The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Sport

  • Leadership in sport organisations

    In my continued quest to resolve the puzzle characterised by the disposition of our various sports organisations to leadership, I came across a very pertinent variable that has the propensity and capacity to either develop or retard the development of sport in Nigeria.Today most organisations in the world are adopting new methods of solving problems, which many would refer to as strategic change structures. However, less can be said about our various sport federations, associations and clubs as it relates to having a seamless transition or leadership change.

    Leadership change in this context is not the mere change in the office from one person to another, it is the overall change in leadership as characterised by the availability of enduring administrative structure that is relative to each sport organisation with specific reference to the modus operandi of leadership change.

    It has been found that a company’s culture has a direct impact on revenue and profit. Recent research indicates that a variance of 28 per cent in revenue and profit can be explained by differences in organisational culture and climate.

    Thus, a more positive and healthy organisational culture and climate will impact directly on the bottom line of its organisational achievements. Of even greater interest is the fact that leadership style is seen to have a significant impact on company culture.

    The way that the leaders behave will directly influence the culture. The culture in turn will directly affect the profit, therefore it is vitally important that leaders at all levels in an organisation understand the impact of their performance to the overall organisational mandate. It is estimated that 70 per cent of the variance in organisational climate can be explained by differences in leadership styles.

    Whereas we can say, that part of our problem in our sport federations and associations can be rightly placed on the feet of the terrible leadership as exemplified by the quality of persons occupying the leadership positions in some sport organisations in Nigeria. These persons most of whom got to the said position by sheer manipulation and in some cases outright imposition lack the necessary prerequisite qualification to be saddled with the responsibility of leading sport organisations in Nigeria.

    The role of leadership in sport organisation should be looked into critically if we must get it right in our drive towards the attainment of sports excellence. Because we have in the past years been out of favour or should I say unlucky with the quality of persons who occupy sport leadership positions in Nigeria.

    We must redefine the process that produces leaders of sport organisations with a bid of putting in place structures which will in the long run produce quality individuals with the necessary skills and expertise of managing sport organisations. It is only right and proper that we get these structures in place so as to prevent an occasion for mediocre emerging as leaders of our sport organisations.

    Sport like any other critical sector is key and fundamental towards the sustenance of international recognition of any country and it is a platform of international diplomacy. Hence, we must be concerned about the quality of persons that occupy leadership positions in our various sport organisations. The fact is that sport is a brand projector and must be administered by those adequately prepared for the role of leadership.

    We need to have men and women of integrity and by this I mean people that are of high standards that are not reviled but that are well respected. We need to see people with the requisite academic, professional and managerial pedigree.Those that have managed successful organisations, of similar magnitude men of truth, honour and vision

    We need people that will be able to show the needed leadership and not those that are going there because of what the office can provide for them. We need to filter the process that begets men and women that are made leaders of our sport organisations in Nigeria. I strongly believe that the National Sports Commission(NSC) can lead in this direction by developing a structure that would stand the test of time and thus put in place mechanisms that will see  only credible persons emerge as leaders of our sport organisations.

    Those of us that are core professionals cannot do it alone. We need experts in business management to be brought on-board and the NSC should also work with coprate Nigeria and the academia in developing an enduring structure that will help in setting specific criteria that will be used to determine the quality of persons emerging as leaders in our sports. A word is enough for the wise.

  • School sport mythology

    We have over the years forgotten the need to properly invest in school sport programmes and to a large extent this act has made us to forfeit the derivable benefits of investing in school sport. We have youths these days without any form of locomotive skills and yet we expect that the country will continue to produce sporting stars that will excel in sports.

    While it is expedient for us to appreciate the effect of sports participation by students to the overall health and development of students one is constrained to note that we have jettisoned this noble venture and have decided in doing the things that doe not have any direct bearing to the development of sport.

    There is the need for us to begin to address the fundamentals that are militating against the achievement of these noble objectives. I am very much aware that there are lots of schools that had school playground and sport facilities in time past but today such is no longer in existence and where you still have in existence it is a mere shadow of its old self, meaning they are all dilapidated.

