Voodoo priests ruined Eagles in Mali—West
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Voodoo priests ruined Eagles in Mali—West
Qasim Elegbede, Complete Football’s Deputy Editor, had conversation with Super Eagles defender Taribo West in Faro, Portugal before the Nigerian team departed for Tunisia 2004. The pastor is as blunt as ever on all issues while tipping the Eagles for the trophy..
Let’s start from the last Nation’s Cup finals in Mali. Nigeria went with so much expectation but departed with so much acrimony. The team was later disbanded?
The main problem we had in Mali was the misunderstanding between the administrators and some of us ( the players). I think the problem started with our ticket money. The usual practice was that when we were on a national assignment we always took business class ticket and would be refunded by the FA. But the sports ministry came with the directive that anybody who came in business class should be paid only $2500. We agreed at that point to take what they said they wanted to offer even though some of us actually spent $3000 to $4000 on the trip. We felt we could always make up the short fall with our match bonus if we won our matches. But I think at a point in the tournament just before the semi-final against Senegal, the ministry came again to inform us of their decision to cut the ticket refund further to $1,500. We rejected this latest proposal, thereby leading to grudges between the players and the association. The spirit of the team was destroyed and some players even did not want to play the match. There was a lot of understanding and we were thinking that was the team that would go to the World Cup. But between them, the NFA and the sports ministry decided to constitute a new technical crew and by extension a new team for the World Cup barely three weeks to the championship. That was always going to be difficult.
Inspite of the decision by most of your colleagues to shun invitation to the World Cup you still went to play at the championship. What informed your decision to go to Korea/Japan 2002?
My decision to go to the World Cup was strictly personal. Basically I don’t belong to any group or faction in the Super Eagles so I didn’t have to act in solidarity with anybody. But I knew that the injustice meted out to some of my colleagues was too much because we laboured together to qualify for the World Cup. We not only suffered on the pitch but some of us spent our money to ensure that we qualified for the tournament. I remember that I personally spent about $30,000 from my pocket. Oliseh also brought out money form his own pocket. I think we contributed about $67,000 to ensure that everything went right for us in every way. We worked hard to achieve success and to that extent I felt the injustice meted out to some of my colleagues was too much. So I totally respected their decision not to go to World Cup. However, I didn’t think it was right for Nigeria to start building a team for the World Cup with barely three to four weeks to the championship. Building a new team is a gradual process. I mean, football is generational. I played under Kechi, Austin (Eguavoen), Nwanu, Okafor and the rest of them. I learnt from Uche Okechukwu and everyone of them. I took my time to grow and get into their shoes. So you see, you cannot scrap everything at once and expect to use four weeks to build a team of world-beaters.
Experience is one thing you cannot buy in the market. And I think it’s high time Nigerian football lovers and administrators realised that there’s more to football than just football. Yes it’s good that these young players are coming through but I believe there should be a structure for them go to through before graduating into the senior team.
It’s only in Nigeria that they’re retiring experienced and good players like (Tijani) Babangida and (George) Finidi at the same time. It’s not done anywhere. I was a ball-boy when I was watching Paolo Maldini play for AC Milan. Till today Maldini is still playing for his team and he’s being appreciated . Today if he still wants to return into the Italian national team they’II welcome him with both arms.
This is where Nigerian football administrators have a lot to learn so that our football industry could change and become an important pillar among the best in the world.
You’re still to tell us what informed your decision to go to the world Cup in spite of the injustice that you claimed was meted out to some of your colleagues?
Yeah, like I said earlier it was a personal decision. Actually I’ve set both long term and short-term goals for myself in the national team. One of these was to play in three World Cup and after France ’98, Korea/Japan was my second and I know I’m going to play in Germany 2006 before I quit the scene for the younger ones (general laughter). I’m not joking o! I’m not ready to quit the stage for anybody now.
Shortly after the World Cup, you sort of went underground. You didn’t take any part in the Nations Cup qualifiers but here you are now, preparing for the championship proper. What’s the story?
You see, what happened is that, if you’re somebody who says things the way they are a lot of people want to frustrate and blackmail you. That’s why after the World Cup I had to sort of step aside. Besides, that, I have one policy in my life which is that if I’m not playing for a good team or if I’m not active wherever I am, I would not step into the national team. And if you remember the period we’re talking about, I was not active in the game. So I decided to steer clear of the national team until I got back into a very good standard. And I thank my club Parizan for their faith and trust in me. We played in the Champions League this season and everybody was able to see the form and the characteristics of Taribo West.
