Nigeria Content Online

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.”

Venus Williams hobbled while Caroline Wozniacki and Justine Henin
cantered on Wednesday but all three reached the third round of an Australian
Open where upsets continue to be thin on the ground.

Williams, returning to action here for the first time since last
year’s U.S. Open, was severely hampered by what appeared to be a groin problem
but still managed to scramble a 6-7 6-0 6-4 victory over world number 97 Sandra
Zahlavova.

The seven-times grand slam winner took a medical timeout after
losing the first set tiebreak and then gritted her teeth and summoned up her wealth
of experience to grind out a victory in a shade over three hours.

“It was really tough,” Williams, flying the family flag alone
this year in the absence of injured 2010 champion Serena. “But I’m a long way
from home. It’s such a long way home and I didn’t want to go back yet.

“You’ve got to be able play in all circumstances — good, bad
strange, weird, bizarre.

I haven’t retired from a match in a long time. I have to go to
the bitter end.” Top women’s seed Wozniacki earlier looked in fine fettle as
she took just 58 minutes to overpower American Vania King 6-1 6-0, continuing
an impressive start to her attempt to vindicate her number one ranking with a
first grand slam title.

Wozniacki’s win set up a third round opportunity to avenge her
loss last week in Sydney to Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulova, who advanced with a
6-1 4-6 6-2 win over Italian Alberta Brianti.

“I definitely felt like I was playing good tennis today,”
20-year-old Wozniacki said, adding: “I believe that I’m a really good player, I
can beat anyone on a good day.” Henin was shaking hands with the umpire on Rod
Laver Arena moments after Wozniacki clinched her win, having put Briton Elena
Baltacha to the sword 6-1 6-3.

Seeded a lowly 11th, Henin was still feeling the elbow injury
that kept her out of the game for six months last year and said the
unseasonably low temperatures had not helped.

Unhelpful weather

“It’s the worst conditions actually,” said Henin, the 2004
champion at Melbourne Park. “The weather doesn’t help, that’s for sure. So I
wasn’t feeling at my best on this part today.

“But I have to deal with it and get ready, be focused on your
game, even if it’s not easy. But I did a good job about that.” Twice grand slam
winner Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, a 6-1 6-4 winner over Dutch qualifier
Arantxa Rus, stands in Henin’s path to the fourth round.

France’s 15th seed Marion Bartoli was beaten 3-6 6-3 6-0 by
Vesna Manasieva of Russia but 2009 champion Maria Sharapova survived an early
scare to rally to a 7-6 6-3 victory over Virginie Razzano in another
Franco-Russian encounter.

In the men’s draw, former world number five Tommy Robredo also
registered something of an upset with a 1-6 6-3 6-3 6-3 victory over American
16th seed Mardy Fish. Robredo’s fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco faced an
early exit but made a great escape by coming back from two sets down and saving
a match point in the fourth set on his way to a 2-6 4-6 6-4 7-6 6-0 win over
Serbian Janko Tipsarevic.

“I kept fighting all the time, because I was really close to
losing today,” said the ninth seed. “I think that just my mentality was one of
the biggest keys to my comeback today.” Thomas Berdych also had to fight back
after losing the first set to German Philipp Kohlschreiber but the sixth seeded
Czech found his range and ran out a comfortable 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-4 winner.

Less
than one week after former Super Eagles defender, Uche Okafor died in
the United States, Gideon Njoku,another Nigerian international, passed
on in Lagos.

Today’s generation
of Nigerian football fans mesmerised by the talent of Austin ‘Jay Jay’
Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu may not know Njoku but in his time he was one
of the best around. He was a member of Nigeria’s gold medal winning
team at the 1973 All Africa Games.Before Njoku died he was not a very
happy man. In October last year, during the celebration of Nigeria’s
50th independence anniversary, Njoku was one of the former Nigerian
footballers, who were at the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian
Church of God (RCCG) to confer an award on Pastor Enoch Adeboye. As I
interacted with him, I saw a man who was bitter with a system, which
favoured individuals who were willing to lick books and bend the truth.
He felt that the football establishment in Nigeria had not been fair to
him.

You may agree or
disagree with him depending on your disposition; the fact however
remains that in his prime he derived joy from serving his country.

