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When the junior tennis national team boards the plane to Botswana tomorrow, they will be going to the Southern African country to once again prove to the rest of Africa that Nigeria is rising again in the game.

Twenty years ago, Nigeria sat comfortably at the pinnacle of tennis on the continent but things went awry.

Now it seems that the ‘giant’ of Africa is rising again to take up her position as the leader in the sport. The team of six players and two coaches has four male and two female players who have vowed that they will be giving an early Easter present to Nigerians.

Sarah Adegoke, who will play in the 14 and under category said at their practice venue in Lagos on Thursday that:

“We have to make sure that we come out tops in Botswana; we are definitely going to surprise a lot of people.

The Ibadan-based player also added that the tours of Ghana and Togo have prepared her for the trip to Botswana.

“In Ghana, we showed the stuff we were made of but now even though the games will be harder and tougher, we are prepared for the challenges ahead.” She also spoke on her West African nemesis, Ghanaian, Elizabeth Archimpong, who defeated her in the finals of the Ghana competition.

“I do not know what happens to me when I meet Elizabeth – it just seems that I forget my game and get all jittery and nervous and that was what happened in Winneba.”

This view was corroborated by her coach, Mohammed Ubale, who said he has been working on mental toughness for his young players.

“We have had times in the past when the players have frozen on the big stage but that has to do with tour experience and the team has some tours under their belt now. Going for more competitions is the only way to prepare these kids – there is no other way.”

The team, after their triumph in Ghana had gone on a two-week programme to Togo where the Nigerian team also came out tops, a development that helped this team prepare very well for their Botswana expedition.

Tough task

Bulus Husseini, a former national player who has had coaching stints in the United States of America said the coach has a lot of work to prepare the team for the task ahead. He says the South Africans and the North Africans always have a mental toughness about them that the Nigerians must copy:

“The coach should work on the players’ fitness, skills, tactical awareness, perseverance, mental toughness and psychological fitness” and he also added that “the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) needs to work much harder by introducing a lot of junior tournaments” like the NNPC/Chevron Junior Masters tournament which ends today (Sunday) which at the moment are almost non-existent, Husseini said.

He continued: “The NTF should have regular meetings and many junior and senior tournaments should be introduced to offer the players much exposure. Presently we have about four senior and one junior functional tournaments in our yearly calendar; these are grossly inadequate compared to the situation three decades ago”, Husseini said.

After the championship

Most of the players that will be representing the country have had their future brightened by plans designed to help achieve the goal of producing tennis players who will improve to later on play on the ATP and WTA circuits.

Samuel Omoile, who is one of the players representing the country in Botswana, is on his way to the famed Sanchez Vicario tennis academy in Barcelona, on account of the NNPC/Chevron initiative. He has been admitted for a three-year programme and that will culminate with him turning pro in 2014.

“I have to make sure that this opportunity does not pass me by. I want to be one of the best players in the world like Roger Federer,” Omoile said.

For him to get that dream on the road, he must first beat the best juniors that other African countries have to offer and that quest will start on Tuesday in Gaborone.

The Nigerian team was camped in Lagos and the male players used the 12th NNPC/Chevron tournament to prepare adequately for Botswana. The two girls – Sarah Adegoke and Afolarin Akosile trained with their male counterparts for the one week that they were in Lagos. The team is billed to depart for Gaborone, Botswana by 11pm, Sunday night aboard South Africa Airways.

The tournament had to be moved to Botswana from Egypt where it was originally slated on account of the political upheaval that swept the country in February. The competition will end on April 8, 2011.

As captain of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi was known as the ‘Big Boss’ for his no-nosense style on and off the pitch.

Years later when he became coach of the Hawks, Togo’s national football team, he retained something of that attitude, a fact that helped him qualify the West African country for its first ever World cup in 2006.

He failed, however, to lead the squad to the World Cup after falling out with officials of the Togolese Football Federation (TFF).

One year later, in February 2007, the TFF re-engaged Keshi for a friendly against Cameroon, but the questions concerning his dismissal continued to linger. The rumours at that time were that he (Keshi) wanted to manage the career of Nigerian-born Togolese star, Emmanuel Adebayor but because the former Arsenal player did not agree to the proposal, Keshi dropped him to the bench.

