Time to launch Operation Catch Up With the Sextet

[Ayo Akinfe]

[1] I do not know about the rest of you but I am tired of our Super Eagles "trying" at the World Cup. For a nation of 180m souls, it is time we join the ranks of the big boys

[2] For me, the big six are Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, Spain and France

[3] Of the 20 times the World Cup have been played, these six teams won it 17 times

[4] Do you know that there has never been a World Cup final played not involving one of these six teams?

[5] Brazil hosted the World Cup in 1950 and lost in the final to Uruguay. Up until that time, Brazil was really a nobody in world football but they were so hurt by losing the final at home that they threw everything into it and eight years later in 1958, they had a world beating team

[6] For decades, Spain were described as bridesmaids, also-rans, dark horses, etc. I remember watching them when they hosted the World Cup in 1982. Spain did not look like a team that could ever win the tournament but 30 years later in 2010 they did. It took them a while but eventually they did

[7] Nigeria first graced the World Cup ion 1994. Come the next World Cup that will be 24 years. I think it is long enough to get our act together and start challenging for the prize

[8] As things stand, our progress is in reverse gear. We are no longer producing dozens of players in La Liga, The Premiership, Le Championet, Serie A, Die Bundesliga, etc as we used to do in the 1990s. Why has the production of top talent suddenly dried up?

[9] It is totally unacceptable for the Super Eagles not to have at least five world class players at every point in time. How can Argentina with a population of 45m, Spain with a population of 46m and Italy with a population of 60m produce world class players non-stop and we cannot. Nigeria's population is greater than that of all the three countries combined

[10] By any standards you want to use, Nigeria should be Brazil's biggest challenger. Every year, Brazil producers one mercurial playmaker in the form of Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Robinho, Neymar, Coutinho, etc. We last produced a player of this calibre with JJ Okocha. Totally unacceptable. Even in goal, Brazil has produced the world most expensive goalkeeper with Ederson costing £35m. Time to wake up Naija!

[mystic]

I agree with you that we really should be setting higher standards for ourselves. No reason why we should not be among the best teams in the world.

[Cito]

[1] I do not know about the rest of you but I am tired of our Super Eagles "trying" at the World Cup. For a nation of 180m souls, it is time we join the ranks of the big boys

[2] For me, the big six are Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, Spain and France

[3] Of the 20 times the World Cup have been played, these six teams won it 17 times

[4] Do you know that there gas never been a World Cup final played not involving one of these six teams?

[5] Brazil hosted the World Cup in 1950 and lost in the final to Uruguay. Up until that time, Brazil was really a nobody in World football but they were so hurt by losing the final at home that they threw everything into it and eight years later in 1958, they had a world beating team

[6] For decades, Spain were described as bridesmaids, also-rans, dark horses, etc. I remember watching them when they hosted the World Cup in 1982. Spain did not look like a team that could ever win the tournament but 30 years later in 2010 they did. It took them a while but eventually they did

[7] Nigeria first graced the World Cup ion 1994. Come the next World Cup that will be 24 years. I think it is long enough to get our act together and start challenging for the prize

[8] As things stand, our progress is in reverse gear. We are no longer producing dozens of players in La Liga, The Premiership, Le Championet, Serie A, Die Bundesliga, etc as we used to do in the 1990s. Why has the production of top talent suddenly dried up?

[9] It is totally unacceptable for the Super Eagles not to have at least five world class players at every point in time. How can Argentina with a population of 45m, Spain with a population of 46m and Italy with a population of 60m produce world class players non-stop and we cannot. Nigeria's population is greater than that of all the three countries combined

[10] By any standards you want to use, Nigeria should be Brazil's biggest challenger. Every year, Brazil producers one mercurial playmaker in the form of Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Robinho, Neymar, Coutinho, etc. We last produced a player of this calibre with JJ Okocha. Totally unacceptable. Even in goal, Brazil has produced the world most expensive goalkeeper with Ederson costing £35m. Time to wake up Naija!

As per your number 9, I can't wait to see those Chinese, Indian and Bangladeshi superstars strut their stuff at the World Cup.

[pajimoh]

[1] I do not know about the rest of you but I am tired of our Super Eagles "trying" at the World Cup. For a nation of 180m souls, it is time we join the ranks of the big boys

[2] For me, the big six are Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, Spain and France

[3] Of the 20 times the World Cup have been played, these six teams won it 17 times

[4] Do you know that there gas never been a World Cup final played not involving one of these six teams?