In his time,
athletes were not like those of the present generation, preoccupied
with pecuniary matters. What was uppermost in their minds was to excel
and be worthy ambassadors of their country. They competed for Nigeria
without any inhibitions, without any expectations beyond the fact that
they wanted to be given a pat on the back for a job well done.

Njoku served
Nigeria well. The All Africa Games gold medal they won in 1973 was
Nigeria’s first major international football laurel. It paved the way
for subsequent triumphs continentally and globally.

Sadly for him and
for other members of that team and many others of their generation who
did big things for their country, they have not been celebrated. A lot
of former Nigerian stars of Njoku’s and later generations, perhaps
sensing that continued participation in sports in Nigeria was the
quickest route to penury left Nigeria to study and work abroad. A lot
of them have not come back.

In the United
States alone we have hundreds of them-Charlton Ehizuelen, Bruce
Ijirgho, Felix Imadiyi, Francis Monidafe, Sam Okpodu, Modupe Oshikoya
were some of those that set forth at dawn. Later we had others like
Chibuzor Ehilegbu, Humphrey Edobor, Paul Okoku,the Olukanmi brothers,
Femi and Segun, Deinde Akinlotan. This is not to forget the track and
field athletes-Innocent Egbunike, the Ezinwa brothers, Olapade
Adenekan, Peter Agbebaku, Chidi Imoh and others who remain in the
Diaspora.

Rewarding service

I believe that for
former sportsmen like Njoku the country they served diligently should
not leave them in the lurch. It has been argued and there is merit in
that argument that sportsmen should while active should not wait on
government but should plan for the time their limbs become weakened
with age and as such cannot carry them anymore.

Retired sportsmen
like Segun Odegbami and Adokiye Amiesimaka are exemplars in this
regard. Both men managed despite the challenges to get educated and to
thrive in business.However, it is my opinion that regardless of whether
retired sportsmen plan for retirement or not, the country they served
in their youth should make adequate plans for them to be comfortable in
old age. For those who may want to ask what is special about sportsmen
that government should go out of its way to cater for them, I ask: what
is the rationale behind giving retirement benefits to past military
leaders who subverted the Nigerian constitution by shooting their way
to power?

If these men who in
the course of violating the laws of the land amassed so much wealth can
be rewarded instead of being vilified and punished, why can’t dedicated
men and women who while competing for this country burnished its image
internationally be rewarded also with retirement benefits?

Is it too much for
government acting through the National Sports Commission (NSC)to set up
a mechanism that would identify ways in which retired sportsmen who
have represented in international sporting competitions can be put on
retirement benefits and those who can still contribute intellectually,
be given opportunity to do so?

As I write this,
Kenneth Ilodigwe, a former member of Enugu Rangers and the Green
Eagles, is down with prostate cancer and needs a little over $60,000
for treatment. In his seventies, Ilodigwe, known by admirers as Kendo
for his dashing and mesmerising style cannot afford the amount and has
cried out for help.

Whether the country
he served in his youth will come to his aid or whether it will allow
him to die and then eulogise him as a patriot remains to be seen. For
me, I think the time has come for us to live out the creed in our
anthem, which says that ‘‘the labours of our heroes past shall not be
in vain.” At this stage in our national life when patriotism is equated
with foolishness there can be no better way to inspire our youth to
national service than by showing and proving to them that those who had
walked down that road before them did not do so in vain.

Players of Dolphins
were missing from this week’s Nigerian Premier League (NPL) Team of the
Week even though they continued their impressive run at the weekend
when it inflicted a 1-0 defeat on Lobi Stars at Port Harcourt’s
Liberation Stadium.

City rivals, Sharks
were however represented through Victor Ezeji who grabbed the opening
goal in their 1-1 draw with Kano Pillars at the Sani Abacha Stadium
where Victor Namo, who also made the team, secured a dramatic late
equaliser.

The draw however
left both sides further behind Dolphins whose win over Lobi Stars made
it four wins in row for Stanley Eguma’s side and kept them at the top
of the league standings for a second successive week.

However, Sunshine
Stars with 20 points are close on the trail of the table-topping
Dolphins, who have 22 points. Sunshine had recorded a 2-1 win over
Heartland with Daniel Mende grabbing the match-winning goal for the
Akure based side at Ijebu Ode’s Gateway International Stadium at the
weekend.

The encounter was
however marred by a brawl that ensued after Heartland’s Joshua Obaje
cancelled out Ibrahim Ajani’s opening goal as fans of the Akure side
threatened harm the match officials and journalists at the match venue.