His second stint with the Togolese squad proved to be short-lived with the former Nigerian international showing up in Mali to lead the country to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.

Keshi, who was laid off by Mali after the 2010 Nations Cup in Angola, also lost out to Samson Siasia, in the race to become the coach of the Super Eagles in November.

Third missionary journey

After losing out to Siasia, Keshi weighed his options and last Tuesday, March 22, he made a dramatic return to the job he had handled and lost twice. TFF President, Gabriel Ameyi called a press conference in Lome to reveal that a temporary arrangement had been reached with Keshi to lead the team once again.

He has assigned him the job of leading the Hawks to Blantyre for yesterday’s 2012 African Cup of Nations Cup qualifier against Malawi.

So what is different now?

Keshi is now back in his third stint as Togo coach. He has successfully weathered the storms of the accusations about his wanting to manage Adebayor. With the passage of time, the world has come to know that Adebayor is not an easy player to manage as he has shown first at Arsenal and then at Manchester City.

Whether his erratic behaviour will be curbed by the ‘Special One’, Jose Mourinho, at Real Madrid remains to be seen.

Keshi was welcomed heartily by Togolese football fans at the team’s first training session on Tuesday where he smiled and waved to fans who had come to watch the exercise.

But there could be a cog in the wheel with the naming of Emmanuel Adebayor in the list of 22 players; the former African Player of the year striker had ostensibly retired from the national team last year after the Togolese bus was attacked in Cabinda, shortly before the Nations Cup in Angola leading to the death of three persons.

Instability in Togo football

Togo’s football administration is one that can be said to be worse than their neighbour’s, Nigeria’s. The tiny West African country has a penchant for hiring and firing coaches and the football community surely must be wondering why Keshi returned after previous emabarrassments.

Since February 2009, Togo has had four coaches- Otto Pfister, hired after Keshi’s sack also quit the team over player bonuses before a ball had been kicked in Germany in 2006 but returned to the team for the opening 1-2 loss to South Korea.

Frenchman Patrice Neveu was expected to replace German Otto Pfister as the coach of the Hawks last month but his appointment was blocked by the government. Neveu was appointed by Gnassingbe Eyadema but when the son of the former Togolese president was voted out of office, Tata Avlessi, the TFF President became reluctant to endorse an appointment packaged by the previous regime. Thierry Froger resigned to take charge of French side Nimes earlier this month.

The national team players have also staged protests at various times over the World Cup bonuses of about $200,000 each, with additional payments.

The future of Keshi and Togo interwoven

As a football player, Keshi achieved many feats – the first Nigerian player to play in the Belgian league and ensured that the lexicon; foreign-based became entrenched in football journalism in the country. He has also become the first Nigerian coach to manage the affairs of three national teams – Nigeria, as assistant to Shuaibu Amodu, as coach of Togo and then Mali. Now, he has thrust himself back into the limelight perhaps to prove naysayers wrong.

If he can lift the Hawks to the heights of 2005 and 2006, then maybe Keshi will have proven beyond any doubt that he has the capability to coach at the highest level.

Under Samson Siasia there seems to be a revival of wing play by the Super Eagles and that means that the transition from midfield to attack will be faster and more direct.

The likes of Ahmed Musa and Victor Moses are very fast and skillful and are able to attack down both wings. There is also Osaze Odemwingie, who can also do the job of a winger.

Chukwuma Akuneto, a former Nigerian international and presently first team coach at English league outfit, FC United believes, there are no easy games in today’s football.

Akuneto proposes that, the Eagles have to monopolise ball possession.

“Repossession of the ball will be very important and we need to play high and wide – either with three strikers or two wingers.

“The Eagles have an array of players who are exceptional going forward so we need to win possession back and let them go and destroy the opposition. What this means is that we can’t wait for them to lose possession but we go get the ball or make them lose it by applying pressure.”

He also added that the defensive players must push high up the pitch to congest the play in the Ethiopian half.

“We must press with a high line in front – the attackers have to put pressure on their defenders so we can win the ball back closer to their goal or they decide to just launch the ball into our half of the pitch thereby conceding possession,” Akuneto added.

But there are dangers of pressing that high like Barcelona does and he advises that the Super Eagles defenders must concentrate a hundred per cent to ward off counter attacks, which may be the strategy of the East Africans.

