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The Nigeria
Football Federation elections are getting close; August 21 approaches.
Most importantly, the unfortunate scenario I predicted, as did a number
of other concerned Nigerians, where a few selfish, egocentric Nigerians
are determined to seize control of our football is unfolding before our
very eyes.

For the past couple
of weeks Nigerians have been subjected to brazen display of power, and
contempt for the development of our football by those in charge. The
unfolding charade brings us back to the fundamental predicament of the
seriously flawed laws or constitution, the NFF is based on.

Therefore, until
the constitution of the NFF is rewritten by persons who are genuinely
motivated to develop Nigerian football, and willing to separate its
financing from the Federal Government, these repeated electoral shams
and shot-in-the-arm fixes will keep repeating themselves.

Absolute power corrupts

It is clear that
the existing rules already permit one person (the NFF President) to
exploit constitutional gaps provided by simple opportunities such as
overlapping tenures of previously selected (oh I meant elected)
officials to keep them in office. Or how else can you explain the
former NFF President Sani Lulu turning a blind eye to the fact that
several state FA Chairmen’s terms had expired several months ago? If he
didn’t turn a blind eye to their status, why wasn’t there any call for
a remedy to the anomaly? Or if there was no constitutional backing for
it, shouldn’t that have been one of the erstwhile President’s concerns
while in office? Yes, but not if it was advantageous to him. He rather
allegedly gave state FA Chairmen Greek gifts of N5 million each and
sponsored them to the World Cup in South Africa. Whether the
allegations are true or not, simple logic reasons that keeping them in
office against the law can only be beneficial to both the former NFF
President and state Chairmen who would in turn owe him their loyalty.
More so, as FIFA’s near-absolute hold of national football associations
has given mischievous presidents the power to cry ‘wolf’ to the world
governing body whenever a threat to their fiefdom is perceived. The
power of autonomy given to them by FIFA is near-absolute … except you
have a President like ours who ‘wisely’ found a way round it. The NFF
president has even been dictating how money is spent without recourse
or accountability to the source of funds which is part Nigerian
Government and part FIFA!

Emotionally, the
NFF president also tugs the people’s heart-strings directly and can
easily ride on or manipulate our passionate love for football to colour
mediocre achievements like qualifying for or winning age-group
tournaments with questionably young players instead of attacking the
scourge of age cheating.

So, it is easy to
understand why the tussle for the NFF presidency is comparable to being
the Nigerian President in terms of raw power in the hands of the
holder. I beg to digress slightly. The decision to award scholarships,
rather than cash to athletes who succeed at age group tournaments
represent a welcome return to what really matters.

Timely Facade/Distraction

In light of how
crucial getting it right for Nigerian football at this important moment
is, the record-breaking U-20 Women’s performance in Germany can be
viewed as a timely facade for all those who needed something to
distract attention away from what is at hand. But for President
Goodluck Jonathan’s intervention after the South African debacle,
preparations for the coming elections and the expectation that the
women (or girls) would put up their hitherto usual unimpressive
performances at past global tournaments, the motley crew of NFF members
and party train would have been in Germany to cheer the girls to
victory. The women’s (girls) progress caught them all unawares and
coupled with an empty treasury, all they could do was watch them play
like every other Nigerian resident here. They even almost embarrassed
the nation when the responsibility of accommodating the wo….girls
(why do I keep doing this?) came up prior to being hosted by the
President and First Lady when they couldn’t afford it. It is laughable
to know that the NFF has destroyed any shred of goodwill they had to
deserve the offer of a first-class hotel lodging the girls on credit;
never mind the excuse that the EFCC has rightly frozen their less than
meagre accounts. Remember they declared themselves broke after the
World Cup.

Just as the
euphoria of the women’s performance (oh! There I go again when I meant
girls) is already being used as propaganda material to laud the
“achievement” as the beginning of great things in Nigerian football or
the kick to finally jump-start big-time female football (I hope so), it
can also be used as a weapon to restructure our football from the roots.

Since all we really need is a flimsy reason to oust them at their own game, isn’t the one I am about to give good enough?

The girls (aha),
the NFF is now attaching itself to were more or less maltreated and
abandoned to train in hardship without adequate motivation (apart from
psyching themselves to play well for the possibility of securing
professional contracts abroad) till they departed for the competition
virtually unannounced. Therefore the NFF really had nothing to do with
the girls’ success. So, if they didn’t satisfy one of the basic
responsibilities of adequately preparing Nigeria’s national
representatives for competition and the girls succeeded, this bunch of
administrators is not needed. It is left to the imagination what these
women may have done with adequate preparations.

Please Mr President

It is time to call
upon President Jonathan again to intervene at this point. Though I am
not a politician yet, some astute horse-trading from the President’s
side could be extremely appropriate at this time for a quick-fix
remedy. With national elections scheduled for next year, Mr President
could just use a thorough cleansing of the NFF House starting by
shrewdly cleaning out all existing members of the NFF (state and
federal executives) by using the very constitution they are currently
taking advantage of.

First of all, he
can insist (according to the law) that all state chairmen with expired
tenors must first leave office and an electoral process be conducted or
supervised by an independent body like INEC at all levels to fill the
gaps before national elections take place. Also, tenures should be
amended to align with the national period and simultaneously conclude
prior to the next electoral session. That will buy some time for deeper
structural manoeuvring.

We must discard
that infamous tag of perhaps being the only nation that conducts
elections for the president before regional leaders are known.