    We need to visit our schools if truly we want to address the issues that are confronting the participation of students in sports. We also need to have a definite policy on education that will be all inclusive and should be such that will spell out the basic sporting requirement for each school category.

    The Ministry for Education and the National Sports Commission should come up with a workable frame work that will see the National Sports Commission investing heavily in the development of sporting facilities across Government schools while the operational license of private schools should be given only to people that have the capacity to provide sport facilities to their students.

    While it is always very easy to criticise I must also say that we need to look into our sport policy and answer the following questions: what do we want as a nation in sport? What are our plans for sports related jobs in the nearest future? What is our national sport ideology? Of what significance will educated youths that are not physically fit be to a growing nation? There are many more questions that we can ask ourselves but the above are critical and pointers.

    Recently I was opportune to attend a seminar where the future of Africa as a hub for sport excellence was discussed and I noticed that from the various contributors it is confirmed that Africa is considered as one of the fastest growing economy in the world and as such a lot is been looked at by these experts that are currently looking at the cumulative value of such growth on sport business within the territory of Africa.

    However, most African countries have failed to see this glaring opportunity and are busy looking at sport from the perspective of being just a social duty rather than seeing sport as a fundamental catalyst for growth and economic advancement. Now how and where do we go from here? The truth of the matter is that we need to go back to the basics by re-engineering our school sports and ensuring that we have sport facilities that are up to date.

    Fundamentally speaking we need to be serious minded of the fact that the school setting is one of the basic sources of talent identification and we must be committed towards ensuring that we develop the various school sport programmes. I am aware that in South Africa there is a policy direction towards the development of sport facilities within schools and communities.

    I am also aware that there is a deliberate Government action plan to kit all students with sport wears and ensure that coaches are sent to schools why Physical Education is been encouraged at all educational levels and this in effect will produce the next generation of sports men and women in South Africa.

    Let us imagine that we have all schools that are properly equipped with sport facilities and sport instructors coupled with a comprehensive sport programme for the students and pupils all year round. I’m sure that such will boost the education and skill growth and acquisition of our youths to such an extent that we will readily have a pool of young athletes that will easily take the place of our aging athletes.

    Our sport managers should understand that the potential in sport is too great to be handled with levity we need a corroborative instrument of engagement between all ministries of sports and education in our various states and at the Federal level. With this, we would have addressed a fundamental problem that is currently steering us at the face.

    It is my hope and desire that we do the needful so as to reap from the inherent benefit thereof.

  • Predictors of sport success

    Today as I mull over  why we as a nation hardly perform well at international sport meets I cannot help but take my readers through what I have come to identify as the major problem militating against the performance of our teams and athletes at such competitions.

    We have in Nigeria a very bad concept of sport management and this is not caused by the professionals, rather it is the problem of people who are outside the sector but claim to know how best to run and manage sports. We are all aware that the Olympics, the World Cup and the Common Wealth Games come every four years, this should make us to start thinking about what to do in the next years to prepare our athletes

    Unfortunately, we hardly see any serious sign of preparation on our part as a nation, because while the managers are known to have developed and submitted their programmes we know from experience that monies meant for such programmes hardly get to the National Sports Commission (NSC) in good time.

    Most times administrators have to use their resources, initiatives and goodwill to begin camping programmes for their teams and wards, yet they get blamed whenever anything goes wrong in the course of prosecuting the tournament, or their teams fail to do as well as is expected. Let it be known that there is no way we can make headway in sport if we fail to dothe right thing.

    We have what is called ‘strategic planning’ in sport which can be divided into short term or long term strategic planning. Some sport federations hold strategic sessions during which they come up with realistic ways of resolving their problems. Unfortunately, these ideas are ignored or discarded due to a lack of financial backing.

    Some people have failed to understand that sport is capital intensive and also requires long term planning and execution for there to be derivable benefits for the athletes and nation. As a nation we were lucky in times past to do well in sports because of the exceptional natural abilities and qualities of our athletes and their determination to succeed.

    Fundamentally speaking, we must not allow sport to be managed like the average government operation. It is different from such in so many respects because it is time-bound and also requires series of activities that will cumulate in the desired success that we dream and talk about.

