John Mikel Obi is easily Nigeria’s biggest football ambassador in Europe. He ranks next to Nwankwo Kanu in terms of being the most decorated Nigerian footballer. Like Kanu, Mikel has won the UEFA Champions League diadem. Kanu and George Finidi danced on the UEFA Champions League winners’ dais with Ajax FC of Amsterdam in 1995. Mikel has won the Barclays English Premier League trophy, like Papilo. The Chelsea legend – yes, Mikel is, given what he has achieved for the star-studded English side – has won the English FA Cup like Kanu, the difference being that Papilo has won the trophy in two clubs (Arsenal FC and Portsmouth FC).
Whereas Kanu can point at his Atlanta’96 Olympic Games’ soccer gold medal, which Mikel doesn’t have, the Chelsea midfield pearl can eye his gold medal earned for winning the Europa League title in 2013, as one trophy Kanu hasn’t touched. But Kanu towers over Mikel, having won the Africa Footballer of the Year diadem twice. The closest that Mikel has got was the runners-up slot two years ago, which many African football purists felt belonged to the Nigerian, not Ivory Coast’s Captain Yaya Toure. I don’t want to join the debate because my views on this award and its owners, the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF), are known to readers of this column.
Mikel ranks as one of the most successful players at Chelsea, having survived many chops from different managers in the last 10 years. But could he have achieved these feats if Mourinho had turned his back on him in those troublesome times at Chelsea, especially after his injury spells?
Mikel had better watch his utterances; otherwise, the next coach could ease him out, having read some of the unpleasant things ascribed to the Nigerian about Mourinho. It is easy for Mikel to say that he would join the Chinese train. Yet, he needs to break more records at Chelsea. Indeed, he is being tipped to replace John Terry as Chelsea’s captain (that will be the day), only if the new manager Conte wants to retain Mikel next season.
I’m not trying to compare Mikel’s feats with Kanu’s. Impossible. The parallel here is that Kanu left clubs without rancour. He also didn’t rain abuses on his former managers, including those who refused to sign him after they thought he had passed his prime in the game. Today, most European managers have high regards for Kanu. They relate with him. Television stations tumble over themselves to have him face their cameras, not forgetting to recount his glorious moments in the game.
The same cannot be said of Mikel, who despite playing for just Chelsea has refused to allow his former coach Mourinho rest. Mikel seizes every interview to drag Mourinho on the turf as if he is the only player who had a rough time with the Special One. True, Mikel has the right to express his feelings, but he must consider how the subject of his message. Is Mikel not worried that Mourinho hasn’t dignified his rants with a response? Mourinho has shown maturity. Yet it is expedient to remind Mikel of those glorious days when Mourinho preferred a rookie Nigerian to tested and trusted European internationals.
After all, not once did Mourinho list Mikel in the transfer window beyond the media speculations, which were unfounded the moment a new season began. What does Mikel expect those who Mourinho sold to other clubs to say? They have moved on and allowed Mourinho to stew in his mess of unemployment. It is alright for Mikel to be unperturbed by his rants. But it is instructive to remind him that some of his comments may return to haunt him, especially if he chooses to earn a living doing football or sports business.
Mourinho is a European brand. His mates like him, even though they detest his guts and antics. Perhaps, Mikel should in his quiet times ask what he would say to Mourinho if they find themselves inside the elevator in a shopping mall. Would he expect Mourinho to respond, if he greets him? That’s if he has the courage to do so. Mikel may have resolved to do other things outside sports. But, a cordial relationship with everyone he meets in the course of playing the game is the best testimonial for the Mikel brand, going forward.
Mikel can write his memoirs later and dedicate as many chapters to Mourinho. But he must be wary of libelous statements which can be held against him. True, there is the culture of players/managers’ spat and manager vs manager crossing of swords among the Europeans. But it is alien to Africans, except Mikel wants to be the exception to the culture of respect for elders.
It will be cruel for Mikel to remember only the bad side of his stay at Chelsea in the Mourinho years. I need to remind Mikel of his early days at Chelsea when the Portuguese took particular
interest in the Nigerian by getting someone to talk him out of his juvenile acts. I wonder what Mikel would have written about Mourinho had he been sacked by the Portuguese in those periods when he lost form. Mikel owes a greater percentage of his achievements to Mourinho. And he needs to be told so.
Nigerian coaches must improve
The beautiful thing about coaching for the soccer tactician is the result he secures from matches. Hence the dictum that the coach is as good as his/her last result. One is therefore excited to ask Nigerians coaches what they have done with the domestic clubs in the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF’s) inter clubs’ competitions.
It is true that most Nigerian teams recruit too many players and even coaches whenever they secure the qualification tickets. But would you blame them when such outfits win mostly league games played at home – please don’t ask me how they do it? But the management members know the details and opt for new handlers and players who will deliver the results without heartaches. What these management members lose sight of is that teams need to blend through quality matches. This is a major flaw more so in a country where the domestic league’s calendar is not in sync with what operates overseas.
Maybe the Nigerian coaches’ body can stop its members from taking others’ jobs simply because they want to prosecute continental matches? On the hindsight, this kind of decision could be laughable because the clubs have the right to hire and fire people that are surplus to requirement or those who don’t have the prerequisite knowledge to meet their dreams. It happens elsewhere.
I laugh when people make cases for Nigerian coaches to handle the Super Eagles. The only significant qualification that some of these coaches have is that they played the game at the highest level. Their Curriculum Vitae as coaches are for kindergartens and I wonder how such teachers (sorry coaches) can impact anything new to established professionals, such as John Mikel Obi, Alex Iwobi, Ahmed Musa, Victor Moses, Odion Ighalo et al.
Our players are better exposed than our coaches. In fact, most Nigerian coaches won’t dare sit on the bench if FIFA and CAF decide to enforce the rule where only certificated coaches sit on the reserve bench like we have in Europe. But they won’t because all fingers are not equal, especially with developing countries, such as ours. Put simply, there is no way a Standard Three teacher can teach a PHD student. It is a misnomer. And that is how Nigerian coaches are to our better exposed players.
In the past, we had coaches, such as Adegboye Onigbinde, Alabi Aissen, Patrick Ekeji, Shuiabu Amodu, James Peters, the late Willy Bazuaye et al, head to Germany and other European countries for coaching courses. Little wonder these coaches, especially Onigbinde and Amodu, did well with our national teams.
Have you ever listened to our coaches’ post-match comments? You will weep. It is even worse at half-time. Let me not bore you on some of the things they say before matches – like asking us to pray for God’s guidance as if the opponents don’t know God too.
Indeed, 20 coaches were taken to England to improve on their knowledge. Only four of them could function on the computer, much to the consternation of the English men who were told that they were some of the best in the domestic game. Rather than being taught the rudiments of the game, they were first taught how to function on the computer.
The NFF must insist on having only knowledgeable coaches for our domestic teams. On no account should a coach without a badge be allowed to train any club. This idea of former players becoming coaches without attending coaching courses must stop. It won’t cost the NFF much to invite renowned coaches to come here during the off season to re-train our coaches, possibly grade and motivate the good ones among them by taking them to Europe for further refresher courses. That way the dropped coaches will strive to improve to join the big ones heading for Europe.
The National Institute for Sports (NIS) seems to be producing coaches. But there is serious doubt about the quality of training these coaches receive, if their products totter seasonally to make an impact at the continental level.
Our coaches cannot compete with the best now. They must strive to improve themselves by returning to school during off seasons. They must learn the new tricks of the game, even online, until such a time they can source for the cash to physically attend courses. Many people were educated through remedial courses and are big players in their endeavours. That is the truth.
