FRAMES Behind THOUGHT AND POSTS on CE

[Enugu II]

CE is increasingly a space where two extreme ideas about Nigerian football exist. These ideas are easily identified by examining posts by individuals of interest and noting their peculiarities and patterns over time. Of course, these individuals will be the first to deny that they are driven by deep ideology and claim neutrality but their consistent positions on issues expose them. It is like an individual denying being influenced by advertisements but their product purchases expose them as clients of heavily advertised products.

Of course, there are those who are in the middle, neither here nor there. Instead, their positions change on issues and a pattern and are not easily identified.

So what then are the extreme positions? They often reflect Eurocentrism and Localism. The first (Eurocentric) can be noted in the consistent view that everything foreign is superior i.e. facilities, players, environment, behavior, among others. They deny that such views are subjective and instead claim a sense of objectivity when evaluations are never objective in any sense. It does not matter to them that examples of objects or subjects, which they demonize at the local level, can also be identified in foreign places. They deny even the littlest signs of local progress. They celebrate as coaching brilliance a decision by a foreign coach to bringing in, late, a substitute goalkeeper who goes on to win the games on penalties. At the same time they diminish the fact that exactly the same decision was made by one or two Nigerian coaches years prior with similar results. They deny the capability of any local player but celebrate the same player after just a couple of weeks playing in Europe. They deny the capability of any local coach whether such a coach wins regularly and whether such a coach has obtained certificates considered intersubjectively more advanced than those held by a foreign counterpart. A goal scored in Europe is considered world class but one scored with more difficulty in the local league is diminished in importance. These are the characteristics of the Eurocentric.

For the local-centric, it is the opposite but with certain acknowledgments. While they may not deny invitation of foreign-based internationals to the national team, they argue that locally-based players are at par with the foreign-based player. They believe that Nigeria can win the AFCON without foreign-based players and that difficulties in winning the World Cup are because the local league has been ignored. They believe that Europe has corrupted the style of several Nigerian players and made them unable to play in a reified Nigerian style and, thus, render Nigerian possibilities of global dominance impossible. These beliefs reflect deeply the minds of the most adherent of local-centric members.

This is what CE is about and these beliefs often are hidden a level or two behind several posts of members of this forum. It is the frames from which they work, post, and respond to thread topics. All you have to do is focus on patterns of threads and thoughts and it is easy to identify these deep beliefs.

[1naija]

CE is increasingly a space where two extreme ideas about Nigerian football exist. These ideas are easily identified by examining posts by individuals of interest and noting their peculiarities and patterns over time. Of course, these individuals will be the first to deny that they are driven by deep ideology and claim neutrality but their consistent positions on issues expose them. It is like an individual denying being influenced by advertisements but their product purchases expose them as clients of heavily advertised products.

Of course, there are those who are in the middle, neither here nor there. Instead, their positions change on issues and a pattern and are not easily identified.

So what then are the extreme positions? They often reflect Eurocentrism and Localism. The first (Eurocentric) can be noted in the consistent view that everything foreign is superior i.e. facilities, players, environment, behavior, among others. They deny that such views are subjective and instead claim a sense of objectivity when evaluations are never objective in any sense. It does not matter to them that examples of objects or subjects, which they demonize at the local level, can also be identified in foreign places. They deny even the littlest signs of local progress. They celebrate as coaching brilliance a decision by a foreign coach to bringing in, late, a substitute goalkeeper who goes on to win the games on penalties. At the same time they diminish the fact that exactly the same decision was made by one or two Nigerian coaches years prior with similar results. They deny the capability of any local player but celebrate the same player after just a couple of weeks playing in Europe. They deny the capability of any local coach whether such a coach wins regularly and whether such a coach has obtained certificates considered intersubjectively more advanced than those held by a foreign counterpart. A goal scored in Europe is considered world class but one scored with more difficulty in the local league is diminished in importance. These are the characteristics of the Eurocentric.

For the local-centric, it is the opposite but with certain acknowledgments. While they may not deny invitation of foreign-based internationals to the national team, they argue that locally-based players are at par with the foreign-based player. They believe that Nigeria can win the AFCON without foreign-based players and that difficulties in winning the World Cup are because the local league has been ignored. They believe that Europe has corrupted the style of several Nigerian players and made them unable to play in a reified Nigerian style and, thus, render Nigerian possibilities of global dominance impossible. These beliefs reflect deeply the minds of the most adherent of local-centric members.