There were reports that you lobbied to be invited for Tunisia 2004. how do you react to that?
Actually there’s nothing to hide about it. I think basically my time has not come to retire from the national team so I put myself forward. I feel I still have about five more years to give in the national team. It seem there’s been no structure laid down for the up and coming generation of players to get into the national team. I’m disturbed by this because I know one day my child or my family members or anybody who’s closer to me will be opportuned to play in the national team. I want them to meet a nice structure. It’s my belief that we should have a players union which will include both foreign and home-based players whether national or international. We all have a stake in the survival of the game and we should strive to speak with one voice through such union. It will also be the objective of the union to woo corporate bodies and associations to come to the aid of the union so that when one retires one day he can come back to the team in other capacities and be appreciated.
As someone who attended the camping’s for Mali 2002 and Tunisia 2004, how do you compare the two?
The two camps have been wonderful, really, Chukwu has introduced a lot of life into this (Tunisia 2004) camp. But I also experienced a very good camping under Shaibu Amodu and Stephen Keshi during Mali 2002. However the big difference here is that a lot of things have been put in place this time. For the first time in all my years in the national team, I mean everything has been going well. There has not been any complaint from the boys which is a great kudos to the NFA. You know, in the past we always found ourselves in situations where there would be no balls to train. But I thank God for the new technical crew and NFA officials for the professionalism they’ve brought into the team. I think these are signs of good things to come.
Two years ago in Mali you told me after the loss to Senegal that you had a dream that Nigeria... (Taribo interjects)..won the Nations Cup, yes. Do you think that dream might come true two years late? In other words, do you think that dream could be fulfilled in Tunisia?
I…I… (pauses)..I saw us winning the Cup in Mali, but you know there were some forces or some attacks against the team which militated against us. I think there was some strange things that happened in that Nation Cup. We had voodoo priests come into the camp and some of the boys compromised. Because of all these we lost the tournament. But I think this year is a season that God has set aside to re-establish us in the territory of greatness and I believe this season will be very fruitful. The tournament is going to be very fruitful for Nigeria. It will be a year that we’II positively surprise a lot of nations. We pray that the light will not only shine on Nigeria and the players who’II play in the tournament, it should shine on every Nigerian too.
Suppose Nigeria do not win the Nations Cup, what will you describe as a good outing for the Super Eagles?
We don’t have any excuse. Excuses are tools for incompetent people. If we have to use that tool it means we’re not wise. So we have to work hard and put all our resources together and make sure that we win the tournament not only to make Nigerians proud but to also tell the rest of the world that Nigeria is still at the very top of the game.
Do you truly believe that team you’ve been training with in Faro are capable of winning the Nations Cup?
Yes, there’re a lot of inexperienced players in the team but we thank God they’re all trying their best to learn and also fit into the team and learn the coach’s strategy.
Which team or teams do you think can give Nigeria problems at the finals?
There are no small teams any more in Africa, Morocco, Cameroun, Tunisia and what have you are all great sides and any of them can be difficult on their day. But I’m not bothered by all those things because this time we’re going there to prove ourselves and take the cup to Nigeria. That’s our objective and that’s what I have in my spirit.
Going back to the World Cup, you made some unpalatable comments about your team-mates at the World Cup. With the benefits of hindsight, would you have called some of your colleagues “Junk players”?
I made a lot of comments at the World Cup because there was a lot of provocation in the camp. And some people were there not to see the success of the team. Most of them were their for the first time and thought it was a great opportunity to line their pockets with money. As a result I was very, very upset about all the things going on. I wasn’t happy with setup because I saw about seven players who had no business in that team who still made it at the expense of more quality ones who actually laboured for the team to reach the World Cup. I asked what players like Efe Sodje and co were doing in the team without players like Agali, Oliseh and co who actually worked to get us to the World Cup.
I remember in one of the meetings called by the NFA they asked us to speak our minds on the state of Nigerian football. I got angry because none of the boys there was ready to speak. Okocha was the team captain but he too was not ready to say anything. So I became very provoked. I stood up and asked them to tell me why some players were left out of the team. I asked why Oliseh wasn’t here, the captain of the team who laboured so hard to get the team to the World Cup. A player who spent his hard-earned money and also risked his career and life to get Nigeria to the tournament.
