Yar’Adua Has Got To Go Beyond His 2010 50th Anniversary Rhet
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Yar’Adua Has Got To Go Beyond His 2010 50th Anniversary Rhet
Yar’Adua Has Got To Go Beyond His 2010 50th Anniversary Rhetoric
Written by Ayo Akinfe
Monday, 13 April 2009
By Ayo Akinfe
I am still not certain about how big a football fan President Umaru Yar’Adua is but from what I have seen since the Maputo humiliation, he appears to have his ears to the ground when it comes to the Super Eagles. Like most Nigerian football fans, I was pleasantly surprised that he recently summoned the top brass of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to Aso Rock to discuss our dwindling 2010 World Cup prospects.
Although we are not privy to the details of the discussion and what kind of guarantees the NFF gave Mr President, one thing that did leak out of the meeting is that he wants to see Nigeria’s flag flying in South Africa next year. I for one was particularly impressed with how Mr President reminded everyone present that in 2010 Nigeria would be celebrating her 50th anniversary and it would be unfathomable for our Eagles not to be at the Mundial that year.
I doubt if anybody would disagree with our number one citizen that for Africa’s giant to be absent at what would be the continent’s first ever World Cup, would be an unmitigated disaster of unimaginable proportions. South Africa 2010 will almost certainly be the only time the tournament is hosted in our continent during our lifetime and the fact that it falls in the same year as our Golden Jubilee presents us with a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the new Nigeria Dora Akunyili is trying to propagate to the rest of the world.
Given how enthusiastic Mr President is about Nigeria answering present, I believe he has to back up his passion with decisive action if we are to take him seriously. It is one thing to ask the NFF to ensure Nigeria qualifies but quite another to take the necessary action to ensure that the goal is achieved.
In Nigeria, we have a penchant for blaming the authorities when things go wrong and in the case of the Super Eagles, the NFF always bears the brunt when matters go sideways. Many commentators for instance have blamed Sani Lulu and his board for the woeful Maputo performance without telling us what more could have been done.
Our NFF hired an artificial turf for the boys to train on, camped them in luxury surroundings in South Africa, paid out bonuses on time and there were no ticket refund problems. Our lucky draw in Maputo is simply down to the inadequacies of an incompetent technical team that is not up to the task at hand.
This for me is where Mr President has to wade into the matter. If he is serious about Nigeria being present in South Africa, nothing can be left to chance. Asking Amodu Shaibu to take us through the remaining qualifiers is an almighty gamble that could backfire with disastrous consequences.
In 2005, after any equally lamentable draw with Angola in Kano, the penny dropped with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and he abandoned his previously held untenable position. Prior to the Kano debacle, President Obasanjo had held on to the irrational position that the national team coach had to be Nigerian, irrespective of capability.
However, he was forced to rescind his stance after the Kano embarrassment. President Yar’Adua faces the same dilemma although it appears he is not aware of it. If he waits for the situation to get precarious, it may be too late and like his predecessor, he will be left with egg on his face.
If Nigeria does not want to gamble with her appearance in South Africa, now is the time to effect change in the technical crew of the Super Eagles. Before our next qualifying match against Kenya, we have two friendlies against Ireland and France, which would provide a new coach with the perfect opportunity to iron out any flaws in the team before the serious business resumes.
I must admit that I for one am impressed with President Yar’Adua’s stance on the U-17 World Cup where he made it clear that state resources meant for socio-economic programmes would not be spent on a sporting jamboree. He made it explicitly clear that if the sporting authorities want to host the global cadet tournament this year, they would have to source the funding themselves from the private sector.
On the matter of South Africa 2010, I expect him to do likewise. A world-class technical crew led by someone like Gus Hiddink, Luis Van Gaal or Leo Beenhacker, Philippe Scholari, for instance, would be very expensive. However, we need this kind of management to move from gambling to making our presence in South Africa a certainty.
No doubt, President Yar’Adua will tell the NFF to go and source funds privately if they are to pay for it, which I am in support of but that does not let the president off the hook. This is top-to-bottom Nigeria where everything flows from the presidency downwards.
If the NFF are to successfully find the money to pay for a top coach, a call from Aso Rock is not only essential but compulsory. In 2005, it was President Obasanjo who rang Mike Adenuga and told him that he would be picking up the tab for a foreign coach. Subsequently, it was Globacom that paid Berti Vogts’ salary throughout his pathetic sojourn in Nigeria.
Yes, Berti Vogts leaves a sour taste in the mouth and has put us off foreign coaches but we cannot let one man set our standards. There are a lot of good world class coaches out there who can turn the Eagles into a global colossus again and Mr President should use the influence of his office to ensure we hire one of them.
