Federation has neither instructed a process nor has a process been concluded to ban the player from the National Team.

    “The NFF hereby implores the media to join hands with the body to positively resolve issues and then focus on the big picture all the time, rather than needlessly escalate certain matters. There was no official communication from the NFF, yet some persons have gone to town to talk about a ban on Osimhen from the National Team. This is not good at all.

    “Our focus presently is to resolve all matters around the Super Eagles and be able to look ahead with confidence to the 2025 AFCON qualifiers and the remaining six matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification series.

    “This is not the time to spread falsehood and foul the public space the most,” Well said, Sanusi. Kudos NFF.

    Who leaked the story to journalists? Pray, there were six people with the minister, Senator John Enoh. The six people include Ibrahim Gusau (NFF President), Felix Anyansi-Agwu (Vice President), Mohammed Sanusi (Secretary General), Dayo Enebi Achor (Director of Competitions), Austin Eguavoen (Technical Director) and Finidi George. It’s not Finidi or the Sports Minister. Then who was the culprit? What was the motive? Why did he feel the need to feed Osimhen with a piece of false information that would make him pour vituperations on Finidi?

  • Thank you Finidi, but…

    Thank you Finidi, but…

    Finidi George was a great player in his playing days. He was a delight to watch. He was a very intelligent player and played for the team not for himself. He was very humble and an interviewer’s delight when answering questions. I will score Finidi eight out of ten points. Finidi was the quintessential gentleman both on and off the pitch. However, it hurts badly that his coaching Curriculum Vitae (CV) as Super Eagles Head Coach won’t surpass or match what he achieved as a fantastic player for all the clubs he played for and Nigeria.

    Finidi exposed his underbelly when he revealed that he didn’t believe in any formation and would rather play the mass attack and mass defence style. This system underlined the era he played the game. One was rudely shocked by Finidi’s position on tactics to adopt during matches, knowing that he played for some of the best European clubs, including winning the UEFA Champions League with Ajax Amsterdam FC in the Netherlands.

    Indeed, Finidi was such a technical player that one would have thought he would have built his team’s style of play on the Ajax format, especially as the Eagles distinguished itself under Dutch coaches such as Clemens Westerhoff and Johannes Bonfrere. What was Finidi going to sell to the players? Salesmanship, having played the game at the top level, including scoring goals at the country’s debut appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 1994 in the United States (U.S.A). Rather, what we heard were tales of the unexpected from the benched players in the two international friendly games he handled as an interim coach against Ghana and Mali.

    We were told of how some big boys refused to shake hands with him after the friendly games for daring to bench them. Finidi ought to have rubbed minds with the big boys telling them about his objectives with the two matches. They would have understood and given him their maximum support. Of course, how do these boys explain to their mates and coaches in Europe that they were invited for their national team’s assignments only as unused substitutes? This is part of the problems with the local coaches learning how to massage the big boys’ egos.

    Many would argue that Finidi ought to have declined the offer to become Super Eagles Head Coach since it was already looking like a poisoned chalice, given the fact that Nigeria had drawn her first two games against Lesotho and Zimbabwe. The odds were against Nigeria considering NFF’s delay in naming a replacement for Jose Peseiro. Perhaps, if Finidi had one or two friendly games, he would have had a better understanding of his players who were mostly foreign-based stars who were locked in dicey European club fixtures which further burdened them.

    It is difficult to write off Finidi looking at his experience as an international player. But when he discusses the game, he leaves his audience dumbfounded.  For instance, how could Finidi have said he didn’t believe in team formation which is the key good coaches such as Pep Guardiola, Carlos Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, et al use to dislodge their opponents during matches?

    It is also difficult to say that Finidi isn’t well-schooled not to know how to handle media men who set out to annoy coaches at press conferences. It smacked as an act of arrogance on Finidi to have said that nobody could tell him when to make his substitutions.