There were other players who lost their positions at their clubs because of the national team. The injustice was too much so I challenged them (the team officials) to rise up and give me any reason why such players did not go to the world Cup. That’s how everybody turned against me, saying those matters were in the past. They asked why I had to bring up such issues to the present. From then on I became a marked man in the team But I wasn’t worried because I was secured in the knowledge that anything blessed by God cannot be cursed by man. And I knew that it would just be a matter of time before I returned to the national team. That’s my faith and as you observed earlier, here I am. God has proved his strength in me by giving me another chance.
Let’s talk about your club, Partizan Belgrade? What’s it been like playing in Serbia and Montenegro?
Ah, life has been very kind to me at Partizan. God has been very kind to me. Partizan is one of the places I ‘ve played football in tranquillity. No stress, on problem and I’m looking forward to greater thing this season.
What’s your relationship with Lothar Mathaus? You must have learnt a great deal from one Germany’s football legends.?
Yeah, Lothar is a great person and the relationship between us is very friendly. It’s not all about money. I thank God for letting me find favours with such a man. He brought me to the team and gave me all I needed to succeed. I pray that God should continue to clear the path to greatness for him.
How do you feel especially as Mathaus is no more at Partizan?
Yes, he’s no more there. He’s the one that brought me. But I’m also looking up to make a bigger career more this season.
May we know you intended destination?
I don’t know myself. Only heave can decide that.
On a final note, you said this Eagles team would not have any excuse not to win the Cup in Tunisia. How serious are you on this?
Yeah, I’m very serious. Based on our preparation and organisation and also the kind of team we pray to package, I believe we’re winning the Cup. Look, there’s going to be a lot of responsibilities put on us and I pray that God should be on our side.
Your final words to Nigerian ahead of the Nations Cup?
We thank all of them for their support and we thank God for every soul that has been praying for our success in the tournament. We pray that God makes their lives too very fruitful and bless their families. We pray he should make this a year of divine laughter for all of us. That whatsoever our fans seek in their lives, the Hands of God should help them accomplish it.
Thanks you for your time, pastor.
Thanks, Mr Complete Football.
Let’s start from the last Nation’s Cup finals in Mali. Nigeria went with so much expectation but departed with so much acrimony. The team was later disbanded?
The main problem we had in Mali was the misunderstanding between the administrators and some of us ( the players). I think the problem started with our ticket money. The usual practice was that when we were on a national assignment we always took business class ticket and would be refunded by the FA. But the sports ministry came with the directive that anybody who came in business class should be paid only $2500. We agreed at that point to take what they said they wanted to offer even though some of us actually spent $3000 to $4000 on the trip. We felt we could always make up the short fall with our match bonus if we won our matches. But I think at a point in the tournament just before the semi-final against Senegal, the ministry came again to inform us of their decision to cut the ticket refund further to $1,500. We rejected this latest proposal, thereby leading to grudges between the players and the association. The spirit of the team was destroyed and some players even did not want to play the match. There was a lot of understanding and we were thinking that was the team that would go to the World Cup. But between them, the NFA and the sports ministry decided to constitute a new technical crew and by extension a new team for the World Cup barely three weeks to the championship. That was always going to be difficult.
Inspite of the decision by most of your colleagues to shun invitation to the World Cup you still went to play at the championship. What informed your decision to go to Korea/Japan 2002?
My decision to go to the World Cup was strictly personal. Basically I don’t belong to any group or faction in the Super Eagles so I didn’t have to act in solidarity with anybody. But I knew that the injustice meted out to some of my colleagues was too much because we laboured together to qualify for the World Cup. We not only suffered on the pitch but some of us spent our money to ensure that we qualified for the tournament. I remember that I personally spent about $30,000 from my pocket. Oliseh also brought out money form his own pocket. I think we contributed about $67,000 to ensure that everything went right for us in every way. We worked hard to achieve success and to that extent I felt the injustice meted out to some of my colleagues was too much. So I totally respected their decision not to go to World Cup. However, I didn’t think it was right for Nigeria to start building a team for the World Cup with barely three to four weeks to the championship. Building a new team is a gradual process. I mean, football is generational. I played under Kechi, Austin (Eguavoen), Nwanu, Okafor and the rest of them. I learnt from Uche Okechukwu and everyone of them. I took my time to grow and get into their shoes. So you see, you cannot scrap everything at once and expect to use four weeks to build a team of world-beaters.
