As it always is with our football, the morning after a poor result is time for soul-searching for the few who truly understand the Nigerian game. For the majority who cannot be said to be soccer experts in spite of their passion and genuine love for their team, the knee-jerk reaction is coach sacking. The Eagles’ poor performance against Angola in Kano is perhaps one of the worst performances I have seen by a Nigerian team and our collective patience has certainly been stretched, but should we as always call in the fire brigade?
As it stands, Nigeria is about to miss her first world cup since that exhilarating debut in the United States 11 years ago. This is not in itself unusual since the Super Eagles, as some choose to call them, are experts at qualifying on the last day. Not for Nigeria the rush rush of the likes of Japan and Argentina. We prefer to cool temper and go slow, breasting the tape, if at all, just before the tape is removed. Inspite of this knowledge, it’s only the sheer weight of my desire that keeps my hope alive this time. Previous campaigns lasted the distance, but the candle of hope always burnt bright. This time the wick is spent and the wax almost gone.
For lovers of the Nigerian game who understand just how well Nigeria can do if it gets its acts together, Kano was another slap in the face, a well placed punch to the guts, to bring us back from dream land, back to reality, to the realization that the only way to succeed is by following a well-thought out plan and hard work.
Many have reduced Kano to a Christian Chukwu issue and the usual foreign coach debate. Even the "most respected" soccer voices in the land have put the blame on the shoulders of Coach Christian Chukwu. Chukwu himself has put it down to bad luck.
The Angolans have been, not unexpectedly, arrogant about their victory. Coach Pedro Quifucussa, large chip on his shoulder, spoke of his technical prowess and how he had come up with a game plan that brought victory. Team captain, the one with the Nigerian sounding surname, Maieco Fabrice Akwa, advised Nigerians to forget the 2006 World Cup ticket. "I will advise Nigeria to concentrate on the build up to the Nations Cup in Egypt and forget the Germany 2006 World Cup," the player told journalists after the game. Good for him.
A lot has been said about the changes Christian Chukwu made during the match. First he pulled up a bubbling Makinwa and threw in a "slower" Kanu, leaving an ineffective Yakubu Aiyegbeni on the pitch.
When he finally pulled out Aiyegbeni, he brought in Christian Ogbodo while Wilson Oruma watched from the bench. Bad? Not necessarily. Some sources have confirmed that Makinwa, while bubbly and superactive, was dehydrated. His lips were white and the bench was worried and they chose to err on the side of caution. Remember Okparaji?
Wilson Oruma? One of my favorite players no doubt, but one who has made his "war" with the coach public and who arrived the Kano camp only on Thursday.
We will never know what would have happened if Christian Chukwu had replaced Aiyegbeni first and brought in Wilson Oruma instead of Christian Ogbodo. But I can hazard a guess on what would have happened if we had a proper football administration, if the NFA was peopled by experienced managers who understand that the objectives have to be set and met and that the past is the greatest teacher. My guess is that if we had the right people running our football then it might not have mattered who was brought in for whom, and the current coach-sacking exercise might be unnecessary.
Now I understand why Johannes Bonfrere and Clemence Westerhof used to be very worried about Nigeria playing a competitive match during the holiday period. Bonfrere would get very worried if there was no concrete plan to keep the players in Europe before a critical match. Unlike Westerhof before him, Bonfrere was not adept or perhaps lucky at getting the FA to do his bidding. Bonfrere understood his players and that they would never do well once they have spent a few weeks holidaying in Nigeria. Westerhof used to open camp in Europe; Holland was his preferred camping site, at least ten days before a critical game. Ditto for Bonfrere, when he could.
They knew that once our superstars returned to Nigeria, into the waiting hands of wives, girl friends, hangers-on, managers, ambassadors and the rest, their fitness level would drop dramatically. They understood that the way to keep them focused and fit was to keep them in Europe away from the jolly jolly that Nigeria provides
I don’t believe things would have been different if Chukwu had been allowed to bring in all the players he had on the bench. The players I saw against Angola were very unfit. Except for Garba Lawal, Udeze before he was pulled off and Yobo, the rest of the team looked on holiday. I dare say Enyimba of Aba, with a fifth minute lead, would have won the match the Eagles lost, because the draw is actually a loss. I dare also say that we were lucky to come out with a draw.
