Re: Super Eagles' Exit From The Nations Cup In Ghana.
I hope this letter will be published. The exit of
Super Eagles from the current edition of the African Cup of Nations in
Accra Ghana, is symbolic of what is wrong with Nigeria. In a country of
over 100 million people abounding in football talents and skills
comparable to any country in the world, Nigerian football leaders
cannot put together a team that can be competitive at this level.
This is a pity. It boils down to preparation, vision and management.
The usual blame game has started. And it appears to be the Nigerian
style. No real analysis of what went wrong and how to avoid a repeat
occurrence in the future. Football and its administration has become
very professional. Nigerian Football Association should sit up. In
looking for a Head Coach, you must take account of past trends and
achievements. In the 70s and early 80s, we had Father Tito who nurtured
Nigerian football and in-between was the Brazilian Otto Gloria.
However, Nigerian football shone so brightly in USA 94 with the
Dutchman, Westerhof and Bonfere masterminded some our Olympic winning
medals in 96 through to Sydney 2000.
On the junior level, we have our home grown coaches, the likes of
Chairman Chukwu and others that have taken our junior teams to the
highest levels of world football. Looking forward, a winning
combination should a Nigerian/Dutch or Dutch/Nigerian as Head Coaches
alternatively. Money should not be a consideration, the best
candidate(s) who have proven themselves on a national/international
arena must be the criteria.
Nigeria is rated No 1 in Africa by FIFA. It’s an enviable place to be;
therefore, we must strive to maintain consistency at all times. African
football is improving at a fast pace and winning and qualifying should
no longer be taken for granted. It has to be earned on the pitch. It’s
the stuff champions are made of.
It has always be said of the Super Eagles that they lacked discipline,
the mental toughness to play cohesively when trailing behind and the
technical finesses that the junior team has in abundance. I believe all
these can be overcome with the right coach and training facilities.
Finally, World Football is coming to Africa in about 2 years. A forward
thinking football administrators must have all hands on deck to make
sure that not only did we qualify but that we did extremely well in
South Africa. Preparation, preparation, preparation. Stop this madness
of forming a national team with players that have not played together.
Sure, a few foreign based who play in top teams but let majority be
home-grown kept in camp for a longtime.
And what happened to the under 17 that won the FIFA world cup in China
recently? They can become the national team for 2010 if we can harness
and keep them together. A mere suggestion, NFA!
Henry Ike
Disappointed and frustrated Super Eagles Fan
Sydney, Australia.
