Call me an incorrigible optimist, I don’t mind. Sneer at this early prediction that Nigeria may qualify for the Russia 2018 World Cup with a game to spare, I will courteously wink back. Pray, I can say without any form of contradiction that the Super Eagles are back, playing exciting football with the best of them ahead of us. I’ve been travelling with the Eagles since God knows when. I can safely tell you that this bunch represents the best of our game – many of them are products of our age grade teams. They are talented; they know how to play the Nigeria way – short, crisp passes and plenty of vision.
The last time the Eagles had such fluid players in the midfield was when Nwankwo Kanu and Austin Okocha played prominent roles in the Eagles. These two dribbled with ease. When they surged forward, they opened up the defence of the opposition. If the opponents made the mistake of going for them – it turned out to be their albatross. Kanu and Okocha on their days were difficult to stop. Since they left the Eagles, the team has lost its shine.
However, the emergence of Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho brings back the shine to the Eagles. My optimism stems from the fact that Iwobi and Iheanacho are under the tutelage of two of the best tacticians in the world who don’t make noise- Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola.
Under Guardiola, Iheanacho is condemned to improve on his game if he wants to remain in Manchester City. Keeping Iheanacho on his toes at City will rub off on his game with Nigeria. It is on this premise that I feel strongly that Nigeria’s flag will be hoisted among the comity of nations in Russia in 2018. It is a thing of joy that Iheanacho knows the burden on his shoulders. He has promised to continue to learn with City and that is the biggest fillip the Eagles need to perch in Russia.
As for Iwobi, I note the prophetic submission of former Super Eagles chief coach Sunday Oliseh that Iwobi would be Africa’s best soon. And I’m excited with the fact that Wenger would polish the Nigerian’s game to effectively influence the way the Eagles will play, leading to the Mundial.
Indeed, I must commend Gernot Rohr for the initiative to sit with Chelsea’s manager Anthonio Conte to discuss Mikel’s future with him, at least in the short term. What Rohr wants to tell Conte is to allow Mikel play for Chelsea’s youth team so that he can acquire playing time to be fit, even if he doesn’t fit into the manager’s plans for the Barclays English Premier League matches for now. This is a brilliant move by Rohr.
If Mikel plays regularly, then the Eagles’ midfield will stretch any team on its seams. Mikel, Iheanacho and Iwobi are some of the best players in Africa. Having them play for one team is a big plus. Mention must be made of Oguenyi Onazi, who was the pillar in the team’s defence against the Chipolopolo on Sunday.
I also had the privilege of talking with Rohr on Tuesday in Abuja. He told me that a lot of work needed to be done. He didn’t single out any player for blame. He told me that he was going to suggest to the football federation that the players should be at match cities 48 hours to the game.
Rohr felt strongly that if his boys had rested well, they could have lasted longer. He is the expert and I believed him when he said: “We arrived in Ndola on Saturday at noon. The boys slept for four hours and then trained on the pitch
from 5pm. The next day (Sunday) by 9am, our pre-match schedule began. Game began at 2pm. My view, we should have been there a day earlier. Given the circumstances that they went through, the boys did their best. It would be sacrilegious if such a country doesn’t qualify for the World Cup.”
The decision to tour Europe to discuss with our players’ manager is not only exciting but would help create a working relationship between the clubs and the NFF that should transcend the Rohr era. With this kind of relationship, it would be difficult for any player to connive with his club to shun the national team assignment. Besides, such a relationship would help our football administrators see the players as assets, not disposable materials, who are only needed when they are fit and dumped when they sustain injuries.
This Rohr initiative of making the European clubs to see the NFF as partners would further strengthen the need for them to understand the importance of making players’ insurance a must and not a privilege. Players are prone to career threatening injuries. They will only give their best when they know that their insurance packages are backed by the right cash. No one prays for players’ injuries.
So much has been said about the Eagles’ sloppiness in the second half of Sunday’s game. Many of these submissions are germane. But for us in Ndola, we only prayed that no player should collapse because the heat in Ndola was indescribable. It got so bad that renowned broadcaster Colin Udoh wanted to jump out of the bus that carried us to the stadium. Udoh couldn’t believe that the bus had an air-conditioner. It just didn’t help matters.
With a climatic condition of 38 degrees Celsius, it didn’t come as a surprise that our boys lasted for 60 minutes. For us at the stands, we guzzled bottles of water all through, without rushing to the toilet to wee. Such was the impact of the weather. Notwithstanding the Eagles were brilliant in the first half, with their swift interchange of passes that left the Zambians reeling in pains after 90 minutes. The Zambians were incredibly friendly after the loss. They struggled to touch their favourites among the Eagles.
With the way the Zambians swarmed on the Eagles, it was obvious that the EPL is the most watched league competition in Africa. Most of us were shocked at the standing ovation that the EPL players in the Eagles got when the announcer reeled out the names of our first 11 players before the game. It didn’t stop there. When Ahmed Musa was to be introduced in the second half, his name again reverberated at the stands when he walked towards to warming up spot before he was introduced in the game.
I make bold to say here that the world should expect Nigeria in 2018 as one of the favourites for the trophy. My hunches tell me that Nigeria may just be the first African team to play in the semi-finals of the World Cup.
I’m peeping into the future believing that nothing would go wrong with their preparations before, during and even after matches. Indeed, I’m hinging my optimism on the kind of synergy I saw between our cantankerous Sports Minister and chieftains of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in Ndola, although the minister was still haughty with some of his decisions.
The minister must, as part of the fallouts of the Ndola expedition, tell President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigeria has her first home game in Uyo on November 12. The minister must not play the spoiler by repeatedly blasting the NFF, when he can use the euphoria of the Ndola victory to persuade President Buhari to approve a World Cup budget for the Super Eagles, which should start from the November 12 game. The minister has been the NFF’s biggest opponent to source for cash from the private sector with his irritating submissions as if the private sector doesn’t know where the power of attorney rests in convincing them that they are dealing with the right people.
It won’t be out of place for the minister to plead with President Buhari to approve a World Cup fundraising where the corporate world, individuals and state governors would be invited to contribute towards the project, such that they won’t have to always go to the government for cash for every game. This is the new direction, Solomon Dalung, not your devious method of always lampooning the NFF and ascribing every good thing to yourself. We are tired of Dalung’s spoilsport role. Team work, please Dalung not what you are doing. Nigerians can’t be fooled by your rants anymore.
With a World Cup budget, not a Presidential Task Force, Nigeria’s quest for the group’s sole qualification ticket would be a stroll in the park. Thankfully, Nigeria doesn’t have any away game until next year. Until this fundraising is held, it won’t be out place if Dalung sends his memo to President Buhari telling him what it takes to run a game, what the players and officials entitlements are, the technical crew’s salaries, hotel accommodation, cost of flight ticket refunds etc.
Dalung should stop this buck-passing. He needs to grow up and act as the eye of the President not being the major problem in the industry.