Secondly, all
members of the past executive should be advised or encouraged to leave
as they were an integral support system of the deposed five and
contributed to the malaise in our football. They most certainly must
not be involved in any part of the electoral process. Thirdly, a
necessary addendum to the electoral process should immediately be
added. Have you ever wondered how come elections of this magnitude take
place into such sensitive positions as these without most of the
contestants (at least not the ones that win) submitting detailed
manifestoes stating goals and milestones they can be held accountable
by? This must be a requirement for candidacy. It is time for the
President to insist on “unifying the electoral laws of the land and
football” for the purpose of producing credible elections to usher in
freshness into our football administration. FIFA laws allow this so far
there is transparency so no one should attempt pulling wool over Mr
President’s eyes like before.

The clincher should
then be announcing that the Federal Government will begin pulling out
of funding the NFF immediately and conclude the process within one year
and the organisation would be left to generate their own financing
since they are already autonomously (and financially) affiliated to
FIFA and have a product (football) that is a cash-cow worldwide. That
will drastically reduce the glut of those lining up to enter the NFF
for monetary gain. How can FIFA have the audacity to insist that the
financier or shareholder of an organisation has no say in how finances
are disbursed? No more than a handful of football associations in
African countries can claim to be financially autonomous from their
governments, yet FIFA insists on outright autonomy of governance for
them too. Even Sepp Blatter will visit us quickly to lend an ear when
he hears that one. Apart from radically transforming our football
administration by encouraging those with genuine interest to present
themselves, it will guarantee a glut of soccer goodwill votes from
grateful Nigerians who will see Jonathan Goodluck as a ‘soccer
President’ “if” Mr President decides to contest next year’s elections.

To make matters
worse, credible candidates like Segun Odegbami, Festus Onigbinde and
Aisha Falode are being marginalised and pushed out of contention by
politicians without an iota of interest, knowledge or competence of
what it takes to run football professionally and successfully but are
using the system to push their hidden agendas. Should Mr President
decide to take the steps above or similar ones especially the clincher,
most of these imbeciles will quickly withdraw their interest.

Sadly, my slight
hopes of the Minister and his team being agents of change are rapidly
being extinguished if accounts of his involvement in the electoral
charade and recommending billionaires Aliko Dangote or Femi Otedola as
NFF Chairmen are true. So what is next?

Mr President Sir, over to you … AGAIN!

On the back of
three straight defeats in pre-season matches, Chelsea’s excuse has been
the fact that most of their players are just resuming from the World
Cup break and have only had a week of full training. But another defeat
today against rivals, Manchester United at Wembley will surely send red
lights flashing.

Nicolas Anelka
however believes they will perform better against United today: “We had
a lot of hard training sessions in the last few days. I think we are
improving in our play, we played well in some parts, and I hope we will
be okay for Manchester United on Sunday.”

The Frenchman who
was sent home from the 2010 World Cup thinks some players are still
short of match fitness. “I think we will be ready in two weeks, we are
working a lot in training but it is very difficult to play this kind of
game, it is very hard after the training, and I think we will be okay
soon,” he told the Chelsea’s official website.

He is expected to
start in a central striking role with Didier Drogba still recovering
from a hernia operation he had last month. Whether new signing, Ramires
will get to play any minute will depend on his getting a clearance from
the FA as he has not played the mandatory 75% of Brazil’s matches.

Not a must win game for United

United on the other
hand have not been able to bolster their squad as Alex Ferguson will
have wanted but he will have to help Wayne Rooney find his pre-World
Cup form. The United striker looked flat in South Africa and needs the
new season to get back on his high pedestal. He needs to repair his
image, starting with today’s match against Chelsea. More so it was the
London side that narrowly edged United to the Premiership title by a
point.

Though there are
pointers that Rooney may be rested for the season’s opener. Ferguson is
not taking the Wembley match very seriously. “Winning is part of what
we have to do, but the main object is to get everyone game time and
come back ready, fit to start the season.

“Even the Community
Shield does not come into the agenda in terms of a must win game. It’s
always been used at this club as the final part of our preparation. We
have our first game the following Monday against Newcastle.”

United will most
likely parade new Mexican import, Javier Hernandez, who has so far
scored three goals in pre-season. Rio Ferdinand is still some way off
returning to full fitness so Nemanja Vidic and Johnny Evans will
feature in central defence.

Two important
players will be missing in today’s match, Petr Cech for Chelsea and
Michael Carrick for United. The result of the match may not matter once
the season begins next Saturday but it will give an inclination as to
the strength and weaknesses of both teams.

After leading the
Falconets to a historic final against Germany, coach, Adat Egan, has
said he is satisfied by the performance of the U-20 women’s team.

In an interview
with NextSports, Egan said, “Of course, at least for leading the team
to the finals of the World Cup, and not in Africa; it wasn’t easy.

Nigeria beat
super-powers like America, Japan, South Korea which has been in the
sport for long. “I cannot say I am the best in this country as far as
coaching is concerned but it is just the grace of God. We are channels
that God has used to achieve this goal for Nigeria,” Mr Egan said.

In the finals
against Germany, Nigerians believed till the last minute that the
Falconets would equalise, and Egan revealed that the girls were ready
to die to honour their country. “Well, I don’t need to tell you
anything because it was a very big challenge. When we were talking to
them, the girls assured us that they will die. The goal came
unexpectedly because they lost concentration in those short seconds.
The girls tried their best and if they had utilized the chances we had,
the result would have been different but since it didn’t come, we take
it that the Lord knows best,” Egan explained.