“The Concentration of our defenders, including the defensive midfielder and goalkeeper becomes very crucial in this game because we don’t want to be caught out by the long ball over the top or by a counter attack.

“We want to win the ball back close to their goal and allow our creative and penetrative players go do the business and more importantly we want to make them feel in constant danger like a team under constant threat and attack – a sort of psychological battering,” Akuneto concluded.

Red Bull racing team will go into the new season, starting today, confident that they still have the fastest car on the circuit and with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in tandem, it is hard to look any further for the team that will be triumphant at the end of the season.

But you can also never write off the McLaren team, especially with former champions as drivers. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button will definitely have their say in this year’s championship and also mention will be made of the Ferrari team with Fernando Alonso, who contrived to throw away the title in Abu Dhabi last year.

All in all with the new adjustments to the engines of the cars and the other developments it promises to be a year that will put all race car aficionados on the edge of their seat as the drivers and cars go flying around the corners of the Australia Grand Prix circuit where it will start to the majestic Yas Marina circuit in Dubai.

F1A innovations for the 2011 season

Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) is back after a year on the sidewalk. KERS helps to draw more power from the engine whilst the car brakes and this energy is stored in a battery and made available to the driver in fixed quantities per lap via a steering wheel-mounted ‘boost button’.

Cars on average get an extra 80bhp from KERS, which is about 10 per cent more power from the engine. Though this has not been made a compulsory attachment, almost all the racing teams apart from Virgin, HRT and Lotus, have it installed in their cars. Renault has also made individual innovations to its car which includes the forward-facing exhaust while Toro Rosso has a ‘double floor’.

New adjustable rear wings can be moved from the cockpit which lends itself to more speed at corners and when overtaking. These wings will reduce the drag effect on the car it is pursuing. However, there are restrictions to this usage – which will be hard to interpret as the season begins today in Australia – the wings can be used in practice and qualifying, but can only be used during the race if the chasing car is less than a second behind its prey. There will also be pre-determined points where it can be activated. Reports from testing sessions before the season’s opener hint at an additional 12-14kmph to the driver, if used in the right way and it is actually more effective on straight laps.

Now the tyres are specified to become softer so that they will deteriorate at a faster pace – this will create more pit-stops per car per race. And the tyre supplier has been changed from Bridgestone to Pirelli in one of the most glaring adjunct decisions taken by the FIA. There are also more restrictions on the dry weather tyres; also driving styles will come under the microscope.

The clause in the FIA regulations outlawing team orders has been removed. This will definitely attract a re-shuffling of how racing chiefs organise or prioritise the two drivers representing each racing team like what happened between Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, where Massa was clearly instructed to slow down for Alonso to overlap.

And at the practise session on Friday, McLaren’s Jenson Button set the fastest time in practice on Friday ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, was in second practice at Albert Park.

Nigerian polo teams have for decades been flying the flag of this country at numerous international polo events, but none has attracted rave reviews like the El-Amin’s participation at the just concluded Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series.

Weeks after the Nigerian elite field of world stars and their Arab friends tangoed in the prestigious Dubai Polo Cup tournament, highly placed individuals and the media are still talking about the glamorous.

One such review came from none other than the life chairman of the Nigerian Polo Federation, Abdulmumuni Kabir, a traditional ruler (emir) who alongside other Arab kings and royalty, gave the event a regal touch.

The royal father who witnessed all the games in the Gold Cup series, singled out El-Amin for special mention, noting that Nigerian polo will eternally be grateful to Mohammed Babangida and his team for putting country on the global stage.

A place in history

Kabir, who described El-Amin’s campaign for honours in Dubai as an eye opener, says that history will reserve a special place for the Nigerian flag bearers, as the first African team to play in Dubai and in the Gold Cup Series.

“Dubai Gold Cup’2011 polo tournament may have come to an end, but the memories of watching the Nigerians making their fatherland and the African continent proud in a high class polo event that is dominated by some the best players from Argentina and Europe, will last a lifetime,” he said.

He noted that under his leadership, the Nigeria Polo Federation will continue to encourage Mohammed Babangida and his El-Amin polo organisation because of their zeal, commitment and focus, which are the hallmarks of trustworthy ambassadors that they are.