This is what CE is about and these beliefs often are hidden a level or two behind several posts of members of this forum. It is the frames from which they work, post, and respond to thread topics. All you have to do is focus on patterns of threads and thoughts and it is easy to identify these deep beliefs.

Uncle, what is this post about? Is this a PM to cellulite that accidentally got posted here?

[platinum]

Where do you lie?

[doctorollie]

According to one John12, there are just 2 schools of thought here: Agents and more agents!

Currently, everything on CE is seen from the agent's lenses.

[oloye]

According to one John12, there are just 2 schools of thought here: Agents and more agents!

Currently, everything on CE is seen from the agent's lenses.

Everyone here is an agent until you get a clearance from john12, so far i am the only one he has certified free of agent activities. Some of una sef the way you write your english reeks of agent activities! Even me sef come dey fear una. So i have made john12 my best friend on CE until the WC is over. Abeg john12 continue your fine work, operation sweep and scan agents in full swing

[Odas]

Kai, so far, e be like all of una no well at all my belle-ooo!

[airwolex]

[Chief Ogbunigwe]

where is John?

[oloye]

Kai, so far, e be like all of una no well at all my belle-ooo!

john12, he is promoting his client by casting aspersion on others

[doctorollie]

John12....Ewu Ahmed Musa agent! It takes an agent to identify another.

[100%Naija]

Noise. You guys sometimes think very highly of una selves. Most folks come here to keep up with Naija sports and yarn dust. The silly stuff is for the birds.

[truetalk]

Noise. You guys sometimes think very highly of una selves. Most folks come here to keep up with Naija sports and yarn dust. The silly stuff is for the birds.

EnuguII na prof. This is his own way of yarning dust and having fun.

You know normal Detroit folks look like Gangbangers to the rest of us, and you might not be comfortable with the lighthearted conversation that people like EnuguII use to shoot breeze in the County Club

BIGPORKEY, 13% Detroit say make you open thread, so una go yab yourselves for dia.

[Tbite]

I have spent about 65% of my life outside of Nigeria so I am very much foreign, and I am a citizen of a eurocentric country.

My half siblings were born in Australia and Finland for crying out loud. All around me is foreign and eurocentricism. If I am not eurocentric, I am damn near close to someone that is. Yet a lot of my posts on CE definitely sit in that local frame of thought. But I am not a hypocritical or confused individual. Every position that I ever hold, I hold for a very specific reason.

First of all, let me deviate as I am often known to do, and let me ramble on in another direction as I am also known to do. What is the point of a country? I think a lot of people, and perhaps they should be forgiven (being citizens of Nigeria), do not even know what the point of a country is.

Someone on this thread said we take ourselves too seriously. I think countries take themselves too seriously. There is not a single country on this planet that purely NEEDS to exist! Not one! Humanity does not need ANY country to exist. Humanity doesn't need Nigeria, USA, Finland, China. These countries are just figments of our imagination that we have actualized through societal currency (literally speaking and figuratively speaking). The NEED of a country to exist ultimately comes down to what it FACILITATES, that is it.

So the ONLY reason a country exists is to facilitate some bigger dream. And when we talk about football and I see that the ideology doesn't stem from Nigeria, the coach, the gear, the broadcast networks, the players are born and trained elsewhere etc. etc., I ask myself a very basic question - as far as this particular endeavour is concerned, why does this country actually exist?

The most asinine thing in the universe, the most ungodly thing in the universe, is for ANYTHING to exist either for redundancy of for no reason.

If I exist for no reason or if I am redundant, I PRAY to God that I die right now! So please, whatever exists PRODUCE. Nothing should exist for no reason! It is a waste of kinetic energy, it is a waste of matter. And Nigeria as a country that supposedly exists for a reason should produce locally developed talent, it should produce coaches, it should produce all manner of things.

And don't get me wrong, I am an educated man, I know a little something something about the division of labour yada yada yada, but Football by the way is not like manufacturing smartphones. If you cannot engage in the sport, you do not exist in that arena.

