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I am not a
physiotherapist, or sports scientist. I am not even a medical
practitioner. But since experience – it is agreed, is the best teacher,
I believe I am adequately equipped to share the little I know about
sports exercise and the benefits.

In last week’s
column, tilted ‘SAVE OUR HEROES’, I wrote inter-alia, that – “it is not
about how many millions we have in our bank accounts, or shares we have
bought. It is not also about the number of landed property we have
acquired over the years, it has to do with taking very good care of our
bodies. Don’t be deceived please, no matter how rich you are; if your
body is not in good condition, it is not likely that you will live to
enjoy your wealth…”

The question is – how does a human being keep his body in good or healthy condition? The answer is simple – exercise.

Exercise is defined
as a physical activity and movement, especially when intended to keep a
person or animal fit and healthy; or a series of movements or actions,
designed to make the body stronger and fitter. Unfortunately, most
Nigerians intentionally or ignorantly indulge themselves in the
sedentary style of living and I make bold to say that this is partly
responsible for the state in which we find ourselves and the state of
the nation today. It is sad because even some of those who claim or
pretend to be involved in sports exercise are doing the wrong things.
As a matter of fact some of them are destroying themselves gradually.

I visit the
National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, once in a while, especially on
Saturday and Sunday mornings. The initial impression you get, is that
of thousands of people involved in keep-fit exercises, from aerobics to
jogging, walking, playing of tennis, basketball, football, and
volleyball. You also see a lot of martial art groups. There are also a
number of bicycle riders and roller skaters. Those involved in these
exercises range from the socially-disadvantaged (area boys), to
students, amateur/professional athletes, professionals like lawyers,
engineers etcetera. There are also business men and chief executive
officers, most of whose belly size make them easily identified.

Defeating the purpose

I sincerely do not
intend to be disrespectful. It is just that I feel strongly led to
concentrate on them today, for so many obvious reasons and I believe
that there is the urgent need for us to educate ourselves on the need
to do things pertaining to healthy living correctly.

Please permit me to
make a positive digression, very quickly, by sharing a personal
experience on the benefits of exercising the body. A few months ago,

I experienced a
very excruciating pain on my back, after travelling back home to
Nigeria, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, via Dubai. I had this same experience
a few years ago, travelling from the West Coast of the U.S.A. via
Chicago, Europe to Lagos. I spent thousands of naira purchasing pain
killers and receiving treatment from the physiotherapist, before Coach
Sule Bello of the National Sports Institute, took me through some very
basic exercises and encouraged me to concentrate on them. I did and to
the glory of God, the pain disappeared after a few days of consistent
exercise. That was after the trip to the U.S.A.

This last
experience was however different, because one of the courses I studied
in the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, was sports physiology, which
has to do with the study of how an athlete’s body functions, especially
as it reaches the limit of performance and endurance, so I knew exactly
what to do. I was no longer ignorant.

The same back ache
started, apparently because of the unnecessary long distance flight
from Sao Paulo up to Dubai and then back down to Lagos. I pray
something is urgently done to correct this anomaly. My first night back
home was horrible. I was so tired I almost found it impossible to
sleep, especially with the back ache and the jet lag effect. So I
remained in bed the whole morning until it was mid day when the sun was
at its best. I put on my running kits and took to the road. Thank God I
live in a private community where I enjoy the luxury of jogging anytime
I wish to do so. It was a very warm afternoon and so I embarked on what
we call ‘walk-a-jog’, for about 45 minutes, within which I covered
about 5 kilometres. After going through some stretching exercises for
about ten minutes, I drank a lot of water, had a warm shower, before
lying down on my bed. It did not take me five minutes before I slept
off and by the time I woke up, the back ache was gone. I did not take
any pain killing medication. Thank God, for sports exercise and wisdom.

Back to the
National Stadium scenario I was trying to paint before I digressed.
Some of the ‘big men’ who take part in what they describe as exercises,
oftentimes leave the stadium with more ‘poison’ in their bodies. It is
common knowledge that immediately after the exercises, they embark on a
liquor-drinking, fried turkey/chicken/meat eating exercise. This takes
more time than the sports exercise they are supposed to concentrate on.
I do not think this is proper. A percentage of the money wasted this
way, can be wisely spent to purchase functional running canvases,
instead of the cheap ones I see them wear, that I know can damage their
ankles and knees, which can eventually affect their waist and back. A
word is enough for the wise.