The fittest team

The Falconets were
adjudged the fittest team in Germany and Egan said there was no secret
apart from hard work. “It is the determination and commitment of both
the girls and the technical crew because we took it up as a challenge
to return with a different result. ” All Egan’s words are regularly
peppered with the fact of God’s grace. After this success, he will like
to be involved in the continuous development of these girls but he has
to wait on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), who is his employer.
“Well, that is automatically in the hands of the NFF because I don’t
know their plans. They have plans already on ground set for the girls.
Certainly, some of those girls are going to be moved into the Super
Falcons for the soon-to-come competition. Without being told, some of
those girls must be in that team going to the African Women
Championship for us to be able to repeat what we have done in Germany.
Those are the things the NFF is trying to put in place so that there
will be a total graduation from one category to another. The plan is
promotion from where they are to a higher level.”

High discipline

The 2010 Falconets
displayed a high sense of technical and tactical maturity in their play
and never wavered from how they performed in Germany. Egan said
discipline comes naturally to him and he was able to inculcate that
into the team. “I am naturally a disciplinarian because I was brought
up in a disciplined home; it is a part of me and wherever I am, it is
part of my operational tool because it is important to know that
without discipline you cannot achieve anything. Without discipline, you
cannot meet up with the target your have set for yourself. They obeyed
instructions to the letter because they knew we had a lot at stake.”

The team left
Nigeria unheralded and came in as heroines but according to their
coach, just giving honour to the nation was enough motivation after the
threat of a complete football ban. “I thank him (Goodluck Jonathan) for
listening to the appeal by Nigerians from all walks of life, for having
the fear of God and I see our feat at the World Cup as a reward from
God for our President’s obedience to listen to the wishes of the
people.” Egan added that Patience Goodluck’s presence helped the team.
“Also, the presence of the First Lady in Germany did a lot to psyche up
the girls even when they were down; this encouraged both the girls and
the technical crew to do more.” Lastly, Egan wants more attention to be
paid to the female aspect of football in our country. “I strongly
believe that will change; I believe they will begin to give equal
consideration to female football. It is clear that the girls can no
longer be treated as second best; it is clear that with determination,
right environment, encouragement, right incentives, we can only imagine
where we will be. It will be disastrous if we go to sleep after this.
This is the right foundation to build on and I don’t think both the
government and the NFF will let that opportunity pass.

After three days of
exciting football artistry, the Super four competition taking place in
Ijebu-Ode will be rounded off today at the Gateway International
Stadium.

At stake are a prestigious trophy and the sum of five million naira for the team which will emerge as champion.

The Super Four
competition, showcasing the best four teams in the country, has helped
bring to the limelight some outstanding players with the best clubs in
land. For some of the teams, the tournament also avails them the needed
opportunity to test new buys while others give some of the fringe
players a chance to prove their worth before going into the new season.

However, a major
worry at the competition was the absence of national team coaches at
the onset, though players still hope they will be on hand today to
witness the final matches that will be played, with a view to seeing
some good players that could be handed invitations to the national
teams.

Charged for the title

As expected,
Enyimba International of Aba will attempt to maintain its dominance on
the home front by adding the Super Four title to its cabinet already
overflowing with silverware. Enyimba beat Kwara United 2-1 on Friday,
to remain on top of the table with six points. The ‘People’s Elephants’
as the team is known by its fans, will be playing against arch rivals,
Kano Pillars, in the final fixture of the competition. Pillars lost by
a lone goal to Sunshine Stars of Akure in its second match played on
Friday, to leave it with just the one point it garnered from its 0-0
with Kwara United on the opening day of the competition.

For Enyimba, who
were recently crowned as Champions of the Nigerian Premier League, the
match will be a testy one, as the Pillars have a knack for raising
their game whenever they confront the Aba side. An added reason for
Pillars to fire full throttle is the fact that Enyimba beat them to the
league title on the last day of the league, with a 2-1 in Aba.

Okey Emordi,
Enyimba head coach, says his team has what it takes to repeat the form
which won it the league title during the regular season.

“Enyimba is not a
small team and one thing that we know how to do is to win trophies. We
are here in Ijebu-Ode to confirm our supremacy and win the trophy,”
boasted the 2005 best coach in Africa.

The Super Four
competition, which is strictly for the first four finishers in the
regular league season, is in its third season, with Enyimba also the
defending champions.

The Aba Elephants
who were recently eliminated from the CAF Confederations Cup are also
in the finals of the Federations Cup which will be played in Lagos
later in the month.

Already, the team’s captain Okey Odita, says his hands are already itching to lift another trophy with his team.

“It has been a
tough season for us both on the local scene and on the continent but
one thing that keeps us going is the thought of lifting trophies,” he
said.

His teammate,
Atanda Sakibu, is also brimming with confidence. Sakibu opened the goal
scoring account for Enyimba in this tournament after his lone strike
shot Enyimba to the top of proceedings on the first day against
Sunshine Stars, and he is already looking forward to scoring more goals
in today’s game.

“They are all good
teams but they cannot stop us. We want to appeal to all our fans to
come out en-masse to support us on Sunday and we promise we won’t
disappoint them,” he said However, Pillars coach, Salisu Yusuf, says he
is not fazed by the antecedents of Enyimba, while also pointing out
that he has more than revenge in his mind going into today’s game after
being denied the league title by his opponents in the just concluded
season. “It was a painful loss to Enyimba last time out, no doubt, but
that is gone; our focus is strictly on winning today’s match and not
talking about revenge or no revenge,” the ex-international said.