But as I have said, I am not against the infusion of foreign elements. That is to be embraced and that is normal in this global exchange that we now inhabit. BUT when the fabric of a country is more traceable to that exchange than it can to what that nation can actually offer, I think that is a country that exists for no reason and is wasting everyone's time.

If we get to a point where global exchange is so efficient and so widespread that there is no longer a local, then at that point there shouldn't be any basis for any countries. I think the hypocrisy does not lie in the mind of this Nigerian-Australian, but in the minds of the people that do not even understand why countries exist in the first instance. These are things that believe it or not, people do not stop to think about. They can drag their feet to a passport office, they can memorize a national anthem, but do they even know why their country exists?

[Robotnik]

FRANCE Behind TONIGHT and Hit POSTS on CE

FRAMES Behind THOUGHT AND POSTS on CE


What the eyes and brain do sometimes...

[Tbite]

One of my half siblings plays basketball every day, he is fortunate enough to have a court in his home. They play all manner of sports, baseball, football, motocross etc. I think it is not out of the question that with the amount of training that they receive, they could actually be in contention to represent Nigeria or Australia competitively.

95% of people on CE don't even read my posts properly (perhaps due to the length), but mostly because they have their heads shoved up some place. Here is how my thinking goes. Would I be against these individuals representing Nigeria, a country that they know much much much much less than Australia? No! I would love for them to represent Nigeria, it is also their country.

However, what bothers me would be if we had no representation from local academies, local clubs in the team. Representation is a funny thing, is the point of representation just to hint at diversity? Just to say we are making Nigerians somewhere proud? Well that is a very superficial way of thinking of representation and it goes back to that redundancy and futility that I mentioned in the previous dissertation (Which by the way tfco et al) I am very proud of. Ultimately a country can't exist just to put its name to something by some association.

No! A country is to great for that. C'mon! People are supposed to die for that country, people are supposed to live and breathe that country. It can't be simplified to just making a brother happy for his half siblings or parents happy for their children. That is nice, but it needs to be more than that. It needs to represent why that country exists, what it produces and what it can produce in the future.

A country cannot exist just to hoist a flag at an event. That very event must be the tip of the iceberg, a very small part in what was a very long journey that was DEEPLY embedded in the ecosystems of that country.

I would love for my brother to play basketball for Nigeria, but I do not feel that his representation is the most important thing for the country, I feel the country working towards the sport and honing it, that is the most important thing. A country is ultimately bigger than any individual or family and in a way, every one of us contribute to the end product.

The more we rely on the foreign (Which is fine to an extent), the more we diminish or dilute the interconnected-ness of the country. You want EVERY Nigerian to feel like they took part in your success, that they can aspire to that success. Not just your family, based on their particular life course. So it is fine if my brother plays for Nigeria, but the LOCAL the LOCAL the LOCAL is what justifies our existence.

And remember why I am saying this, I am not saying this because of place of birth. These foreign entities WILL NOT embed themselves in the country, they will only associate themselves with the country. How many of them will return at the age of five to sign up for an academy? How many eurocentric coaches will immerse themselves in the country? There is a separation.

E2 I know that this is only one tiny aspect of what you have been considering, but I do feel that I am trying to express this point of view as best I can. I do it repeatedly, because I feel eventually those who have their heads up certain places will at least debate it from EXACTLY the position where I stand. Usually they will twist my words, dumb it down or misread my position. It's not a debate...because they don't even understand my position.

but I have represented my own perspective at least.

[Enugu II]

One of my half siblings plays basketball every day, he is fortunate enough to have a court in his home. They play all manner of sports, baseball, football, motocross etc. I think it is not out of the question that with the amount of training that they receive, they could actually be in contention to represent Nigeria or Australia competitively.

95% of people on CE don't even read my posts properly (perhaps due to the length), but mostly because they have their heads shoved up some place. Here is how my thinking goes. Would I be against these individuals representing Nigeria, a country that they know much much much much less than Australia? No! I would love for them to represent Nigeria, it is also their country.

However, what bothers me would be if we had no representation from local academies, local clubs in the team. Representation is a funny thing, is the point of representation just to hint at diversity? Just to say we are making Nigerians somewhere proud? Well that is a very superficial way of thinking of representation and it goes back to that redundancy and futility that I mentioned in the previous dissertation (Which by the way tfco et al) I am very proud of. Ultimately a country can't exist just to put its name to something by some association.

