Nigerian Football is in Total Shamble!

Monday, 22nd February 2010 at 12:10pm

Most Nigerians want the Super Eagles to fly to the sky at South Africa 2010 and are deluding themselves that a top class coach would put the dream to reality. Nonetheless Nigerians have not asked themselves if they have the players to get the dream come true!

So many Nigerians are upset about the Super Eagles missing out of the World Cup show down in South Africa 2010 very early and they focused the blame on God knows who? Blame it on NFF!

Peradventure my candid opinion, I do believe we have no merit call to be at the World Cup because we don't have the players to make the nation proud. As a matter of fact, lot of you will disagree with my opinion.

Let me analyse this fact: How many Super Eagles players play in Champions League? How many Super Eagles players star in the top clubs in the five European League?

Certainly write down the best five African players in any of these Leagues? No Nigerian name will not be on the list! Maybe you will mention Chelsea's John Obi Mikel? What is his role in the Chelsea team? Is he the star focus in the team like Drogba and Essien?

Taking for instance teams like Ghana, Egypt and several others do not pose players in top European clubs still they are superb and excellent teams. Nigerians must consider this crucial truth, how good is our National Football League? How many of the local clubs are good enough in Africa as a continent?

We had few clubs in Nigeria who contested for Championships in Africa, the likes of Enyimba who won the CAF Champions League twice 5 years ago! Then end of story. My friends, Al-Ahly has won it six times and two times runners up.Zamalek has won it five times and one time runners up. Teams from Congo DR, Guinea, Morocco and Cameroon have won it three times respectively. It is a big shame to the largest Black nation in the world, a country of over 150 million people without quality and standard league and top superb players home and abroad, I honestly doubt we deserve to represent Africa. Brazil is 193 million people, ripped with majority poverty still they rule the world with star studded football teams and football legends! As we claim to be football nation, I wonder what holds us bond to have superior and dominance football clubs and National teams in Africa relatively to our population? Football is a culture in Brazil-What is our culture? Football! No, I disagree totally!

With all due respect, I should establish these two facts; firstly Nigerian football is being manoeuvred by a lot of corrupt gurus and as a result to this fact Nigerian Football is set off to downslide drastically. Secondly, the players in the current national team are not committed to the country's cause. Let Nigerians take a cross section to evaluate the total ability of all the super Eagles players in the current team then the answer will be very visual. Check the actual number of games each played in their respective clubs in a season, what position are their clubs in the league and check those that are 100% mentally and physically sound to be considered for a national assignment like African Cup and World Cup?

I have to break down the roll call to the best interest of Nigerians, in 1994 Super Eagles squad included Alloy Agu,Austin Eguavoen, Ben Iroha, Stephen Keshi, Samson Siasia, Uche Okechukwu, Chidi Nwanu, Finidi George, Thompson Oliha, Rashidi Yekini, Peter Rufai Austin Okocha, Emmanuel Amuneke and Uche Okechukwu. Others were Daniel Amokachi, Victor Ikpeba, Mike Emenalor, Uche Okafor, Efan Ekoku, Mutiu Adepoju, Wilfred Agbonavbare, Emeka Ezeugo and Sunday Oliseh.

On the contrary, the 2010 squad include Ikechukwu Uche, Obinna Nwaneri, Chinedu Obasi, Danny Shittu, Olubayo Adefemi, Greg Etafia, Vincent Enyeama, John Obi Mikel, Yusuf Mohammed, Chidi Odiah, Taye Taiwo, Elderson Echiejile, Onyekachi Apam, Ayodele Adeleye, Joseph Yobo and Bamidele Aiyenugba. Others were Osaze Odemwingie, Kalu Uche, Seyi Olofinjana, Yusuf Ayinla, Olufemi Ajilore, Sani Kaita, Nwankwo Kanu, Aiyegbeni Yakubu, Joseph Akpala, Michael Eneramo, Obafemi Martins, Dickson Etuhu and Obinna Nsofor.

The 2010 World Cup is just around the corner and that is the team Nigerians hope to deliver? It is very important to compare and contrast between the 1994 team and 2010 team respectively then consider players qualified as nominee for World Footballer of the year, CAF African Footballer of the year, BBC African Footballer of the year or Ballon d'Or?