A lot has also been said about the venue and kick-off time of the match. It is common knowledge that a majority of our players are ‘‘Europeans’’ and would prefer to play "at home", if you know what I mean. Well if you don’t know, players and officials of the Eagles held a meeting soon after the previous draw in Kigali and said that they would prefer an evening kick-off time; in other words, they would prefer to play under a cool weather. Somehow, somebody forgot to communicate the preferred kick-off time to FIFA in Zurich and so made a bad case worse.
Chukwu has no doubt given the sack-Chukwu campaign ammunition by this ‘‘lucky’’ draw against Angola. The next few weeks will be dominated by the allegations and counter-allegations by players and officials. The press, the supposed informed onlooker, will stoke the fire; don’t expect that the positions taken will be non-partisan. In fact most of what you read will be informed by not just the pain of the possibility that Nigeria might not qualify for the World Cup, most of it may be based on some perceived insult by Chukwu or Galadima or some particular player or all.
Few will tell us that the majority of the NFA administrators don’t even understand the job that they should be doing. That there are no human resources development courses available to staff at the NFA, and that fax machines are revered property at the office in Abuja. They won’t tell you that very few staff, if any, of the NFA understands how to use the computer or log on to the worldwide web. They will not tell you that the NFA does not have a financial plan or any plan of any type. They won’t tell you that the understanding of marketing in the NFA is selling tickets and matches, whatever that means. They won’t tell you that when NEPA strikes, as it often does, the only office powered by a small generator is the Secretary General’s. They won’t tell you that Nigeria does not have a comprehensive list of Nigerian professionals abroad.
They will not tell you why Nigerian players who get transferred from Nigerian clubs for next to nothing sign multi-million naira contracts with major European clubsides just months after. They won’t tell you why the previous Nigerian clubside usually gets nothing from the deals. They won’t tell you why players inflate the cost of their travel tickets when they come home to play for the national team and why allowances due to some players have not been paid several years later. They won’t tell you that the international department of the FA does not have a rapport with some of our international players, and therefore cannot contact them except through their clubs. They won’t tell you that the national team coaches have no official accommodation anywhere or official cars as stipulated in their contracts. They won’t tell you why the Nigerian Football Association has no youth department, and why the technical department exists only in name and on the pages of newspapers. Perhaps they don’t know.
But they know that Wilson Oruma arrived at the camp on Thursday afternoon and effectively trained with the team only twice before the match. They also know that in spite of Oruma’s talents, he has never been a Super Eagles regular even before Chukwu.
Why?
Why are only a few journalists dwelling on the bigger blunder by the NFA leadership and secretariat, of fixing the match in Kano and by 4pm? Why is scarce newsprint been wasted on Eguavoen’s disagreement with Chukwu on selection and tactics? While it is not correct for Chukwu not to consult his assistants, I certainly did not read of any Eguavoen complaints when Nigeria "managed" a bronze in Tunisia, or when we beat Zimbabwe in Harare. Or did this disagreement only start in Kano? The Chukwu versus Eguavoen warmongers should please furnish us with the names of assistant coaches of Angola, South Africa, Ghana, Togo and Senegal and pictures of them struggling with the head coach to pass instructions to their players during their last games.
For those who believe that Chukwu is the problem, and that Eguavoen will solve the problem all I can say is good luck. I know both men and respect both. I believe in Eguavoen just like I believe in Christian Chukwu. They rank, along with Stephen Keshi, Amodu Shuiabu, Kadiri Ikhana, Lawrence Akpokona , Joe Erico and now Samson Siasia, as Nigeria’s best. But I doubt Eguavoen can do better under these circumstances.
Among all the coaches I have listed above, only Keshi could have done better; only Keshi would have shouted "I go die o" and perhaps forced our dead-horse NFA to do the right things. Only Keshi would have succeeded in spite of the system. Amodu, a younger Amodu might have, but the gentleman has been dealt with. The rest are gentlemen who prefer diplomacy and diplomacy does not work In Nigerian football.