Experience is one thing you cannot buy in the market. And I think it’s high time Nigerian football lovers and administrators realised that there’s more to football than just football. Yes it’s good that these young players are coming through but I believe there should be a structure for them go to through before graduating into the senior team.
It’s only in Nigeria that they’re retiring experienced and good players like (Tijani) Babangida and (George) Finidi at the same time. It’s not done anywhere. I was a ball-boy when I was watching Paolo Maldini play for AC Milan. Till today Maldini is still playing for his team and he’s being appreciated . Today if he still wants to return into the Italian national team they’II welcome him with both arms.
This is where Nigerian football administrators have a lot to learn so that our football industry could change and become an important pillar among the best in the world.
You’re still to tell us what informed your decision to go to the world Cup in spite of the injustice that you claimed was meted out to some of your colleagues?
Yeah, like I said earlier it was a personal decision. Actually I’ve set both long term and short-term goals for myself in the national team. One of these was to play in three World Cup and after France ’98, Korea/Japan was my second and I know I’m going to play in Germany 2006 before I quit the scene for the younger ones (general laughter). I’m not joking o! I’m not ready to quit the stage for anybody now.
Shortly after the World Cup, you sort of went underground. You didn’t take any part in the Nations Cup qualifiers but here you are now, preparing for the championship proper. What’s the story?
You see, what happened is that, if you’re somebody who says things the way they are a lot of people want to frustrate and blackmail you. That’s why after the World Cup I had to sort of step aside. Besides, that, I have one policy in my life which is that if I’m not playing for a good team or if I’m not active wherever I am, I would not step into the national team. And if you remember the period we’re talking about, I was not active in the game. So I decided to steer clear of the national team until I got back into a very good standard. And I thank my club Parizan for their faith and trust in me. We played in the Champions League this season and everybody was able to see the form and the characteristics of Taribo West.
There were reports that you lobbied to be invited for Tunisia 2004. how do you react to that?
Actually there’s nothing to hide about it. I think basically my time has not come to retire from the national team so I put myself forward. I feel I still have about five more years to give in the national team. It seem there’s been no structure laid down for the up and coming generation of players to get into the national team. I’m disturbed by this because I know one day my child or my family members or anybody who’s closer to me will be opportuned to play in the national team. I want them to meet a nice structure. It’s my belief that we should have a players union which will include both foreign and home-based players whether national or international. We all have a stake in the survival of the game and we should strive to speak with one voice through such union. It will also be the objective of the union to woo corporate bodies and associations to come to the aid of the union so that when one retires one day he can come back to the team in other capacities and be appreciated.
As someone who attended the camping’s for Mali 2002 and Tunisia 2004, how do you compare the two?
The two camps have been wonderful, really, Chukwu has introduced a lot of life into this (Tunisia 2004) camp. But I also experienced a very good camping under Shaibu Amodu and Stephen Keshi during Mali 2002. However the big difference here is that a lot of things have been put in place this time. For the first time in all my years in the national team, I mean everything has been going well. There has not been any complaint from the boys which is a great kudos to the NFA. You know, in the past we always found ourselves in situations where there would be no balls to train. But I thank God for the new technical crew and NFA officials for the professionalism they’ve brought into the team. I think these are signs of good things to come.
Two years ago in Mali you told me after the loss to Senegal that you had a dream that Nigeria... (Taribo interjects)..won the Nations Cup, yes. Do you think that dream might come true two years late? In other words, do you think that dream could be fulfilled in Tunisia?
I…I… (pauses)..I saw us winning the Cup in Mali, but you know there were some forces or some attacks against the team which militated against us. I think there was some strange things that happened in that Nation Cup. We had voodoo priests come into the camp and some of the boys compromised. Because of all these we lost the tournament. But I think this year is a season that God has set aside to re-establish us in the territory of greatness and I believe this season will be very fruitful. The tournament is going to be very fruitful for Nigeria. It will be a year that we’II positively surprise a lot of nations. We pray that the light will not only shine on Nigeria and the players who’II play in the tournament, it should shine on every Nigerian too.
Suppose Nigeria do not win the Nations Cup, what will you describe as a good outing for the Super Eagles?
We don’t have any excuse. Excuses are tools for incompetent people. If we have to use that tool it means we’re not wise. So we have to work hard and put all our resources together and make sure that we win the tournament not only to make Nigerians proud but to also tell the rest of the world that Nigeria is still at the very top of the game.