Meanwhile, it is well.

So, our four musketeers facing charges of misappropriation of funds are not Nigerians after all?

So, Sani Lulu, Amanze Uchegbulam, Taiwo Ogunjobi and Bolaji Ojo-Oba have become citizens of the Federal Republic of FIFA?

It is really
interesting to discover that these individuals who have risen from
obscurity to prominence of the back of NIGERIAN football, will begin in
their old age, to exhibit symptoms of senility in midlife.

It was amusing to
hear them last week tell an Abuja High Court that they were beholden to
no one but FIFA in the matter of funds belonging to the Nigeria
Football Federation allegedly misappropriated by them.

In their view it is
only FIFA’s Court of Arbitration in Switzerland that can question them
on how football federation funds were spent.

It would have been
a different matter if they were protesting their innocence. Then, it
would have been a case of whether we believe them or not. As it is,
they are repudiating the authority of the laws of the land, which is
quite a serious issue.

Anyway, this cast
of mind is not surprising. It is in keeping with the tradition of their
godfather who habitually threatened Nigeria with FIFA ban until the
earth caved in under his feet in October.

Personally, I am
not surprised that this is coming from these men even though I seethe
with anger at their temerity. Their stewardship at the NFF is well
known. That Nigerian football is in crises today derives substantially
from their poor management of the game.

Many recall that it
was Lulu’s blind ambition to return to office that sent Nigerian
football hurtling into the cauldron of conflict from which it has yet
to recover nearly one year after he was forced out of office.

It is matter for
serious regret that men fed and nourished by Nigerian footbal; men, who
outside the game cannot lay claims to any outstanding achievement in
society, will turn round and poke their fingers in the eyes of the same
game that has provided them with a platform for relevance.

No pedigree

For if truth be
told, besides being officials of the NFF, what other images do the
names Sani Lulu, Amanze Uchegbulam, Taiwo Ogunjobi and Bolaji Ojo-Oba
conjure in the minds of the global football community.

At least when
people within and outside Nigeria hear the names Austin Okocha, Segun
Odegbami, Adokiye Amiesimaka and Patrick Ekeji, they will know that
these are individuals with bona fide claim to relevance having played
football at the highest level.

The African U-17
Championships ends in Rwanda today and Nigeria has not been part of it.
The implication is that the country, which won the U-17 World Cup four
years ago and finished in second place two years later, will not be at
the tournament this year. And there is no prize for guessing who should
be held responsible.

Had Lulu and his
henchmen presently disowning their fatherland had the decency to put
structures and programmes in place to facilitate the discovery and
nurturing of young football talent, we would have been spared the
embarrassment of missing out on a tournament in which we have an
impressive pedigree.

Instead, they elected to carve out fiefdoms and empires, strutting around the Nigerian football landscape like colossuses.

Their latest caper,
vexing as it is, should provide Nigerians some comic relief. It is one
of the mysteries of the legal profession that lawyers take on even the
most ridiculous of briefs.

Sometimes you
wonder why a counsel will not advise his client on the futility of a
particular course of action. Well, I guess they are in the business of
making money and so are not concerned with such trifles.

We wait to see
where this latest faux pas will get Lulu and his associates. We will
see whether the emperor who presides over affairs at the glass house in
Zurich will give them a pat on the back for their affirmation of his
supremacy over the Nigerian state.

In the interim, I weep for Nigerian football and the hordes of young
men and women whose livelihood depend on it. They have been serially
betrayed by these four musketeers and their successors, men who are
incapable of dealing straight and thinking deep. In their hands the
game has been brought to its knees and there doesn’t seem any hope for
the moment of its getting back on its feet.

The Super Eagles ought to be among the elite sides in world
football and their current status is unworthy of a side once ranked number
five, said the team’s assistant coach, Simon Kalika.

The Super Eagles are currently ranked 32nd in the world, a far
cry from their April 1994 ranking of number five but the Dutchman believes the
situation will change for the better in the foreseeable future.

“I sincerely believe that Nigeria should be among the top ten
countries in the world,” Kalika said on a television programme monitored in
Lagos. “There’s a lot of development in other countries, even in Asian
countries like South Korea or North African countries like Egypt, Tunisia, and
also in Cote d’ Ivoire and Ghana.

