In the first part of this piece, I was misconstrued by a few readers, who felt I was making excuses for the players and coach Finidi George following their home draw against South Africa.
I only attempted, in my opinion, not to just scratch the issues about records of the team in recent years, as most observers, fans and pundits have done. I believe the problems with the Super Eagles are fundamentally foundational and historical in perspectives.
Now, after the humiliation by Benin Republic, I will try to lay it further bare, why these Eagles will only play well and reach some satisfactory standards, only in tournaments and not in qualifiers.
Please, come along with me.
HISTORY
After the AFCON success in 1980, up till late the 80s, the Super Eagles were not a completely dominant force on the continent as the team had as their nemesis the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, and mostly the North African countries, constantly bringing strong opposition.
The arrival of the 90s announced the team’s truest dominance of the continent, climaxing with AFCON title and world cup attendance in 1994. The world finally came to know the potentials of Nigerian football, Europe particularly benefited with hundreds of Nigerian players playing in their different top and middle class clubsides.
Almost a hundred percent of these players had their primary football education in the Nigerian league before joining the European leagues. At the least, each spent five years playing for Nigerian league sides before jetting out. Europe only finetuned them and they became big stars who now were playing for the Eagles on invitation…..mixed with a few outstanding players in the local league.
This trend went on up till middle of year 2000s when the exodus of the very good legs began creaming off the local league, which now began dwindling in commercial value and appeal in the face of the stiff competition provided by European leagues buoyed by television and stupendous commercialisation.
The search for these ‘greener pastures’ by Nigerian players, became more intense, and especially made uncontrollable by agents who run academies for mega bucks. Players now hardly spent two years in the local league before they hopped into the plane to Europe.
Successive NFF administrations became overwhelmed while some shenanigans began playing out in invitation of these Europe-based players into the Super Eagles consequently lowering traditional standards.
Quick fixes then became order of the day. Rather than take the Bull by the horns, by re-engineering the local league system, the NFF looked away and encouraged what has today become an almost irreversible degradation of the local league to a poor state in all ramifications. Players were now being lured away to Europe without playing in the league and without properly conditioning themselves to the dynamics of African football.
While this was on, a vast population of Nigerian parents living in Europe were raising families of footballers conditioned to their environments. Many of them are today in the Super Eagles finding it hard to swim against the tide of African football. They dominate the team with those who left without the experience of the legendary toughness of Nigerian football at its PUREST NATURE !
THE NOSEDIVE
The consequence of these was that the Eagles now began having nightmares on the continent losing to Madagascar, Central Africa Republic ; and struggling against Cape Verde, Sierra Leone and all sorts… failed to qualify for three AFCON tournaments and a world cup in a space of ten years and generally lost respect and their intimidating status.
In between, there was an oasis of AFCON win in 2013 and second round finish at 2014 world cup inspired by late coach, Stephen Keshi.
Coaches Samson Siasia, Sunday Oliseh, Gernot Rohr, Austin Eguavoen and Jose Peseiro became scapegoats, though they had their own flaws during their tenures.
COACH FINIDI GEORGE
His heroics as a player are still of strong admiration for me. Nothing can obliterate that. As Super Eagles coach, he was, for NFF, the AVAILABLE in the absence of the DESIRABLE. If NFF, had the finance or was financially ingenious, FINIDI may not have ticked all their boxes, a bigger and more expensive coach could have been engaged. Finidi is giving his value’s worth and level best to the team, the NFF should not complain. And for Nigerians who want a BIG coach, THE NFF HAVE SAID SEVERAL TIMES THAT THEY ARE BROKE. Finidi is what they could afford.
THE REMEDY: MY OPINION
No more quick fixes. We must admit the reality. We now have a generation of players that will play well and make some marks only in tournaments. They do not possess the toughness and the character to group in three days, before a game, and win well.
They need to stay together for weeks to bond, play, sleep and eat together to achieve telepathy on the field of play. It’s only in tournaments this can happen.
The Benin Republic first goal was from a horrendous defending by Calvin Bassey and Semi Ajayi – Centre backs who stayed on the same line between a fast attacker. School boy error !
The game could have ended in a draw, but Paul Onuachu and Moffi Terri ran into each other for a free header inside the box.
The AFCON 2023 gave what it gave because Peseiro adopted a style that didn’t expose the team’s general frailties, Finidi did the opposite, the team was badly exposed.
World Cup ticket appears slipping away, yet there’s hope, but I’m not optimistic.
The local league must be strong financially, organisationally and technically, to keep the players home, and develop them,to compete for places with players in Europe, for whoever is the manager, to be able to assemble a strong team that can cope with all the nuances of the game at all times, in all competitions, especially in Africa.