Do you truly believe that team you’ve been training with in Faro are capable of winning the Nations Cup?
Yes, there’re a lot of inexperienced players in the team but we thank God they’re all trying their best to learn and also fit into the team and learn the coach’s strategy.
Which team or teams do you think can give Nigeria problems at the finals?
There are no small teams any more in Africa, Morocco, Cameroun, Tunisia and what have you are all great sides and any of them can be difficult on their day. But I’m not bothered by all those things because this time we’re going there to prove ourselves and take the cup to Nigeria. That’s our objective and that’s what I have in my spirit.
Going back to the World Cup, you made some unpalatable comments about your team-mates at the World Cup. With the benefits of hindsight, would you have called some of your colleagues “Junk players”?
I made a lot of comments at the World Cup because there was a lot of provocation in the camp. And some people were there not to see the success of the team. Most of them were their for the first time and thought it was a great opportunity to line their pockets with money. As a result I was very, very upset about all the things going on. I wasn’t happy with setup because I saw about seven players who had no business in that team who still made it at the expense of more quality ones who actually laboured for the team to reach the World Cup. I asked what players like Efe Sodje and co were doing in the team without players like Agali, Oliseh and co who actually worked to get us to the World Cup.
I remember in one of the meetings called by the NFA they asked us to speak our minds on the state of Nigerian football. I got angry because none of the boys there was ready to speak. Okocha was the team captain but he too was not ready to say anything. So I became very provoked. I stood up and asked them to tell me why some players were left out of the team. I asked why Oliseh wasn’t here, the captain of the team who laboured so hard to get the team to the World Cup. A player who spent his hard-earned money and also risked his career and life to get Nigeria to the tournament.
There were other players who lost their positions at their clubs because of the national team. The injustice was too much so I challenged them (the team officials) to rise up and give me any reason why such players did not go to the world Cup. That’s how everybody turned against me, saying those matters were in the past. They asked why I had to bring up such issues to the present. From then on I became a marked man in the team But I wasn’t worried because I was secured in the knowledge that anything blessed by God cannot be cursed by man. And I knew that it would just be a matter of time before I returned to the national team. That’s my faith and as you observed earlier, here I am. God has proved his strength in me by giving me another chance.
Let’s talk about your club, Partizan Belgrade? What’s it been like playing in Serbia and Montenegro?
Ah, life has been very kind to me at Partizan. God has been very kind to me. Partizan is one of the places I ‘ve played football in tranquillity. No stress, on problem and I’m looking forward to greater thing this season.
What’s your relationship with Lothar Mathaus? You must have learnt a great deal from one Germany’s football legends.?
Yeah, Lothar is a great person and the relationship between us is very friendly. It’s not all about money. I thank God for letting me find favours with such a man. He brought me to the team and gave me all I needed to succeed. I pray that God should continue to clear the path to greatness for him.
How do you feel especially as Mathaus is no more at Partizan?
Yes, he’s no more there. He’s the one that brought me. But I’m also looking up to make a bigger career more this season.
May we know you intended destination?
I don’t know myself. Only heave can decide that.
On a final note, you said this Eagles team would not have any excuse not to win the Cup in Tunisia. How serious are you on this?
Yeah, I’m very serious. Based on our preparation and organisation and also the kind of team we pray to package, I believe we’re winning the Cup. Look, there’s going to be a lot of responsibilities put on us and I pray that God should be on our side.
Your final words to Nigerian ahead of the Nations Cup?
We thank all of them for their support and we thank God for every soul that has been praying for our success in the tournament. We pray that God makes their lives too very fruitful and bless their families. We pray he should make this a year of divine laughter for all of us. That whatsoever our fans seek in their lives, the Hands of God should help them accomplish it.
Thanks you for your time, pastor.
Thanks, Mr Complete Football.
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Bigpokey24
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Its a Goal
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Insightful, however I couldn't help but pick up on how he is using God to justify everything. Maybe God is trying to teach Pastor a lesson in humility by not granting him the opportunity to win one more championship and repent of the things he has done wrong.
The Oliseh saga too is sad to note. I feel pity for the guy too but the fact of the matter is Oliseh did not do himself any justice by refusing to apologize to the minister and SE for the way the ANC ended. As the saying goes: "To be right, sometimes you have to give up your right". BaP, I feel you.