    I have not been around our sport for so long, nevertheless, I have read much about sport management and administration to understand the best and acceptable way of making good success in sport vis-a-vis the approach and methodology needed to be adopted for success.

    The key principle in achieving good success in sports is planning and we cannot not plan without adequate and timely release of funds. Through sports a nation is placed in a position of honour but this is only possible if the nation’s representatives perform well in sport, which leads us back to the issue of funding.

    I make bold to say that the only sector that can boast of being number one in the world through competitions with other nations is sport and for that reason we can say today that Nigeria is number the one football nation in Africa because we are the current champions of Africa.

    This postulation has a lot of implications because if you want to remain as the best you have to seriously plan for it by developing a strategic action plan document in the form of a road map identifying other critical components and sectors that must be activated if we intend to do well in sport.

    I have said it severally that our current national sport policy has lost touch with contemporary sport programming and as such needs to be reviewed urgently. I remember writing about this sometimes back, but, unfortunately, as we speak it has not been reviewed yet we want sport to grow in Nigeria.

    There are lots of people that have passion in sport either as athletes, coaches, administrators, sports wear manufacturers and sport organizers, however, they have to be clearly identified and given responsibilities with set targets on what should be done, according to their categories.

    Before I round up this piece, I want to digress a little to appeal to all football stakeholders in Nigeria on the need to establish enduring norms that will stand the test of time without necessarily heating up the polity.

    I wish all our athletes and officials at the Commonwealth Games a successful outing with the hope of joining them if time will permit me.

  • Five bright hopes to cheer up a dismal summer for English sport

    Sportsmail’s  Laura Williamson picks her five English athletes to watch at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

    1. REBECCA DOWNIE

    AGE: 22

    EVENT: GYMNASTICS

    The European uneven bars champion designs her own leotards and will be anxious to perform after missing competing at London 2012 through injury.

    2. NATASHA JONAS

    AGE: 30

    EVENT: BOXING

    The first British woman to box at an Olympics has moved down to lightweight but will be hoping to go one better than her European silver in Romania earlier this year.

    3. AMBER HILL

    AGE: 16

    EVENT: SHOOTING

    The teenager became the youngest ever winner of a World Cup event when she claimed victory in

    the skeet in Mexico last year, aged only 15. She already has her own range of pink shotgun cartridges.

    4. CHARLIE GRICE

    AGE: 20

    EVENT: ATHLETICS

    The British 1500m champion is coached by Jon Bigg, the husband of former world and Olympic champion Sally Gunnell, and has already set a new personal best this season. He hails from Brighton – just like a certain Steve Ovett.

    5. SIOBHAN-MARIE O’CONNOR

    AGRE: 18

    EVENT: SWIMMING

    The teenager from Bath has already smashed the English 200m individual medal record this year and is ranked second in the world in the event.

  • Accusations, counter-accusations over Nigeria Fans Village

    Accusations, counter-accusations over Nigeria Fans Village

    Sport is a unifying factor the world over. It attracts, excites and captivates. That is why any place a major sporting event is to hold, thousands, if not millions, from every part of the world, troop there. It is a major form of relaxation and leisure.  The activities become even more feverish if it involves soccer-the Beautiful Game.

    Like in many other human endeavours, sport and tourism have a lot in common. While sport attracts people to a destination, tourism moves, accommodates, feeds and keeps them amused and entertained during their stay at the sporting event destination.

    The World Cup is a major sporting fiesta that many countries use to burnish their profiles not just inside the football arena, but outside.  Many who spend their hard-earned money to travel to a sporting destination seek for other activities to amuse and entertain them outside the sporting arena.

    Football matches, for example, are played for 90 minutes for each game. The sport tourists have, at times, more than 72 hours to wait for the next game. This is where discerning tourism organizations, both private and national tourism boards, capitalize on to sell their countries.

    The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) rightly recognized this and sought to use this window to sell Nigeria to the outside world. This was done in South Africa in 2010 with great success. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil’s Nigeria  Fans Village organized by the NTDC in collaboration with some private organizations has become a talking point as the government parastatal is enmeshed again in controversy with a private organization it was supposed to have partnered to organize a befitting fan village to showcase Nigeria to the world.  From all indications, things did not go as planned; each party is playing a discordant tune.