“Between goals and success, there is one crucial factor, passion. Passion is the will to win, the strength within, the courage that ignites success. These are some of those special tributes that makes El-Amin the best polo team in Nigeria today, if not the whole of Africa,” Kabir said.

The Polo Federation President, Francis Ogboro, who cheered El-Amin in all their games described their participation in the Gold Cup series an historic outing that further confirmed Nigeria as one of the leading polo playing countries in the world.

The NPF boss who hailed Babangida and his boys for putting up a brave campaign in a highly competitive field, despite the glaring shortage of the needed horse power to compete at such an international stage, said the Gold Cup trip was loaded with a lot of positives that would greatly enhance the game of polo in Nigeria.

“The experiences and the lessons to take home are quite many, but it is quite interesting to see El-Amin making their mark on rented horses where their opponents are fortified with their best mounts and are enjoying the full complement of three Argentine professionals each.”

He said apart from the numerous business openings that the Dubai Gold Cup offers, the Polo Federation intends to use the Dubai experiences to improve the game locally in terms of tournament organisations, Grounds maintenance, strict adherence to rules of the game and repositioning of polo as a powerful corporate sports with its highly revered marketing attributes.

Ogboro, who noted that the Gold Cup is a major part in the series of exposures aimed at preparing the Nigerian players ahead of the forthcoming Federation of International Polo Zone D Polo World Cup qualifiers billed for Malaysia in June, said Nigeria is blessed with a lot of talents who are capable making an indelible mark on the global stage.

Adding colour to the tourney

Apart from eulogising El-Amin for their skills and cohesive display of team work, the Arabs who apparently didn’t know the game of kings is as popular in Africa just as it is in Argentina, USA and in Europe, were full of praises for Babangida and his African team mates.

Arab media follows fashion dictates. For years, glossy magazine stories about the high life in Dubai were the only diet one could get. Now, however, the tide has changed to sports, and the flavour of the month is the participation of Nigeria’s EL-Amin in this year’s Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series.

There is some justification for this. Since the beginning of the year, the Arab world has been treated to high profile sporting championships, with all the big names in golf, tennis, rugby and now polo, descending on the glittering Dubai city, and the media cannot just ignore it.

To the residents of Dubai who trooped out in their droves to watch the Nigerians play, it was a life time experience for a city that has been so infatuated with superlatives, but in ten fleeting days they were really thrilled by the top firing Nigerians whose training seasons attracted a capacity crowd.

Some of the notable Arabs who were impressed with El-Amin’s enthusiasm and participation in the Gold Cup series include Chairman of Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Rashid Al Habtoor who led his Mahra team, patron of Dubai Falcons, Ghantoot polo boss, Saeed Bin Dral and the Jordanian, Faisal Yabroudi who powered his DCC Sumaya in the Gold Cup.

Gold Cup Tournament Chairman and Habtoor Polo patron, Mohammed Al Habtoor who hosted El-Amin and the Nigerian contingent to a farewell dinner, said EL-Amin as added real international colour to the event.

Faris Yabhouni, whose Abu Dhabi team defeated Dubai Falcons in the final to win the Gold Cup, says he is looking forward to playing the Africans next year in the high profile series played under the patronage of the Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Sashid Al Maktoum.

“Dubai has reached a critical mass and has positioned itself as a trading and service hub in an oil rich region, and now sports particularly the king of games, is warming up to complement global capitalist role model,” he said.

Maria Sharapova, the girl who left Siberia on a road to fame and fortune, still has unfinished business in an injury-blighted career that has so far brought three grand slam titles.

Away from the lucrative endorsements, the former world number one Russian’s appetite for hard work remains unchanged as she targets the two prizes that would complete her Cinderella journey – an Olympic gold medal at Wimbledon next year and a French Open title.

Sharapova, 23, missed the 2008 Beijing Olympics because of a shoulder injury. It remains a painful memory for a young woman who, despite the American accent and Florida mansion, still loves the country of her birth.

“It’s a huge, huge goal for me,” she told Reuters by telephone en route to the launch of the WTA’s Xperia Hot Shots – an Internet-based show that will follow six Tour players around the world, on and off the court.

“It was massively disappointing for me to miss the Beijing Olympics because I’ve always wanted to be an Olympian. “Growing up in Russia it was always a big part of our culture and more than anything I could feel what an honour it was to represent our country and watch the flag go up.