Referees take the spotlight

Another game, which
kept the match officials busy was the tie in neighbouring Abeokuta
where Shooting Stars and Kaduna United played out a 1-1 draw with both
sides finishing the game with ten men each after centre referee, Godwin
Ubosi issued red cards to Shooting Stars’ Raphael Musa and Kaduna’s
Nelson Nimyel.

A red card was also
handed out in the game between Zamfara United and Crown with the
culprit on this occasion being Zamfara’s Usman.

That incident took
place in the 44th minute but did little to prevent Zamfara from
shooting into the lead in the 53rd minute after Austin Kadiri
successfully converted a penalty. The referee had adjudged Charles
Otuwe guilty of handling the ball in the area.

Crown equally had a penalty of their own but Bode Daniel wasn’t as fortunate as he saw his effort saved by Olabisi Adewunmi.

The match officials
were also in the spotlight in Aba where Enyimba failed to win at home
for the first time this season, settling for a goalless draw against
Warri Wolves with 11 minutes of stoppage time played on the orders of
centre referee Adamu Gambo.

There was however
no such cases at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium where Enugu Rangers pipped
visiting Gombe United 1-0 to move to within six points of Dolphins.

Another game
decided in Enugu saw struggling Plateau United twice coming from behind
to secure a 2-2 draw against Niger Tornadoes.

But the shock of the weekend was witnessed in Bauchi where Bukola Babes recorded an emphatic 3-0 win over Kwara United.

Whilst the Nigeria
Football Federation (NFF) is yet to decide where the Super Eagles will
be playing their next Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, the team’s
coach, Samson Siasia, has said he prefers Lagos as venue for the match.
The Super Eagles are scheduled to host Ethiopia on March 26.

Though Siasia said
he is yet to officially present his choice of venue to the football
federation, he is confident that the NFF will see reason and accede to
his demand when that is done.

“I have not told
them yet officially but I think they have a hint about what we are
trying to do, they all know that the Lagos State government has been
there for the NFF; so, I don’t think there would be a problem for them
agreeing to the proposal,” he said.

Siasia also said he
would like to start out in a new environment as he reckoned that the
Lagos crowd will avail his team the kind of support they need to excel.

“I remember during
my playing days we used to play our matches in Lagos and the atmosphere
then used to be awesome; people came to watch in their numbers and it
was very interesting. We can play our other matches elsewhere later,”
he said.

Worthy hosts

Already savouring a
chance to host the Eagles in Lagos, Tajudeen Oladeji, a board member of
the state FA said the team can be sure to get the best of hospitality
and facilities in the state.

“Lagos is ready
anytime to host the Eagles, we have one of the best stadiums in the
country and we have the best fans here. Lagos is football and football
is Lagos; it would be nice to have the Super Eagles here after a very
long absence,” he concluded.

It is over a decade
since the Super Eagles played any competitive match in Lagos, the team
however had a slight training session at the Teslim Balogun stadium
en-route its departure to Angola for the 2010 Nations Cup, the fans
where denied access to the training and that did not go down well for
the teeming football fans hoping to see the Eagles play live again in
Lagos.

The Super Eagles’
2-0 victory of Madagascar in Calabar, capital of Cross River State,
last September was their last game in Nigeria. It was an Africa Cup of
Nations qualifying match.

The Eagles are currently second, behind Guinea, in their race
towards qualification for the Nations Cup to be co-hosted by Gabon and
Equatorial Guinea. And they have to top the group as only the group
leaders are guaranteed a spot at the biennial Championships.

“There is a limit
to what tolerance can take but you can’t overstretch understanding.
Anger and frustration shouldn’t always find an outlet in the bullet,”
preaches Idris Adam, a 26-year-old resident of Angwan Hausawa, in Tudun
Wada, Jos, the Plateau State capital.

Adam is Fulani; he
is a Muslim with many of his good friends being Christians. Like him
scores of Muslim youth in Tudun Wada, a vast community inhabited by
Christians and Muslims, have been able to shame
ethno-politico-religious detractors seeking to turn the state into a
battle ground of sorts.

The youth in Tudun
Wada have found a common ground on which friendship, mutual respect and
peace can reign on the plateau. That platform is football.

