•After five attempts at the Mundial, Nigeria’s best is equalling its debut record of hitting the round of 16, achieved at USA ‘94
For the Super Eagles, the Nigerian national football team, the World Cup in Brazil, the land of Samba and football, is over. But not for millions of football-loving Nigerians, who want to enjoy good football. How well have the Eagles fared?
Not so well, both from Nigeria’s cumulative history of participating at the World Cup and from the team’s achievements in Brazil 2014.
In 1994 at the USA, Nigeria took the football world by storm. Qualifying back then as African champions, Nigeria played such fast and furious attacking football that it was rated the second most entertaining side, next only to Brazil; and ranked fifth in then newly established FIFA ranking.
This year, it has repeated Round of 16 feat, though with far less global acclaim as it did in 1994. So, after five World Cups (USA 94, France 98, Korea-Japan 2002, South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014), Nigeria has hit the second round thrice (1994, 1998 and 2014).
It was ousted after the first round of matches in 2002 and 2010; and has never hit the quarter-finals, that acclaim belonging to Senegal, at their very debut in 2002 and Ghana in 2010. Indeed, but for a penalty miss, Ghana was seconds away from being the first African side to reach the semi-final of the FIFA World Cup.
So, in comparison to Senegal (with a sole appearance) and Ghana (with three), but with more appearances, Nigeria has logged less record of performance. Is our football improving at all?
The answer is not that straight-forward, but it would appear Nigerian football has not improved much more than the 1994 set, though individual players would appear to have had much more exposure on the global stage via club football. Even then, even as reigning African champions, the current Eagles would still appear a work-in-progress, with no noticeable superstars, the bulk of the team being average players.
Now, if we sport average players, what was all the talk of winning the World Cup or even reaching the semi-final? With all due respect to the perennial optimists, it was all part of the Nigerian penchant to both dream without work and live in denial. With all the talk about being football world beaters, Nigeria is only an average football playing nation. The realisation of this would go a long way for right attitude, mentality and preparation for future competitions.
Will all our players’ technical capacity in raw talents, Nigeria needs to transform those capacities to precise and efficient capabilities. Watching sides like Germany and most European sides play, it is clear that they rely less on impulse and much on precise deliberation, with limits to human imperfection, of course. It is the opposite for Nigerian teams, and that explains the loose balls, aimless passes, unreasonable shots at goals and near-total incompetence at converting set pieces.
That calls for more coaching efficiency. Coach Stephen Keshi has tried to build a strong team out of average players. But that team can be formidable only if it becomes more technically efficient and more tactically disciplined.
At Brazil, Nigeria tried its best though the team, beyond raising its game to suit the big occasion, seldom sparkled. But it is a young team that may yet grow into a formidable side. So, though Nigeria has crashed out of the competition, there are a lot of positives to be taken from the decent performance.
At Brazil, the team was competitive, losing to two former World Champions, Argentina and France. But it also gained from a favourable draw at the group stages, facing Iran, Bosnia, aside from Argentina at the group stages. That was a luxury Ghana did not have, though it also proved itself in a near-disastrous campaign.
For Nigeria to reach global standards, where it can easily beat world beaters — and be beaten — without being on the back foot, it needs to improve its football administration. The Maigari-led Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has been clearly the best in recent times. Still, it was a shame that players still boycotted training as threat to get their due before the crucial France match.
Such ugly and costly distractions must be done away with, if Nigeria will ever secure the bragging right it so clearly covets, over the football-playing world.