BBC African Footballer of the Year Award 2009 nominee shortlist were made of sensational African players which are TP Mazembe`s Tresor Mputu Mabi (DR Congo), Chelsea's Didier Drogba(Cote d'Ivoire),Inter's Samuel Eto‘o Fils (Cameroun).Chelsea's Michael Essien (Ghana) and Barcelona's Yahya Toure (Cote d'Ivoire)

It is not funny that no Nigerian player was shortlisted. The awards gave a clear view and a fair evaluation of Nigerian players. Following the BBC records, the last time a Nigerian won was in 2004, and it was Jay Jay Okocha.All said and done, Nigerians should not expect the current super Eagles team to do magic. Prayers from all corners of Nigeria will not deliver a good measure equal to other African countries adopting the best technical and tactical formation to build up football in their countries.

Statically we have to accept the truth that Nigeria is out of the football scene, considering the topmost CAF honor 2009,the Glo-CAF Player of the Year across the world, which shortlisted five players including Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo), Wigan Athletic`s Amr Zaki (Egypt), Chelsea's Michael Essien (Ghana) Chelsea's Didier Drogba (Cote d'Ivoire), and Al-Ahly's Mohamed Aboutrika (Egypt). None was from the great Super Eagles! Pity None!

Let's get down, on the ground, Nigerians! The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has not set up the best machineries to develop and correct the blunders of Nigerian football in general. The football authorities use men for age group competitions, yet they talk about youth development! Please can someone tell me, how many of the U-17 players were drawn direct from secondary schools or football academies? Ladies and gentlemen, has the Nigerian Football Federation got anything against football academies? Why did we lose to Swiss in the finals of U-17 World Championship in Nigeria? No answer? But the answer will be made visible when the NFF change their method of selection and be truthful!

I ask a very simple question! Considering the football structure in Nigeria, which pose to have Premier and Amateur League, now which of the Premier League club has good and standard Academy? Which of the Premier League Club has the insurance of the players in case of injury? Which of the Premier League Club pays the player's salaries regularly with the bonuses? Which of the Premier League club has pre-season training camps outside Nigeria? Just a few Premier League Club has a stadium and maintains the staff! Not to mention the Amateur League Clubs which are nothing to write home about!

On the contrary, how many Nigerian, individuals, families goes to the stadium to watch the league matches? How many could spare the time to have leisure and buy a match ticket to watch the Football league? Yet we claim to love football and shout verbally about the players performances! How many clubs have really fans who buy their souvenirs? Instead you would see on every corner, streets and local pitches, young kids with T-shirts of Chelsea, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester,Inter Milan, Barcelona etc, so many have T-shirt with inscribe of Drogba, Essien, Eto and none have T-shirt with inscribe of Osaze, Mikel Obi, Danny Shittu, Aiyegbeni Yakubu why? They are not good enough to be proud of? They are not top class African players? Ladies and gentlemen we have a serious problem! We have to address the matter and the Football Federation must take the major role and full time responsibility to overhaul Nigeria football structure. The so called big names in the Super Eagle will not deliver or make any impact in the South Africa World cup. There is no inspiration from both the Nigeria Football Authorities and the players?

All things been equal, Egypt have shown class and consistency in African football, Egypt has won the African cup seven times, Ghana and Cameroon has won it four times each while the Big Nigeria won it twice(1980 & 1994) just like Congo DR!Please give me a break! Do we have edge in African as a football loving nation? No! Meanwhile the entire Super Eagles team was drawn from seven European Clubs yet we fight to get a point against teams like Benin, Mozambique, and Kenya which pose just local and few low rated European league players! Why? I still ask why the National team handlers did not use any home based player during the Africa Cup? Egypt African giant and Champions had only four players from abroad and with the selection of the home based players they won the trophy for the third consecutive time in the history! Remember this fact, no Egyptian player has ever come to Nigeria to play football but thousands of good Nigerian players flock the local teams in Egypt and other part of North, South, West and East Africa in quest of greener pasture!

Let me announce this to you, age is a big factor in Nigeria football and a big show down during selection of players for the national assignment! We cannot afford to lose time and money for just big old bunch of tired players while we have arsenals in the local league that deserves to serve the nation like the young Ghana team! Why we cannot get the likes of 1994 Super Eagles squad? Believe this or not, I suggest the Nigeria Football Federation should appeal with Jay Jay Okocha to help us in the South Africa World Cup! Cameroon's Roger Miller did it and was a hero!

Final verdict, Nigeria Football Federation has failed to go on the drawing board, call a spade a spade and rephrase their words that prayers will help us just like that? I wonder Egypt, Ghana and other countries 666? Please prayer is not the solution to Nigerian disgraced football structure but truth which is the attribute of reality. That will set Nigerian football back to the stage..!

Written by:

Kester Ezuma

FIFA Licensed Players Agent, Switzerland

Infinite Football International Limited

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