Adorned in football
jerseys of different clubs in Nigeria and outside, Muslim and Christian
youth gather everyday of the week, at the football pitch by the Federal
secretariat complex in Tudun Wada, from as early as 6.30am to mid-day.
Sweating it out together, sharing in each other’s pain and joy, they
simply forget for a while that Jos is a city divided against itself.

“Honestly, it is
the game of football that is helping to bring peace in Tudun Wada,”
says 29-year-old Michael Samuel, a midfield player popularly known as
Boyi. “Football has united the youth in this community. We have grown
up playing together, eating and drinking together. We know each other
so well that it is hard for us to hurt each other.” On December 25,
2010, about 12 hours after scores of mostly Christian men, women, and
children were killed following the Jos Christmas eve multiple bombings
affecting Gada Biu and Angwan Rukuba areas, Boyi, and two fellow
Christian footballer friends, Steven Moga and Musa Gambo, went to the
football pitch.

“There was a lot of
tension in Jos. But the three of us came together to the field because
we were concerned that if no Christian came, they (Muslims in Tudun
Wada) would feel probably we Christians are planning for them,” Boyi
said.

Their action made a
difference, as Adamu Yakubu, a Muslim in his late 40s, and the head
football coach in the area got them and the Muslim youth together,
reminded them they belong to a football family of friends, working
together, not against the other. He asked them to stay close to their
homes, be vigilant and prevent the crisis from extending into their
area.

Football as balm

“It’s through
football that we’ve got ourselves united. I keep telling them our
security is everyone’s responsibility. We don’t just allow strangers to
come into this place because we know its people from outside that are
causing problems, not the Christians and Muslims in here,” says Yakubu.

Indeed, dialogue
and understanding through football has been a key strategy adopted by
the youth in Tudun Wada since the Jos 2008 crisis to promote peace
amongst themselves.

For Bala Ibrahim, a
business man from Gombe State but born and brought up in Jos, any
determined government seeking ways to achieve peace in the state,
should invest more in getting the youth involved in sports,
particularly football, as the game has proved probably the only
unifying tie, which all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe and religion,
have in common.

“Like Boyi, I
visited him in his house on new year’s day. I drank, ate chicken,
cookies and his wife even gave me chin-chin for my wife. I am a Muslim
and he is a Christian, but he also comes to my place. Our friendship
has developed because we play football together. Football is the answer
to attaining peace,” Ibrahim says.

As the Tudun Wada
youth lined up to take a group photograph for this report, Christians
with Muslims, hands over each other’s shoulders, Adam’s words echoed a
piece of advice for other youth:

“Because of crisis,
for 11 years, we have not seen any tangible dividends of democracy.
This is the right time for us all to bury the hatchet and gain what
democracy has to offer,” said Adam, who hopes to study law some day.

The
year 2011 has started but the state of the National Women Football
League in still in confusion and uncertainty. Women’s football started
in Nigeria in the late 1970s, but it was not until the 1980s that it
really became a fixture of the local football scene. The pioneers
included Simbiat Babes and Jegede Babes and it was from these teams
that players were picked for the first women’s national football team
in 1990.

Whereas the
national women’s teams have been doing well in international
competitions, the local league that is supposed to serve as the
reservoir for the teams has been rendered comatose because of a lot of
negative happenings between the administrators, club owners and the
players.

Mere shadow

The League has
since become a shadow of its former self as the neglect from the
football body and various bickering has plunged the body into the
doldrums. Neglected by the mother body, the Nigerian Football
Federation (NFF) and differing voices on who is in the best position to
administer the League, has culminated in the women’s league sliding
into a comatose state.

The call for equal
representation In the past, there has been agitation for better
treatment of women in football but these calls it seems have gone
unheeded by the football federation. Henritta Ukaigbe, a prominent
female football commentator said: “In times past, there have been
agitations to make the female league more viable but it seems that
right now, the game is going to be further neglected or even
forgotten.” For the women’s game to get better there must be adequate
representation by the real stake-holders in decision making process in
administering the game. One way by which this could be achieved is by
having representation in the NFF. The elections held in August 2010
produced a board shorn of any woman. To make certain of this
representation, the NFF board has set aside a date for fresh elections
on January 28, 2011.

The news apparently
sounds good, but it is not satisfying to those who manage the women and
who own the clubs. The Women Football Club Owners is against one of the
guidelines set by the NFF. The said guideline stipulates that only
women could contest positions on the Women Football League Board. This
is not good news as it means that male club owners who are directly
involved with the women are not eligible to contest.