    ZA Entertainment, called a press conference this week accusing the NTDC leadership of reneging on an agreement it had with ZA Entertainment to jointly organize a befitting Nigeria Football Fan Village. Speaking on behalf of ZA Entertainment, the President, Mr. Azania Omo-Agege, said his company had, last December, got the consent of the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the sport ministry to build a fan village in Sao Paulo to showcase Nigeria as a destination, its culture, cuisine, arts and so on.

    The NTDC was to later ask for the same endorsement from the NSC which was then directed to ZA Entertainment, so that they can partner. According Omo-Agege, they entered an agreement with the NTDC to work for the success of the proposed fan village.

    He said: “After several meetings, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the NTDC and ZA Entertainment streamlining each party’s role in the project. The ZA Entertainment and NTDC teams departed Nigeria June 14 instead of a week ahead of the World Cup’s kick-off  due to some prevarications from the DG NTDC.”

    Omo-Agege said before the departured, his company had entered into contracts with some Nigerian artistes like Eidrees Abdulkareem, Daddy Showkey, Waje, Austino Milado and Yolanda  to entertain at the fan village  during the fiesta. He said his company had equally contracted the services of travel agents, hotels and so on, in addition to securing a space for the village that could accommodate about 3000 fans.

    He alleged that after making all these arrangements, the NTDC boss, Mrs Sally Mbanefo, reneged by refusing to release money, but rather went and set up a “phony Nigeria Football Fan Village in a small hotel room at Raston Augusta Hotel”. He made  a further allegation, including that the NTDC boss tore the agreement with his company and chewed MoU she entered into. He also alleged that money was collected from some banks to prosecute the project which they did not see.

    Speaking further on the issue, Director, Media and Marketing, Nigeria Football Fans Village Brazil 2014, Mr. Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, said every thing that ZA Entertainment did was done with the knowledge of the NTDC since they had a joint committee for the event. He said a total of about N60m was budgeted for the event which was later cut down to N53m. He alleged that the NTDC was aware of all the activities towards organizing the successful fan village  before the commencement of the World Cup.

    The NTDC Director-General, when contacted by The Nation, debunked the allegation, saying it was all falsehood.

    She authorised her lawyer, Mr. Ibrahim Mark, to speak on her behalf.

    She explained  that both ZA Entertainment and another marketing company, Agile Communications, were to source  for funds for the Nigerian Fans Game Village project.

    Mr. Mark, speaking for the NTDC boss, said: “The corporation first gave him $10,000  because he said he didn’t even have money to start what he was doing. And he got to Brazil and never established the fan village, source for funds and run it.  He was always asking for money. The woman told him that was not the agreement. She told him he was supposed to have raised funds. He said no.  It was there that he was telling the woman that he was supposed to be paid $8,000  daily to run the place. The woman said that was not the agreement.

    “ So, the woman went and got another place to do the tourism something and came back.  So, that was why he was harassing the woman. We have written to him to say what he did to the woman was very wrong.  Did he show you the agreement or MoU to back up this thing   he was saying?  If you have an MOU, will you have only one copy?   He cannot say one was torn. He has to show you a document that is in agreement with what he is saying.”

    He explained further: “Let us say that a copy was torn; is it the only copy? As a good businessman, would you carry only one copy.   In all honesty, you can know who is honest. How can you say you have only one copy. He knows if he brings the copy, you will know his responsibilities in the MoU. Let him say whether he has complied with the agreement first because everybody had what he was supposed to do. Has he done what he was supposed to do and then the corporation did not do its own part. Most importantly, if this is a breach of contract, then you go to court and claim your money.”

    While the NTDC and the ZA Entertainment continue to trade blame as to who was responsible for the inability of  Nigeria to put up a befitting  fan village as planned, many stakeholders are of the  opinion that it would be more in the interest of tourism in the country, if the parastatal’s exposure to controversy is reduced so that it could concentrate on its core mandate of marketing and promoting Nigerian tourism.

  • ‘Sport has made youths more responsible’

    ‘Sport has made youths more responsible’

    Parents have been urged not to dissuade their wards who express interest in sport.

