Over time, our players have escaped being chastised in the review of our participation at major international soccer competitions, such as the World Cup holding in Russia. Our sports administrators get knocks from angry fans, who are not necessarily Nigerians, who have emotional attachment to the Super Eagles.
In the past, the tussle for the control of World Cup funds between the Sports Ministry and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) provided an alibi for our failure at such big tournaments. Nobody remembered how our players prosecuted the matches. They would rather argue that if things had been done on schedule, the team would have done well.
In fact, the war between both bodies would have divided the players sharply, such that we would have been eliminated even before our first game. The crisis would have started during the qualifiers, necessitating the formation of Presidential Task Forces to aggravate the problems in the team. Indeed, the media would have been awash with tales of the unexpected that would have made the EFCC to begin discreet investigations of the allegations bandied.
Of course, the board members would have joined the fray, with some colluding with the PTF members and the sports ministry chieftains, who would have promised them a return ticket to the board to buttress whatever the reforms it was that they were doing. There would have been anarchy in Russia.
But the fear of President Muhammadu Buhari is the beginning of wisdom. In fact, those who tried to stoke the usual fire got burnt. They were forced to realign with the faithful, otherwise they would not have been here. They got a foretaste of what to expect when they were sidelined. The usual stunt of making frivolous allegations went up in the air like smoke.
With normalcy restored in the NFF’s operations, everything went well, with Amaju Pinnick showing his full grasp of administration. Pinnick endured the antics of the ministry and dug deep into his connections in the business world to get mind-boggling financial support which made Super Eagles’ campaign smooth. This is not to say there were no problems within the NFF. In fact, we lost a point to Algeria due to some administrative tardiness.
It is heartwarming reading comments on the need for our players to play for the country with the same zeal, commitment and determination they exhibit weekly for their European clubs. The players were paid their entitlements and grilled through quality friendly matches against England, Czech Republic, Serbia, Poland and even against one of their group opponents Argentina, who they beat them without their iconic star, Lionel Messi.
The team prepared very well for the competition. The players promised to bring home the World Cup. But they were disappointing against Croatia. Not a single shot at the opposition’s goalkeeper in the first half. Our players fell like weaklings at the slightest contact, the worst culprit being Victor Moses, who should be excused from future Eagles squad based on his attitude to our matches.
Moses sees himself as bigger than the others. He plays the way he wants and has become a renowned diver at the slightest tackle when he could have easily dribbled his marker to score. Moses ought to be our poster boy in Russia – like Modric, Ronaldo et al. But his attitude is wrong as he couldn’t be bothered if he wasted goal-scoring free-kicks – to the consternation of the fans watching the match against Croatia, for instance. Why Gernot Rohr kept Moses on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes against Croatia is still a mystery.
Moses appears to be disinterested in playing for Nigeria, considering his conduct. The late Stephen Keshi stopped using him Brazil, after he protested his substitution in one of our matches. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that Moses doesn’t think Nigeria adds any value to his game, especially as he has a dual citizenship.
This writer doesn’t know John Mikel Obi’s plans for the national team. I suggest that he should announce his resignation from international matches for Nigeria. He should consider taking coaching courses to prepare for the task of coaching the Eagles. It wouldn’t be out of place if NFF bankrolls his courses. I look forward to seeing Mikel sitting on Nigeria’s bench as the Technical Adviser during the Qatar 2022 World Cup. It should form part of the paradigm shift for the future.
Our awful display against Croatia was a reflection of how we fared in our last three friendly matches. The excuse then was that our players were being cautious and that they were saving their best for the big stage in Russia. What a fallacy. If the coaches had known, they should have invited younger, fitter and more enterprising players other than these sluggish ones at the Mundial. I wouldn’t be surprised if our players improve on their outing against Iceland. But their conduct in the first game has made the last fixture against Argentina a do-or-die affair. I only hope that international politics doesn’t swing the game with the Argentines, if they have a dog chance to qualify.
We have seen instances where players win games that matter with doggedness, irrespective of what the coaches have told them. I was shocked to see the Croatians win all the crunchy tackles, with our players falling like earthworms. Pundits believe that one of our strengths is our physical fitness. We failed to exhibit that trait because our boys were playing without passion.
From what I have seen of the Eagles, the future is bright, with Francis Uzoho confirming his position as our number 1 goalkeeper, that is if Carl Ikeme is unable to recover fully before the qualification series of the Cameroon 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Tryoone Ebuehi fits in at the right wing back position since Shehu Abdullahi has not been able to defend balls on the counter attack. Abdullahi is a natural midfielder. He should be taken back to struggle for the midfield shirt.Rohr should search properly for Ebuehi’s rival in the domestic league. Otherwise, Ola Aina could function there effectively like he did for Wolves on loan last season. Aina won many Man-of-the-Match awards and scored goals which secured the promotion ticket for Wolves to the elite Barclays English Premier League this new season.
I feel strongly that Brian Idowu is the perfect fix for the left wing back position, if only Rohr can get midfielders who can fall back quickly when they lose the ball. Eagles midfield has been problematic, largely because a lot of the players just walk on the pitch when not with ball. We must look for younger boys who can run tirelessly for 90 minutes to keep pace with the opposition.
Until we fix our midfield, Eagles will continue to totter against more balanced teams with talented players, such as Croatia. Football is contact sport. Our players must be prepared to tackle the ball off the opposition to win possession and dictate the pace of the game.
We have a galaxy of young and enterprising boys to assemble a good midfield at the next World Cup in Qatar, such Kelechi Nwakali and his elder brother Chiedu. Both of them will complement Simon Moses, who unfortunately is out of the Mundial in Russia, another recovering star, Onyekuru, Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho, although coaches tend to field him as a striker.
As for attack, the Eagles have none. We rely on individual brilliance when we don’t have world class players, such as Cristiano Ronaldo.
No Odemwingie, no
Osaze Odemwingie’s comment that African football is declining is quite interesting. What Osaze didn’t say is that African players don’t know how to manage success. African players lie about their ages; this affects their staying power in the game.
Once an African kid emerges on the international scene, he becomes heady. His disciplinary records decline. He becomes disrespectful. He sees himself as being better than his mates. He craves for special treatment in camp. He is quick to anger when tackled in training. He wants to dictate what should happen and what shouldn’t.
This untouchable syndrome of the African star rubs off on his training, which invariably affects his form.
Osaze was taken to the World Cup as an alternate player in 2002. He played his first World Cup in 2010. He was only lucky to be part of Nigeria’s 2014 World Cup squad because of pressure on the late Stephen Keshi by the media and Nigerians. Keshi didn’t want Osaze in camp because of his conduct.
Osaze’s unruly acts got to a head when he wanted to force a transfer in Europe. He was stopped from entering the preferred club’s premises because the gateman knew the rules which Osaze wanted to violate with ignominy.
Ordinarily, with Osaze’s age, having been born in Russia, he should be playing for Nigeria in 2018, like Mikel Obi.
A 25-year-old, who is ‘discovered’ as an U-17, with age 12 on his visa, cannot play for another 12 years, which is the lifespan of three World Cups.
Lastly, lack of education makes it impossible for the African player to build on his career. Whereas his European counterpart employs experts to manage his affairs, the African star is the hippy on the highway, driving the most expensive cars, living in choice areas, frolicking with women and spending his earnings on ‘things of the world’, like the Christian faithful would say.
Little wonder they are a wreck after their short career.