“I used to cherish watching it and hopefully I can look forward to becoming an Olympian in London next year but first I have to make the team because that’s a tough ask in Russia with so many good players.”

The first slam at Wimbledon

Sharapova came to prominence as a 17-year-old at Wimbledon when she stunned Serena Williams to win the title in 2004. A U.S Open title followed two years later and she won the Australian Open in 2008. The French Open, however, has always proved frustrating with a 2007 semi-final place her best effort.

“I’ve always said the clay court season is the toughest part of the year for me,” Sharapova said. “But it’s also one that I really enjoy. I love challenges. Physically, I feel I’m getting better and better at the clay court season.

“It’s the one grand slam I haven’t won and I’d love to have that on my resume.”

With Serena Williams sidelined by injury and health issues, her sister Venus also struggling and Justine Henin retired again; the women’s game lacks the rivalries that illuminate the men’s grand slams.

“There is a newer generation coming up,” said Sharapova who heads to Miami in confident mood after reaching the Indian Wells semi-finals last week, losing to world number one Caroline Wozniacki. “I think it’s an exciting time in our sport.

“Rivalries take time to develop and with Serena missing and Justine now retired I hope that that will be the case this year,” added the world number 13.

“Serena is a big champion, a big icon in our sport so to see her away from the game for a long while is obviously disappointing.

Hopefully we’ll see her return very soon because I enjoy competing against her.” With the virus that laid her low after the Australian Open clear and her shoulder in good shape, Sharapova is relishing the prospect of playing in Miami after missing the tournament for the last three years.

“It’s almost like home,” she said. “I love the eclectic Latin fans there and it’s one of my favourite events. I’m happy with my form too after my run at Indian Wells. I feel like I’m getting to where I want to be.”

On paper, the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia do not stand a chance tonight at the Abuja National Stadium against the Super Eagles.

According to the latest FIFA rankings, the Ethiopians are ranked a lowly 124th in the world while the Super Eagles occupy the 39th spot.

If that is the sole criteria for deciding who will end up with the three points at the end of tonight’s game in Abuja, then fans of the Super Eagles can rejoice and look forward to a one-sided encounter against the Ethiopians. The Walya Antelopes will be expected to just sit back, mass up their rank in defence, and await the flurry of attacks from Samson Siasia’s side.

But they will also be waiting for the perfect moment to spring a surprise and catch the Super Eagles unawares with quick counter attacks.

And one man who the Super Eagles have to be wary of in the Ethiopian side is Fikru-Tefera Lemessa.

He won’t be too difficult to spot as he will most likely be the sole man upfront doing his best to keep the Super Eagles defenders on their toes.

Standing six feet tall and currently on the payroll of South African club side, Supersport United, Lemessa is the only foreign-based player in the Walya Antelopes team and if the words of South African-based Nigerian goalkeeper, Greg Etafia are anything to go by, the Super Eagles will need to keep an eye on the 25-year-old throughout the game.

“I have played several times against him. He is a striker who chases lost causes, so we have to be wary of such a player,” Etafia told a football website. “For him, any match is war. He loves mixing it up with his markers and he is forever busy.”

He added: “He’s big, strong, hustles and loves to intimidate defenders. He is also comfortable on the ball, shoots with both feet and has a good turn.”

Lemessa, however, isn’t the only threat in the Ethiopian side as they also have the duo of Oumed Oukri and Shimeles Bekele who will be attacking from the flanks.

The Walyas will be placing their hopes on these players to make of making a first Cup of Nations appearance since 1982 in Libya, where coincidentally, they were on the receiving end of a 3-0 bashing by Nigeria.

Nigeria also beat them 6-0 in 1993 on the way to qualifying for the 1994 Cup of Nations in Tunisia which the Super Eagles won.

In the evening hours, at the National Stadium in Abuja, Samson Siasia, the Super Eagles manager, will lead his players out in a crucial 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia, his first competitive match since taking charge of the team in December.

Unsurprisingly, the Eagles’ performance in that game will be the topic of choice for football’s chattering classes, considering their parlous state since last year’s World Cup disaster and the country’s desperate desire to see the team return to the flamboyant form of yesteryear.