Kano Pillars are
playing the Super 4 competition without their hit man, Ahmed Musa, who
is currently on national assignment and who will also be heading for
the Dutch League next season to play for VVV Venlo.

The other match

In the other match
of the day, Sunshine Stars of Akure, which shocked Pillars on Friday by
running away with a 1-0 victory, will come up against Kwara United.

Kwara United, which
recently appointed Kadiri Ikhana to tinker the team after the sack of
Justin Tenger, will be hoping to improve its fortunes with their new
soccer tactician who is acclaimed as one of the best coaches in the
land.

The team, which finished fourth on the league standings, will be making its debut in the CAF Confederations Cup next season.

A good tournament

Assessing the
tournament, Davidson Owumi, chairman of the NPL board, says the quality
of football in the competition has been high, adding that it can only
get better in subsequent editions.

“I believe the
tournament has been a success; the teams have demonstrated a high level
of professionalism in their approach to the games, and any team that
emerges as winner will know it truly deserves it,” he said. Owumi, who
was himself a product of the local league, commended the Ogun State
government and people for the support rendered towards making the
season’s tournament a reality.

“I must register
our profound gratitude to the government and people of Ogun State for
being good hosts; the excellent facility they have availed us is really
commendable and appreciated,” he said. Meanwhile, the congress of the
Nigeria Premier League was held yesterday where members deliberated on
the new road map for the local league.

Top on the agenda
was the welfare of players and coaches of the different clubs taking
part in the League. The new board stated its intention to protect both
the players and coaches’ interests in the upcoming season, as no club
will be registered without providing a clear contractual agreement
between it and its players and coaches. Other issues discussed include:
providing good playing surfaces, which will give the league a better
outlook on television, as well as the need to impose stiffer
punishments on teams that foment trouble in the new season.

A tentative date of September 25 has been fixed for the commencement of the 2010/2011 season.

Nigerians are
currently delirious with the performance of the Falconets at the just
concluded FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany. While there is
nothing wrong with being happy for the moment, Nigerians wonder whether
this ‘victory’ will be repeated any time soon in other cadres of our
football.

The answer to that
question is no, according to Paul Bankole, a United States of America
graded coach, who is a part of the Brazilian School of Football
Excellence.

“Nothing is wrong
with Nigerians celebrating the triumph of any of our national teams but
we will just be happy for some time, very soon we will be saddened by a
woeful performance and then we will start comparing it with our success
but this should not be the case.

“If there is a
concerted programme on the ground then we will know that this kind of
victory will be sustainable as the pool of players will be very wide to
choose from and the next set of Falconets will have been waiting in the
wings.

I am sorry to burst
anybody’s bubble but we may not have this victory repeated for another
20 years – this is what you will call a miracle – we did not plan for
this, it just happened,” Bankole said.

He believes this should not be the case if there is proper development from the grassroots up.

“Where are our development centres? Look around Lagos; can you point to one academy of note?

“There is none, and
that is the genesis of the problem. If the country wants to develop
this game, then we must have these centres all around the country and
not only for football. That is why I say that we are just promoting the
game and not developing it.”

Jeremiah Okorodudu, a boxer and Olympian says a win-at-all-cost mentality is the bane of sports development in Nigeria.

“If we have to get
back to the point where new talents will emerge, then we will have to
go through lean periods – when we will not win anything. When we were
growing up as boxers, we had training time, we had a growing up period
before we were called into the national team and my set almost won the
medals for Nigeria. We could not continue because we wanted to make
money quickly, so we did not finish our boxing education. Most of us
never did make it professionally. If we had waited, maybe our stories
will have been different,” he said.

Sports as tool for empowerment

Indeed, the rush to
make quick money by sportsmen has hampered the development of sports in
the sense that athletes don’t want to go through the normal processes
that lead to success.

Bankole says the trend must be reversed and that the right atmosphere has to be created for this to happen:

“If we will
continue to have peace in the land and abroad, then our youth must be
engaged in true sports development. If we look around us, there is so
much potential but we are not getting it right. We need to meet these
young ones at the point of their need and passion. Their need is
education and their passion is sports, especially football. They need
to be educated and their instructors need to be well educated. What we
have now is most of the educators and instructors especially in sports
are illiterates literally. It is what you have that you can give.”

Development of
sports and the athletes has been described as one of the ways that a
country can meet its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This much is
revealed by Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General:

“Sport is
increasingly recognised as an important tool in helping the United
Nations achieve its objectives, in particular the Millennium
Development Goals. By including sport in development and peace
programmes in a more systematic way, the United nations can make full
use of this cost-efficient tool to help us create a better world.”

Falilat
Ogunkoya-Omotayo, one of Nigeria’s most accomplished track and field
athletes agrees that grassroots sports development is key to
transformation of sports in the country.

Ogunkoya-Omotayo, who won a bronze medal in 400 metres and silver in the 4×400 metres at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, said:

“I have started a
drive that will help cull grassroots talent in Oyo State. That is the
only way to go if we are to make sure that we do not become extinct in
the coming years.

“We have not made
the discovery of athletes the priority. The draw back now is that the
American Universities that were being used as our athletics academy in
my days are not offering as much scholarships as they used to and there
we have the problem.” She added that the National Sports Commission
(NSC) has an important role to play in getting these upcoming talents
identified.

“No organisation
can have the kind of national reach that the government has. The point
when we have credible harnessing points around the country is the time
when the government can have a laid back attitude towards youth
development. But as of now, they have a prominent part to play and they
must not shirk this responsibility,” she said.