[5] Brazil hosted the World Cup in 1950 and lost in the final to Uruguay. Up until that time, Brazil was really a nobody in World football but they were so hurt by losing the final at home that they threw everything into it and eight years later in 1958, they had a world beating team

[6] For decades, Spain were described as bridesmaids, also-rans, dark horses, etc. I remember watching them when they hosted the World Cup in 1982. Spain did not look like a team that could ever win the tournament but 30 years later in 2010 they did. It took them a while but eventually they did

[7] Nigeria first graced the World Cup ion 1994. Come the next World Cup that will be 24 years. I think it is long enough to get our act together and start challenging for the prize

[8] As things stand, our progress is in reverse gear. We are no longer producing dozens of players in La Liga, The Premiership, Le Championet, Serie A, Die Bundesliga, etc as we used to do in the 1990s. Why has the production of top talent suddenly dried up?

[9] It is totally unacceptable for the Super Eagles not to have at least five world class players at every point in time. How can Argentina with a population of 45m, Spain with a population of 46m and Italy with a population of 60m produce world class players non-stop and we cannot. Nigeria's population is greater than that of all the three countries combined

[10] By any standards you want to use, Nigeria should be Brazil's biggest challenger. Every year, Brazil producers one mercurial playmaker in the form of Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Robinho, Neymar, Coutinho, etc. We last produced a player of this calibre with JJ Okocha. Totally unacceptable. Even in goal, Brazil has produced the world most expensive goalkeeper with Ederson costing £35m. Time to wake up Naija!

Geeezzoooorrrz Christ. I've not even been to the loo this morning and I'm already smelling sheeeiiiit
Ayo I know its world cup season but try and think a little. You middle your thinking using facts to arrive at emotional conclusion.

Few questions for you.

1. As you stated the few number of WC winners - Can you list 10 of the top football leagues in the world?

2. Can you list the first time each of the wc winners first participated in a wc and compare to Nigeria?

3. Please tell us how many football stadiums (clubs and national) in each of the wc winning nations compared to Nigeria?

4. Roughly how many jerseys were sold by a top club in Spain in the past year around the world and how many was sold by the best Nigerian club in the last DECADE?

5. What is the gate receipt of an average Nigerian club compared to the ones from wc winning countries?

6. Please compare TV revenue as well?

7. Iron sharpeneth iron. Compare continental strength. The stronger your neighbours the more you're forced to develop if you want to keep up. As Africans, in your opinion, do we get the same intense completion compared to the South Americans and Europeans?

8. Sponsorship - please list the 10 richest FA's. In fact, just tell us which position the NFF occupies?

9. Should I even be asking you to list How many clubs are over 100 years old in Nigeria? The number of clubs with well established youth setup, the number of accredited coaches at all levels, including schools, local and private clubs etc?

10. What is the wage of the best football player in Nigeria?

I can go on forever and ever but ........

When you list facts like the exclusive numbers of wc winners and how many wc's they've attended and you come to the same conclusion that Nigeria, a mere baby, born in the wc year of 1994, should be winning the wc and not even taking into consideration why very few countries win the cup then I have to call you out...

Next you'll be saying we should be producing ordinances like the Americans because we are fighting terrorism as well. Bro stop your half baked emotional analysis.

We are subsistence farmers of world football when the countries you mentioned are fully mechanized.

[Flex Swift]

I would be interested to know of the countries that won the World Cup how many of them six months to the competition overhauled their team? How many dropped the top scorer during qualification? How many changed the coach after securing qualification ? How many recruited a club less and in active goalkeeper? How many selected untested players that had never played a single qualifier or competitive game? How many of the teams that won selected players playing in back water leagues such as Austria, Israel , Belgium, Turkey, Sweden, Norway , China, USA etc? How many had in their starting line ups players making their debut at the World Cup? How many selected players playing in the lower leagues eg. Championships, second divisions etc? How many camped the players in a guest house with no sports facilities? How many refused to pay flight ticket refunds to the players? How many have been involved in players refusing to train during the World Cup ? How many have had more FA officials at the
Competition than the players. How many stuffed the team with overweight individuals who had no business in the team? How many knowingly took an injured player to the competition? How many having won a regional competition overhauled the team?

If you find that they have done the above then we are on the right track however if they have not........

[Damunk]

The answers to our problems lie right there within Pajimoh's and Flex Swift's posts.

But...we should find a way of quantum leaping and not having to wait for 50 years of WC 'pedigree' before we aspire to win the WC.
We should aspire to be the exception to the rule by gatecrashing the exclusive Winners' Club. We have some natural advantages already.