Does anyone really believe that a disciple of total football like Luis Van Gaal will be as pathetic as the lazy Berti Vogts? In a coach like Van Gaal, we are not only guaranteed an appearance in 2010 but also a credible outing with the outside chance of lifting the trophy itself.
I take a little crumb of comfort from the fact that John Mastroudus has now waded into the matter. In the past, he has volunteered to help raise funds to pay for the services of a coach. It may well be that he needs to visit Aso Rock soon to sell the idea to a wavering Yar’Adua.
If Mr President wants to bow out in 2011 amid cheers and a loud ovation, nothing would be more befitting than a successful 2010 World Cup outing in which Nigeria celebrates being a nation for 50 years as football champions. However, to achieve this requires taking drastic action now. Yar’Adua has a unique opportunity that no other Nigerian president has had to etch his name in gold.
Ayo Akinfe
Written by Ayo Akinfe
Monday, 13 April 2009
By Ayo Akinfe
I am still not certain about how big a football fan President Umaru Yar’Adua is but from what I have seen since the Maputo humiliation, he appears to have his ears to the ground when it comes to the Super Eagles. Like most Nigerian football fans, I was pleasantly surprised that he recently summoned the top brass of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to Aso Rock to discuss our dwindling 2010 World Cup prospects.
Although we are not privy to the details of the discussion and what kind of guarantees the NFF gave Mr President, one thing that did leak out of the meeting is that he wants to see Nigeria’s flag flying in South Africa next year. I for one was particularly impressed with how Mr President reminded everyone present that in 2010 Nigeria would be celebrating her 50th anniversary and it would be unfathomable for our Eagles not to be at the Mundial that year.
I doubt if anybody would disagree with our number one citizen that for Africa’s giant to be absent at what would be the continent’s first ever World Cup, would be an unmitigated disaster of unimaginable proportions. South Africa 2010 will almost certainly be the only time the tournament is hosted in our continent during our lifetime and the fact that it falls in the same year as our Golden Jubilee presents us with a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the new Nigeria Dora Akunyili is trying to propagate to the rest of the world.
Given how enthusiastic Mr President is about Nigeria answering present, I believe he has to back up his passion with decisive action if we are to take him seriously. It is one thing to ask the NFF to ensure Nigeria qualifies but quite another to take the necessary action to ensure that the goal is achieved.
In Nigeria, we have a penchant for blaming the authorities when things go wrong and in the case of the Super Eagles, the NFF always bears the brunt when matters go sideways. Many commentators for instance have blamed Sani Lulu and his board for the woeful Maputo performance without telling us what more could have been done.
Our NFF hired an artificial turf for the boys to train on, camped them in luxury surroundings in South Africa, paid out bonuses on time and there were no ticket refund problems. Our lucky draw in Maputo is simply down to the inadequacies of an incompetent technical team that is not up to the task at hand.
This for me is where Mr President has to wade into the matter. If he is serious about Nigeria being present in South Africa, nothing can be left to chance. Asking Amodu Shaibu to take us through the remaining qualifiers is an almighty gamble that could backfire with disastrous consequences.
In 2005, after any equally lamentable draw with Angola in Kano, the penny dropped with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and he abandoned his previously held untenable position. Prior to the Kano debacle, President Obasanjo had held on to the irrational position that the national team coach had to be Nigerian, irrespective of capability.
However, he was forced to rescind his stance after the Kano embarrassment. President Yar’Adua faces the same dilemma although it appears he is not aware of it. If he waits for the situation to get precarious, it may be too late and like his predecessor, he will be left with egg on his face.
If Nigeria does not want to gamble with her appearance in South Africa, now is the time to effect change in the technical crew of the Super Eagles. Before our next qualifying match against Kenya, we have two friendlies against Ireland and France, which would provide a new coach with the perfect opportunity to iron out any flaws in the team before the serious business resumes.
I must admit that I for one am impressed with President Yar’Adua’s stance on the U-17 World Cup where he made it clear that state resources meant for socio-economic programmes would not be spent on a sporting jamboree. He made it explicitly clear that if the sporting authorities want to host the global cadet tournament this year, they would have to source the funding themselves from the private sector.
On the matter of South Africa 2010, I expect him to do likewise. A world-class technical crew led by someone like Gus Hiddink, Luis Van Gaal or Leo Beenhacker, Philippe Scholari, for instance, would be very expensive. However, we need this kind of management to move from gambling to making our presence in South Africa a certainty.
No doubt, President Yar’Adua will tell the NFF to go and source funds privately if they are to pay for it, which I am in support of but that does not let the president off the hook. This is top-to-bottom Nigeria where everything flows from the presidency downwards.
