The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Segun Odegbami

  • Odegbami calls for tougher punishment

    Odegbami calls for tougher punishment

    • For moral rules’ violators

    A former Green Eagles player, Segun Odegbami, on Monday in Abuja called for tougher punishment for violators of the moral rules guiding the Globacom Premier League.

    Odegbami spoke on the day two of the 2013/2014 pre-season workshop organised by the League Management Company (LMC) for captains, chairmen, media officers and chairmen of supporters clubs of the clubs.

    “I suggest that extreme measures be taken in any instance where there is a clear infraction of the basic moral rules of the game. I am talking about moral rules now, not the content of the match. Nobody should go and interfere with any the decision of the referee. Beyond that, there should be very strict and extreme conditions,’’ he said.

    Odegbami, one of the resource persons at the workshop, pointed out that the game of football was not all about winning. He said efforts should be geared towards making football an enjoyable game for the spectators and players in order for marketers and investors to have value for their money.

    “This will make everybody go back home with the satisfaction that they have seen a game that has integrity. If you win it, let it be seen that it was won with integrity, and if you lose, lose the same way. But be sure that you have given your best.

    “You cannot go and intimidate a referee and expect him to perform well. You only kill the game and it cannot progress. It is a fact of reciprocity, because as you have done to somebody, another person will also do to you.

    “That is why winning away from home is almost becoming impossible in our league, because teams will first of all count their home matches and give themselves points. That is also why clubs also keep the telephone numbers of all the referees, and their bank account numbers to negotiate on matches,’’ Odegbami said.

    He explained that every negative action in the league has its repercussion. The former Chairman of gateway FC of Abeokuta then proposed the introduction of secret monitors to identify violators of the league rules.

    Odegbami said the LMC should be responsible for match officials’ security to ward off the influence of state Football Association officials who would want match proceeding to go in their favour. He urged the LMC to liaise with the Commissioners of Police in the states to provide security for the match officials.

    This, he said would make them (match officials) have little or no interaction with the state FA officials.

    In his paper titled “Curbing violence at match venues”, Sani Mohammed, a Commissioner of Police from the Police Force Headquarters, Abuja urged football clubs to always co-operate with the police.

    Mohammed said the co-operation would help the police in the discharge of their duties without looking for scapegoats at match venues.

    Onyeali Ikpe, another resource person at the workshop, said league stakeholders, especially the LMC, must first add value to the league before it could be attractive to prospective sponsors. Ikpe noted that investors valued products the way they were presented.

    NAN reports that the workshop which ends on Tuesday is a continuation of the earlier one organised for match officials as well as medical personnel of Globacom Premier League clubs on Saturday.

    The workshop, taking place at the Abuja National Stadium, is part of LMC’s pre-season programme expected to usher in the 2013/2014 Globacom Premier League season on Feb. 21.

  • Shittu slams Odegbami over Mikel comments

    Shittu slams Odegbami over Mikel comments

    NIGERIA’S foremost players’ manager and football agent, Olatunji John Shittu, has described Segun Odegbami’s comment about the football credentials of Super Eagles’ and Chelsea maestro, John Obi Mikel as questionable.

    Shittu said he finds it distasteful that the former winger could write what he did about a young Nigerian who has carved a niche for himself in global football. Odegbami, writing after last Thursday’s GLO-CAF Award, had dismissed Mikel as a lukewarm player. He posited that Nigerians were just being sentimental by wishing he had won the award.

    But Shittu, who is Mikel’s agent and manager, said he was not surprised by the comment.

    “This same Odegbami, who claimed he can’t recall a decisive pass, a great dribble or moment of magic since watching Mikel, said on April 12, 2012 after watching Mikel: ‘As a footballer, I am envious of watching Mikel Obi playing football at the highest level and I believe Nigerians are motivated watching him play for one of the best clubs in the world and in the most followed football tournament, the UEFA Champions League. The young lad was all over the place, closing all the gaps alongside his teammates and frustrating Barcelona from translating domination into goals all through the semi-final tie. This exploit no doubt is an inspiration to the youths who hope one day to play at the top level as well.’

    “So, what has changed between April 2012 when he paid glowing tribute to Mikel for being outstanding against some of the world’s best like Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and other greats and now? That is his style. Today he is shouting hosanna, tomorrow he will be shouting crucify him.”

    Shittu described Odegbami’s claim that when Mikel is not featured in the Chelsea team he is rarely missed and when featured he is not expected to do anything, as untrue.

    “This man needs to be told that football has evolved from the days of a defender sending a long pass to the winger who then runs like a rabbit and crosses into the 18-yard box. Football today has gone hi-tech, computerized and scientific. He does not understand the modern game,” Shittu alleged.

    Shittu said two of the greatest football managers in the world, Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho, must be neophytes in football as they fought for the signature of the player.

    “Since Mikel joined Chelsea, he has played for some of the best managers in the world like Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti, Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto di Matteo, Rafael Benitez and all of them acknowledged his importance on the team.

    “Football in Europe is not played with sentiments; all players on the pitch are making important contributions.”

    Shittu recalled that Mourinho called Mikel a jewel and pure diamond when he met the young boy about a decade ago and that today Mourinho has nothing but praises for Mikel, describing him as Chelsea’s anchorman who reads the game well, plays in an intelligent and safe way.

    Shittu said Odegbami, in his rush to comment on Mikel, failed to get his facts right as he claimed Mikel has made 400 appearances for Chelsea.