No! A country is to great for that. C'mon! People are supposed to die for that country, people are supposed to live and breathe that country. It can't be simplified to just making a brother happy for his half siblings or parents happy for their children. That is nice, but it needs to be more than that. It needs to represent why that country exists, what it produces and what it can produce in the future.

A country cannot exist just to hoist a flag at an event. That very event must be the tip of the iceberg, a very small part in what was a very long journey that was DEEPLY embedded in the ecosystems of that country.

I would love for my brother to play basketball for Nigeria, but I do not feel that his representation is the most important thing for the country, I feel the country working towards the sport and honing it, that is the most important thing. A country is ultimately bigger than any individual or family and in a way, every one of us contribute to the end product.

The more we rely on the foreign (Which is fine to an extent), the more we diminish or dilute the interconnected-ness of the country. You want EVERY Nigerian to feel like they took part in your success, that they can aspire to that success. Not just your family, based on their particular life course. So it is fine if my brother plays for Nigeria, but the LOCAL the LOCAL the LOCAL is what justifies our existence.

And remember why I am saying this, I am not saying this because of place of birth. These foreign entities WILL NOT embed themselves in the country, they will only associate themselves with the country. How many of them will return at the age of five to sign up for an academy? How many eurocentric coaches will immerse themselves in the country? There is a separation.

E2 I know that this is only one tiny aspect of what you have been considering, but I do feel that I am trying to express this point of view as best I can. I do it repeatedly, because I feel eventually those who have their heads up certain places will at least debate it from EXACTLY the position where I stand. Usually they will twist my words, dumb it down or misread my position. It's not a debate...because they don't even understand my position.

but I have represented my own perspective at least.

Tbite,

Man, this is a very interesting perspective that you have shared. In my view, I believe that those who are Eurocentric come to it motivated by several things. For them, the may actually view a state/nation as concrete or tangible but its constituency not limited to the local but including the diaspora. In this world where the diaspora is no longer as psychologically distant as before, they perceive a continual link with the home location. Thus, they do not see the locally-based as having any rights to representation of the nation that supercedes their own rights. I believe that they actually see the local as inferior i.e. not skilled in international engagement and, therefore, they (in the diaspora) must be the ones to represent the nation. They view the Nigerian government as inferior, the local footballer as inferior, the coaches, the clubs, and everything football that is local is inferiorized. There are many of these types in CE. I think that this attitude blinds them from acknowledging even the obvious examples of objects and actions that are, in fact, better than the foreign. This is a major deficiency in their views i.e. the inability or the blindness imposed by their thinking.

Tbite, in the last two years, the national team of Nigeria has increasingly turned to the foreign/diaspora as representatives of the nation more than ever before in Nigeria's football history. Though some may point to the 1990s as the transition period but there is a difference between the turning to the diaspora that exists today from that which existed in the 1990s. It is a significant difference and the struggle or the resistance to this transition may not now be apparent but let's be clear the fight back exists underneath and some voices in CE represent this very end of the struggle.

[jette1]

One of my half siblings plays basketball every day, he is fortunate enough to have a court in his home. They play all manner of sports, baseball, football, motocross etc. I think it is not out of the question that with the amount of training that they receive, they could actually be in contention to represent Nigeria or Australia competitively.

95% of people on CE don't even read my posts properly (perhaps due to the length), but mostly because they have their heads shoved up some place. Here is how my thinking goes. Would I be against these individuals representing Nigeria, a country that they know much much much much less than Australia? No! I would love for them to represent Nigeria, it is also their country.

However, what bothers me would be if we had no representation from local academies, local clubs in the team. Representation is a funny thing, is the point of representation just to hint at diversity? Just to say we are making Nigerians somewhere proud? Well that is a very superficial way of thinking of representation and it goes back to that redundancy and futility that I mentioned in the previous dissertation (Which by the way tfco et al) I am very proud of. Ultimately a country can't exist just to put its name to something by some association.

No! A country is to great for that. C'mon! People are supposed to die for that country, people are supposed to live and breathe that country. It can't be simplified to just making a brother happy for his half siblings or parents happy for their children. That is nice, but it needs to be more than that. It needs to represent why that country exists, what it produces and what it can produce in the future.

