Former President Goodluck Jonathan foresaw doom in Nigeria’s football in 2010 but refused to believe it.
He refused to be afar as today’s football administrators, Nigerians were
trapped in the mud which rain was predicted over half decade.
Rewind the clock, and you will be in 2010. Yes, that year Nigeria had a
shambolic South Africa World Cup tournament. Where all the country could
boast of was one point from a group that had Argentina, Greece and
Korea Republic.
A week after they returned from the World Cup tournament in South Africa
following their first round exit, the national football team (Super
Eagles) were summarily disbanded by then President Goodluck Jonathan.
The president also directed that Nigeria withdrew from all international
football competitions for the next two years to enable the country
re-organize its football administration following the dismal performance
of the Super Eagles at the World Cup in South Africa, African soil.
The Super Eagles ended the country’s dream for football glory by bagging
just one point in Group B, where they were grouped alongside Argentina,
Greece and Korea Republic.
Thus, the then president gave them “red card”. Unfortunately, Nigerian
football fans did not allow the Super Eagles to go “off the field” to
serve her punishment.
Nigerians cried foul. Football administrators lobbied. And FIFA came
with its heavy hammer raised, waiting to land on Nigeria football. Mr.
Jonathan was under severe pressure. And as unpopular as his decision
was, he bowed to the tide and unbanned the teams.
The then president of Africa’s most populous nation, “graciously
rescinded his decision to withdraw Nigerian national football teams from
international football competitions”, an elated Nigeria Football
Federation was quoted. Mr. Jonathan had unbanned the teams three days
after the dissolution.
Many Nigerians expressed shock over Mr. Jonathan’s change of dancing step in the middle of the rhythm.
As unpopular as the decision were, even the then spokesperson of the
defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Mr. Lai Mohammad, (present
minister of Information and Culture) had applauded the decision, saying
“We have probably offended the football regulations but we need a
radical approach to a very bad situation.
Fifa’s penalty is the collateral damage we must expect. If we come with a
stronger team in four years it will have been worth it,” he was quoted
by the Financial Times.
No sooner had this decision reversed than we paid the first price and
the casualty was our inability to qualify for the African Cup of
Nations, AFCON in 2012, a feat that cost Samson Siasia his job as chief
coach of the Super Eagles on the day of qualifiers between the Eagles
and Guinea in Abuja.
The NFF, then drafted late Stephen Keshi as head coach and in 2013, he
led country to her 3rd AFCON victory and Nigerians felt that all was
well.
Keshi failed to qualify Nigeria to 2015 AFCON to defend her crown. As if
that was not enough disaster, Nigeria also failed to qualify to the
2017 edition of AFCON, consecutively.
Nobody raised eye brow over the brooding volcano looming in Nigeria
football. Then Nigerians were distracted by the rotten nature in the
nation’s football administration by the shambolic and embarrassing
situation the nation’s Olympic team tagged Dream Team IX found
themselves both in Atlanta USA and in Rio Brazil.
Nigeria went to the Olympic football event like a troop whose commander was not backed by their country.
They were neglected, maltreated and abandoned only to be embraced when
the decision makers saw that the lads had huge prospects. The outcome of
it was that the Dream Team secured Nigeria’s only medal in the event
was bronze.
The Super Eagles failure to qualify for the 2017 AFCON tournament became
a template for the cadet teams, U-20 and U17 too. The two teams failed
to beat their respective opponents, Sudan and Niger Republic.
The nation’s U-20 crashed out of Zambia 2017 U-20 tournament after
losing 3-4 to Sudan in Lagos after earlier defeating them at Khartoum.
Prior to the match, the lads had gone on strike to protest the
administrators’ inability/refusal to pay them their match bonuses; a
situation that led to their refusal to train days before the high
profile match.
As if that was not bad enough, the U-17 crashed out of the Madagascar
2017 U-17 Championship after losing 2-3 in aggregate. The young lads had
won the first leg by alone goal in Abuja but lost 1-3 in Niamey.
The Coach Manu Garba tutored side will not participate in the African
Championship let alone have the opportunity to defend their title at the
next FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Nigeria is the most successful team in the World in the U-17 cadre with
five titles but surprisingly it could not navigate past Niger in the
African qualifiers.
The Super Eagles won’t be in Gabon 2017.The Flying Eagles were denied qualification in the U-20 cadre by Sudan.
Indeed, 2017 will be Nigeria’s dark year in football. How fast the
nation will pull itself out of this mud is a matter of conjecture.
From PDnews
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