    The Proprietor, Solidrock International Model College, Sango, Ogun State, Mr Segun Aiyegbusi, who spoke at Seventh inter-house sports of the school held at Home Science Secondary School sports ground said sport has made youths to be responsible.

    He noted that the role of sports in the development of the youth cannot be over-emphasised.

    “Apart from being essential to be physically fit and strong, sport nowadays is very lucrative, attractive and rewarding. It has also been an avenue for social healthy rivalry among the youth in the society,” he said.

    He said football has reduced wastefulness and unemployment among the youth.

    The school’s sport fiesta, he explained, is a medium to discover and showcase participants’ talents. “It is not a waste. Peter Rufai, the former Super Eagles goalkeeper, is a graduate of Law, so education is not a bane to sport neither is sport a bane to education,” he said.

    The school’s sports director, Mr Aiyegbusi Oluseye, said the competition is important as it keeps pupils fit and mentally alert.

    He said the saying the school has made it a tradition to take the pupils out every Friday for sporting activities.

    “Sports improve academic performance. Most of our pupils that do well in sports are the same ones that do well in academics. The importance of sports cannot be over emphasised,” he said.

    He called on the government to encourage competition among schools, saying it will go a long way in preparing them for international competitions. Asked why the school does not have a red house, Mr Oluseye explained that the school used to have one, but when parents complained about its colour, the school changed it to pink.

    “Majority of the parents who complained were parents of pupils in Red House. I don’t see any bad in having red house,” he said.

    At the end, Yellow House, won. with 11 gold, nine silver and five bronze medals. Green House followed with 10 gold, eight silver and six bronze medals, while Blue House also emerged third with six gold, eight silver and 10 bronze medals.

     

  • Pomp at school’s sport fiesta

    Red House has emerged winner at the Mylod Nursery and Primary Schools sport fiesta. It won 13 gold, 12 silver and nine bronze medals.

    It was followed closely by Yellow House with 11 gold, two silver, and 11 bronze; while Green House was third with nine gold, 16 silver and seven bronze medals. Blue house with seven gold, 10 silver and 13 bronze came fourth.

    However, the event, which took place at the Ansar-ud-deen Comprehensive High School (Red Sand), Okota, was not all about sports it also featured other events to mark the school’s 10th anniversary.

    The Proprietress of the school, Mrs Funmi Adesegun, said the reason for the sport fiesta was to develop the pupils.

    “Exercise helps their body to develop its competitive nature; team play and allows them to relax. Hidden talents can also come out this way; they can make a career out of this too,” she said.

    In her lecture, the guest speaker, Prof Ajike Osanyin of the University of Lagos, (UNILAG), who spoke on: Building morals in children: A tool for building the nation, said parents should endeavour to expose their wards to positive things because an individual makes use of the exposure available to them.

    She advised them not to give in to their children as it would make them develop a bad character.

    “Don’t always bail your child out of trouble or replace items they,” she added.

    The Father of the Day, and Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Prince Segun Adesegun, said pupils own the future.

    Prince Adesegun, who is the husband of the proprietress, said when she had the dream of starting a school a decade ago, he did not think it was possible.

    “I told her it could not work. I did not encourage her. As a politician, we were not always at home so I didn’t believe she could combine it with house work,” he said.

    He congratulated the staff, adding that during his tour of the school, he observed that there was inter-personal relationship among the teachers, parents and pupils.

     

  • Taekwondo scribe sure of bright future

    Femi Ajao, the Secretary of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF), on Tuesday assured of a bright future for the sport in the country.

    Ajao told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that everything possible would be done to take the sport to the next level.

    The secretary spoke against the backdrop of the just-concluded second edition of Chika Chukwumerije Sports Foundation (CCSF) International Taekwondo Open. The competition held from Oct. 19 to Oct. 20 in Abuja.

    NAN reports that the two-day tournament featured 302 fighters for the N2.8million prize. Participants were drawn from Mali, Gabon and Cote d’Ivoire and host Nigeria.

    Ajao said the event was a graceful one that held much potential for the federation and the sport in Nigeria.

