Who the cap fits

 Ade Ojeikere

Today’s headline is a line taken from one of the late Robert Nesta Marley’s (Bob Marley) songs titled ‘who the cap fits’. I can almost hear you, dear reader, complete the lyric by singing ‘let them wear it.’ Did I hear say which crown is at stake this time when the dreaded Coronavirus is gradually becoming a plague. God forbid.

Coronavirus should please remain in the crisis stage where it is – a pandemic. If you noticed, dear reader, I have also refused to discuss the Coronavirus scourge believing that God would intervene through the discovery of the appropriate medication to stop its spread.

Many would be wondering why any discussion should start with the leagues across the world in abeyance. This writer feels strongly that the European leagues would surely end, especially the Barclays English Premier league. Please don’t choke while reading this. I can hear many say ‘there he goes again, Liverpool fan.’ Not exactly please. The English League like others are run as businesses and it is this platform that would force out a formula to decide the eventual winners of the leagues.

Something must give. And indications are rife with the purported secret meetings of the clubs where it was decided that the English game comes alive from July 1, with a six weeks schedule. Different postulations have been offered by pundits, lovers of the game and players, with each group suggesting reasonable plans towards ensuring that the EPL ends. Of course, the laughable ones are there, especially those from rival clubs against the current league leaders. And it is expected since victory for the Reds means the team has won its 19th league title, one short of the Red Devils’ 20 EPL titles.

The jokes are not lost on what the comical ones offer to a sulking Liverpool as these mischievous ones delight themselves with such outrageous teasers as Reds’ first EPL title win bring in its wake the deadly Coronavirus. What won’t we hear when the discuss is football. These are the reasons the game is the King of sports and an unpredictable game, even though it is exciting to watch.

On a daily basis, there are different perspectives to the EPL’s likely end, with every party in making the league exciting knowing its predicaments and roles, ahead of the imminent resumption date, no thanks to the coronavirus. In fact the deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries raised the alarm over the likely consequences of rushing the players through the remaining nine games insisting that: ‘’England could remain in varying degrees of lockdown for up to six months.’’

Interestingly, Daily Mail in its reports launched the angle of what the lockdown could cost the television rights, whose cash is the lubricant to make the game, one is which the world standstill when the matches are being played.

According to the Daily Mail report on Tuesday: ‘’A restart in May is seen as vital as that is when the clubs are due to receive their final tranche of television money for the season, without which many will struggle to pay the players’ wages. The £762m of combined income under threat is not divided equally and would range from £57m for the Premier League winners to £20m for the team which finishes bottom.

‘’Ironically, the bigger clubs stand to lose more than usual this season if those payments are withheld following last year’s changes to the distribution of the overseas television deal, which, unlike the domestic deal, is no longer divided equally but determined by league position.’’

One trending scenario in the bid to fix the puzzles that have arisen from the coronavirus pandemic is that the government has the final decision on whether to continue the EPL, yet, the English organisers, unlike ours have taken proactive steps, having suspended the competition twice. They have proposed two dates first on April 4 and then on April 30, looking at the medical indices from around the country.

However, one of the problems the league will face is convincing players to return to action after it emerged that they are not insured for coronavirus as it is not listed as a critical illness. A number have sought clarification but are being advised they are not covered.

The postulations towards ending the EPL are many just as they are intriguing, with indications rife that clubs, including those eyeing promotion from the lower cadre. What it means is that there is the possibility of the matter heading for the courts, for those who would be holding the wrong end of the stick when the chips are down.

Would increasing the EPL’s squad sizes from 25 to 29 help strengthen those clubs that are presently depleted due to varying degrees of players’ illnesses? Would the organisers allow these depleted sides parade their youth teams like Liverpool did against Aston Villa in an away game during the Carabao Cup, with Villa whipping the Reds scandalously 5-0?

I almost choked reading the option of ending the EPL without promotion or demotion of teams for fear that the integrity of the competitions would be threatened, especially as there isn’t any guarantee this 2019/2020 season won’t come to an end. The  suggestion reminded me of the Nigerian league organisers except that they didn’t talk about abridged leagues like ours, knowing that Championships team who are almost through to the elite class would head for the courts, if they are denied promotion.

What is clear in the EPL cancellation scenario, if it gets to that is that the rules would be followed to the letter, leaving all the parties agreeing on what to do for the good of the game. Happily, Premier League clubs have all agreed to discuss their players taking wage cuts or deferrals of up to 30 per cent wage after their latest round of talks Friday.

‘’The Premier League have also voted to hand the EFL and National League £125m as they continue to battle the effects of the coronavirus. And the top flight clubs have also agreed to make a £20m donation to the NHS, local communities, families and groups who have been affected by the coronavirus crisis.

‘’The future of the league season was also high on the agenda, and it was decided that the Premier League and Football League will not return ‘until it is safe to do so’’, according to Daily Mail on Friday.

Indeed, sports lawyer, David Seligman of Brandsmiths, told Sports Mail, Wednesday when asked the solution to contracts involving businesses in the EPL that: ‘’options generally have to be activated by the third Saturday in May. But if the season ends today, players might be able to terminate their agreements and sign for another club immediately. That’s an issue – clubs would say they didn’t have a chance to decide on whether to activate the option, especially when there is no visibility as to when the next season may commence.

‘’How could you extend a contract when you don’t know when next season is or ends either? When would it start and finish? How can you negotiate performance-related bonuses? There’s so much uncertainty and that always brings disputes,’’ Seligman said.