    “This is not true. To say Chelsea recruited a player whom they expected to be inconsequential in the team is an insult on the intelligence of Piet de Visser, who brought Romario and Ronaldo to Europe; who first recommended Mikel and other greats, and has acknowledged and continues to acknowledge his contributions to Chelsea.

    “Even Mikel’s worst critics recognize his great contributions to the Eagles’ success at the Nations Cup. It is either Odegbami did not watch the Nations Cup or something else. How many goals did Fabio Cannavaro score when he won the Ballon d’or?”

    Shittu also posits that Odegbami was not correct in his comparison of Mikel and Toure.

    “I am highly disappointed that someone of Odegbami’s status, who ought to know that when comparing individual players, you have to look at how effective they are in the role their managers assigned them, chose to ignore this fact for reasons best known to him. Judging the two players from the angle of roles they play for respective clubs and countries, Toure was not better than Mikel in 2012/13. As a disciplined defensive midfielder, Mikel is probably number one in the world today.

    “How can Odegbami claim that a player who has played over 300 games in the last eight seasons under seven different managers is inconsistent? I don’t think he understands modern football and modern players. Mikel is a defensive midfielder who plays to his managers’ instructions; he is not given a free role like Toure. He is the engine room of Chelsea anytime he is on the field, he is not given a box to box role, or an offensive role, so trying to compare his goals rate with that of an offensive player is just plain mischief.

    “Besides, how effective was Toure at Barcelona where he didn’t have a free role, or the other clubs he had played before Barca? How many goals did he score at Barca and the other clubs before he came to England? Toure has just played under two managers. Would he have maintained his present form under seven managers like Mikel? I don’t think so,” concludes Shittu.

     

  • CAF Award: Mikel not unfairly treated

    CAF Award: Mikel not unfairly treated

    SIR: The failure of Mikel Obi to win the African Footballer of the year 2013 again brings to the fore the character of the Nigerian society. Mile, a great distributor and defender, with a controversial start has been with the elite English club, Chelsea for over eight years during which he scored four goals. A favourite of manager Jose Mourinho, he is planted in the midfield to defend and to distribute balls to his strikers.

    I have often wondered why our protégé always fights shy of the goalpost. Face to face with goalkeeper, he would look for a colleague to strike. As a result of this, his team and this nation had lost many games due to the rigidity of the positioning of the player. I am not convinced, going by my little experience as a footballer at school and more importantly the chairman of IICC Shooting Stars in Coca House in the 70’s, that a defending midfielder cannot, or should not, attempt to strike at opponent’s goal. I was privileged to hire or retain star players like Segun Odegbami, Muda Lawal, Akande and a host of other stars including imports from Ghana. Muda who invariably played in the midfield also doubled as an adventurous striker. Of course Odegbami is an all time legend.

    Recently, part of my surprise was resolved by the unbelievable admittance of Mikel that he has always kept strictly to the order of his coach never to attempt to score goals. This is bewildering to say the least. I have seen and have encouraged all midfielders and indeed full-backs to enter the vital area and strike at the goal when the opportunity occurs. It is a miracle that a midfielder (striking or defending) of a leaving club like Chelsea could receive national acclaim for scoring four goals in eight years! What is he defending when his side has no goal advantage?

    Compare this with Yaya Toure of Ivory Coast who scores at least two goals in three matches and who on most occasions functions in the midfield. The goal tally of Toure and his aggressiveness and hunger must have had lasting impression on nominators or assessors. There is little to recommend in a midfielder who distributes his balls side ways and on many more occasions backward towards his defenders or keeper. How could you score a goal or help others to score a goal when 99% of your passes go negative? If you cannot score a gola direct by yourself, sending the balls forward will help your strikers or cause confusion with the vital box area.

    One other point that is persistently obvious in Mikel is that his shots lack power. His balls are so weak and nimble that any keeper can easily handle them with one hand. Obviously these are not the attributes of a continental hero. Apparently Mikel is the hero of Nigeria’s tabloid papers. He wins matches and trophies on the pages of the papers. By all means let us continue to be patriotic, but let us also be realistic. Was it an Anglo-French contest when our own Nwanwko Kano won the continental trophies several times, several years ago? Why will some Nigerians now equate Mikel’s failure to the preponderance of French speaking African countries in CAF?

    •Deji Fasuan,

    Afao-Ekiti.

     

  • Confeds Cup: Odegbami hails Eagles victory

    Confeds Cup: Odegbami hails Eagles victory

    Former Green Eagles Captain, Segun Odegbami, on Tuesday acknowledged the bold strides being taken by the Super Eagles as the rebuilding process continues.

    Odegbami hailed the team for their composure against the backdrop of the match bonus furore in Windhoek, Namibia.

    Odegbami told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday that the 6-1 drubbing of the Tahitian team will spur them to perform better in subsequent matches at the Confederations Cup.

    The ace winger, however, noted that the Tahitians did not put up the kind of resistance usually expected in a competition of the calibre of the Confederations Cup.

    “The Tahitians didn’t put the Eagles under any form of pressure, but am sure in their next match against Uruguay the Eagles will face a stiffer test.

    “Winning their first match will boost their morale which is good for the players psychologically; they need to build their confidence.

    “Our qualifying matches have been quite impressive; the rebuilding process is getting better by the day.

    “In spite of the crises in the team, they have grown with each match; I can only hope it gets better,’’ Odegbami said.

    NAN reports that the Super Eagles trounced their Tahitian opponents 6-1 in their opening match at the ongoing Confederations Cup tournament in Brazil.

    The team will engage their Uruguayan foes on June 21 in another Group B encounter at the city of Fortaleza.