Unfair guidelines

According to Peter
Oguche, Chairman of Oguche Babes of Lokoja, such a guideline is
baseless. “No woman is funding a female football club today in Nigeria;
the club owners are all men therefore the NFF should not dictate to us
that the board must be for women only.” Another club manager, John Zaki
of Tin City Queens further buttressed the point being made by Oguche.
“For some time now, no women have been involved in the management of
football at the league level. Before there was Jegede Babes and
Omidiran Babes which were owned by women but now the clubs are no
longer functioning. If there are no women owners at the league level,
how are they to know what the problems actually are?” Speaking on the
same board representation, Ogochukwu Atube, a club less female player
said, “It does not matter if the people representing us are either men
or women. The important thing is that we have fair representation that
would benefit the players and develop the league.” A postponement to
eternity The club owners seem to be happy that the league has been
postponed and hope that all modalities will be put in place for the
commencement. According to Eddington Kuejebola, proprietor of Ufuoma
Babes, he said:

“It is to make sure
that they have all modalities in place so that there will be no
logistics problems. It can be recalled that about two years ago, it was
reported that the league secretary, Danlami Alalana, said that some
clubs would be face relegation if they did not appear for their
matches. And it is because of this statement that most of these clubs
withdrew from the league.” Though it seems this time that the NFF has
acceded to the request of the club owners but instead of putting a time
frame on the extension, the NFF has decided to postpone the start of
the league indefinitely. This further goes to confirm the apparent
pessimistic view with which the NFF views the female game in the
country.

Uncertainty reins

Macbeth Esezobor,
proprietor of the Macbeth Queens football club when spoken to last week
dismissed the starting of the league saying, “Do not be surprised if
the league which they announced would begin in January does not start.
Another person expressing this same lack of confidence is a football
player, Ogochukwu Atube, “We (the players) have been put in a state of
limbo.

We don’t even know
what is going on now. I think I would go and do something else, the
people at the helm of affairs just want to kill the game.” The need for
sponsorship For a League to be tagged a professional one, there is the
need to have sponsorship. However, in the past six years, the league
has suffered from a lack of sponsorship. “At the time we had the
sponsorship of Pepsi, female football was very exciting but now
everything is really boring”, says Atube. Tewogboye Oyewole, proprietor
of Tewo Queens decried the inattention that the women have faced at the
administrative level.

Ayo Omidiran,
proprietor the defunct Omidiran Babes of Oshogbo, also said that the
structure which holds the league needs to be strengthened. “A
professional league without sponsors is not really professional. It is
even worse than an amateur league. When the sponsorship problem is
resolved, then the other solutions to the various challenges will fall
into place.

“For some time now,
the club owners have been responsible for the funding of their
respective clubs and the NFF being the administrators of football in
Nigeria should know the amount of money that is required to keep a club
afloat.” So with all the pessimism and uncertainty relating to the
female league, it is actually correct to say that women football on the
local scene is gradually being squeezed to death.

This second Sunday
of 2011, I open my account on a note a few may consider curious, given
the somewhat misplaced perception that I am just a football buff no
more no less. Matters are not helped by friends who gave me the
sobriquet Football Aficionado! But here is something that may interest
you and may well be a talking point, which when thoroughly explored and
the findings adequately addressed, a major sport which put Nigeria
first on the World map in 1958, again in 1962, 1965 and for a long time
thereafter will return with a bang.

An old female
friend of mine now resident in Florida, whom I last saw or communicated
with some twenty-four (24) years ago got connected courtesy Facebook
sometime in December 2010 and we have been playing catch-up. On
Thursday morning she changed the gears and had this to say… ‘All you
talk about is football… so boring… What about boxing etc?’

And I replied thus:

“Well, you are
right but you cannot talk boxing with predominantly Nigerian network
audience on Facebook because boxing is dead in Nigeria today. The only
time you hear of it is when its officials are boxing over money or who
will go on a foreign trip because estacode is involved. The Shell Belt
Championship, our equivalent of the US Golden Gloves Tournament was
last held probably in 1989. There are no local promotions and promoters
since age slowed down ace promoter, Martins Osaile.