“You could see development in all these countries is going on
while it is (heading in the opposite direction) for the Super Eagles.

He then added: “It is not something that we can achieve within a
week or in two weeks time, but we know what we want and if we can achieve it;
if we get the time to do it, we will.

“It is a major challenge but I am so confident that we will make
the difference in the coming years.”

Football underachievers

With a population of over 150 million people, and with thousands
of footballers plying their trade within the country as well as overseas, it is
surprising to many that Nigeria is underachieving in football while a country
like Holland, with a far lesser population than Nigeria, is regarded as one of
the world’s top sides.

“We only have 16 million people but we’re always going to the
World Cup,” continued Kalika. “We got to the final of the last World Cup but
that was not because we have better players or more talented players in
Holland, but we have better educational programmes.”

He then added: “We have good pitches, we have good, educated
coaches. The whole package is there. The talent here (in Nigeria) is vast.

“There are so many good players but the structure to develop them is not on
ground and that is something that we must work on because the moment we work on
that structure, I don’t think there will be any country that can have better
ball players than Nigeria.”

Startled by the revelation by a FIFA official, Sampon Kablan,
that Nigerian football administrators have misused development opportunities
provided by the world football governing body, Aminu Maigari, the President of
the Nigeria Football Federation and its Acting General Secretary, Musa Amadu
are expected to meet FIFA President, Sepp Blatter and General Secretary, Jerome
Valcke.

The meeting is expected to take place at the FIFA hospital in a
fortnight in Zurich, Switzerland.

Kablan is one of the FIFA officials currently in Nigeria on the
Women’s World cup tour.

According to a statement from the NFF signed by Ademola Olajire,
its Media Officer, both men will hold extensive talks on Thursday, February 3
with the FIFA chieftains on the possibility of more FIFA goal projects for
Nigeria.

Nigeria short-changing
self

Kablan, the FIFA Development Officer for West Africa, told
members of NFF executive Committee in Abuja on Tuesday that Nigeria can benefit
far more than it is currently enjoying.

“I am happy to see the peace and understanding that exists
between the Ministry of Sports and the NFF. It is a good thing, and this will
propel development programmes.

“All I need from you is permission and support to show positive
aggression to secure more FIFA development programmes. You are behind schedule
and should be benefitting more.

“Some countries like Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire are on their fourth
development projects, while Cape Verde is on the fifth. Nigeria, a great
football nation by all means, has only been able to get one, the Technical Centre,
and one artificial turf through the ‘Win-In-Africa-For-Africa’ programme that
was launched as a result of the first FIFA World Cup in Africa,” Kablan said.

At a separate meeting with the Sports Minister, Taoheed Adedoja and the NFF
Executive Committee, Kablan also suggested that FIFA should take the lead in
the construction of a befitting, ultra-modern secretariat for the football
federation.

Real
Madrid issued a sharply worded statement criticising Spain’s soccer
federation (RFEF) on Wednesday for what the club called a lack of
respect and objectivity over an article mentioning coach Jose Mourinho.

The club were
responding to a piece on the RFEF website saying Real’s game at
Atletico on Thursday would be “under the close scrutiny of Mourinho,
who feels he has been mistreated by officials in recent league matches”.

Real used an
official statement to express indignation at the wording, which was not
present in the latest version of the article on Wednesday.

“We consider it enormously serious that these remarks about our coach were made on the Federation’s own website,” Real said.

“They clearly
demonstrate a prejudice that is a long way from the objectivity,
neutrality and balance which should inform the organisation’s official
publications.

“We demand action
is taken for what we believe is a lack of respect and consideration to
the coach of our team, the club itself and the fans.”

Real won the first leg of the King’s Cup quarter-final tie against Atletico 3-1.

RFEF officials were not immediately available for comment.

Mourinho, renowned as an outspoken figure, was banned for two matches earlier this season for verbally abusing a referee.

At a news
conference on Wednesday, the Portuguese repeated his view that Real had
been denied what he felt were two clear penalties in Sunday’s 1-1 draw
at Almeria that left his side four points adrift of La Liga leaders
Barcelona.