     Finidi ought to have known that as a public servant which is what the Super Eagles job represents, he is answerable to everyone seeking answers to posers which trouble their minds. He is a gentleman and should remain so with his utterances.

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    What I expect Finidi to do henceforth is to get the tapes of the four games he had handled,  see what he did rightly or wrongly, and make amends immediately. I had thought that Finidi would have apologised to Nigerians over the loss. He could have pleaded to be given time to recover from the defeat at the press conference, not to embark on the tardy option of blaming everyone else but himself who picked the players for the matches. Some of the statements he has been credited with shouldn’t come from someone who played the game at the highest level. Which coach doesn’t lose matches? You tell me, Finidi?

    NFF should retain Finidi on the saddle. He should be given a boss who would be ready to work with him to avoid friction. Our target now should be to win the next Africa Cup of Nations. If it turns out that our new plans get the team back to its groove, we can then plot how to cease the momentum, from the results the Group C World Cup qualifiers throw up at every stage. NFF should resist the temptation of employing those journeymen European coaches who have traversed the African continent. We need young coaches hungry for glory to tactically rebuild the Eagles using every game to put their imprint on how the team plays. NFF shouldn’t make the mistake of recruiting any European Coach who didn’t qualify his team for the final game of the last Africa Cup of Nations as our next Eagles Technical Adviser. We are tired of Tokunbo coaches. You don’t engage a car in reverse gear and expect it to move forward.

    If you ask me, a few players in the Super Eagles need testimonial matches for their past contributions. These players can’t be motivated anymore to give their best, given their ages.  If the Eagles must reach the Golan height which we envisage, then at least seven of them shouldn’t be part of the team going forward. If we don’t stop inviting them, it would be difficult to effectively replace them with younger players who are Nigerians.

    I was excited to read NFF’s communiqué from their June 12 board meeting which it was stated that: ”4) Notwithstanding the challenges that attended the team’s preparations for the Day 3 and Day 4 games of the FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, owing to a 38-hour nationwide industrial action, the Board expressed displeasure with the poor attitude of some of the players to the National Assignment, and unanimously decided in favour of a more robust scouting programme of outstanding Nigeria-eligible players from across the four corners of the universe, who can add tremendous value to the nation’s flagship team.”

    So, the board members could openly accept the absence of quality players within the country’s soccer circle to comb the universe for Nigerian-born kids. Isn’t this the reason for the lukewarm attitude in the team? What a pity! How does it sound now that the board members who refused to employ a foreign coach in the first instance, are now turning full circle to recant?  What a shame!

    One thing our administrators know how to do best is to make proclamations at the spur of the moment hinged on nothing. They are experts in thinking after they have spoken. Whenever the country’s soccer teams win trophies, a deluge of promises and pronouncements are made. One such wild talk is the Federal Government’s decision to keep fresh winners of the cadet world Cup to nurture them to bigger glory. Need I waste space to dwell on the failures associated with government’s directives?

    Sadly, all manner of people including the federation’s chieftains have corrupted the nurseries such that youth clubs now loan players to professional teams in the country. Youth clubs owned by top federation chiefs dominate the country’s age-grade squads with the squad’s coaches filling the few spaces left with their mercantile choices. Isn’t this why we don’t know how much the domestic leagues are worth in the country despite the Star Trek to Europe of our youth who strive to earn a living from playing the game?

  • Playing by the books

    Playing by the books

    The domestic league magic is on the prowl in virtually all centres with relegation teams struggling to escape the drop at all costs as if the league started yesterday.

    Title chasers go to the extent of dragging their games to 100 minutes with the ultimate victory secured in the 97th minute. Incidentally, such title chasers are the first to scream blue murder when faced with similar settings on away soil.

    No harm in extending the games to 100 minutes for as long as there are incidents that necessitate such extension as we witness during European leagues’ games. Not so for ambitious Nigerian teams who have corrupted the referees to do their bidding. Sadly, the referees get punished but the stolen victories remain with the shameless cheats, forgetting that their rewards await them at the continental level.

