This is my most difficult column largely because of the plethora of issues threatening the sports industry beginning with the laughable stories to the weird. Every day in the last one week threw up puzzling suggestions from spin doctors in the media insulting our collective sensitivity with such an incredulous matter as a coach who served out his FIFA ban becoming the next Super Eagles Manager.
What these intractable enemies of football in Nigeria failed to realise is that the five- year ban was a form of punishment. The reduction of the ban to five years didn’t translate to a slap on the wrist. Rather, it meant that FIFA still had reservations with some of the issues in the case. The NFF would need to sound out FIFA if serving out a ban term translates to such a person being eligible to participate in the world soccer ruling body’s subsequent activities.
Yes, this coach was one of our best in terms of achievements and the quality of young talents he discovered and exposed to international competitions until the ban. But should the expiration of the ban immediately land the tactician the Super Eagles’ job? Do our soccer federation’s chieftains realise that the Super Eagles is Nigeria’s premium sports asset which shouldn’t be toyed with? Did the ban’s reduction mean that the coach was cleared of all the allegations? Perhaps, this is the time for the NFF to assist the coach to lodge another appeal in court against the five-year ban which has now lapsed to free him of all the charges. It is only when such a victory in the court is attained that he can be eligible for the job.
On 16 August 2019, he was banned for life by FIFA from all football activities over allegations of bribery and match-fixing. But the ban was later reduced to five years by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) after his appeal was heard.
CAS ruled the imposition of a life ban to be disproportionate for a first offence which was committed passively and which had not had an adverse or immediate effect on football stakeholders.
It ruled that a five-year ban would still achieve the envisaged aim of punishing the infringement committed by the now unbanned coach.
The coach got CAS’ favourable ruling because he was a first offender for an offence committed passively which hadn’t poured odium on the beautiful game. Hmmm! Does this mean the coach can handle a big brand such as the Super Eagles? Again, CAS ruled that its decision to impose a five-year ban and not a life ban which was FIFA’s decision was hinged on the fact that the reduction could still achieve the aim of punishing the infringement committed by the coach. What is your takeaway on this, dear reader? You tell me.
What remains unanswered in the CAS ruling is the future of the convicted first offender for a passively committed offence after the ban lapsed.
Another Nigerian coach who got sanctioned is Ladan Bosso. He inadvertently accused English referee Howard Webb of racism in the aftermath of a 4-0 defeat against Chile in the quarterfinals of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2007.
Ladan Bosso took his four-month FIFA ban and N1 million fine with equanimity pointing out that: “FIFA are the mother and father of football in the world and as long as they have taken a decision, I have to comply with what they have said.
“Sometimes you say certain things when you are upset, but I believe that my apology may have made them reduce the ban. Maybe I could have got two years or something like that.”
Bosso had accused English referee Howard Webb of racism in the aftermath of a 4-0 defeat against Chile in one of the quarter-finals of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2007. Pray, Bosso handled another U-20 side the World Cup assignment where he conducted himself creditably. Well, Bosso’s problem wasn’t as grievous as this unbanned coach’s, who indeed was banned for life, until he fought back to get the ban period reduced to five years.
The optics of seeing this unbanned coach sit on the Super Eagles bench isn’t right, given the type of cynical commentaries from the international media whenever Nigeria has a game to play. Rather than being our coach, he could be given roles behind the scenes, if our soccer chiefs feel strongly that he still has something to offer.
A five-year absence from the pressure heater coaching job isn’t the type of citation any intending Super Eagles coach should flaunt. Nigeria’s chances in subsequent World Cup qualifiers is in a precarious setting with the Super Eagles condemned to win the remaining six games if Nigeria’s flag would be hoisted among the comity of nations in 2026.
The spin doctors have flooded the media with a galaxy of foreign coaches, many of whom were at the last Africa Cup of Nations held in Ivory Coast and failed. Coaches of some of the countries whose outings were miserable have been touted as ready replacements for a coach who took us to the final. The confusion has left the choice of next foreign coach for Super Eagles to guesswork as if that is what prevails in the camps of our competitors. Need I waste space listing all the names bandied in the media, many of them have been denounced by the NFF?
Nigeria’s first game in the qualifiers for the next Africa Cup of Nations is to be held on September 7 in Uyo against the Republic of Benin, a team presently handled by a former Eagles manager, German-born Gernot Rohr. Already, Rohr led his Benin team to beat the Eagles on neutral ground 2-1 in Ivory Coast in our last qualification game for the 2026 World Cup to be jointly hosted by 16 cities in three North American countries: Canada, Mexico, and the American countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States
The spin doctors who throw up names of likely Super Eagles coach in the social media always forget that the world is a global village. One such flyer is the talk that the NFF is on the verge of naming Swede tactician Andersson as the helmsman for the Super Eagles. Of course, the Swedes on his X handles almost mocking such an adventure while wishing us a turbulent path whenever he assumes work. These idle people who want Nigeria to recruit a defensive minded tactician and expect the country to excel in a game which requires scoring goals with aplomb to decide matches if need be.
Today is exactly 14 days to Nigeria’s first game in the 2025 AFCON qualification series, and we don’t have a coach. Our biggest player in Europe, Victor Osimhen, is in the battle to save his career.
He is certainly not in shape to help the team beat the Republic of Benin in Uyo, September 7.
Will NFF beg Austin Eguavoen to accept the task to save their faces? Eguavoen will as a patriot accept the job. Would it be fair to judge him with a bad result (God forbid)? Who will select the players, now that Aina Ola is injured? Who will replace him? Have the players received their letters of invitation for both games on September 7 and September 10?
