No doubt, Nigerian football is currently at one of its lowest points in its history. As the nation’s Number One sport, this situation has caused majority of the people pain. So, anything short of a holistic approach, especially on the part of the relevant authorities, to drastically correct the falling fortunes of the “Beautiful Game” would be off target and, therefore, unacceptable.
The disastrous outing of the Super Eagles in the last Cup of Nations in Ghana is still fresh in the minds of Nigerians. For the first time in 24 years, the Nigerian soccer side crashed out of the continent’s prime football fiesta at the quarter final stage to its arch-rival, Ghana, even when the latter was down by one player. That debacle demonstrated the extent of decline of the sport in the country. When viewed against the abundant football talents across the nation and the exalted position it had enjoyed in Africa and the world, the underachievement recorded by the national teams in recent times becomes even more painful.
This ugly scenario is worsened by the uncoordinated state of affairs in the football house. The Nigeria Football Association (NFA), when not in conflict with the Ministry of Sports, is at loggerheads with the Nigeria Football League (NFL) or is simply riddled with internal crisis. While it would be unfair to attribute all the ills confronting the game in the country to NFA, it must be prepared to assume true leadership since it is the body saddled with that responsibility by football’s global apex organization, Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA).
NFA’s appointment of Shuaibu Amodu the other day as the head coach of the national football team should now be used by the Association to prove its capacity for quality judgement and organizational coherence. Nigerians must not be treated to another era of incompetent coaching, questionable preparations for tournaments, mutual suspicion between coaches and the FA, and cheap excuses for failure.
On their part, Amodu and the rest of the coaching crew should not lose sight of the task ahead. They have come on board when a football giant is on its knees. The main challenge before them is to wake it up and get it moving. And now that the destiny of the game is placed in the hands of Nigerians, all of whom have been part of its domestic development at various stages, it is theirs to show that, like the Egypt example, foreign handlers do not have to be signed on to register resounding, emphatic successes. They must remain focused and determined to bring Nigerian football back on track.
To achieve that, the quartet of Amodu, Daniel Amokachi, Fatai Amoo and Alloy Agu should be given all necessary assistance and accorded the respect commensurate to their status. Then, they should be ready to reciprocate with informed, result-oriented coaching. For starters, they should concentrate on the 2010 World Cup and Angola 2010 qualifiers. The expectation of Nigerians concerning those two competitions is understandably high, and it should not be dashed. There is absolutely no reason for Nigeria to remain in the valley of the football enterprise when other clearly less endowed countries are aiming for new heights and attaining them.
On a final note, the future of football in Nigeria goes beyond winning championships. For decades, the game has been a way of life for many people and a national unifying factor. It is for these reasons that football authorities and sponsors should pursue the rejuvenation of the local league. As shown by the rapturous following of foreign leagues by Nigerian fans, a well-developed league at home would certainly enrich the lives of the people and enhance the profitability and, therefore, sustainability of the sport locally.
The earlier the NFA, Amodu and co, Ministry of Sports and other stakeholders grasp that message, the better for the nation.