But besides hoping, of course, that they earn the needed win, the team’s ‘exile’ to that overpriced concrete contraption called a stadium in Abuja, a place without a football culture, ethos and soul, evokes deep and bitter feelings in me.

Any genuine connoisseur of our game knows the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, criminally neglected by our federal government – as its decrepit, ugly form hauntingly reminds us – is our real theatre of dreams and Nigerian football’s spiritual home.

Who can forget the pleasurable and anguished moments on its hallowed but now patchy, miserable looking turf?

It staged our first Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 1980, when, to the delight of over 60,000 fans, Green Eagles captain Christian Chukwu proudly walked up to the arena’s state box to lift the Cup of Unity.

And who can forget August 12, 1989, when, amongst thousands of other fans in the terraces, I unknowingly watched midfielder Samuel Okwaraji convulse, collapse and die on its turf, in that unforgettable, tragic 1990 World Cup qualifier against Angola.

Or how Nigeria’s painful failure to win the 2000 Nations Cup final – after Victor Ikpeba’s penalty goal against Cameroun that never was – made captain Sunday Oliseh weep like a newborn baby?

“I cannot begin to recall all the important moments of my life, and in the lives of many great footballers, that took place in that stadium. That the ground is in its current state leaves me with nothing to say,” says former Nigeria captain Segun Odegbami.

And the dilapidated state of the stadium is made all the more poignant by its healthier, smaller next door neighbour – Teslim Balogun Stadium, the only decent football ground in Nigeria’s largest city.

After the Eagles’ unbelievable eight-year absence from the city, the recent friendly game against Sierra Leone, at the Balogun ground, served as a timely reminder, at least to me, of how the national team’s return to Lagos is the key to reviving its dwindling fortunes.

Given a bad rap

Rather than mollycoddle the present set of Eagles, some of whom are risk-averse and have to be pampered into doing their very minimum for the country – and hoping that they can get away with it in Abuja, where the crowd is quite temperate, putting the players feet to the searing Lagos fire will certainly improve the team’s work ethic.

Given a bad rap by previous FAs for their refusal to ‘blindly’ support the national team whilst playing at Sports City, as the National Stadium is nicknamed, Lagos fans are, unfairly, being given the proverbial bad name in order to ‘hang’ them.

The unadorned truth is that whilst a bit unruly at times, Lagos fans demand top draw performances from those wearing the colours of our country and are intolerant of sloppiness or an obvious lack of commitment. Lagos fans, at least most of them, can tell the difference between a national team that loses gallantly, after giving everything they’ve got and one that just couldn’t be bothered to deliver.

Why should their loyalty and support of the Super Eagles not come at the price of excellence and diligence?

The nauseating state of the National Stadium continues to offer an excuse for the Nigerian Football Federation, which points to the artificial turf at Teslim Balogun, admittedly not as good as a natural surface, as a reason not to stage competitive games in Lagos.

Johnny as he is known by friends and fans was a big football star. As a Super Eagle beside Okocha, Oliseh and the rest, he scored goals. For years he was one of the models for the Nigerian youth and most likely also for German teenagers, as he spent most of his career, playing in the Bundesliga scoring over a hundred goals.

Akpoborie’s fortunes changed for the worse in 2001, when a ship (MV Etireno) run by his family was said to be carrying children into slavery in Gabon when it was stopped in Benin Republic. The BBC would eventually describe the former star as “Mr Unlucky” in an article after the incident.

Now, almost ten years after, Akpoborie is granting an interview for the first since the incident, which he admits literally ended his career. This interview is coming on the heels of a documentary on the incident titled ‘Das Schiff des Torjäger’ (The Goalgetter’s Ship) and directed by Swiss Heidi Speconga. It tells the story of the “MV Etireno”, its passengers and owner and is attempting to shed light on a saga that has left many questions unanswered.

NEXTSports spoke with Akpoborie about his fate, the abrupt end of his career, his grouse with UNICEF as well as indemnity claims and his overall struggle for justice.

It’s almost ten years since you were alleged to own a child slave trade ship, an allegation that changed your life dramatically. How did you feel when you first heard about it?

When I consider it now, I can only laugh at it. But at the time it was horrible for me as someone made up an untrue story and used my name for publicity but I am in contact with my lawyers to institute legal review.