The Oliseh saga too is sad to note. I feel pity for the guy too but the fact of the matter is Oliseh did not do himself any justice by refusing to apologize to the minister and SE for the way the ANC ended. As the saying goes: "To be right, sometimes you have to give up your right". BaP, I feel you.
2 of the finest indigenous coaches Nigeria ever had lost in a space of 4 days. Dear Lord, is this a sign that you are taking away from us what we failed to appreciate? I pray for forgiveness of our sins. I pray for the humility to recognize our wrongs and the humbleness and wisdom to right our ways.
REST IN PEACE COACH STEPHEN KESHI!!! REST IN PEACE COACH AMODU SHAIBU!!!
REST IN PEACE COACH STEPHEN KESHI!!! REST IN PEACE COACH AMODU SHAIBU!!!
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Enugu II
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sarkin doya
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"Anytime I think about sodje, I shake my head in disdain. How somebody could field that guy in a world cup and still call himself a coach is way beyond me."
Deanotito:
If you crucify the coach for relying on Sodje then you
may want to include not just Pa Oni in that list but
also Amodu who gave him his first 2 caps (against
Eritrea) and Bonfrere who if I recall correctly, actually
included Sodje as part of the team of 22 for
the 2000 Nations Cup.
Deanotito:
If you crucify the coach for relying on Sodje then you
may want to include not just Pa Oni in that list but
also Amodu who gave him his first 2 caps (against
Eritrea) and Bonfrere who if I recall correctly, actually
included Sodje as part of the team of 22 for
the 2000 Nations Cup.
-
VINDAVE
Am sure you should be ready to apologise to your boss who decided to cut your salary by at least 45% after you have done the month's job perfectly too. from btw 3000, to 4000, cut down to 2500 and thereafter 1500. and you are expecting the players to be happy. How much do u think is flight ticket on business class?Its a Goal wrote:Insightful, however I couldn't help but pick up on how he is using God to justify everything. Maybe God is trying to teach Pastor a lesson in humility by not granting him the opportunity to win one more championship and repent of the things he has done wrong.
The Oliseh saga too is sad to note. I feel pity for the guy too but the fact of the matter is Oliseh did not do himself any justice by refusing to apologize to the minister and SE for the way the ANC ended. As the saying goes: "To be right, sometimes you have to give up your right". BaP, I feel you.
EKEJI, AKU and Co are all THIEVES and deserve no apology if this whole story is true.
IAG
Scratching my head here as to why you feel Oliseh should have apologized. Clearly he is a Leader and a man of principle and he is being vindicated. Like I said back then and will say again no matter how much you try to supress truth it always has a way of rising to the Top. Furthermore the trauma Nigerian Soccer has gone through over the last two years is Proof positive that Oliseh was never the source of our footballing problems ..
At this Juncture we need Oliseh more than he does us ...I belebve he should have been begged to come back unto this ANC team to help inspire confidence paRticularly with the absence of Taribo West but more importantly I believe he'll be a great coach one day. He is the Kind of Guy Nigeria needs as a Coach or in the NFA.
At this Juncture we need Oliseh more than he does us ...I belebve he should have been begged to come back unto this ANC team to help inspire confidence paRticularly with the absence of Taribo West but more importantly I believe he'll be a great coach one day. He is the Kind of Guy Nigeria needs as a Coach or in the NFA.
It looks like Nigerian soccer authorities have not yet forgiven the pastor . They used the slighest reason to excuse him from the camp. Still in the current tournament ,sports authorities picked less quality players at the expense of better quality players. Please someone clarify to me why Obodo oruma Kalu Uche and Melkam are not included in the squad. Nigeria never learnt from history;therefore we are bound to make this same mistake and achieve this same result FAILURE. I have strong feelings Nigeria will never get out of the group stage in this tournament . Marlk my words.
yes, i agree that oliseh was treated unfairly during the last ANC . The way the NFA and sports ministry (Ekeji) treated him during the whole saga leaves a bad taste in the mouth even after all this time, however, let's not forget that during the last ANC, oliseh performed very poorly and we are not talking about one match.
The man was awful, I cannot remember a tourney where he played so badly up to that point. I'll never forget finidi george coming back to help oliseh out during our first game against Mail.
Yes, he was poorly treated that goes without saying bugt don't forget, at that point, he was doing it on the pitch!!!!