Even the amateur
ranks that boasted Commonwealth, Olympic and Africa medallists and
title holders is asphyxiated. We had a Nojeem Maiyegun who won bronze
medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, Fatai Ayinla, Eddie Ndukwu, the
Andeh brothers, Tony and Davidson, Joe Mensah, Isaac Ikhuoria, Obisia
Nwankpa, Peter Konyegwachie, Jeremiah Okorodudu, David Izonritei,
Richard Igbinegu etc who were either Commonwealth, African, Olympic or
world amateur medallists.”

Honestly, apart
from the stymied efforts of officials of the NBBF to prevent Obisia
Nwankpa from doing his job as boxing coach to the best of his ability,
local boxing has been a bleeding ulcer. And there are not many great
international boxing fans because local presentation of the sport is
not exactly attractive. My FB network can hardly pick any! Life is not
made easy with a plethora of World boxing controlling bodies which are
all guilty of throwing up title fights between boxers of questionable
credentials. So locally or internationally boxing is ebbing.

Boxing appear to
have gone full-circle, in Nigeria and abroad because quality is scarce.
Today, apart from Manny Pacquaio, Amir Khan of the United Kingdom,
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and the Klitschko brothers, international boxing
is experiencing a drought too and has not offered much since Mike
Tyson. That is the reason two former World heavy-weight boxing
champions Evander Holyfield well into his late forties, is still boxing
and fighting into his grave as did another boxing great, George Foreman.

Diminishing talent

Boxing today is
very lean on talent, extremely pale in colour and short on class.
Roberto “Fists of stone” Duran, the enigmatic Sugar Ray Leonard,
Marvellous Marvin Hagler, Thomas “Hitman” Hearns and Africa’s
contribution to that elite corps of boxers, Uganda’s John “the beast”
Mugabe represent an extinct class of quality boxers.

Add to that, the
greatest of them all, Cassius Clay, the “Louisville lip”, later
Muhammed Ali you can then appreciate what I am saying.

The colour truly
has gone out of boxing. There was the little man from Sheffield,
England, Prince Nassim Hammed in his near Zulu boxing gear that did
have great following too but boxing needs to re-invent itself to get
its followership back.

The critical point
being made here however is the fading glory of Nigeria’s boxing
characterised by management personnel without vision, passion or
commitment. Since the passing on of Air force Officer, Brai Ayonote,
Nigeria’s boxing has been unable to throw up a manager of repute. There
is nobody to lead the way. Pretenders returning less than average
results pervade the Nigeria boxing scene. A sport that could have done
Nigeria a lot more than football has done is suffering from abject
neglect even after producing four World boxing Champions in Hogan
Bassey, Dick Tiger, Bash Ali and Samuel Peter.

Going down memory
lane, Nigeria hosted professional boxing title fights between
1975-2006. These involved boxers like Custom man Joe Lasisi, Hogan
“Atomic bomb” Jimoh, Dele Jonathan and Bash Ali. Even Obisia Nwankpa
tested his kill for a World boxing title with Saoul Mamby. We have also
disappeared from the African boxing radar. I do not recall a Nigerian
boxer with an African title today.

Going forward, I
would like to see a re-organised Nigeria Boxing Board Federation and a
professional body stepping forward to re-invent the game in Nigeria.
There are possibilities from the amateur to professional ranks for the
Nigerian boxer. Let us re-jig the business by shaking up amateur boxing
and getting quality and strength together in at least twenty-two boxers
between the ages of 17-20 years first into a four- year development
programme under the tutelage of experienced coaches from Cuba.

The programme will
prepare and gear up its products for the African and Commonwealth
boxing events as well as the Olympic especially the one for 2016. After
the 2016 Olympics the best of them would be encouraged to step up to
the professional ranks to earn big money, honour and glory. But they
must be guided through a deliberate plan adequately funded. The
Nigerian boxing federation, NABA can institute a business enterprise
unit; engage professionals to manage this initiative for honour and
profit.

Nostalgia fills me
up when I recall from the pages of history, Hogan “kid” Bassey MBE
originally Okon Bassey Asuquo, born in Calabar 3rd June 1932. He was
Nigeria’s first world boxing Champion. He turned professional while
still at school, winning and then losing the Nigerian flyweight title
in 1949. He became Commonwealth Champion and in 1958 became World
Flyweight Champion. Yes, he lost it on the eve on Nigeria’s
independence in 1960 but he was World Champion in boxing and Nigeria’s
first.