So the Q is....how do we do it?

[Damunk]

Rather than looking at why the likes of Germany, Spain, Brazil, Brazil, France, Argentina etc have won it, maybe studying why countries like Holland, Russia, Belgium, Sweden, Chile, Colombia, Mexico (and others) have not won it may be more informative.
They all have so-called 'pedigree'.
They all have infrastructure, including strong local leagues.
They've all produced some world class footballers, in fact several.
Some of them even have fairly large populations.

Lets also not forget that a couple of those winning countries were only able to achieve it as hosts.

[Enugu II]

The answers to our problems lie right there within Pajimoh's and Flex Swift's posts.

But...we should find a way of quantum leaping and not having to wait for 50 years of WC 'pedigree' before we aspire to win the WC.
We should aspire to be the exception to the rule by gatecrashing the exclusive Winners' Club. We have some natural advantages already.

So the Q is....how do we do it?

KPOM. Anytime I read so so took 30 years to do it and thus the nxt person has to take same number of years, I always wonder. Thanks for using the word leap frog. We have problems as already listed and we do not need to overcome all of them before winning the Cup. In fact, the gap between perennial winners and others is not as wide as we may think and it is closing. With introduction of the VAR (don't laugh), increasing migration of top players to competitive leagues, etc there is hope. I don't want to add THERe Is GOD ooo!

[Coach]

To echo and add to the above, the necessary infrastructure, investment, development and ethic, all of which are prerequisite to success, are not only not in place, but never will be. Nigeria isn't catching up with anything. Russia will be another opportunity to flatter and fall short of the podium.

@Ayo, granted we're all stricken with Footballitis, with some flirting with its most fulminating manifestation, but a cold glass of water would've alleviated the acute exacerbation, of which this utter nonsense was certainly a sequelae. Nigeria will be good to escape the group, strong to master the second round and at their best to be in the hat at the end of the quarters. Talk of winning the competition is ridiculous, even if all manner of celestial phenomena occur in the most serendipitous of sequences, if Chukwu exacts his most divine of favours and Ekwensu bafoons all with his trickery, Nigeria will need much more to anything but roadkill by the time Moscow opens its belly for the biggest of the big dances.

If Nigeria aspires to be any more than a Christoph Lhemetre sp in the 100M final, then theirs must be a case study and copy-catting of those that have succeeded and continue to do so. Substantiation for such suggestion point 4 in the ten-point ramble. History repeats itself, the wise man asks why, the fool thinks it mere coincidence.

[Ayo Akinfe]

I would put Nigeria in the second class of footballing powers. For me, world football looks something like this at the moment:

Class A
Brazil
Germany
Spain
Argentina
Italy
France

Class B
Holland
England
Uruguay
Nigeria
Mexico
Belgium
Croatia
Sweden
Colombia
Portugal

Class C
USA
Cameroon
Denmark
Switzerland
Poland
Ghana
Chile
Serbia
Bosnia
Egypt
Norway
South Korea
Australia
Ivory Coast
Russia
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Ivory Coast
Ireland
Scotland
South Africa
Wales
Senegal
Paraguay
Algeria
Turkey
Ukraine
Poland
Morocco
Tunisia
Peru

Class D
Russia
Zambia
Northern Ireland
Venezuela
DR Congo
Iceland
Latvia
Togo
Angola
New Zealand
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Slovenia
Slovakia
Austria
Israel
Guinea
Mali
Iran
Saudi Arabia