    It took the league 38 years to produce a team to lift the CAF Champions League through Enyimba FC of Aba. The team retained the trophy the following year. Since then, it has been the tale of woeful outings, with the few who qualify for the knockout stage wanting the league schedules to be drawn at their beck and call. They strive to stockpile outstanding games with the clandestine hope that those games will count when the chips are down.

    The current League Board headed by Gbenga Elegbeleye with Davidson Owumi being the Chief Operating Officer (COO) has renewed hope in the domestic game. The fans are back to the stadium to watch the games. They have taken decisions that have shown that changes can indeed be effected in the way the game is being run provided the organisers have the strong will to step on the toes of offenders.

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    One only hopes that the league organisers can ensure that the domestic game runs in tandem with other leagues in the world. The Nigerian league needs to end soonest such that the players can rest their limbs while those desirous of any transfer here and in Europe can actualise their dreams. It has reached the time when the Nigeria league has a calendar that would encourage the corporate bodies to invest in the league in all its ramifications.  Firms plan their businesses on timetables or calendars over certain periods.

    The fear would be whether the organisers would adhere to the dictates of their calendar – meaning the dates must be unchangeable. It is the reason the foreign leagues are a joy to watch and are heavily funded.

    When in 1990 some respected Nigerian soccer administrators conceptualised the Nigeria Professional League body, they were responding to the new trends in the beautiful game in other climes. These men couldn’t stomach the mediocrity associated with the Nigerian game. They wanted a departure from the tardy past to embrace the new dawn where very good players could earn a living outside the country. The wise men foresaw the future where with a new mentality to matches, the country could one day play at the senior World Cup.

    The pioneers’ dreams came to pass in 1994 with Nigeria’s Super Eagles qualifying for the USA ’94 World Cup using players who had been exported to Europe to hone their skills which were still lethargic as a result of obsolete facilities across the country. The elite class was structured out of the old order. Indeed, there was something to fight for while those not listed fought gamely each season to qualify for the elite cadre.

    The quasi-professional league witnessed a lot of improvement except that the ownership structures didn’t quite change with most of the teams owned by the government. The few private clubs (Leventis United FC of Ibadan, Abiola Babes FC of Abeokuta, New Nigeria Bank FC of Benin City, Flash Flamingoes FC of Benin City, Julius Berger FC of Lagos, Iwuanyanwu Nationale FC of Owerri, etc) left their marks. They were eventually emasculated by the government teams which had tremendous cash which their administrators used to corrupt the system. The thought of having four teams in Benin City didn’t excite the fans as much, having only their darling team in the elite class. The private clubs’ owners soon dropped their sponsorship initiatives when they couldn’t cope with the malfeasances of the league.

    The conspiracy against the privately-owned teams brought back the sharp practices of the competition leading to the dearth of new talents. These private clubs couldn’t enjoy the support of the fans in those cities where the state owned team operated. Leventis had to manage its relationship with the Ibadan fans. Flash Flamingoes FC went through hell playing inside the Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin. The fans’ favourite was Bendel Insurance FC. The defunct New Nigeria Bank FC had a similar problem of acceptance. In fact, games involving these teams and their traditional local rivals threatened public peace as the security operatives had to be at their best to maintain peace before, during, and after matches. In one of such needless skirmishes, Bendel Insurance FC’s chairman, the late Major Ojo lost his life in a car crash very close to the stadium while trying to rescue the match referees from being lynched by irate fans. Gallant soldier, if you ask me. May his soul continue to rest in peace.

    The rot in the league was such that we had predictable victories for home teams ably aided by the dubious calls of match referees who most times are cajoled into taking such decisions. Who would blame the referees when their entitlements were being paid by the home side? Not forgetting the overdose of hospitality by anxious home clubs eager to win their matches at all costs to justify the huge resources splashed on them by their owners. The administrators further bastardised the league by introducing board room points in connivance with officials in the former NFA’s league department which then was just one scruffy room compared with the digitalised offices with different units of the league having functional offices. It was that bad.