For Bankole, government’s intervention will involve going back to the basics.

“Look at the Games
Masters in the primary and secondary [schools]; the fact is that they
are not well equipped for the task they have been handed. The bad part
is they are the first points of contact with these young ones and once
they get it wrong then there is no foundation,” he said.

Former stars as model

It has been said
that a key part of the development of sports in the country will have
to involve former stars getting into administrative positions in their
various disciplines. Presently former Nigerian sportsmen like Sunday
Bada, Ikana Mbora and Toyin Aluko are playing key roles in some sports
federations.

In football, four
of Nigeria’s former football stars – Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami,
Mutiu Adepoju and Austin Okocha – are vying for positions on the board
of the Nigeria Football Federation.

Bankole said that
while their aspirations are legitimate, more good will come out of the
Okochas of this world, working with the next generation of footballers
so that we can have replacements for his like.

“Okocha is so
highly rated across the world that the question we are asked when we go
abroad especially in Brazil and America is – ‘What is Okocha doing
now?’. Yes, it is good to want to administer the game but more fruits
await him if he will mentor the next generation. What will happen if we
can have an Okocha clone every ten years?

That is what Jay-Jay should be doing – running clinics and academies for the next generation of football stars,” Bankole said.

“If we really want
to develop the game into a multi-million dollar industry that it should
be – then players like Okocha must mentor part of the next generation.

The young ones
should be educated and the educated ones we have now, who have no jobs
must be recruited to be the agents, managers, referees for that next
phase of our development. Education in sports is the solution. What we
have now is that those that are supposed to influence are followers.

“We need to change that mind set and make sure that those handling
our sports are mentally and technically equipped for the task at hand –
that is the only way that we will start to get out of the rut that we
find ourselves. Let us not wait until countries like Libya, Iran,
Qatar, Benin Republic begin to beat our national teams before we know
that we have to develop our system of recognising, harnessing and
developing the numerous talents that we have in our midst.”

One of the passions of Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola is sports, specifically football.

Since he assumed
the reins of leadership in Lagos he has tried to sustain the momentum
of sports development, which went into high gear in the closing days of
the Bola Tinubu administration.

His passion for
developing sports at the grassroots is easily seen in his support of
initiatives like the Principals’ Cup as well as the transformation of
sports facilities like that at the Campos Square as well as the
completion of the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

An avid football
fan he never passes an opportunity to play the game and has helped in
no small way in the rehabilitation of some former footballers who would
have faced starvation but for his intervention.

That is why the
organisation of the Lagos International Youth Cup, which ended
yesterday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium is very embarrassing to say the
least.

The tournament was
designed to be forum for youngsters to express themselves and afford
the state government an avenue to nurture a new generation of players.

But what we saw during the tournament has left a sour taste in our mouths.

For a tournament,
which had been on the cards since last year, with the state government
reported to have paid sixty thousand Euros (over N11 million) to each
of the three invited teams from outside the country, it was irritating
to see teams playing to empty seats in the stadium.

Dropping the ball

According to the
plan for the tournament, secondary school students who are presently on
holiday and who live around the vicinity of the stadium were supposed
to have been mobilised to fill the seats in the stadium if for nothing
else, at least to encourage the young players strutting their stuff on
the pitch.

So what went wrong?
Who dropped the ball? Who were the officials that allowed the sorry
spectacle of youngsters looking to make their mark in the game, some of
whom travelled thousands of kilometres to come to Nigeria for a
tournament to play in a stadium completely devoid of spectators?

It is disheartening the way we do things in the country. We have a habit of making simple chores appear extremely difficult.

If the officials to
whom Fashola entrusted the assignment of organising the tournament knew
they were racing against time, why didn’t they ask for more time. Some
of these officials were in South Africa to witness the World Cup and
they could not have failed to have notice how Danny Jordaan and his
team mobilised South Africans for the tournament to the extent that
long after the South African national team had been eliminated, players
were still playing before large crowds of spectators.

In a country where
children are passionate about football it is sad that organisers could
not get them into the stadium to watch their peers. Go through the
inner streets of Lagos and you will see children playing football with
just about any object imaginable. In Surulere, where the Teslim Balogun
Stadium, venue of the tournament is situated, it is common sight to see
clusters of lads knocking the ball around, so why couldn’t they lure
them to watch the action in the stadium? Was it that there was
insufficient fund for publicity or a few individuals among the
organisers decided to be smart?

Carrying the can

The embarrassment
was not limited to the organisation of the tournament. In terms of
performance, the Lagos state team was thoroughly outclassed. The
humiliation of the Lagos squad was underscored by a 7-1 drubbing by
South Africa’s Super Sport United in their second game after they had
been beaten 2-1 by Liberty FC of Ghana.

Now, it is not
criminal to lose matches. Even the best of teams get beaten now and
then. What is unacceptable about the performance of the Lagos team are
the excuses being advanced. Coach of the squad, Joe Erico, speaking
after the loss to Liberty United said his team lost because he did not
have good knowledge of his players as it was only put together 12 days
before the tournament commenced.

He said players were in school and so could not come together before the time they did.

Twelve days to prepare a team for an international football
competition for which the Lagos State government had committed millions
in taxpayers’ funds! It is simply criminal. Was the Commissioner of
Sports aware of this? If he was and allowed this to happen then he
should rightly hang his head in shame. If he wasn’t then it shows he is
not on top of things. Either way, the buck stops on his table. He
should carry the can.