[1] For us, making the transition from Class B to A is not that long a journey
[2] Like Brazil, we are never going to have all the facilities is place ala Europe in the short term
[3] Our natural talent gives us an advantage which European do not have
[4] Also, the fact that we can play football outdoors 365 days a year allows us to develop flair and skills which many other nations cannot
[5] As expected, the level of our socio-economic development will always be a restraining factor. It is why we have no world class facilities, self-sustaining academies, proper scouting networks, etc. football cannot be immune from the wider malaise afflicting society
[6] My only major worry is that we have regressed over the last 10 years. In the 1990s, Die Bundesliga, Serie A, Le Championet, la Liga, The Premiership, etc were littered with Nigerian players. Vince Enyeama and myself had this discussion recently in which he lamented the fact that it is just he and Awaziem in France. he said that when he first came to France, it was packed with Nigerian players
[7] Our age cheating has been the biggest cause of this setback. European clubs are very reluctant to go to Nigeria in search of players as they do not want to sign a 24 year old only to find out that he is 32. No need to mention names but we have had some high profile cases in which clubs have found out the true ages of our boys
[8] Our fans are not helping matters either. Because the Nigerian fan does not buy memorabilia, susbscribe to TV channels en masse or visit the stadium in large numbers, we do not give the European clubs a commercial incentive to purchase Nigerian players. Even when the Super eagles play in Europe, the stadia are never full. Contrast this with how many Ederson jerseys Man City have sold in Brazil
[9] Having said that, I do not see the world class talent coming through. We have 774 local government areas in Nigeria. If everyone was asked to produce its best two players, I am sure we would uncover 11 players of the calibre of Neymar, Coutinho, Jesus, Edferson, Paulinho, Fernandinho, Firminho, Danny Alves, Marcelo, etc
[10] For me, Nigeria is the only African team in Class B because we are the only ones with the cockiness to take on the big boys. Other African teams will have a complex when it comes to facing the likes of Brazil, Spain, Argentina and Germany. To win the World Cup, you need a certain degree of arrogance and self-belief about you

[chief nfachairman]

I TOTALLY agree with Ayo on this post. TOTALLY! We need to raise our standards and aspire for the finals rather than just 2nd round and quarter. But to get to the top, u dont need a bunch of indian, chinese and sudanese league based players.

[chief nfachairman]

The answers to our problems lie right there within Pajimoh's and Flex Swift's posts.

But...we should find a way of quantum leaping and not having to wait for 50 years of WC 'pedigree' before we aspire to win the WC.
We should aspire to be the exception to the rule by gatecrashing the exclusive Winners' Club. We have some natural advantages already.

So the Q is....how do we do it?

KPOM. Anytime I read so so took 30 years to do it and thus the nxt person has to take same number of years, I always wonder. Thanks for using the word leap frog. We have problems as already listed and we do not need to overcome all of them before winning the Cup. In fact, the gap between perennial winners and others is not as wide as we may think and it is closing. With introduction of the VAR (don't laugh), increasing migration of top players to competitive leagues, etc there is hope. I don't want to add THERe Is GOD ooo!

Ayo isnt saying we have to wait 30yrs. He says its 24yrs and by now we shoudl be aiming for the top.

Also, I agree with everythng Damunk said except supporting PaJimoh and Flexswift. Ayo is not advocating overhaul of the team like flexswift insinuated ayo is pushing for. Ayo, like me, is advocating for a re-inforced team. Even ROhr has said it in his 1hour interview that he is looking to reinforce this team and bring in better players. A change of 6 out of the current 23 is not an overhaul.

[Ayo Akinfe]

If I was running for NFF chairman, my manifesto would read something like this:

[1] Win the World Cup during my tenure
[2] Host the World Cup in our lifetime
[3] Get everyone of Nigeria's 774 local government areas to have a team of some sort that scouts for youth
[4] Abolish age cheating with a lifetime ban for repeat offenders
[5] Get every clubside to raise at least 30% of its expenditure from the sale of memorabilia, advertising, TV rights and ticket sales. This will generate funding for investment in facilities and youth training
[6] Get every major European club to establish links with at least one Nigerian academy
[7] Organise annual coaching clinics during which top coaches come from Nigeria in the summer to train Nigerians
[8] Introduce laws making it compulsory for Premiership clubs to establish U13, U15, U17, U20 and U21 teams
[9] Encourage multinationals to establish clubsides. Push the government to offer them tax breaks of they do
[10] I would take over the supervision of the Principals Cup with a view to spotting talent very early

[Enugu II]

The answers to our problems lie right there within Pajimoh's and Flex Swift's posts.

But...we should find a way of quantum leaping and not having to wait for 50 years of WC 'pedigree' before we aspire to win the WC.
We should aspire to be the exception to the rule by gatecrashing the exclusive Winners' Club. We have some natural advantages already.

So the Q is....how do we do it?

KPOM. Anytime I read so so took 30 years to do it and thus the nxt person has to take same number of years, I always wonder. Thanks for using the word leap frog. We have problems as already listed and we do not need to overcome all of them before winning the Cup. In fact, the gap between perennial winners and others is not as wide as we may think and it is closing. With introduction of the VAR (don't laugh), increasing migration of top players to competitive leagues, etc there is hope. I don't want to add THERe Is GOD ooo!

Ayo isnt saying we have to wait 30yrs. He says its 24yrs and by now we shoudl be aiming for the top.