If the NFF are to successfully find the money to pay for a top coach, a call from Aso Rock is not only essential but compulsory. In 2005, it was President Obasanjo who rang Mike Adenuga and told him that he would be picking up the tab for a foreign coach. Subsequently, it was Globacom that paid Berti Vogts’ salary throughout his pathetic sojourn in Nigeria.
Yes, Berti Vogts leaves a sour taste in the mouth and has put us off foreign coaches but we cannot let one man set our standards. There are a lot of good world class coaches out there who can turn the Eagles into a global colossus again and Mr President should use the influence of his office to ensure we hire one of them.
Does anyone really believe that a disciple of total football like Luis Van Gaal will be as pathetic as the lazy Berti Vogts? In a coach like Van Gaal, we are not only guaranteed an appearance in 2010 but also a credible outing with the outside chance of lifting the trophy itself.
I take a little crumb of comfort from the fact that John Mastroudus has now waded into the matter. In the past, he has volunteered to help raise funds to pay for the services of a coach. It may well be that he needs to visit Aso Rock soon to sell the idea to a wavering Yar’Adua.
If Mr President wants to bow out in 2011 amid cheers and a loud ovation, nothing would be more befitting than a successful 2010 World Cup outing in which Nigeria celebrates being a nation for 50 years as football champions. However, to achieve this requires taking drastic action now. Yar’Adua has a unique opportunity that no other Nigerian president has had to etch his name in gold.
Ayo Akinfe
"If winning isn't important, why do we spend all that money on scoreboards?“ --Chuck Coonradt
Re: Yar’Adua Has Got To Go Beyond His 2010 50th Anniversary Rhet
Ayo has been making noise recently and the right ones too, seems everyone is concerned about Nigeria not making it, like i always imagined, that job is bigger than Amodu, for all his excuses on that pathetic draw, he cannot make that team play good football, everyone saw it coming, i predicted a draw after watching the last friendlies, this always gives an indication how a team is likely to play
If you cant string passes together in a friendly match where nothing is at stake, no pressure, how on earth can you expect a team to play good football in a competitive match??
Were people suprised that super eagles played woefully?? many besides me predicted it here, it surely came to pass which actually means many here have a better understanding of football than Amodu
Amodu holds on to a dubious 100% record through playing poor opposition, i have said countless times, dont care what people say, we are not going to win competitions from beating the likes of Sierra leone or South Africa!!!
When we meet any opposition that has a stomach for a battle, then you begin to see how disjointed the team really is
With Amodu in charge, sorry i dont fancy our chances against Tunisia playing away, as usual the perfect excuse for a local coach when they fail to qualify '' It was God plan that we should not qualify'' our politicians use this when they fail to do their jobs, President use ''god'' to rig elections, Nigeria being a religious country accept failure in God name
This is always the lazy man approach, they cant accept failure or the fact they are not simply not good enough
It was bad watching 2006 world cup without Nigeria, 2010 will even be worse!! people should begin to accept the fact there is every likelihood Nigeria will not be there in 2010
A good coach, after such a poor result, embarks on changes, maybe invite new players, not seen anything to suggest Amodu will change the team that play Mozambique, he kept the same team that performed woefully against jamaica, so well i am not looking forward to the Tunisian game
If you cant string passes together in a friendly match where nothing is at stake, no pressure, how on earth can you expect a team to play good football in a competitive match??
Were people suprised that super eagles played woefully?? many besides me predicted it here, it surely came to pass which actually means many here have a better understanding of football than Amodu
Amodu holds on to a dubious 100% record through playing poor opposition, i have said countless times, dont care what people say, we are not going to win competitions from beating the likes of Sierra leone or South Africa!!!
When we meet any opposition that has a stomach for a battle, then you begin to see how disjointed the team really is
With Amodu in charge, sorry i dont fancy our chances against Tunisia playing away, as usual the perfect excuse for a local coach when they fail to qualify '' It was God plan that we should not qualify'' our politicians use this when they fail to do their jobs, President use ''god'' to rig elections, Nigeria being a religious country accept failure in God name
This is always the lazy man approach, they cant accept failure or the fact they are not simply not good enough
It was bad watching 2006 world cup without Nigeria, 2010 will even be worse!! people should begin to accept the fact there is every likelihood Nigeria will not be there in 2010
A good coach, after such a poor result, embarks on changes, maybe invite new players, not seen anything to suggest Amodu will change the team that play Mozambique, he kept the same team that performed woefully against jamaica, so well i am not looking forward to the Tunisian game
So angry Nigeria got kicked out of the world cup once again, i nearly told my wife that i caught my girlfriend with another man today!
Marko
Marko