“I do not doubt the
honesty of referees but there are some things that are obvious and that
people who are not hypocrites have no problem in admitting,” Mourinho
said.

“There were decisive penalties in the match that weren’t given and this is not a criticism but something obvious.”

Nigerian defender Taye Taiwo has yet again been linked with a
move away from French side Olympique Marseille with reports emanating out of
Europe suggesting that he could be on his way to the Portuguese league or the
English Premier League.

Reports from a host of Internet sites have it that English sides
Tottenham and Everton are locked in a battle with Portuguese giants Benfica to
sign the Super Eagles star who has been outstanding in the French League this
season.

Turkish giants Fenerbahce are also rumoured to be considering a
bid for Taiwo.

The Nigerian international has made 17 league appearances this
term, the highest by any Marseille defender, and has found the back of the net
three times already.

Taiwo is currently valued at £5 million but his current deal
with the French giants expires at the end of June, and his club might decide to
cash-in during the current window, rather than losing him on a free transfer at
the end of the season.

Tottenham’s manager Harry Redknapp, is reportedly on the lookout
for a replacement left-back after some poor displays from Cameroonian
international Benoit Assou-Ekotto this season, while Benfica are on the lookout
for a replacement for Fabio Coentrao who has attracted interest from some of
Europe’s top clubs.

Everton’s manager David Moyes is also believed to have expressed
an interest in bringing Taiwo to England, particularly with speculation
continuing over the future of Leighton Baines and Phil Neville.

Taiwo joined Marseille from Lobi Stars in 2004 and is known for
his attacking style and powerful shot, which has earned him comparisons with
former Brazil international Roberto Carlos.

Shittu set to leave
Millwall

Meanwhile, Nigerian defender Danny Shittu is on the verge of
leaving English lower league side Millwall after negotiations to renew his
contract broke down.

Shittu becomes a free agent on Friday and there has been little
progress made during talks between the club and his representatives especially
as Millwall’s boss Kenny Jackett is wary of venturing outside the club’s wage
structure at the risk of unsettling other squad players.

According to Skysports.com, his former club QPR, are among a
host of clubs keen to secure the services of the big Nigerian. Others are
Premier League sides Wolves and Blackpool, as well as Championship trio
Cardiff, Middlesbrough and Burnley.

But it seems QPR are winning the race to sign the player as club
manager Neil Warnock seeks to guide the Championship leaders into the top
flight.

Shittu previously signed for QPR in 2002, having already spent
time on loan at Loftus Road. He went on to make more than 150 appearances
before joining Watford in 2006.

He joined Bolton in 2008 before moving to Millwall in October.

Premier League giants Arsenal are through to the fourth round of the FA Cup
after a hard-fought 3-1 replay win at Championship side Leeds United.

Arsenal started strongly and took the lead with a superbly worked goal in
just the fifth minute.

Samir Nasri opened the scoring at Elland Road in Leeds after five minutes
and Bacary Sagna made it 2-0 half an hour later with a right-foot shot from
about 15 meters (18 yards).

Two minutes later, Bradley Johnson got a goal for Leeds with a shot from
about 22 meters into the top corner of the net. Robin van Persie then scored
for the Gunners, who are third in the elite Premier League, with a headed goal
14 minutes from the end of the game.

The match had to be replayed at Leeds, which is fourth in the
second-division Championship, after the teams played a 1-1 draw at Arsenal on
Jan. 8.

Arsenal, which hasn’t won a trophy since collecting the F.A. Cup in 2005, is
scheduled to host Huddersfield, which is second in League One, at noon London
time on Jan. 30.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over the years have been one of the dreaded organisations anyone would love to work for.

The employees,
particularly the coaches have been the worst hit; with many still
alleging that they are being owed several months of salaries years
after being relieved of their jobs.

From Christian
Chukwu to Amodu Shuaibu, the case is not different with both coaches at
different times laying claims to unpaid amounts running into millions
of naira.

However, in what
seems like a departure from the ugly past, the current Super Eagles
coach, Samson Siasia looks to be in for a good time with the current
board of the NFF even though many still believe it is too early in the
day to sing praises of the board which is still locked in a series of
court battles over its legitimacy.

First of its kind

For once, the
federation made a choice of coach that was popular among the fans and
football pundits alike. A proper unveiling ceremony was conducted and a
five-million-naira-a-month salary contract – first of its kind for an
indigenous coach – was agreed for Siasia.