UNICEF reported approximately 250 child slaves that were supposed to be carried on board of your ship and cast a slur at you as the owner. You said someone used your name to gain international publicity. How did this affect your personal and professional life?

Oh well, not to put too fine a point on it, it destroyed everything for me. Even today when walking the streets in Lagos, people would shout at me saying: “Look, that’s the child slave trader from thence, that’s him”. But if one know’s the whole story and the details of the unproven allegations from UNICEF, then one can imagine how it affected my life. If you had asked to interview me two years after this incident, I would have declined right away, but now I am glad to be able to talk about it. I just cannot abandon this, that what I had built up in twenty years got destroyed in fifteen minutes. In the documentary one can see that UNICEF had not just committed a blunder, no they had been aware of it and knew full well what they had done and eventually hazarded the consequences. If one had asked me previously to tout for UNICEF for the child slave topic I would have agreed, but now it will get very expensive for them.

From your point of view, UNICEF used your name to draw international attention to the child-slave-issue. How do you evaluate this problem against the backdrop of your story?

When talking of child slaves, one has to define what it is in order to understand it in detail.

There are so many different interpretations in Africa. For instance in Benin one might find children that grew up and worked for their uncle or aunt in order to support their parents back home financially. If one talks about children being sold on a market, it’s new to me. I have been across Africa, but haven’t found any evidence that this is true. One shall show those children to me, then I’ll believe it, but now I don’t believe anything.

As you are planning to go to court, what exactly are you accusing UNICEF of?

After this story we couldn’t use both ships any more, our commercial activity was destroyed as the ships were eventually demolished. Basically, we suddenly couldn’t do anything as people thought we were actually responsible. I couldn’t play football any more. My life had been destroyed.

Last December, the film “Das Schiff des Torjäger (The Goalgetter’s Ship) by Swiss director Heidi Speconga was released. What do you link to it and what does it mean to you personally as you featured?

At the beginning I wanted to run away from it; I didn’t want to talk to them. But later we met in Switzerland and I gave them the go ahead. The information that I gained from the research within the scope of the documentary were very siginificant to me as UNICEF didn’t give me the opportunity to talk to the children who were on board the ship at the time. It also gave me courage, because now I had something to prove the falsity of UNICEF’s statements.

A 2001 CNN report tells another story of the events that differs from that of UNICEF. One can read about contradictory assertions regarding the incident. In this context, they speak of 43 children that were found aboard the MV Etireno and according to UNICEF and Tierres des Hommes were destined for slavery. How can you explain this?

This is just a deliberate misrepresentation. Not a single child aboard destined to be sold, not even were they alone. All were accompanied by parents or other companions on their way to Gabon. That had also been confirmed by the children questioned in the documentary. We, as the company didn’t even sell tickets to them, they bought it somewhere else. I don’t really know what UNICEF talks about. It is a mistake that needs to be corrected in court.

Why exactly should anyone be interested in a misrepresentation of facts?

I honestly don’t know. We have all documents of permit from the departure and the arrival of the ship. I have done my own researches in Gabon, Lome, and Benin and talked to the people on the spot and to UNICEF officials. How can it be that UNICEF in Benin saw 43 children aboard and UNICEF in Gabon claims the opposite? If UNICEF was right, the ship wouldn’t have gotten permit to departure in Gabon at the first place.

So you call it a sort of smear campaign?

Absolutely. We got the stories, facts and also several eye-witnesses.

For some years you have been working as a FIFA licensed agent in Nigeria and Africa. What are you doing exactly and how would you assess the opportunities for Nigerian talent to become professionals?

It’s just all about football. Scouting talent is always hard. One is always on the run but it gave me the chance to think things over and it eventually gave me the opportunity to continue working in the football branch after the incident of ten years ago.

It’s fun for me to see the boys play. But like I said, it’s very hard to scout them. As Nigeria is a big country, fewer good players live in the cities but rather in rural areas. That makes it very difficult to reach them. Also corruption is a barrier.

Could you be more specific about that?

The people playing in the national team are people who have money to pay, to gain the attention of the scouts, and that’s why they are in the public. The right people live in the villages and that’s what I am working on currently, to provide young talented children who normally wouldn’t have a chance in Africa with the opportunity of a future to return later to help their families just like me.

Is corruption also a topic within the Nigerian national team?