Starcomms has yet
again reiterated its passion for the development of boxing at the
grass-roots following the successful conclusion of the latest
instalment of the monthly Lagos State Boxing Hall of Fame competition.

The competition,
which took place over the weekend at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Hall
Complex, Rowe Park, Lagos, aims at rewarding excellence in the noble
sport of self-defence and is organised monthly in conjunction with the
Lagos State Amateur Boxing Association (LABA).

A budding female
boxer, Kate Peters emerged as the best overall boxer this time –
joining the likes of Rasheed Lawal who had earlier won the contest and
who flew the country’s flag at the last Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Giving back to society

Speaking shortly
after presenting the Starcomms Overall Best Boxer prize to Peters, who
is a member of the Modupe Boxing Club, one of the numerous clubs that
competed at the tournament, the Marketing Director of Starcomms,
Richard Gill said that the sponsorship of the monthly boxing
competition is one way through which the telecom service providers is
giving back to society.

According to Gill,
Starcomms is committed to the development of sports, particularly at
the grassroots level pledging that the company will continue to give
support to the event, which has become relevant to the development of
boxing within the state.

He also said that
Starcomms’ sphere of influence in sports development in the country
will continue to increase adding that just as the company is not
relenting in its determination to give its customers unmatched quality
of service, so also will it not relent in creating an atmosphere where
young Nigerians can develop their talents.

Gill also stated
that sport remains a veritable means for young people to express
themselves, adding that since Starcomms began the sponsorship of the
event, a great number of young boxing talents have proven that they
have the potentials to take Nigeria to the top of the world in the
sport of boxing.

While rating the
performance of the boxers, Gill said that the LABA displayed
professionalism in the organization of the event noting that the spirit
of sportsmanship put up by the boxers deserves commendation.

Starcomms has for
some time sponsored the monthly Lagos State Boxing Hall of Fame
Competition, which takes place on the last Saturday of every month at
Rowe Park.

The Nigerian Cup
and General Hassan Cup, two of the most prestigious prizes in the
Katsina International Polo Tournament, were again at the centre of
massive battles and betting frenzy as this year’s tournament climaxed
last night.

This is not the
first time these two titles would be living up to their billing as the
tournament’s star attractions. The cutting edge drama and flourish that
characterise competition in these two events make them the favourites
of polo fans who throng the Usman Nagogo Polo ground to watch top
flight action.

The Nigerian Cup
remains the premier trophy in Katsina and one of the four grand slam
prizes in Nigerian Polo, ranking in popularity with Georgian,
Majekodunmi and Emir of Katsina, sure has some mystic around it.

Apart from its
pre-eminent position as the first high-goal prize to be competed for
every season, what makes it thick is the approach of the competing
teams from Kaduna, Lagos, Kano and lately Katsina, a commitment no
other prize can quite regularly induce.

This year, that
same commitment was displayed by former champions, Fifth Chukkers,
defending champions, Lagos Rubicon, and two home teams, Hajara Farms
and Katsina Max Air. Both were seeking to win the title for the first
time for host Katsina.

Though the Hassan
Katsina Cup is a handicap notch below the Nigerian Cup here, it has
consistently attracted more fans with its vibrancy, which pumps up fans
adrenaline levels and keeps polo aficionados on their toes.

In recent times
these attributes have elevated the cup to become arguably one of
Nigeria’s top medium goal prizes, easily eclipsing its counterparts in
Lagos (Open), Kano (Dantata Cup) and Kaduna (Dickenson) which can’t
quite escape the overbearing shadow of their respective high goal cups.

Annihilating the dream

The fact that the
host club, Katsina, has not been fielding teams in the Nigerian cup for
a long time, has everything to do with the growing popularity of this
medium-goal title named after “Soul of the Game” and the late Life
President of Nigerian Polo Federation (NPF)Hassan Usman Katsina.

In this year’s
fiesta, Katsina Kangiwa boasting the likes of Umar Kabir, Bashir
Mangal, Bello Buba and Mohammed Serirki hoisted its flag in the Hassan
Cup rumble and they were blistering in their opening game annihilation
of Ibadan Dream team.

Locked against
teams from Kano and Kaduna, the home fans’ favourite squad who are the
kings of medium-goal games in other major tournaments around the
country, did not disappoint.

The Kangiwa army,
which is being mounted to immortalize the late Governor of Sokoto
State, Shehu Kangiwa, who died in playing in the Georgian Cup in Kaduna
three decades ago, were truly at their best endearing themselves to
thousands of polo buffs across the country with their robust campaign.

Consistent performance

Tournament after
tournament, venue after venue, Katsina medium goal teams have
consistently reproduce the same blistering performance that has become
their trademark and when it comes to Hassan’s prize and in front of
their home crowd, they display zero tolerance to opposition.

Put it on the
Katsina players then, as they are always motivated by competitive
ambitions beyond the reward, in the truest Olympian tradition. The roll
call include the Katsina polo playing princes like Hussaini, Umar and
Sanusi Kabir, Shehu Lawan Kaita, Mohammed Seriki, Lawal Mangal,
Abdulwahab Sani Stores, Suleiman Shema, Bashir Yar’Adua, Aminu Gagare,
Nura Daku, Madani Sani etc.

Together with their
foreign legion like Ibrahim Zakari, Babangida Hassan, Honourable Hadi
Sirika, Ahmadu Bakori, Abba M. T. Usman, Ibrahim Abba and England based
Dikko Ladan, they create legends out of Katsina polo.