Recently, the Eagles gaffer was presented with a befitting chauffeured Ford Taurus 2010 car as his official car.

Shehu Adamu,
Chairman of the NFF Finance Committee says Siasia’s official apartment
will be ready in a few weeks. He explained the delay: “We have been on
this for some time now but we have not been able to see the type we
want. The President (Aminu Maigari) has given a marker that it must be
super. And that is what we are working on. We now have a couple of
options from which we believe we can settle for one”, Adamu said.

Expectedly, Siasia
in appreciation of the NFF’s deeds, admitted that the NFF’s gestures
towards him were a first-of-its-kind treatment for a national team
coach.

“Honestly, I am
bowled over. I don’t think any Head Coach of the national team, whether
indigenous or expatriate, has ever had this kind of car for his
official use. Certainly, I am grateful to the NFF for fulfilment of its
promises,” he said.

Nothing Exceptional

While the moves by
the NFF are being commended, former national team coach, Paul Hamilton,
says the federation was only doing its job and should not be seen as
anything out of the world.

“It’s a welcome
development of course but they are just doing what they are meant to
do. For the first time we are treating one of our own the way he should
be treated,” Hamilton noted.

“I only hope he
(Siasia) will also reciprocate by giving not just the federation but
Nigerians alike the quality results they have been yearning for on the
field of play.” He added. For Ndubisi Nduka, coach of Premier League
side, Plateau United, the NFF’s action will in no small way spur Siasia
to giving his best. He however advised the NFF: “It’s a good start but
I hope it would be sustained; it won’t be good to see the coach coming
out in three months time that his salary has not been paid or some
benefits denied him. I hope the treatment will be spread across to the
other coaches so there would not be any reason for envy,” he stated.

Task ahead

Currently preparing
for next month’s invitational tournament in the United States of
America, Siasia says he is determined to succeed.

“It is now
incumbent on myself and my colleagues in the technical crew as well as
the players not to disappoint. We will give our very best and do
everything we can to earn results on the field that will give Nigerians
joy,” said Siasia.

The first test for
Siasia is a friendly match with Guatemala on February 9 in the United
States before moving on to participate in the President’s Cup; an
invitational tournament organised in honour of the US president Barrack
Obama.

The coach is
expected to try out his new invitees and a number of former members of
the team as he gets set for the bigger challenge of an African Cup of
Nations qualifier match with Ethiopia on March 26. The match is a must
win for the Eagles if they are to get back on track their hopes of
qualifying for the 2012 tournament to be co-hosted by Gabon and
Equatorial Guinea.

Nigeria is
currently behind Guinea on the Group B standings and only countries
that finish top in their respective groups are guaranteed automatic
tickets to the championships.

The last time
Nigeria played through the qualifiers and failed to make it to the
Nations Cup was in 1986 when it was ousted by Zambia. The other times
Nigeria was absent at the football Championships in recent times was at
the South Africa ‘96 and Burkina Faso ‘98 editions where the country
withdrew from the former and was subsequently suspended from the latter.

The
incidence of hooliganism by fans of football clubs in the Nigeria
Premier League does not seem to be abating despite efforts by the
league’s governing body to bring it under control.

Last Sunday, fans
of Sunshine Stars resorted to intimidation and harassment of presiding
match officials in their match against Heartland at the Gateway Stadium
in Ijebu-Ode.

Journalists at the
match venue as well as players of Heartland were equally not spared by
the fans and it came as no surprise that the visitors ended up losing
the game 2-1.

The Nigeria Premier
League, upon receipt of the match report, subsequently ordered Sunshine
Stars to play their next two home games behind closed doors.

The league body
also issued a warning to the management of other clubs to check the
unruly behaviour of their fans during matches or risk incurring the
wrath of the NPL: “The league board reminds all Premier League clubs of
the provisions of articles 3.7, 4.3, 5.7 of the 2010/2011 Rules and
Regulations,” stated Tunji Babalola, the acting Executive Secretary of
the NPL, in a statement made available to NEXT this past week where he
further emphasised that henceforth, provisions of the articles shall be
fully enforced on all erring clubs.