    The league had difficulties in getting television sponsorships after the existing ones opted out because they were not getting commensurate returns on their investments. Urchins, beasts, hooligans, and hostile home supporters made life difficult for the fans, especially the visitors, to watch matches of their choice. Unlike in Europe where fathers come to the stadium to watch matches with their families, it was risky doing so here and it affected pitching for sponsorships with the blue-chip companies.

    Such hazardous settings soon affected the players’ performance with many of them opting to seek greener pastures elsewhere. This star trek of players out of the country soon affected the quality of the league. Television coverage which serves as the biggest money-spinner for teams in Europe among other marketing windows couldn’t gain ground in Nigeria. The few who dared to cover matches lost equipment anytime there was violence in the stadium. There were always chaotic settings during matches because the fans took the laws into their own hands rather than allow the referees to do their jobs according to the dictates of the rulebook.

    During the trying periods of the Nigeria league, IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan (3SC) won the Cup Winners Cup in 1976. They were dethroned as champions in 1977, with the games between 3SC and eventual winners Enugu Rangers International very problematic. The second leg game had to be played on neutral ground in Kaduna, no thanks to the lunacy of the irate fans. NNB and Bendel Insurance at different years won the WAFU Cup for keeps with Bendel Insurance winning the Confederations Cup in 1994 along with the WAFU for the third time in the same year. It must be said that 3SC won the Confederations Cup in 1992; the trophy was donated by the late Chief MKO Abiola.

  • Finidi’s first shower

    Finidi’s first shower

    I deliberately took a hiatus from discussing any subject on the Super Eagles last week Saturday, largely because I was beginning to sound like a broken record. I also didn’t want to be seen or perceived as a seer of any kind when the results of the 2026 World Cup qualification matches started rolling in. It must be stated here that football is the opium of Nigerians, mostly the youth.

    I’m not also anyone’s lickspittle nor am I an attack dog seeking recognition, knowing that I’m gainfully employed by Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation, SportingLife, and Gbelegbo titles. Indeed, Gbelegbo is Nigeria’s fastest-growing Yoruba newspaper without sounding immodest.

    Dear reader, as you read this column today, Nigeria would be preparing for her most difficult game against Bafana Bafana of South Africa inside the Nest of Champions Stadium in Uyo on June 7, with the team’s camp slated to open in Uyo, barring any new changes. Will Nigeria beat South Africa in Uyo?

    As a patriot and one whose livelihood is anchored on sports reporting, it is always my wish that Nigerians distinguish themselves since the active years of sportsmen and women is between four years and 12 years, barring career-threatening injuries. For the women, their spouses may not be willing to allow their wives to participate in sports fully, thus leaving the chores of the home front, especially the kids in the hands of relations or/and house helps.

    I’ve chosen not to discuss my views on the team list to prosecute the two games until after the second qualifier against the Republic of Benin in Cote d’Ivoire on June 10. The build-up towards next Friday’s game against South Africa in Uyo has its pitfall signs with the injury sustained by Osimhen wasn’t bad enough to sideline him, if you ask me.

    Osimhen’s exclusion from the two games in Uyo and Cote d’ Ivoire reminded one about the injury that shut out Victor Boniface from the Africa Cup of Nations in which the hosts, Ivory Coast returned from the dead seemingly as one of the lucky losers to lift the trophy, beating Nigeria 2-1 in the final game. The world had waited in bated breath to watch the Nigerian attacking onslaughts which would have had Osimhen pairing Boniface at a time when both strikers were banging goals with aplomb in their European clubs. It never came to pass.