Also, I agree with everythng Damunk said except supporting PaJimoh and Flexswift. Ayo is not advocating overhaul of the team like flexswift insinuated ayo is pushing for. Ayo, like me, is advocating for a re-inforced team. Even ROhr has said it in his 1hour interview that he is looking to reinforce this team and bring in better players. A change of 6 out of the current 23 is not an overhaul.

The reference was not to Ayo, btw. I do not believe he stated that it must taken a certain number of years to achieve. The point merely is to highlight the idea that leap frogging can be done and the usual mantra of number of years to wait because someone else took that long is not necessary.

[chief nfachairman]

The answers to our problems lie right there within Pajimoh's and Flex Swift's posts.

But...we should find a way of quantum leaping and not having to wait for 50 years of WC 'pedigree' before we aspire to win the WC.
We should aspire to be the exception to the rule by gatecrashing the exclusive Winners' Club. We have some natural advantages already.

So the Q is....how do we do it?

KPOM. Anytime I read so so took 30 years to do it and thus the nxt person has to take same number of years, I always wonder. Thanks for using the word leap frog. We have problems as already listed and we do not need to overcome all of them before winning the Cup. In fact, the gap between perennial winners and others is not as wide as we may think and it is closing. With introduction of the VAR (don't laugh), increasing migration of top players to competitive leagues, etc there is hope. I don't want to add THERe Is GOD ooo!

Ayo isnt saying we have to wait 30yrs. He says its 24yrs and by now we shoudl be aiming for the top.

Also, I agree with everythng Damunk said except supporting PaJimoh and Flexswift. Ayo is not advocating overhaul of the team like flexswift insinuated ayo is pushing for. Ayo, like me, is advocating for a re-inforced team. Even ROhr has said it in his 1hour interview that he is looking to reinforce this team and bring in better players. A change of 6 out of the current 23 is not an overhaul.

The reference was not to Ayo, btw. I do not believe he stated that it must taken a certain number of years to achieve. The point merely is to highlight the idea that leap frogging can be done and the usual mantra of number of years to wait because someone else took that long is not necessary.

Noted Boss.

[pajimoh]

I'm not saying we need to take 30,years but we are never going to meet the top world bracket if we are not spending to train coaches, to build infrastructure, to hire the best, to make football attractive as a profession.

All the children dreaming of playing football is certainly not because of players in our local leagues. It is what they see abroad.

We have clubs that commands millions annual revenue and invest in sport science, infrastructure etc

Our determination can get us so far, money can do a lot. Go ask Man City, PSG etc

You pay bananas, you get monkeys. You pay peanuts you get squirrels. You pay grass and you get barmenda goat

That is why we are now scouring the top leagues to pick players they've taken time and invested in.

[Ayo Akinfe]

As Mohammed Ali said: "The will has got to be greater than the skill." In 2006, Italy won the World Cup with very much an average team.

One good thing Rohr has done is he has used diasporans to fill gaps in the team. Now, this process needs to be built upon with a frantic search for local lads. Salisu Yusuf was supposed to be in charge of this and I must confess, he has failed woefully so far.

Keshi did very well getting several local players for the 2013 team uncovering the likes of Oboabona, Mba, Egwuekwe, Gabriel, Uzoenyi and Agbim. If we work on the three approaches of diasporans, local league and our players who have moved to top clubs, we will always have a good 23.

[mystic]

Ayo,

I don't think that Nigeria is in the 2nd tier of football nations. Had we built upon the progress that we had made in the 1990s, I would agree with you. But since then our football has been hit or miss. And we have not had results that reflects a 2nd tier football power.

That said I want to echo your thoughts once again that nothing stops us from being one of the Nations at the summit of football. Yes we have many challenges but Nigerians (and indeed Nigeria as a nation) are capable of doing great things. We simply have to believe that we can do it, then it's a matter of summoning the will to do what needs to be done and plotting the course to get there.

I certainly have never wavered in my belief that Nigeria has the talent to be among the best football nations. But we must begin to do things properly. Hopefully this World Cup can be a starting point for us to begin to reclaim our reputation as a burgeoning football power, which was what many in the global game thought of us in the 1990s.

[pajimoh]

Ayo,

I don't think that Nigeria is in the 2nd tier of football nations. Had we built upon the progress that we had made in the 1990s, I would agree with you. But since then our football has been hit or miss. And we have not had results that reflects a 2nd tier football power.

That said I want to echo your thoughts once again that nothing stops us from being one of the Nations at the summit of football. Yes we have many challenges but Nigerians (and indeed Nigeria as a nation) are capable of doing great things. We simply have to believe that we can do it, then it's a matter of summoning the will to do what needs to be done and plotting the course to get there.