A country cannot exist just to hoist a flag at an event. That very event must be the tip of the iceberg, a very small part in what was a very long journey that was DEEPLY embedded in the ecosystems of that country.

I would love for my brother to play basketball for Nigeria, but I do not feel that his representation is the most important thing for the country, I feel the country working towards the sport and honing it, that is the most important thing. A country is ultimately bigger than any individual or family and in a way, every one of us contribute to the end product.

The more we rely on the foreign (Which is fine to an extent), the more we diminish or dilute the interconnected-ness of the country. You want EVERY Nigerian to feel like they took part in your success, that they can aspire to that success. Not just your family, based on their particular life course. So it is fine if my brother plays for Nigeria, but the LOCAL the LOCAL the LOCAL is what justifies our existence.

And remember why I am saying this, I am not saying this because of place of birth. These foreign entities WILL NOT embed themselves in the country, they will only associate themselves with the country. How many of them will return at the age of five to sign up for an academy? How many eurocentric coaches will immerse themselves in the country? There is a separation.

E2 I know that this is only one tiny aspect of what you have been considering, but I do feel that I am trying to express this point of view as best I can. I do it repeatedly, because I feel eventually those who have their heads up certain places will at least debate it from EXACTLY the position where I stand. Usually they will twist my words, dumb it down or misread my position. It's not a debate...because they don't even understand my position.

but I have represented my own perspective at least.

Tbite,

Man, this is a very interesting perspective that you have shared. In my view, I believe that those who are Eurocentric come to it motivated by several things. For them, the may actually view a state/nation as concrete or tangible but its constituency not limited to the local but including the diaspora. In this world where the diaspora is no longer as psychologically distant as before, they perceive a continual link with the home location. Thus, they do not see the locally-based as having any rights to representation of the nation that supercedes their own rights. I believe that they actually see the local as inferior i.e. not skilled in international engagement and, therefore, they (in the diaspora) must be the ones to represent the nation. They view the Nigerian government as inferior, the local footballer as inferior, the coaches, the clubs, and everything football that is local is inferiorized. There are many of these types in CE. I think that this attitude blinds them from acknowledging even the obvious examples of objects and actions that are, in fact, better than the foreign. This is a major deficiency in their views i.e. the inability or the blindness imposed by their thinking.

Tbite, in the last two years, the national team of Nigeria has increasingly turned to the foreign/diaspora as representatives of the nation more than ever before in Nigeria's football history. Though some may point to the 1990s as the transition period but there is a difference between the turning to the diaspora that exists today from that which existed in the 1990s. It is a significant difference and the struggle or the resistance to this transition may not now be apparent but let's be clear the fight back exists underneath and some voices in CE represent this very end of the struggle.

As much as we are talking acceptability of this trend in sports isn't it time we force same trend in political life; heck the diaspora already account for some $25 billion yearly direct foreign investment into the local economy. hence no one can argue if they deserve a voice.

[ogiso]

Two legs good. Four legs bad.

[Enugu II]

One of my half siblings plays basketball every day, he is fortunate enough to have a court in his home. They play all manner of sports, baseball, football, motocross etc. I think it is not out of the question that with the amount of training that they receive, they could actually be in contention to represent Nigeria or Australia competitively.

95% of people on CE don't even read my posts properly (perhaps due to the length), but mostly because they have their heads shoved up some place. Here is how my thinking goes. Would I be against these individuals representing Nigeria, a country that they know much much much much less than Australia? No! I would love for them to represent Nigeria, it is also their country.

However, what bothers me would be if we had no representation from local academies, local clubs in the team. Representation is a funny thing, is the point of representation just to hint at diversity? Just to say we are making Nigerians somewhere proud? Well that is a very superficial way of thinking of representation and it goes back to that redundancy and futility that I mentioned in the previous dissertation (Which by the way tfco et al) I am very proud of. Ultimately a country can't exist just to put its name to something by some association.

No! A country is to great for that. C'mon! People are supposed to die for that country, people are supposed to live and breathe that country. It can't be simplified to just making a brother happy for his half siblings or parents happy for their children. That is nice, but it needs to be more than that. It needs to represent why that country exists, what it produces and what it can produce in the future.