The state boasts a
number of medium and low goal teams like Katsina Kangiwa, Katsina
Gobarau, Katsina Max Air, Katsina Masanawa, Katsina Hajara Farms,
Katsina Tarno and lately Katsina IT Sec.

Often they merged
for a more potent campaign. On the road one or two of the Katsina teams
are usually enough to work up the crowd and before their teeming fans
at the Nagogo Ground, where they play with the full compliments of
their resource, they let the sparks fly all over the ground all too
easily.

Over the years,
Katsina players may have created such an intimidating reputation, but
the Grand Slam prizes won’t necessarily follow them home. Quite often
they do get as much as they give, especially from Lagos and Kaduna,
Kano, Yola, Bauchi, Ibadan and Port Harcourt teams.

From all
indications, Samson Siasia will be the next coach of the Super Eagles
following the decision by the team’s erstwhile handler Lars Lagerback
not to return to the hot seat.

Lagerback’s
Nigerian agent Emeka Enechi earlier in the week informed NEXTSports
that the former handler of the Swedish national side will not be
returning to Nigeria because he would find it difficult to work under
the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as currently constituted.

Enechi’s revelation
only confirmed what had been speculated in the media since the Swede
left for his homeland on holiday following the unceremonious exit of
the Super Eagles from the World Cup. This was despite countless denials
from the federation’s officials who now appear to be accepting the
Swede will not return.

Last Thursday,
NFF’s technical committee chairman, Dominic Iorfa, on a radio
programme, said the federation had no choice than to look for a
replacement for the Swede.

Iorfa, a former
player of the Nigerian national team and English club side Queens Park
Rangers, even suggested that Siasia may succeed Lagerback, adding that
the NFF will soon begin negotiations with the Bayelsa State-born coach
who took Nigeria’s U-23 Eagles to a silver medal finish at the Beijing
2008 Olympic Games in China, three years after achieving a similar feat
at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands.

“The coach said he
is not coming back so it’s very likely that Siasia will take over the
job,” said Iorfa, “We’ll soon start discussions with Siasia.”

Siasia, in an
earlier interview with NEXTSports, confirmed that he had been
approached by the NFF regarding the Super Eagles top job but that no
further approach had been made by the federation. In the interview,
Siasia said he will be willing to take the job if an agreement is
reached.

On Thursday, the
former Nigerian international who now handles top Nigerian club side
Heartland FC of Owerri, reiterated his earlier stance regarding his
readiness to handle the Super Eagles but failed to confirm whether the
NFF had made another approach for his services.

A source within the
NFF who preferred anonymity, however informed NEXTSports that the
federation will be meeting with the former Super Eagles star in the
coming week with the aim of offering him the job, although the source
added that any announcement will only be after this week’s friendly
match against the Republic of Korea in Seoul.

Suitability

If Siasia gets the
job, it will be a another victory for Nigerian coaches who have always
believed the destiny of the national team rests squarely in the hands
of indigenous and not expatriate coaches.

They are not alone
in that regards as Lagerback had said at the World Cup that the future
of African teams can only be shaped by their local coaches.

But Siasia won’t be
the first Nigerian to handle the national team as Shaibu Amodu was, as
recently as February, at the helm of affairs in the Super Eagles before
making way for Lagerback.

Amodu’s reign
wasn’t however the most popular amongst Nigerian football fans most of
whom, despite the string of victories churned out by the Super Eagles,
were dissatisfied with the overall display of the side under the former
Orlando Pirates of South Africa coach.

Their
disenchantment with Amodu however went as far back as his ascendency to
the post which was blighted by suspected foul play on the part of the
NFF who picked him above Siasia, who at the time in 2008, reportedly
finished top of a shortlist of coaches that also included former Super
Eagles skipper Stephen Keshi who went on to take up a similar job with
the Malian FA.

“Amodu failed
because he didn’t have complete control of the team from the very first
day he took up the job,” said former Super Eagles midfielder Emeka
Ezeugo. “He was a coach who has achieved so much in the game but to a
lot of people out there, he was just someone that was used by the
people in the FA to achieve their selfish aims.

“We all heard
Siasia scored the highest points during the interview but he wasn’t
picked because he wasn’t going to bend his will and follow the
directions of those people in the FA.

“He is someone who
is always ready to learn but he also sticks to his guns and that is the
kind of coach the Super Eagles needs,” added Ezeugo, who is Siasia’s
assistant at Heartland.

Not experienced enough

Ezeugo’s view is
also shared by many former contemporaries of Siasia, such as Tijani
Babangida, Mutiu Adepoju, Thompson Oliha, Nduka Ugbade and Andrew Uwe
but there are also those who feel it is not appropriate to offer Siasia
the job now.

One of such people
is the vice-chairman of the Lagos State Sports Council, Tayo Balogun
who feels tSiasia still needs to gather more experience and won’t be
ready to manage at the top level until, probably around 2014.

Balogun agreed that
the former Nantes of France forward has done quite well at age-grade
tournaments but asked “how many has he won?” Stressing that the only
way Siasia would be useful in coaching the national team is if
Nigerians are patient enough with him, Balogun said: “You know the way
we Nigerians are when we get new things; we want ‘sharp-sharp’ results
which is not possible.

“We Nigerians
should be forward looking, we should always look beyond now,” added
Balogun who, however, advised that if Siasia is contracted in the
coming weeks, he should be left to coach the Super Eagles until at
least the 2014 World Cup.

“But it is usually
not so. Immediately he plays one or two games and we do not get the
desired results, we would just send him packing.”