And Dick Tiger,
Nigeria’s second World boxing Champion and until Samuel Peter’s very
short reign. Dick Tiger CBE, born Richard Ihetu August 14, 1929 hailed
from Ubahu Village, Amaigbo,

Anambra State. He
was a very active fighter, full of energy, and capable of beating
bigger men. His boxing career record was: fought 81; won 60; lost 18
and drew 3. He was a two-time undisputed world middleweight title
holder. He became World undisputed Light-Heavyweight Champion. Tiger
won his first middle weight title in 1962, and was a popular fighter at
the famous Madison Square Gardens, New York.

Such was the texture of Nigeria’s boxing those days of yore. God
Almighty is not going to come down to do it for us. Somebody has to
step forward to do it. That somebody is not going to be me because I
have my hands full already with youth football, American Football for
Lagos State and miscellaneous interests in sport. Until next week
folks…the labours of our heroes past shall never be in vain.

Newcastle United were humiliated 3-1 by League Two (fourth division)
Stevenage on Saturday as four top-flight teams were knocked out by
lowly opposition in the third round of the FA Cup.

Sunderland, West Bromwich
Albion and Blackpool also went out as the world’s oldest cup
competition maintained its reputation for upsets.

Arsenal almost made the tally
five but Cesc Fabregas came off the bench to score a last-minute
penalty to earn the 10-times winners a 1-1 home draw with Championship
(second division) side Leeds United.

Thirteen years ago Stevenage,
then a minor league club, took a Newcastle title-chasing team to a
replay in an acrimonious fourth-round tie before the top-flight side
eventually went on to reach the final.

Stevenage were deserved winners
this time round as new Newcastle manager Alan Pardew paid a heavy price
for resting several regulars.

Two goals in five minutes early
in the second half by Mike Williamson (own goal) and Michael Bostwick
gave the home team a 2-0 lead.

Newcastle then had Cheik Tiote
sent off for a reckless challenge. Joey Barton pulled a goal back in
the last minute before Peter Winn slammed the door shut with
Stevenage’s third.

“They gave us a lot of problems
with the pressure and physical side of their game,” Pardew told ESPN
television. “I felt we were running on empty, we had four or five
players who looked like they were shot (exhausted).

“I think there are a few in
there that need to understand what this game is all about. In the
Premier League it’s all well and good but a few of the young lads got
caught out tonight.”

SUNDERLAND SLUMP

Sunderland, flying high in
sixth position in the league and with a formidable home record, also
fielded a weakened team and were beaten 2-1 at the Stadium of Light by
Notts County who are struggling in League One.

Championship promotion-chasers
Reading won 1-0 at home to hand West Brom their sixth successive defeat
while League One Southampton overcame visiting Blackpool 2-0.

Bolton Wanderers, seventh in
the Premier League, needed late goals from Kevin Davies and Johan
Elmander to scrape past minor league York City 2-0 while Everton,
Fulham, Wigan Athletic, Aston Villa, West Ham United and Birmingham
City also progressed.

On Sunday, holders Chelsea
entertain Ipswich Town while Kenny Dalglish’s first game back in charge
of Liverpool could hardly be bigger as he takes his side to Old
Trafford to face Manchester United.

Last year Manchester United lost at home in the third round to Leeds, then in League One.

SNODGRASS OPENER

The Yorkshiremen looked on
course for another upset win at the Emirates in Saturday’s lunchtime
kickoff when Denilson tripped Max Gradel in the 54th minute and Robert
Snodgrass converted the penalty in front of 8,000 travelling fans.

Arsenal, unbeaten in 28 home FA
Cup games since Leeds won at their old Highbury ground in 1997, threw
on their big names in an effort to save the tie.

When substitute Theo Walcott was pulled back by Ben Parker up stepped Fabregas to stroke in a 90th-minute spot kick.

In stoppage time Kasper
Schmeichel saved brilliantly from Denilson before Nicklas Bendtner had
a fabulous chance to win it for Arsenal only to screw his shot badly
wide.

“I felt today our game was a
bit slow in our passing, we were not sharp in our decision-making, the
rest is credit to Leeds. They stopped us from playing,” manager Arsene
Wenger told the club’s website (www.arsenal.com)

“When Cesc comes on he has that vision so even if he is closed down he doesn’t have to run too much to make the game quicker.

“It was a very difficult game
because it was a real Cup game and Leeds were up for it, they played
well,” added Wenger. “It was important … not to go out today because
that would have been a shocker.”