“Those are the
rules and clubs have to ensure that their supporters are of better
behaviour henceforth otherwise they will have themselves to blame,”
said Babalola.

Responsibility

But can clubs be held responsible for the actions of fans, most of whom are not directly affiliated to the club?

“We have fans we
recognise as our supporters, who are registered with us,” says Mike
Idoko, Executive Director of Ondo State Football Agency. “But they were
not the ones who stirred trouble on that day.”

Idoko’s views are
in accord with those of Jubril Arowolo, Head of Media of Shooting
Stars, who is of the opinion that there are hooligans with no
affiliation to any club whose sole purpose of going to a match venue is
to foment trouble.

“We have our list
of registered supporters but there are certain people who have no link
with the club and only want to stir trouble,” he said. “We know some of
them and always try to keep them away from the stadium but there are
still so many others out there and it’s mostly because of the
unemployment problem in the country.” Last season, supporters of Minna
based Niger Tornadoes allegedly assaulted match referee Gabriel Adigwe
and his assistants at the end of their scoreless draw against Bayelsa
United at the Bako Kontagora Stadium.

The attack left the
match officials with various degrees of injuries and saw the club
incurring a heavy fine, as well as other sanctions from the NPL but the
club to date still insists that those responsible for the incident were
not card carrying supporters of the club.

“They were not our
registered fans. I think they were just aggrieved football fans who had
probably bet a lot of money on the game and were disappointed that the
match officials didn’t bend the rules in their favour,” John Adams,
Niger Tornadoes’ Media Officer told NEXT.

“We had enough
policemen at the venue but they were not equipped to handle such a
situation and that I believe led to the assault on the referees,” he
added.

Fishing out the thugs

One common factor
in cases of violence at Nigerian stadiums is the inability of the clubs
to fish out the perpetrators. Whether this is a deliberate act on the
part of the clubs, and there have been instances in the past where
clubs have been accused of deliberately fuelling violence, remains
uncertain.

But with
hooliganism taking on new forms especially in an age where weapons such
as knives, machetes, iron rods and clubs, as well as firearms are
readily available, and can be sneaked into match venues, it appears
Nigerian stadiums will not get to become as family friendly as the
league body would desire.

But with the NPL’s
insistence on having only television friendly venues for league
matches, it just may be time for the league body to equally take the
criteria beyond having just a smooth, lush playing surface.

“Increasing
significantly the number of policemen at match venues and equipping
these policemen with metal detectors will go a long way in curbing the
problem,” suggested Kindness Nwaogu, a Lagos based football coach.

But what happens if
these hooligans manage to sneak these weapons past stadium security?
The best option, according to Ilorin based technology expert, Udochi
Paul is to tow the same path as the English by installing Close Circuit
Televisions (CCTV) at stadiums.

“Having CCTV around
and within the stadium will go a long way in curbing the problem of
hooliganism especially as the perpetrators can easily be spotted and
fished out,” he said. “It is an inexpensive system that will help to
save lives and encourage people like us who love football to return to
the stadiums.” However, one snag in the way of this suggestion is the
fact that stadia in Nigeria are not owned by clubs but if the league
body hopes to lure fans back to match venues, and in the process help
the clubs to earn more money at the gates, they will need to do all
they can to end the menace called hooliganism.

Government’s role

Even the government
has a role to play as is the case in most European countries such as
Turkey where the legislature passed a bill that will see persons who
enter the playing area, changing rooms, corridors, and exit tunnels
without authorisation facing a prison sentence ranging from three
months to a year, or a fine.

In addition, if a
person disrupts the continuation or security of a sporting event, he
may be sentenced to three years in prison.

In Morocco (where
the Casablanca derby, one of the fiercest football rivalries in Africa
takes place between Wydad and Raja) a law introducing prison sentences
and fines for football violence will soon be adopted by the country’s
parliament.

According to the
Moroccan Justice Minister, Mohamed Naciri in a meeting with members of
parliament last Thursday: “This law introduces prison sentences of up
to five years and fines of up to 1,000 Euros.

“This law fills
certain holes in the judicial arsenal of measures against football
hooliganism, which starts in the stadiums and often spills out into the
streets after the matches,” he said.

According to
Naciri, the law will also outline action that can be taken against
those at football clubs and sporting venues who do not take appropriate
action to stop violence inside and outside stadiums.

