The first person to
call me after the Super Eagles qualified for the World Cup was the
Chief Standards Editor of NEXT, Gbemiga Ogunleye.
A diehard Gunner, I
take pleasure in teasing Mr. Ogunleye each time Arsenal kids are taught
one or two lessons in football by Manchester United, Chelsea, or any of
the Cities, Hull, Stoke, Birmingham, or Bolton.
But Mr. Ogunleye is
also a diehard supporter of the Super Eagles. After our 2-2 draw
against Tunisia in Abuja, his number one concern was our chances of
qualifying for the World Cup. Each time he asked, I always told him
that ‘blessed are the hopeful, for they will not be disappointed’. I
was cocksure that the Eagles could not qualify after throwing that
opportunity away and was already thinking of 2014 World Cup.
Converted by a trip to Mozambican border
Penultimate week, I
was in South Africa for a training workshop at the University of
Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg. After the programme, a few of us
decided to travel to Mpumalanga province. The farther we explored the
province, the closer we got to Mozambique. At most bars and
restaurants, we foundd a lot of Mozambican tourists and immigrants, and
the only subject of discourse was the match between Mozambique and
Tunisia and how imperative it was for them to win the match and qualify
for the Nations Cup which is taking place in their region.
They told me the
Super Eagles were going to lose in Kenya, so they needed to win their
match to avoid the embarrassment of missing out of the Nations Cup and
watch Kenya on television.
The Mozambicans
could not understand how Nigeria escaped from Maputo with a point, and
how they left Abuja without a point after playing so well.
Given the zeal with which the Mozambicans played, I knew the best the Tunisians could get was a draw.
Back in Nigeria
When I entered the
newsroom last week and told my colleagues that the Eagles would
qualify, Nnamdi Okosieme said ‘Kay you don’t change, abi na you go pay
the Kenyan and the Mozambican the Gbalamu or you are now in charge of
tactical for NFF”. Many of my colleagues could not understand where my
optimism was coming from and they advised me not to come to work on
Sunday. It was the same story in the neighbourhood where I live, as
they all told me to pack and start looking for another accommodation.
During the match
when the Eagles were a goal down, Okosieme called me, “Kay, Kenyans don
score, your prediction has failed.” I advised him to relax, that the
game was 90 minutes and not 45 minutes.
At the end of the day, the Eagles qualified, and the Mozambicans also made it to the Nations Cup.
But apart from the
ambition of the Mozambicans and the crisis in the camp of Kenya, the
prayer of Nigerians, especially the General Overseer of the Redeemed
Christian Church Of God, Pastor Adajare Adeboye, were answered. Paul
Bankole wrote in Next last Tuesday that we would qualify because God
would intervene on our behalf.
What next ?
Now that we have qualified, the NFF and its spin doctors will go to town and start claiming the glory that belongs to God.
Super Eagles coach,
Shaibu Amodu, should be humble enough to admit that he has not got what
it takes to handle the Super Eagles. Amodu’s selection, tactics and
everything about the Eagles coach, are faulty. It is not enough for us
to qualify for the World Cup, we must go there and prove that we are
one of the best.
Our number one need
is a good coach. Many football buffs and fans would say that we don’t
have players again, that the last time we had quality players was
USA’94.
Check the pedigree
of the players we have today and the ones we used for the USA’94 World
Cup; you need not be an Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho to know that we
have better players today.
The Eagles, under
Amodu, are like England under Steve MaClaren. A bunch of uncommitted
players who are not giving their best because they are untouchable; who
will play for the national team irrespective of their form and
performances in training. The same set of players that could not
qualify for the EURO 2008, qualified for the World Cup with two matches
to spare.
With a Capello-like coach, the Eagles will make a huge impact in
South Africa. One hopes Sanni Lulu, Bolaji Ojo-Oba and Taiwo Ogunjobi
are reading.
Source:234next.com/
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