The reason for the national prayers that we now need to qualify for our fourth World Cup is not Christian Chukwu or Jay-Jay Okocha, neither is it with Oruma or Makinwa. The reason is the planlessness that we call our Football Association.
E go better.
As it stands, Nigeria is about to miss her first world cup since that exhilarating debut in the United States 11 years ago. This is not in itself unusual since the Super Eagles, as some choose to call them, are experts at qualifying on the last day. Not for Nigeria the rush rush of the likes of Japan and Argentina. We prefer to cool temper and go slow, breasting the tape, if at all, just before the tape is removed. Inspite of this knowledge, it’s only the sheer weight of my desire that keeps my hope alive this time. Previous campaigns lasted the distance, but the candle of hope always burnt bright. This time the wick is spent and the wax almost gone.
For lovers of the Nigerian game who understand just how well Nigeria can do if it gets its acts together, Kano was another slap in the face, a well placed punch to the guts, to bring us back from dream land, back to reality, to the realization that the only way to succeed is by following a well-thought out plan and hard work.
Many have reduced Kano to a Christian Chukwu issue and the usual foreign coach debate. Even the "most respected" soccer voices in the land have put the blame on the shoulders of Coach Christian Chukwu. Chukwu himself has put it down to bad luck.
The Angolans have been, not unexpectedly, arrogant about their victory. Coach Pedro Quifucussa, large chip on his shoulder, spoke of his technical prowess and how he had come up with a game plan that brought victory. Team captain, the one with the Nigerian sounding surname, Maieco Fabrice Akwa, advised Nigerians to forget the 2006 World Cup ticket. "I will advise Nigeria to concentrate on the build up to the Nations Cup in Egypt and forget the Germany 2006 World Cup," the player told journalists after the game. Good for him.
A lot has been said about the changes Christian Chukwu made during the match. First he pulled up a bubbling Makinwa and threw in a "slower" Kanu, leaving an ineffective Yakubu Aiyegbeni on the pitch.
When he finally pulled out Aiyegbeni, he brought in Christian Ogbodo while Wilson Oruma watched from the bench. Bad? Not necessarily. Some sources have confirmed that Makinwa, while bubbly and superactive, was dehydrated. His lips were white and the bench was worried and they chose to err on the side of caution. Remember Okparaji?
Wilson Oruma? One of my favorite players no doubt, but one who has made his "war" with the coach public and who arrived the Kano camp only on Thursday.
We will never know what would have happened if Christian Chukwu had replaced Aiyegbeni first and brought in Wilson Oruma instead of Christian Ogbodo. But I can hazard a guess on what would have happened if we had a proper football administration, if the NFA was peopled by experienced managers who understand that the objectives have to be set and met and that the past is the greatest teacher. My guess is that if we had the right people running our football then it might not have mattered who was brought in for whom, and the current coach-sacking exercise might be unnecessary.
Now I understand why Johannes Bonfrere and Clemence Westerhof used to be very worried about Nigeria playing a competitive match during the holiday period. Bonfrere would get very worried if there was no concrete plan to keep the players in Europe before a critical match. Unlike Westerhof before him, Bonfrere was not adept or perhaps lucky at getting the FA to do his bidding. Bonfrere understood his players and that they would never do well once they have spent a few weeks holidaying in Nigeria. Westerhof used to open camp in Europe; Holland was his preferred camping site, at least ten days before a critical game. Ditto for Bonfrere, when he could.
They knew that once our superstars returned to Nigeria, into the waiting hands of wives, girl friends, hangers-on, managers, ambassadors and the rest, their fitness level would drop dramatically. They understood that the way to keep them focused and fit was to keep them in Europe away from the jolly jolly that Nigeria provides
I don’t believe things would have been different if Chukwu had been allowed to bring in all the players he had on the bench. The players I saw against Angola were very unfit. Except for Garba Lawal, Udeze before he was pulled off and Yobo, the rest of the team looked on holiday. I dare say Enyimba of Aba, with a fifth minute lead, would have won the match the Eagles lost, because the draw is actually a loss. I dare also say that we were lucky to come out with a draw.