Hopefully, the National Assembly will deem it fit to tow the same line as their Moroccan counterparts.

Current
coach of the Nigerian under-17 team, Monday Odigie had better watch out
as Chukwuma Akuneto has his eyes on the Golden Eaglets coaching job.

Akuneto, a former
Nigerian junior international with over seven years experience in
coaching, most of it in England, believes he is in a better position to
handle the Golden Eaglets especially in the aftermath of the team’s
failure to qualify for the African U-17 Championship, which was
concluded yesterday in Rwanda.

It was the second
time in a row that the Golden Eaglets would be missing at the
tournament which also serves as the qualifying tournament for the FIFA
U-17 World Cup coming up in June in Mexico.

In Nigeria’s
absence, Congo, who had eliminated the Golden Eaglets during the
qualifiers, along with Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire and Rwanda secured
the continent’s four World Cup slots ahead of the likes of Senegal,
Mali, Egypt and former African champions Gambia who were most pundits
pre-tournament favourites to qualify for the World Cup. Odigie, in a
recent interview with NEXT, revealed that he had submitted his
programmes ahead of the next round of qualifiers to the Nigeria
Football Federation and only expecting their go-ahead to begin
preparations in earnest for future engagements.

That go-ahead may
however not materialize as there are some NFF board members who are
still aggrieved by the failure of the Eaglets to make it to Rwanda,
especially with the abundance of talent in the country.

As a result,
Odigie may eventually go the same way as other coaches who had in times
past failed to excel with the Eaglets, with the NFF left with no choice
other than to pick a new handler for the team.

If that ends up
being the case, Akuneto is hoping he will get to be the one to get the
nod of the NFF as he believes he has the knowledge and experience to
develop and churn out potential super stars for the country.

“It will be a
great honour to be given the privilege of serving my country in a
coaching capacity,” Akuneto informed NEXT. “I want to use my knowledge
and experience to help identify, prepare and develop the young ones to
restore our great country back to its true position in this age
category and provide a solid base for the players to develop and
represent Nigeria at the under 21, under 23 and even senior levels.”

Vast experience

The former
Stationery Stores, ACB, Concord, Udoji United and Enugu Rangers
defender, has since 2006 been the Head Football Coach and Sports Tutor
at Manchester College and has led the college’s team to numerous titles
most notably the 2008 Football Youth Conference League, the 2009
British Colleges Elite Cup, the 2009 British Colleges Futsal Cup, as
well as the 2010 Greater Manchester County Schools Cup.

The team currently tops the Youth Conference League standings after 10 games.

Besides his work
with Manchester College, Akuneto, who had previously coached in India,
has since 2009 combined his work with the renowned institution along
with the job of Youth Coach at lower league side FC United whose youth
team are still unbeaten in the North West Youth Alliance League after
12 games.

In his spare time
he scouts for Premier League side Blackburn Rovers and is currently
studying for his UEFA A Coaching Licence, and it is all these
experience that he will be bringing into the Nigerian cadets team
set-up.

Much travelled

“I have worked in
Nigeria, India, Cameroon, Vietnam, Maldives and England so my
successful experience and expertise at coaching young people, improving
them and then turning them into better players technically, tactically,
mentally and physically is what I’ll be bringing into the team,”
Akuneto said.

“The numerous
skills and knowledge I have acquired by being educated to a high level
here in Europe and being around the game on a daily basis in a
professional capacity, and the invaluable experience I have acquired by
having been involved with the game in three continents also stands me
in good stead for the job,” he said.

But if he does get the nod of the NFF to tinker the Eaglets, what are his short and long term plans for the side?

“On the short
term, my ambition is to lay the foundations of a solid team through a
carefully planned youth development programme with inputs from people
in Nigeria who also understand the process involved,” he continued.

He says his long
term plan would be to turn the Nigerian U-17 team into a team that
brings joy to millions of Nigerians through the way it plays and gets
good results we produce, as well as the long term development of the
players, a greater percentage of who will end up playing important
roles for the Eagles in years to come.

To achieve he says he would have to, “liaise with the NFF and other
coaches in Nigeria, the various State FA’s, organisers of age group
tournaments, local football clubs and the Press who can help to make
sure that we do select players who are truly within the specified age
group.”