    Again, it is Osimhen’s turn to miss out on Nigeria’s matches in Uyo. We look forward to how Finidi will deploy his players to produce the desired changes in the team against South Africa in Uyo, on June 7. Just as we were trying to live with the thought of playing without Osimhen, Bayer Leverkusen FC’s Nigerian defender, Nathan Tella pulled out of the two World Cup qualifiers citing family problems that needed urgent attention from him. I know for a fact that Finidi would appreciate what Tella is saying having gone through this football mill in the past. Again, Atalanta FC of Italy is holding back their Nigerian gem Ademola Lookman to play a Serie A game on Sunday. Hmmmm! Glad to know that Finidi isn’t talking about any club versus country brouhaha with the Italians.

    Pundits are, however, taken aback by Atalanta’s decision to delay Lookman’s arrival in Camp they are already in next season’s UEFA Champions League fixtures having beaten Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Europa Cup finals. Yes, Lookman was spectacular in that game scoring the three goals that earned the Italians their first European title. It is Nigerians; fervent wish that the Super Eagles qualify for the next Mundial, having missed out of the last edition held in Qatar in the year 2020.

    The Italian side clearly have officials who enjoy flexing muscles with other nationals. Granted Atalanta pays Lookman’s wages, but the World Cup at the senior level is every country’s desire to attend, not talk about the spiral effects such attendance would bring to bear on those players who distinguish themselves by way of joining bigger European clubs. I digress!

    Finidi has two handicaps in his hands ahead of the Bafana Bafana tie, yet this could lessen his headache in choosing who to deploy in the attack where he has a galaxy of stars that did very well in the 2023/2024 football season.

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    But it is the defence that Finidi would miss Tella, especially in the absence of Ola Aina who appears to have mastered playing at left back using his right foot for both club and country. However, could this be the biggest chance for Enugu Rangers left-back Kenneth Obinna Igboke to function as a deserving replacement for Nigeria using his left foot?

    It is important to remind Finidi that the team’s defence has been largely depleted with most of the replacements lacking the experience to match those recuperating from injuries sustained playing for the European clubs. It is expected that Finidi knows the combination which would ward off the onslaught from the South Africans and the lads he would confront in Cote d’Ivoire.

    Interestingly, easily one of Nigeria’s most decorated players who played in Europe, Nwankwo Kanu gave Finidi something to think about when he tipped Okoye as the team’s best goalkeeper. Will Finidi take to heart things that placed Okoye above Stanley Nwabali? Or would he err on the side of caution by holding on to Nwabali to protect the ball from entering the net on June 7 and June 11? It is important to admit that Finidi would miss the towering presence and contributions of Troost-Ekong in both games. Troost-Ekong as captain at the African Cup of Nations helped to stabilise the team’s defence.

     The Eagles’ midfield is strengthened with the return of Wilfred Ndidi with Frank Onyeka, Alex Iwobi, and Raphael Onyedika in a four-man midfield, not forgetting Kelechi Iheanacho. Finidi would be ruing Moses Simon’s absence on the field and either side of the team’s attacking options. Eagles’ strikers distinguished themselves in various leagues in Europe. Finidi would have to dig deep into his bag of coaching tricks to pick his attackers for the two World Cup qualifiers. As  Finidi prepares for his first shower in public glare as Super Eagles Head Coach, it is only fair that this writer wishes him the best of luck for the good of the game in Nigeria.

    Well, talking about how the changes from the previous game would inform Finidi’s choice of players against the Benin Republic in Cote d’ Ivoire reminds me of the poser of disbelief by one of my colleagues in Sportinglife who couldn’t see the merit in picking Enugu Rangers FC of Enugu’s left back Kenneth Obinna Igboke to replace Osimhen instead of a striker. Even if Finidi wanted to use that opportunity to invite a home-based player, he should have gone for a striker so that the player would watch and rub minds with the other foreign-based players’ new tricks in the act of scoring goals. One must, however, applaud Finidi for picking one home-based player as Osimhen’s replacement.

    In the past, we would have asked Osimhen to report to the team’s doctors to confirm if he was really injured even when we saw on television how the SSC Napoli striker limped off the game against Leece.

    I hope the attackers Finidi picks for the two games can replicate their club form and deliver the games to Nigerians by scoring goals with aplomb.