Would Nigerian administrators take a cue from the EPL’s handling of this matter? Those ones, I doubt. In fact, one of them is moaning the loss of revenue anchored on nothing. A league that has no television rights is dead and those in charge, beginning from the leader should quietly resign. Would they heed this call? Never. Not in the Nigerian character.

The domestic league is an apology, beginning with the sharp practices around the grounds before, during and after matches. Nothing to stimulate the interests of the spectators to sit patiently at the stands. The essence of organising league matches isn’t for both teams to benefit from the gates takings, but to allow Nigerians watch the country’s future representatives at CAF inter-club competitions. The matches ensure that the owners of the clubs (mostly state governments) get the facilities ready for the players to battle for honours. But with visionless organisers, anything goes, even if it means playing games with empty terraces.

Our administrators are merchants for excuses. They bask in embarking on white elephant projects. My problem with our administrators is that they are hasty to make sweeping comparisons despite their exposure to what is right. A fellow who officiates at international matches does not have to offer reasons for not replicating what obtains at international level.

Soccer-crazy Nigerians. Rohr’s biggest contribution to the Eagles was the tactical manner in which he reduced the average age of the players from 34 to between 19 and 26, hence the gradual movement of the country on FIFA’s monthly ranking. This isn’t to say that the Eagles have reached the desired level. Rohr never said that. He always warned that the team was in transition. Rohr didn’t stop with particular set of players. He sought from new players such that every new list had a new entrant who came to compete for his shirt.

Rohr had taken the country through two competitions (World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations) without wrangling from the players over their earnings, which we later found out were released late to the federation. None payment of players and coaches’ entitlements cannot be resolved the federation. Most times, the federation’s helmsmen dialogued with the team whenever they anticipated crisis, but somehow, these players and coaches reneged, apparently on the wrong assumption that the federation chiefs had collected the cash. Need I recall all the shows of shame by the coaches and players, yet many of them gained stardom as rookies playing for the country’s soccer teams across gender and ages?

Rohr’s relationship with his players is commendable. He took time out to visit his players wherever they played. Pictures and videos of such gestures, especially for the recuperating ones were splashed on the internet while injured players were enthusiastic to return to play for the country, unlike in the past where they were forgotten after being used to prosecute matches.

Henry Onyekuru told The Athletic tabloid Wednesday of how Rohr did his utmost to cajole his Belgian side to field him in its matches pointing out that; “I had a check and one of the specialists there said I could just go through rehab and would be fine in a couple of months.

“I went back to Belgium to play but the coach of Nigeria [Rohr] had to call Anderlecht to ask them to allow me to play even 15 minutes so they could confirm I was okay to play.

“The coach [Vanhaezebrouck], was a crazy guy. When we lost it was our fault and when we won he said it was him. I was scoring goals but he’d say I’d been s*** and stuff like that.”

“It was a big disappointment and was like a bomb had hit me. It’s the biggest tournament in the world and everyone wants to be there,” Onyekuru told The Athletic.

Those rooting for Rohr’s exit don’t have his ears in terms of picking his players for assignments, especially those who in the past dominated our national teams’ selection with their players, irrespective of their club forms. Rohr’s recruitment virtually reduced the mercantile choices of players. In the past, you could fault the inclusion of many players, after visualising who the best 15 players would be.

Again, Rohr whispered to his friends who had access to the media in confidence when payment of his wages are delayed, but these friends sought relevance by squealing, attracting brickbats aimed at the manager’s employers. Burdened by routine visits to ICPC and EFCC, such reminders of unfulfilled payment of Rohr’s wages in public domain heightened the probe exercises by the two bodies. Indeed, a few NFF people were piqued that the coach could be talking about outstanding wages, when indeed, he had been told the measures put in place to pay him and the tough hurdles such payments have to undergo, since his wages are in hard currencies.

Perhaps, NFF chieftains sought for the payment of Rohr in naira since that is what they get from sponsors. In fact, much of the delay in payment have arisen from the difficulties in converting naira to dollars, which can be used in most European countries. Curiously, a few of NFF’s critics alleged currency trafficking or is it round tripping, with many not convinced that the manager gets the full $55,000 without providing substantial evidences. Rohr stepped on the crocodile’s tail when he vehemently refused to submit his list of players for assignments to the NFF Technical Committee. Subtle persuasion for him to discuss the list with these members were rebuffed. Rohr opted to submit his list to the federation’s president before making it public through the body’s media department.

Luckily, the Eagles were doing well which left the technical committee members in limbo, which many of them didn’t like.  The mantra ‘Rohr must go’ became the swansong leading to all manner of clauses to be inserted into the German’s new deal. Many have described the clauses as provocative to the manager and predicted that the coach won’t accept the new deal.

Rohr perished the thoughts of those dancing that he would reject the new contract, insisting on Wednesday night through another confidant that: “I’m waiting for the proposals and it could be very easy because I don’t want more money or bonuses or anything special – I only want to work freely.

“I had offers from other countries but I refused them because I’m still on contract and I want to finish my work with Nigeria. I want to lead Nigeria to the next Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON) and FIFA World Cup. I’ve showed my players and employers that I still have the motivation.”

Sacking Rohr means new coach, new mentality and it could dovetail into deliberate destruction of Rohr’s set up under the guise of effecting changes on a team that has done well, given the time the players have been together. The growing synergy among the players in the past three years would be altered with the first set of players he invites for our next game.

Will Rohr escape Nigeria’s axe? most likely since he isn’t ready to reject the supposed stringent clauses. Rohr wants to continue with his growing team, knowing that history beckons for him if Nigeria lifts the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021 in Cameroon.