A lot has also been said about the venue and kick-off time of the match. It is common knowledge that a majority of our players are ‘‘Europeans’’ and would prefer to play "at home", if you know what I mean. Well if you don’t know, players and officials of the Eagles held a meeting soon after the previous draw in Kigali and said that they would prefer an evening kick-off time; in other words, they would prefer to play under a cool weather. Somehow, somebody forgot to communicate the preferred kick-off time to FIFA in Zurich and so made a bad case worse.
Chukwu has no doubt given the sack-Chukwu campaign ammunition by this ‘‘lucky’’ draw against Angola. The next few weeks will be dominated by the allegations and counter-allegations by players and officials. The press, the supposed informed onlooker, will stoke the fire; don’t expect that the positions taken will be non-partisan. In fact most of what you read will be informed by not just the pain of the possibility that Nigeria might not qualify for the World Cup, most of it may be based on some perceived insult by Chukwu or Galadima or some particular player or all.
Few will tell us that the majority of the NFA administrators don’t even understand the job that they should be doing. That there are no human resources development courses available to staff at the NFA, and that fax machines are revered property at the office in Abuja. They won’t tell you that very few staff, if any, of the NFA understands how to use the computer or log on to the worldwide web. They will not tell you that the NFA does not have a financial plan or any plan of any type. They won’t tell you that the understanding of marketing in the NFA is selling tickets and matches, whatever that means. They won’t tell you that when NEPA strikes, as it often does, the only office powered by a small generator is the Secretary General’s. They won’t tell you that Nigeria does not have a comprehensive list of Nigerian professionals abroad.
They will not tell you why Nigerian players who get transferred from Nigerian clubs for next to nothing sign multi-million naira contracts with major European clubsides just months after. They won’t tell you why the previous Nigerian clubside usually gets nothing from the deals. They won’t tell you why players inflate the cost of their travel tickets when they come home to play for the national team and why allowances due to some players have not been paid several years later. They won’t tell you that the international department of the FA does not have a rapport with some of our international players, and therefore cannot contact them except through their clubs. They won’t tell you that the national team coaches have no official accommodation anywhere or official cars as stipulated in their contracts. They won’t tell you why the Nigerian Football Association has no youth department, and why the technical department exists only in name and on the pages of newspapers. Perhaps they don’t know.
But they know that Wilson Oruma arrived at the camp on Thursday afternoon and effectively trained with the team only twice before the match. They also know that in spite of Oruma’s talents, he has never been a Super Eagles regular even before Chukwu.
Why?
Why are only a few journalists dwelling on the bigger blunder by the NFA leadership and secretariat, of fixing the match in Kano and by 4pm? Why is scarce newsprint been wasted on Eguavoen’s disagreement with Chukwu on selection and tactics? While it is not correct for Chukwu not to consult his assistants, I certainly did not read of any Eguavoen complaints when Nigeria "managed" a bronze in Tunisia, or when we beat Zimbabwe in Harare. Or did this disagreement only start in Kano? The Chukwu versus Eguavoen warmongers should please furnish us with the names of assistant coaches of Angola, South Africa, Ghana, Togo and Senegal and pictures of them struggling with the head coach to pass instructions to their players during their last games.
For those who believe that Chukwu is the problem, and that Eguavoen will solve the problem all I can say is good luck. I know both men and respect both. I believe in Eguavoen just like I believe in Christian Chukwu. They rank, along with Stephen Keshi, Amodu Shuiabu, Kadiri Ikhana, Lawrence Akpokona , Joe Erico and now Samson Siasia, as Nigeria’s best. But I doubt Eguavoen can do better under these circumstances.
Among all the coaches I have listed above, only Keshi could have done better; only Keshi would have shouted "I go die o" and perhaps forced our dead-horse NFA to do the right things. Only Keshi would have succeeded in spite of the system. Amodu, a younger Amodu might have, but the gentleman has been dealt with. The rest are gentlemen who prefer diplomacy and diplomacy does not work In Nigerian football.
The reason for the national prayers that we now need to qualify for our fourth World Cup is not Christian Chukwu or Jay-Jay Okocha, neither is it with Oruma or Makinwa. The reason is the planlessness that we call our Football Association.
E go better.
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