A country cannot exist just to hoist a flag at an event. That very event must be the tip of the iceberg, a very small part in what was a very long journey that was DEEPLY embedded in the ecosystems of that country.

I would love for my brother to play basketball for Nigeria, but I do not feel that his representation is the most important thing for the country, I feel the country working towards the sport and honing it, that is the most important thing. A country is ultimately bigger than any individual or family and in a way, every one of us contribute to the end product.

The more we rely on the foreign (Which is fine to an extent), the more we diminish or dilute the interconnected-ness of the country. You want EVERY Nigerian to feel like they took part in your success, that they can aspire to that success. Not just your family, based on their particular life course. So it is fine if my brother plays for Nigeria, but the LOCAL the LOCAL the LOCAL is what justifies our existence.

And remember why I am saying this, I am not saying this because of place of birth. These foreign entities WILL NOT embed themselves in the country, they will only associate themselves with the country. How many of them will return at the age of five to sign up for an academy? How many eurocentric coaches will immerse themselves in the country? There is a separation.

E2 I know that this is only one tiny aspect of what you have been considering, but I do feel that I am trying to express this point of view as best I can. I do it repeatedly, because I feel eventually those who have their heads up certain places will at least debate it from EXACTLY the position where I stand. Usually they will twist my words, dumb it down or misread my position. It's not a debate...because they don't even understand my position.

but I have represented my own perspective at least.

Tbite,

Man, this is a very interesting perspective that you have shared. In my view, I believe that those who are Eurocentric come to it motivated by several things. For them, the may actually view a state/nation as concrete or tangible but its constituency not limited to the local but including the diaspora. In this world where the diaspora is no longer as psychologically distant as before, they perceive a continual link with the home location. Thus, they do not see the locally-based as having any rights to representation of the nation that supercedes their own rights. I believe that they actually see the local as inferior i.e. not skilled in international engagement and, therefore, they (in the diaspora) must be the ones to represent the nation. They view the Nigerian government as inferior, the local footballer as inferior, the coaches, the clubs, and everything football that is local is inferiorized. There are many of these types in CE. I think that this attitude blinds them from acknowledging even the obvious examples of objects and actions that are, in fact, better than the foreign. This is a major deficiency in their views i.e. the inability or the blindness imposed by their thinking.

Tbite, in the last two years, the national team of Nigeria has increasingly turned to the foreign/diaspora as representatives of the nation more than ever before in Nigeria's football history. Though some may point to the 1990s as the transition period but there is a difference between the turning to the diaspora that exists today from that which existed in the 1990s. It is a significant difference and the struggle or the resistance to this transition may not now be apparent but let's be clear the fight back exists underneath and some voices in CE represent this very end of the struggle.

As much as we are talking acceptability of this trend in sports isn't it time we force same trend in political life; heck the diaspora already account for some $25 billion yearly direct foreign investment into the local economy. hence no one can argue if they deserve a voice.

Jette1,

The reason why diaspora is more advanced in forcing access to the NT is because there are clear consequences for the decision maker's (the manager) failure. Thus, the decision maker does a better calculation to achieve success. This is just my opinion. In politics, not too sure this is the place for its discussion, it is more difficult because the consequence of rejecting the diaspora is not yet significant. The decision maker does not have to include the diaspora in the calculation in order to be successful in those things that politicians measure as symbols of successful -- wealth accumulation over national advancement.

[asabatex]

John12
Tobi17

[Kabalega]

CE is mostly EN.
And EN in reality stands for Eurocentric Nigerian(s)....

There are exceptions and grey areas for sure.
That are usually covered by options C (A or B /A and B) and D ( all of the above).

Of course, there is also option E, "none of the above."

[jette1]

One of my half siblings plays basketball every day, he is fortunate enough to have a court in his home. They play all manner of sports, baseball, football, motocross etc. I think it is not out of the question that with the amount of training that they receive, they could actually be in contention to represent Nigeria or Australia competitively.

95% of people on CE don't even read my posts properly (perhaps due to the length), but mostly because they have their heads shoved up some place. Here is how my thinking goes. Would I be against these individuals representing Nigeria, a country that they know much much much much less than Australia? No! I would love for them to represent Nigeria, it is also their country.