The
new Super Eagles coach will resume office today if he makes it back
into the country from the United States of America. He was to have
resume on January 3, but that resumption date was postponed for
technical reasons.

During his trip to
the United States, the Nigeria Football Federation completed the
coaching department of the Super Eagles with the announcement of Ike
Shorunmu as the goal keeper coach and Salisu Yusuf as the second
assistant coach. Simon Kalika, the first assistant to Samson Siasia had
been chosen prior to these announcements. These coaches will either
make or break the next set of players that will make up the senior
national team.

Every coach has a
philosophy which he normally adopts in coaching his sides and as the
new era starts, we need to ask questions concerning the individuals
that make up the coaching quartet. On first hand basis, Siasia is a
hands-on coach who is said to be close to his players. This was the
prognosis of his team during the build up to the Olympic Games at
Beijing in 2008.

But that assumption
throws up further questions -will he be able to forge that kind of
camaraderie with the likes of Yakubu Aiyegbeni and the other senior
Eagles players?

What will be the
functions of the first assistant coach and the second assistant? What
are their antecedents? In a nut-shell, what are they bringing to the
table?

Though there is
still controversy on how the NFF came to pick Yusuf and Shorunmu, we
want to believe that best practices were followed in arriving at the
choices. Yusuf has worked extensively on the local scene, most
prominently with Kano Pillars over the past three seasons and his sides
have been known to play pleasing football.

Former Super Eagles
Coach, Christian Chukwu said recently in a local newspaper that, “I
cannot tell you I know the criteria used in picking the two coaches but
we all started the process which was inconclusive.” “We were told that
when the nominees were pruned from the number of text messages, Siasia
was supposed to have an input in the choice of who would be his
assistants. I do not know if from the names gathered through text
messages, Siasia was contacted to make his final choice. May be he was
contacted through the same way we were asked to send names, I cannot
confirm. Until we meet, I cannot exactly say what really happened.”

Moving forward

The second
assistant coach, Yusuf spoke to NEXTSports from his base in Kano and
said, “We are young and ambitious and we also want to make Nigerians
proud.” When he was asked what particular quality he would be bringing
to the national team, the Kano Pillars coach said,

“I have extensive
knowledge of the local league and even Samson (Siasia) does and since
we are in the process of rebuilding, the local league will have a say
in the formation of the new national team.” Nigerian football fans have
not been happy at the ‘plodding’ football that the national team
currently exhibits so the question was posed to the second assistant
coach for him to elaborate on what he thinks are the challenges that
the team currently faces?

Yusuf said: “The
problem that the Eagles face presently in my own opinion is that of
players playing out of their natural positions.

“The first thing we
need to do to build a viable team is to make sure that the players that
are chosen are placed in their natural habitats. There can be
emergencies in the match but firstly, players must play in their
natural positions. In the past few years, players have been used in the
wrong positions and that is why we have had defensive midfielders
playing as offensive midfielders and vice versa.” Yusuf and Shorunmu
have been with Siasia at different times. Shorunmu was around the U-23
team before the Beijing Olympics and Yusuf was on the bench with Siasia
at the FIFA U-20 World Championship in Egypt IN 2009.

The new coach has
drawn out a plan of action to revive the national team. They are of
short and long term duration; the question being asked is: how would
Yusuf and Kalika fit in to his plan?

Speaking concerning
Kalika in the new set-up on SuperSport, Siasia said: “Simon (Kalika) is
a useful ally in scouting other teams and that is how we got to meet.

“In 2005 in
Holland, he just came to me and said he would like to help the U-20
team by helping us scout the opponents. I was glad that he came but I
told him not to expect any form of payment and he agreed. I found out
that whatever reports he gave to me helped the team to prepare for our
matches and his analysis on the opponents’ weaknesses were always
accurate and that is how we started working together.” Kalika has been
with Siasia to the U-20 World Cup, the U-23 team at the Beijing
Olympics, and also at the U-20 FIFA World Cup in Egypt in 2009.

Siasia has said he
would not be introducing drastic changes but begin by looking around to
identify young and talented footballers who would be given the
opportunity to prove their worth, both from within and outside Nigeria.

His plan as he put it is to have for now, a mixture of some of the
old players in the team who are still relevant and some young ones who
have shown that they have the special talent to make the team.