The man was awful, I cannot remember a tourney where he played so badly up to that point. I'll never forget finidi george coming back to help oliseh out during our first game against Mail.
Yes, he was poorly treated that goes without saying bugt don't forget, at that point, he was doing it on the pitch!!!!
only the super eagles of nigeria are capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory-total football magazine circa june 02'
yes, i agree that oliseh was treated unfairly during the last ANC . The way the NFA and sports ministry (Ekeji) treated him during the whole saga leaves a bad taste in the mouth even after all this time, however, let's not forget that during the last ANC, oliseh performed very poorly and we are not talking about one match.
The man was awful, I cannot remember a tourney where he played so badly up to that point. I'll never forget finidi george coming back to help oliseh out during our first game against Mail.
Yes, he was poorly treated that goes without saying bugt don't forget, at that point, he was not doing it on the pitch!!!!
The man was awful, I cannot remember a tourney where he played so badly up to that point. I'll never forget finidi george coming back to help oliseh out during our first game against Mail.
Yes, he was poorly treated that goes without saying bugt don't forget, at that point, he was not doing it on the pitch!!!!
only the super eagles of nigeria are capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory-total football magazine circa june 02'
Was Oliseh the only player who played badly?Eclipse wrote:yes, i agree that oliseh was treated unfairly during the last ANC . The way the NFA and sports ministry (Ekeji) treated him during the whole saga leaves a bad taste in the mouth even after all this time, however, let's not forget that during the last ANC, oliseh performed very poorly and we are not talking about one match.
The man was awful, I cannot remember a tourney where he played so badly up to that point. I'll never forget finidi george coming back to help oliseh out during our first game against Mail.
Yes, he was poorly treated that goes without saying bugt don't forget, at that point, he was doing it on the pitch!!!!
ECLIPSE
Eclipse Utter Nonsense
Findi was part of a Two man DM alignment hence his coming back to help Oliseh was by design not by accident.
Oliseh was THE REASON why Nigerias defence took 5 games to Concede It's First goal. Furthermore the Likes of Okocha,Agali and Kanu had Forgettable ANC's themsleves. Matter of fact the biggest disappointment in that ANC was Okocha not Oliseh. So why the double standard?
Findi was part of a Two man DM alignment hence his coming back to help Oliseh was by design not by accident.
Oliseh was THE REASON why Nigerias defence took 5 games to Concede It's First goal. Furthermore the Likes of Okocha,Agali and Kanu had Forgettable ANC's themsleves. Matter of fact the biggest disappointment in that ANC was Okocha not Oliseh. So why the double standard?
You are asking for censorship. What about freedom of speech? Because you disagree with something does not mean it should be removed from public debate. Then people will start complaining about the suppression of speech in African societies run by dictators and semi dictators. If we Africans can't practise what we preach, we will get leaders similar to us.Bigpokey24 wrote:delete this crap
Verbum Sapienti----A word to the wise.
sarkin doya wrote:
If you crucify the coach for relying on Sodje then you
may want to include not just Pa Oni in that list but
also Amodu who gave him his first 2 caps (against
Eritrea) and Bonfrere who if I recall correctly, actually
included Sodje as part of the team of 22 for
the 2000 Nations Cup.
...how insightful of you, but I'm sure there are a ton of other players good enough for the qualifiers that didn't make the final squad.
Did you forget Sodje sat on the bench throughout the ANC'00?
He never started a major tournament until Onigbinde took reign (gasp!) of our beloved Eagus!!
Baxter Onigbinde's second coming is the most disingenious stint ever in Nigerian coaching history.
daddyrich wrote:sarkin doya wrote:
If you crucify the coach for relying on Sodje then you
may want to include not just Pa Oni in that list but
also Amodu who gave him his first 2 caps (against
Eritrea) and Bonfrere who if I recall correctly, actually
included Sodje as part of the team of 22 for
the 2000 Nations Cup.
...how insightful of you, but I'm sure there are a ton of other players good enough for the qualifiers that didn't make the final squad.
Did you forget Sodje sat on the bench throughout the ANC'00?
He never started a major tournament until Onigbinde took reign (gasp!) of our beloved Eagus!![/quote]
Your spite and venom for Onigbinde is noted but your statement is incorrect.
Sodje's first cap was against Eritrea in a 2002 WC qualifier under Bonfrere Jo...