The experience
factor was also the reason why Siasia was dropped by, in the words of
award-winning Liberian journalist Roland Mulbah.

Mulbah noted that
Siasia, as well as a South American and three Europeans, was short
listed for the job of coaching the Lone Stars in the qualifiers of the
Equatorial Guinea-Gabon 2012 Nations Cup, but “was dropped on grounds
that he has a B certificate in coaching and that he is from the same
West African sub-region Liberia is a part of and that the whites are
better than the blacks with regards to football.”

Access to the presidency

One way of becoming
a successful coach in Nigeria is to have direct access to the seat of
government which was something that worked in favour of Clemens
Westerhof during Nigeria’s dominance of the African game back in the
1990s.

It was also a move
that Siasia utilized back in 2005 when seeing that his chances of
leading the Flying Eagles to a successful outing in the Netherlands
were being jeopardized by the NFF, he went cap in hand to the Bayelsa
State government, his home state, to source for funds to prepare the
side for the World Cup.

President Goodluck
Jonathan was at the time Bayelsa State deputy governor and being a keen
lover of football, chances are that he won’t turn a deaf ear to Siasia,
if he does get the Super Eagles job.

Siasia informed
NEXTSports he won’t be exploiting that avenue if he gets the job but
Lagerback’s agent, Enechi earlier last week declared that was the only
route to success in Nigeria.

“That’s the only way,” declared Enechi. “Any coach who wants to
succeed in Nigeria must have access to the president regardless of
whether he is a Nigerian or a foreigner because there will always be
someone in the background waiting to make life difficult for the
coach.”

It was a gathering
of some of the finest footballers to have played for Nigeria. They
represented at least four different generations of Nigerian footballers.

They were all
there-from the fiery but now subdued Peter Fregene, the swashbuckling
Emman Tetteh, the staid and cerebral Segun Odegbami, the irascible
Tarila Okorowanta; the self-effacing Mutiu Adepoju; the boyish Victor
Ikpeba and Peter Rufai who looked as though he could still file out for
the Super Eagles twelve years after he quit the national team.

They had converged
at the Press Centre of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos on Thursday
and had one burning desire-to rescue Nigerian football from
maladministration.

These stars and
others like Stanley Okoronkwo who starred for Enugu Rangers in the
early 1970s, Edema Benson of the celebrated New Nigeria Bank, Nicholas
Ukadike formerly of Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland FC), former
internationals, Tajudeen Disu, Peter Nieketen, Jide Oguntuase, Loveday
Omoruyi and many others had travelled from different parts of the
country to Lagos for this purpose.

Indeed Disu and
Nieketen had flown in the day before from the United States and England
because they considered the matter serious enough.

Waking up from slumber

The immediate cause
of the gathering was the decision of four illustrious members of their
club – Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami, Mutiu Adepoju and Austin
Okocha – to contest for seats on the board of the Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF).

For the former
footballers to come together was a momentous decision given the
disunity that has characterised their ranks. Indeed, many have held
them partly responsible for the problems plaguing football given their
indifference to developments on the football scene, a situation that
allowed all manner of characters access to the commanding heights of
the administration of the game.

Ikpeba, who spoke on behalf of the players, said they had turned a new leaf.

“The time for
change has come. No longer shall we fold our arms and watch others who
have done nothing in the game to continue to milk it and deny the
genuine actors, the patriots, the heroes their rights,” he said.

“We must not fold
our arms again and watch as people that are nothing in the game, have
added nothing to it, contribute nothing to it, now become the greatest
beneficiaries. These are people who have ridden on the back of us
footballers to become stupendously rich, to occupy the best positions,
become very fat and now the biggest detriment to the game.”

A story of neglect

One of the men who
were at that briefing, Fregene, captures the essence of the players
campaign. Fregene, who walked into the event on crutches aided by his
wife, had come all the way from Sapele. The man, regarded as the most
colourful goalkeepers to play for the national team, was stricken by
illness and was bed-ridden for years. He was neglected by both the
Nigeria Football Federation and the government of Nigeria until Lagos
State Governor, Babatunde Fashola through the entreaties of Odegbami,
Tetteh and journalist, Yomi Opakunle, came to his rescue by picking up
his hotel bills. He has since been living in Lagos and was brought to
Lagos for the players’ gathering his long time friend and colleague,
Tetteh.

At the event,
Fregene looked tired and gaunt. Indeed, when his friend Tetteh tried
recounting the former goalkeeper’s experience, he (Tetteh) dissolved
into tears.

Odegbami, who is
vying for the presidency of the football federation, said it was
situations like Fregene’s that he wants to stamp out from football
administration in Nigeria if elected. He said the running of the game
in Nigeria must be re-focused to turns things around.

“There is no going
back this time around. Even if I am the only one standing, I will fight
to the very end. I will use everything that I have; every connection
that I have, to ensure that at the end of the elections what is left is
real,” Odegbami said.

A long hard road

The road to the
Glass House, as the NFF is known, may be a long hard one for Odegbami
and his fellow footballers given concerns about the composition of the
electoral committee and the statutes of the federation under which the
elections will hold.

Odegbami has
complained about some of the provisions of the statutes, which he
believes were tailored to exclude some individuals from the federation.
In June he sent a letter to world football governing body FIFA
detailing some of the irregularities in the statutes tinkered with by
deposed president of the NFF, Sani Lulu. Curiously, the football body,
which prides itself on fair play, has beyond acknowledging receipt of
the letter kept quiet on the matter, which is threatening the election.