  • Which way Nigeria?

    Which way Nigeria?

     Browsing through the internet these days throws up interesting news stories from the educative to the bizarre ones, depending on which of these stories tickle your fancy. For this writer, stories on sports excite me with particular interests in football and cricket. A few times tennis, especially when the Williams sisters (Venus and Serena not forgetting their father), held court in the women’s game. One of my younger brothers introduced golf to me and I’ve taken an interest in watching the elite game with plenty of differences and a lot to cheer about, only if you know the rules.

    For soccer lovers, we are thrilled with fallouts from scenes not captured by the human eye, but which make for interesting reading for readers, with more videos to show how the game can be made beautiful with proper planning. Stories and pictures capturing how winners emerged and the losers made to rue their misfortunes during the 2023/2024 football season litter the internet.

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    Watching football being played the proper way albeit the Manchester City style can be entertaining. It can also be fascinating with the Cityzens having 83 % possession against West Ham’s 17 % at the Etihad Stadium, with some delusionary Gunners’ fans wishing that such a game could cause severe pain to the hosts. No way. As they say in pidgin English ”monkey no dey jump go back.”

    Watching soccer on television can be educative through live commentaries where we were told that since the 1889s we witnessed two teams qualify for the finals of the English FA Cup consecutively when it became apparent that Manchester City had won the Premier League diadem four times consecutively. Manchester City’s FA Cup final against Manchester United enters the annals of the English game at dusk inside the magnificent Wembley Stadium in England.

    No clash in dates with any other domestic games nor was there any postponement because one of the venues had been earmarked at short notice for non-football competitions. Dates, venues, and other logistics towards making the biggest two soccer competitions in England a spectacle to behold had been programmed since last season. Need I state here that the two competitions’ commencement dates and when they end have already been known? No club alters the timetable of the English game except in very rare cases. Even at that new dates are announced quickly and the postponed games are played as agreed. No club takes the game to the equivalent of a Sports Minister in England to adjudicate. Never. A clear case of government interference. Not so in Nigeria where we are experts in peddling influence.

    It is the reason the Premier League runs its calendar from the first week of August to the middle of May the following year religiously. The import of this adherence to the competition’s calendar is that it affords the players ample time to rest their limbs and treat nagging injuries that require urgent surgery before the new season begins. It is also the reason there are two transfer windows for European clubs to strengthen their squads by buying good players bearing in mind the pitfalls of the PPF rules.

    In Nigeria, we pay lip service to such adherence to the stipulated calendar, making the Nigeria Premier League perhaps the only domestic league in the world still in session, though the Spanish La Liga ends this weekend with Real Madrid proud winners for the 36th time.

    Back to the English game. Tottenham’s manager Ange Postecoglou was stunned to his bone marrow listening to Spurs’ fans urging their players to lose a crucial home game to the eventual Premier League winners. The manager couldn’t stomach the crass madness exhibited by the fans, he walked towards them to express his utter disbelief and disgust over the unsportsmanlike conduct. 

    “That’s probably the worst experience I’ve had as a football manager in a game,” Postecoglou said.

    “Once I realised I’d got it wrong in terms of what the atmosphere was going to be like and what people felt, I got a real anxiety within me of, ‘What happens if Man City, the best team in the world, who were disposing of teams quite easily in the lead-up, what if we play as well as we can but they beat us 5-0?’

    “I got cold sweats thinking about people questioning my integrity and the people I work with. Even watching the game back, there was a comment on the commentary, ‘Oh, Tottenham are having a real go here’.

    The pomp and ceremony associated with the events around the last day of the league explains why the corporate world fall over each other to associate their brands and services with the beautiful game in England. The last day of the EPL was such that Arsenal could dethrone the eventual winners Manchester City if the defending champions didn’t beat West Ham at the Etihad. Pundits had correctly tipped Arsenal to beat Everton at the Emirates Stadium in the same way as the champions.