I certainly have never wavered in my belief that Nigeria has the talent to be among the best football nations. But we must begin to do things properly. Hopefully this World Cup can be a starting point for us to begin to reclaim our reputation as a burgeoning football power, which was what many in the global game thought of us in the 1990s.

Let me put it another way, even talent must be sharpened, nurtured and invested in. I remember when we used to be perennial bronze and silver medalist at the afcon. Our talent got us to close to the holy grail but lack of preparation and investment in the team meant we always fall at the last hurdle.

Let us not underestimate the power of preparation, investment, infrastructure etc. Our boys plying their trade abroad can tell you the difference all these makes.

We might not need to spend as much as foreign FA's. We are blessed with talent but a tree not properly grounded will not grow straight to catch the fullness of the sun.
Our coaches need better training. Our footballers need better welfare provision and we need a professional league and administration.

[mystic]

To echo and add to the above, the necessary infrastructure, investment, development and ethic, all of which are prerequisite to success, are not only not in place, but never will be. Nigeria isn't catching up with anything. Russia will be another opportunity to flatter and fall short of the podium.

@Ayo, granted we're all stricken with Footballitis, with some flirting with its most fulminating manifestation, but a cold glass of water would've alleviated the acute exacerbation, of which this utter nonsense was certainly a sequelae. Nigeria will be good to escape the group, strong to master the second round and at their best to be in the hat at the end of the quarters. Talk of winning the competition is ridiculous, even if all manner of celestial phenomena occur in the most serendipitous of sequences, if Chukwu exacts his most divine of favours and Ekwensu bafoons all with his trickery, Nigeria will need much more to anything but roadkill by the time Moscow opens its belly for the biggest of the big dances.

If Nigeria aspires to be any more than a Christoph Lhemetre sp in the 100M final, then theirs must be a case study and copy-catting of those that have succeeded and continue to do so. Substantiation for such suggestion point 4 in the ten-point ramble. History repeats itself, the wise man asks why, the fool thinks it mere coincidence.

Anything is possible on the green grass. For me this World Cup is less about result and more about the growth and maturation of our young team within the larger context of the baby steps that we are trying to take in setting Nigerian football on the right course. I certainly think that those that are setting targets for this team are unwise to put such pressure on a young Super Eagles squad that is just beginning to discover how high it's feathering wings can take them. However I do not want to put a cap on what they are capable of achieving either.

With the group that we are in, we could easily be bundled out of the tournament early. But this team (with some breaks going our way) can equally go as far as any African Nation has gone before, if not further.

Nothing, of course, stops us from dreaming big. But my recommendation for Super Eagles fans is to sit back and enjoy what should be a very fun World Cup for us as we continue to behold the development and progress of the current national team. Win, lose or draw we need to stay the course and begin to do things properly for a change.

[mystic]

Ayo,

I don't think that Nigeria is in the 2nd tier of football nations. Had we built upon the progress that we had made in the 1990s, I would agree with you. But since then our football has been hit or miss. And we have not had results that reflects a 2nd tier football power.

That said I want to echo your thoughts once again that nothing stops us from being one of the Nations at the summit of football. Yes we have many challenges but Nigerians (and indeed Nigeria as a nation) are capable of doing great things. We simply have to believe that we can do it, then it's a matter of summoning the will to do what needs to be done and plotting the course to get there.

I certainly have never wavered in my belief that Nigeria has the talent to be among the best football nations. But we must begin to do things properly. Hopefully this World Cup can be a starting point for us to begin to reclaim our reputation as a burgeoning football power, which was what many in the global game thought of us in the 1990s.

Let me put it another way, even talent must be sharpened, nurtured and invested in. I remember when we used to be perennial bronze and silver medalist at the afcon. Our talent got us to close to the holy grail but lack of preparation and investment in the team meant we always fall at the last hurdle.

Let us not underestimate the power of preparation, investment, infrastructure etc. Our boys plying their trade abroad can tell you the difference all these makes.

We might not need to spend as much as foreign FA's. We are blessed with talent but a tree not properly grounded will not grow straight to catch the fullness of the sun.
Our coaches need better training. Our footballers need better welfare provision and we need a professional league and administration.

Amen to that.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

How about launching a bid to get one playable football pitch in Nigeria first.

[pajimoh]

How about launching a bid to get one playable football pitch in Nigeria first.

That's not part of creating a winning team