    “We just had the second edition of the CCSF taekwondo open in Abuja and I must say I am highly impressed by the event. It shows that taekwondo has so many prospects in Nigeria. The turnout was very impressive; so we are going somewhere’’, he said.

    The secretary also said the major highpoints of the competition was the participation of 32 kids and the discovery of remarkable talents.

    “Taekwondo is of part of the five major sports in Nigeria and I know that we will live up to expectations’’, Ajao said.

  • Obasogie: How NIAA helped youth excel in sport

    Obasogie: How NIAA helped youth excel in sport

    The Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian International Athletes Association(NIAA) , US-based Dr. Godwin Obasogie, former Nigeria/ Africa record holder in the 110m hurdles and member of the 1976 Nigerian Track and Field Olympic Team, tells MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN about the efforts of the association towards sport and educational development of young Nigerians at home and the Diaspora. Excerpts…

     

     

    How did you arrive at the point of what you are doing at present?

    Dr. Godwin Obasogie is a former Nigeria/ Africa record holder in 110m hurdles and member of the 1976 Nigerian Track and Field Olympic Team. We have an organization that is effort is geared towards sport and educational development of young Nigerians. The organization is called the Nigerian International Athletes Association (NIAA). Members are current and former Nigerian Sportsmen and women of all sports across the globe. This includes Harrison Salami who is the President, Chidi Imoh, who is the Vice President, Airat Bakare Adejobi, Secretary, Charlton Ehizulen, George Ogbeide, Modupe Oshikoya, Bruce Ijurigho (founding President) and so many more.

    When was this founded and with what objectives in mind?

    The organization was founded in 1982 right after the death of Dele Udoh who was shot dead in Lagos. It was reorganized thirteen years ago after most of the members relocated to Nigeria. The organization had made a lot of progress

    Learned you are coordinating a conference in aid of sports; who are and who is involved with you on this project?

    This conference is an annual event. It is a Convention/ Fundraising Banquet and award night ceremony. This year’s event will be held at the Double Tree Hotel by Hilton JFK in New York. We are expecting the Nigeria Ambassador to the US, His Excellency, Professor Adebowale Adefuye as the Chairman. In 2012, His Excellency the Ambassador hosted us at the Nigeria Embassy in Washington D.C. His Excellency Ambassador has been a strong supporter. We are also expecting some top Diplomats, Government and sporting officials from Nigeria. the USA and Europe. We have been financially supported by some of our Government and sports officials including Chief Solomon Ogba, Captain Hosa Okunbor, Mr. Fatai Bello- Osagie, Dr. Osahon Ukponmwan, Mr. Akin Aboyade- Cole, and Mr. Mr. Ken Chinweze and others. Several secondary school student athletes in Nigeria and the USA have benefited from our scholarship programs.

    What were the objectives when NIAA was founded?

    The Nigerian International Athletes Association (NIAA), established in 2000, is a US-based non- for -profit and tax exempt 501(c) 3 organization with current membership of former Nigerian International sports men and women of all sports and spread across the globe. Concerned with the present state of sports affairs in Nigeria, this association has dedicated itself to the following mission and objectives: To provide needy and disadvantaged youths with the resources and support to achieve their God given potential in Education and Sports, while bringing honor and glory to their community.

    Secondly, to identify talented youths at the grassroots level and prepare them to succeed as student athletes as well as productive members of society. Also, it foster goodwill and comradeship through an exchange program among the youths of Nigeria and the United States, thereby creating a bridge which links the youths of both nations to the rest of the World. To solicit, procure and ship donated sports and educational equipment to needy and disadvantaged youths in Nigeria.

    What benefits would this serve Nigerians both in Diaspora and back home?

    Most recently, NIAA has done tremendously well in assisting Nigerians at home and Diaspora. We have assisted former athletes who were battling with one terminal ailment or the other. We have organized and hosted run walk to benefit the HOPE ((helping other people excel) Farm which is a home for boys between ages 7-15 from single parent homes. Every year since 2005, we have given out several scholarships to high school students in the USA and Nigeria.