Well, I witnessed some trifles when I was playing. But I only say thereto; that I hope it’s not true. It’s of course a problem but one has to choose the right coach for the national team otherwise it will be an ongoing issue.

Can you be more specific about the mentioned incidents?

No, for the moment I have to keep it to myself but I always believed that it is better to have a European coach. That’s very important for us.

Footballers in Nigeria and Africa often make false age-claims to carve out careers in clubs and the national team. As a former footballer please give a professional opinion on that and give an idea how to solve the problem.

I really have to admit it’s a difficult topic. Seen from the Nigerian perspective it breaks our national team as the right people cannot get the chance of playing. I was in school when I played for the U-17 team. Now years later there are still some people who played 4-5 years in the Nigerian League and returned to play for the U-17 again. It is just ridiculous. That breaks our football. I don’t have any idea how to solve the problem but to provide a future for football one has to come up with solution.

The Super Eagles will tackle the Ethiopian national football team – the Walya Antelopes, in a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier inside the main bowl of the National Stadium in Abuja with only one thought on their mind – victory!

In what will be Samson Siasia’s first official match, not just a victory will do for his boys tonight against the East Africans, they need to secure a wide-margin victory in order to reduce the advantage currently held by Group B leaders, Guinea, who currently have six points, three points ahead of the Super Eagles.

The Guineans also enjoy a comfortable plus-four goals difference over the Eagles, who only have plus-one following the 1-0 loss they suffered at the hands of the Guineans back in October last year.

Guinea will also be in action today against Madagascar in Antananarivo but if the poor run of form of the Madagascans since the start of the qualifiers is anything to go by, then the Guineans should emerge from this game with at least a point.

A win is equally possible for the Guineans; after all, they will be taking on a Madagascan side that has lost all their Group B matches to date, including a 1-0 loss to Ethiopia last October in Antananarivo.

But a lot has happened to the islanders since suffering back to back losses to Nigeria (2-0) and Ethiopia as there has been a change in coaching personnel with Frenchman Jean-Paul Rabier making way for local coach Maurice Mosa who will also make his competitive debut today.

That will be the scenario today for the Eagles as they seek to win and win-over the fans.

Siasia though has another agenda – the coach will seek to prove that the people’s mandate was not mis-placed.

Arguably one of the best Nigerian coaches of his generation, Siasia has the arduous task of changing the fortunes of a side that has become a shadow of its once illustrious past for the better; the Super Eagles no longer commands the respect of other teams on the African continent and in the world.

Intense pressure

The match takes on added significance considering the fact that only one team from Group B is guaranteed automatic qualification to next year’s Africa Cup of Nations to be co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. And with three rounds of matches to go after tonight’s game, Siasia is no doubt under immense pressure to grab a win over the Ethiopians.

“The man must know that he has to win. I’m sure he sees the log and knows that Guinea is ahead of us,” said Ademola Olajire, the media officer of the Nigeria Football Federation. “I’m sure he knows that if we do not win this match we may not play at the Africa Cup of Nations next year.

“I’m also sure as he lives his life daily; he meets people and gets phone calls from friends to want him to know what is at stake. All that can put pressure on a person so I know he is under some pressure but it is not coming from us.”

The history between both sides backs the Super Eagles to emerge victorious at the end of tonight’s game as they have only lost once to the East Africans in four previous meetings.

That loss (1-0) came in 1993 in Addis Ababa but the Super Eagles retaliated in grand style by securing an overwhelming 6-0 victory over the Ethiopians in Lagos to qualify for the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia.

The Super Eagles went on to win the Tunisia ‘94 Africa Cup of Nations with Siasia playing an integral role in that side’s all-conquering route to the cup.

Siasia said he dreams of becoming the first Nigerian coach to lead the Super Eagles to an Africa Nations Cup title but readily admitted that he will first need to secure qualification ahead of the Guineans beginning with victory in tonight’s tie against the Walya Antelopes.

“We have to first secure qualification before we can start thinking of winning the trophy,” he said. “And to be sure of that we have to win all our games starting with this one. Everyone in the team is aware of that (and) will be doing their best to make it come to pass.”

Siasia will, however, have to make-do without the services of the duo of Osaze Odemwingie and Obafemi Martins who are currently nursing injuries.