    But Arsenal fans prayed fervently for Man City to slip off with many people wishing that Arsenal dethrones the champions. As the parlance goes ”if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” It didn’t happen. Arsenal and Man City won their last games. Yet, what struck this writer, not for the first time, was the ease with which the organisers prepared themselves for the trophy presentation to the eventual winners. It didn’t matter if the two matches were played in different cities. This was a spectacle that was worthy to behold as the two games in Manchester and London had their twists and turns for 98 minutes, extra time inclusive.

    Man City players enjoyed the ambiance around the stadium while celebrating with the trophy. Of course, sponsors of the league enjoyed more than a fair share of exposures from the telecast of the game and pictures and visuals captured by photographers and television cameras folks present at the stadium last Sunday.

    What stood the English game out on Sunday was the ease with which fans at one venue followed happenings at venues whose results affected the fortunes positively or negatively. In fact watching the Man City game against the Hammers, you could see if and when a goal was scored at the stadium where Gunners at a time the game were trailing by a deflected goal. Most fans were glued to their phones or other communication gadgets streaming the games of their interest.

    One wonders how NFF chieftains sell the domestic league to intended firms when matches are not live on match day or could be streamed online to be abreast with the trends and results anywhere in the world. The interconnectivity during such periods is massive and companies would want to leverage their goods and services on such platforms. Imagine the figures companies would be willing to splash for such global exposure of their products to their targeted audience – the masses.

    Not so in Nigeria because of parochial interests. Playing the league without television coverage amounts to winking in the dark. Perhaps, the NFF could instruct all the teams to record their matches and submit a copy of the tapes to the NFF’s secretariat for them to watch and give judgment where there is the need for such an action. The NFF President Ibrahim Gusau

    could reach out to all the parties to arrive at a workable template for television rights that would take cognisance of the interests of the true owners of the business. Court!

  • Talking with a sense of surrender

    Talking with a sense of surrender

    I’m not a prophet of doom. I enjoy speaking the truth to our sports administrators who think that the world must wait for Nigeria to wake up from her slumber. No way. Sports is dynamic with defining moments meant for discerning minds to evaluate and make the right decisions. Sports are no longer essentially for recreation. It is now business by people who think outside the box not snoring folks like ours. The pain of this contemptuous scenario resulting from our refusal to plan for the future is that it keeps repeating itself in embarrassing proportions. Yet, we expect different results.

    Listening to everyone who spoke at Finidi George’s unveiling in Abuja on Monday, as the Super Eagles’ Head Coach, they all talked with a sense of surrender. Our administrators’ fear of appointing Finidi was palpable.

    Gusau told the international media on a South African television channel that: “So I don’t think 2026 is going to be a one-year contract. The key thing is, in every contract, there must be some indices and some targets that you must put in place for somebody to get optimal performance.

    “And the first target is to qualify the team for next year’s Nations Cup and to get to at least the semi-finals of the Nations Cup, as well as qualify the team to the World Cup and to get us the target of playing in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

    “So these are the main targets we put in place for him in the contract, and by the grace of God, we are working hard to see how we can achieve that,” he added.

    What a country where the coach can’t hold sessions with the media yet the federation can say what they can’t task themselves with. A federation of double-speak members.

    Indeed, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau literally told the world that the federation’s choice of Finidi was to satisfy the yearnings of teeming Nigerian fans.

    Dear President, if Nigerians ask you to stand in front of a moving train, would you heed the advice? How has the federation shown us their administrative adroitness if they needed Nigerians’ prompting to make valuable decisions? Isn’t this another case of talking with a sense of surrender to the NFF President? Who do we blame if things go awry? Or don’t we know that two matches have been played in the qualifiers with Nigeria drawing 1-1 with Lesotho and Zimbabwe?  Aren’t we giving Finidi a greasy pole to use to climb?