    In 2010, we hosted our 10th annual convention/banquet in Calabar, Cross River state. In Calabar, we built a gated fence around an adopted secondary school, St. Jude’s College (now Holy Trinity College) and we donated several sports and educational supplies to the school. Of course, this is besides over 5000 of sports equipment and educational shipped and supplied to schools in Nigeria.

  • The Song of the Super Eagles

    The Song of the Super Eagles

    We arrived in Brazil as the Champions of Africa, the continent’s pride.

    We travelled to Belo Horizonte and they draped us in flowers, celebrated our failings and cheered the every touch of our lowly opponents.

    In Salvador—the capital of happiness—our hopes were curtailed by a veteran’s thunderbolt.

    Then, the foray to Fortaleza, and a contest with the champions of Europe, the champions of the World, a team one day to be revered among the finest the universe has ever produced.

    The narrative has been reversed; the crushing victory against Pacific minnows was greeted with indifference and inevitability, the narrow defeat to the Celeste of Uruguay met with shrugs of respect and respectability, and the 3-0 loss to Spain cradled by gushing glory and a renewed sense of belonging.

    Only in the darkest of defeats, the confirmation of elimination has the world begun to believe in Stephen Keshi’s mission and the Super Eagles’ place at the international high table.

    Against La Roja in Ceara State we met many familiar but forgotten figures of the African game; they were all there.

    Ahmed Musa was the bright young thing, the prodigal talent, blessed with pace and promise, but lacking the noblest of all the virtues, a mind to capitalise on his twinkling toes.

    John Obi Mikel was the talismanic hero. The midfield general, an absence lamented since the departure of Sunday Oliseh; spraying passes, prompting attacks and driving his side forward. They tell me that during the group stage no player completed as many passes in the final third of the pitch as the Chelsea man.

    There was Vincent Enyeama, the final stand, the last line of defence, consistently strong, consistently resolute, but ultimately unable to cull the calculated offense that came his way.

    In these men we recognised figures we have come to know and adore over the last 12 months, men who carried the Eagles to South Africa, who claimed a continent’s crown, and who were so defiant in defeat here at the Confederations Cup.

    Dreams of the semifinal depart unrealised, but optimism is rife following such a bold defeat. Nigerians are now looking forwards, not towards a knock-out clash with Brazil, but towards a summer of promise back in this land of carnival and protest.

    This competition may have ended in disappointment and elimination, but Keshi and his collective have made the most of their opportunity to demonstrate their burgeoning talents before a global audience.

    Certainly, the attack may have been at times shambolic, the forward line lacking almost any semblance of cohesion, and areas of the squad proving to be wafer thin, but against Uruguay, and particularly Spain, the side showed that they have the requisite ability to trouble the elite teams; they don’t get much more accomplished than the Champions of South America, of Europe, and of the World!

    The attack is an evident area of weakness, although Nigerians can take solace in the fact that the likes of Victor Moses, Emmanuel Emenike and Kalu Uche will return from injury in due course.

    Beyond them, there is a whole swathe of attacking talents plying their trade across the world who could be primed to step into the squad ahead of next summer. Keshi need never feel forced to rely on the limited abilities of Ideye Brown, Anthony Ujah and Joseph Akpala again.

    It is easy to forget just how young and relatively inexperienced this side are—it was a point Keshi was keen to convey in the wake of their defeat. While Spain have played together for over half a decade, and almost all have a career’s worth of top-end experience, Nigeria still have the capacity to grow together.

    The assured centre back pairing of Kenneth Omeruo and Godfrey Oboabona are just 19 and 22 respectively; the aforementioned Musa and the absent defensive midfielder Ogenyi Onazi are only 20, while talented forwards Victor Moses and Nnamdi Oduamadi are each 22 and with great scope for development.

    They may have received criticism from some quarters following their stuttering victory over Tahiti, but in defeat, perhaps paradoxically, the Super Eagles have shown that they know how to stand strong, they are capable of controlling a midfield and carving out chances, and—with a key inclusion or two up front—could well be capable of beating some of the world’s finest teams.

    It will doubtless be another year of learning and development for Keshi and his young side, if they continue in their trajectory, expect them to stick around a little longer in Brazil next summer.

    Culled from www.kickoff.com