However, what bothers me would be if we had no representation from local academies, local clubs in the team. Representation is a funny thing, is the point of representation just to hint at diversity? Just to say we are making Nigerians somewhere proud? Well that is a very superficial way of thinking of representation and it goes back to that redundancy and futility that I mentioned in the previous dissertation (Which by the way tfco et al) I am very proud of. Ultimately a country can't exist just to put its name to something by some association.

No! A country is to great for that. C'mon! People are supposed to die for that country, people are supposed to live and breathe that country. It can't be simplified to just making a brother happy for his half siblings or parents happy for their children. That is nice, but it needs to be more than that. It needs to represent why that country exists, what it produces and what it can produce in the future.

A country cannot exist just to hoist a flag at an event. That very event must be the tip of the iceberg, a very small part in what was a very long journey that was DEEPLY embedded in the ecosystems of that country.

I would love for my brother to play basketball for Nigeria, but I do not feel that his representation is the most important thing for the country, I feel the country working towards the sport and honing it, that is the most important thing. A country is ultimately bigger than any individual or family and in a way, every one of us contribute to the end product.

The more we rely on the foreign (Which is fine to an extent), the more we diminish or dilute the interconnected-ness of the country. You want EVERY Nigerian to feel like they took part in your success, that they can aspire to that success. Not just your family, based on their particular life course. So it is fine if my brother plays for Nigeria, but the LOCAL the LOCAL the LOCAL is what justifies our existence.

And remember why I am saying this, I am not saying this because of place of birth. These foreign entities WILL NOT embed themselves in the country, they will only associate themselves with the country. How many of them will return at the age of five to sign up for an academy? How many eurocentric coaches will immerse themselves in the country? There is a separation.

E2 I know that this is only one tiny aspect of what you have been considering, but I do feel that I am trying to express this point of view as best I can. I do it repeatedly, because I feel eventually those who have their heads up certain places will at least debate it from EXACTLY the position where I stand. Usually they will twist my words, dumb it down or misread my position. It's not a debate...because they don't even understand my position.

but I have represented my own perspective at least.

Tbite,

Man, this is a very interesting perspective that you have shared. In my view, I believe that those who are Eurocentric come to it motivated by several things. For them, the may actually view a state/nation as concrete or tangible but its constituency not limited to the local but including the diaspora. In this world where the diaspora is no longer as psychologically distant as before, they perceive a continual link with the home location. Thus, they do not see the locally-based as having any rights to representation of the nation that supercedes their own rights. I believe that they actually see the local as inferior i.e. not skilled in international engagement and, therefore, they (in the diaspora) must be the ones to represent the nation. They view the Nigerian government as inferior, the local footballer as inferior, the coaches, the clubs, and everything football that is local is inferiorized. There are many of these types in CE. I think that this attitude blinds them from acknowledging even the obvious examples of objects and actions that are, in fact, better than the foreign. This is a major deficiency in their views i.e. the inability or the blindness imposed by their thinking.

Tbite, in the last two years, the national team of Nigeria has increasingly turned to the foreign/diaspora as representatives of the nation more than ever before in Nigeria's football history. Though some may point to the 1990s as the transition period but there is a difference between the turning to the diaspora that exists today from that which existed in the 1990s. It is a significant difference and the struggle or the resistance to this transition may not now be apparent but let's be clear the fight back exists underneath and some voices in CE represent this very end of the struggle.

As much as we are talking acceptability of this trend in sports isn't it time we force same trend in political life; heck the diaspora already account for some $25 billion yearly direct foreign investment into the local economy. hence no one can argue if they deserve a voice.

Jette1,

The reason why diaspora is more advanced in forcing access to the NT is because there are clear consequences for the decision maker's (the manager) failure. Thus, the decision maker does a better calculation to achieve success. This is just my opinion. In politics, not too sure this is the place for its discussion, it is more difficult because the consequence of rejecting the diaspora is not yet significant. The decision maker does not have to include the diaspora in the calculation in order to be successful in those things that politicians measure as symbols of successful -- wealth accumulation over national advancement.

yes obviously this is not the right forum for the topic but lets just assume we are merely using football analogously; i think though that significant consequences have suffered and on display that even the blind have not missed.