    The federation showed clearly that they don’t know how to leverage on the sponsors’ support. Otherwise, Finidi’s unveiling would have been historic and colourful. The former NFF President Amaju Melvin Pinnick would have made a show out of Finidi’s unveiling in Abuja, Monday by handing over the keys of a brand-new car befitting of the coach’s status. It wasn’t enough for the federation to have presented Finidi with a replica jersey. It would have been more appropriate for them to have at least three out of the five members of the technical crew present at the unveiling ceremony. It would have been more reassuring than what we saw on Monday.

    The 56-year-old will work with ex-international Daniel Amokachi and Benjamin James as assistants, Olatunji Baruwa as goalkeepers’ trainer, Chima Onyeike will serve as a fitness trainer, and Turk Mehmet Ozturk as match analyst.

    Are we sure that these coaches’ names being bandied were informed about their appointments before the Finidi unveiling on Monday? Otherwise, why was Amokachi absent at the event in Abuja? I’m almost certain that Amokachi hadn’t seen any letter of appointment nor was he contacted by the federation about his choice before the unveiling of  Pictures of Amokachi shaking hands with his boss would say much about their relationship outside football.

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    Pray that Amokachi has a bigger ego than Finidi. He has an authoritarian stature which he carries around with candour. Isn’t this the beginning of a silent rivalry that could divide the players between the two coaches? Or has the federation forgotten that Amokachi worked with the late Stephen Okechukwu Keshi as one of the assistants and would feel that he has more exposure and experience than Finidi on the job?

    I also don’t see how Amokachi would be paid according to the number of days or weeks used to prosecute the team’s games. He would rather opt for monthly wages which makes sense. What would Amokachi be doing when there aren’t matches to be played? Sit idly without wages? How does he settle his bills beginning with that of his family? Amokachi’s dream is to be the Head Coach of the Super Eagles, not what he is being offered. It could be a problem with Finidi, going forward.

    The team’s second assistant James has spoken about the job and what would his immediate target – make the Super Eagles a goals-scoring outfit. Not much is known about Chima Onyeike who will function as the fitness coach. For the records, Onyeike in the Igbo language means ‘strong person’. Could this be the reason he was picked as the fitness coach, one of my cranky colleagues joked on Thursday night? We wait.

    Just as I was trying to process this joke, the story broke in which NFF barred Finidi from attending a scheduled interview with one journalist. No reason was given for the media gag beyond the fact that federation chaps didn’t trust Finidi to keep tight lips over certain anomalies. But could these NFF members have asked a foreign coach not to grant the media interviews to throw more light on what to expect during his reign?

    Finidi would have used such interviews to explain why he chose Turk Mehmet Ozturk as a match analyst, for instance.

    The Hoffenheim FC of Germany’s U19 coach Benjamin James revealed that the motto of the Super Eagles under Finidi is – goals are the beauty of the game.

    The former Shooting Stars and Stores defender, who grew up in Ajegunle, also commented on two of the country’s top strikers – Victor Osimhen and Victor Boniface.

    “Osimhen is a finisher, he smells goals, while Boniface can create and finish, he’s good one-on-one,” he remarked. “We have strikers with different characteristics.”

    James said the main target for the Super Eagles is to qualify for the 2026 World Cup stressing that: “We did not go to the last World Cup, so the business is to qualify for the next one.”

    Did the federation’s selection body accept that being a U-19 coach for a German was enough to allow James to work with Finidi in the Super Eagles? Are we joking here? How is Hoffenheim FC rated in the German Bundesliga for one of its products to serve as the benchmark for picking coaching assistants? Hoffenheim are placed ninth on the German Bundesliga table after playing 33 matches. Interesting times.

    One would have thought that Finidi would have been in England to watch Sunday’s matches after he would have spoken to the players about his football ideologies and the way forward. Our players need to be told categorically now that they need to be in camp latest 6 pm on May 28 to begin the sessions needed to blend them as a unit during matches.

    It is unthinkable for players to report in camp hours before matches and expect to contribute meaningfully on match days. No player is bigger than Nigeria.