CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

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CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

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Source: CBS Sports Soccer
Nigeria miss 2022 World Cup: Who's to blame and what's next after crashing out vs. Ghana
Nigeria have had an incredibly disappointing start to 2022

By Tosin Makinde

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The dust has settled, and the reality has kicked in. Nigeria are going to miss their first World Cup since 2006. It's their second missed World Cup since 1994, when they reached the knockout stage. In actuality, it should not shock anyone that Nigeria are missing out on the 2022 World Cup. The signs were there, the cracks were papered over and now Nigeria has slipped, hard.

On Sept. 30, 2014 Amaju Pinnick took over as president of the Nigerian Football Federation. He oversaw the disaster that was not qualifying for the 2015 (two years after Nigeria won AFCON) and 2017 AFCON tournaments. He went on to hire Gernot Rohr, who saw a successful period of Nigerian football. Rohr, however was disrespected and eventually fired.

So who's to blame? And what's next for Nigeria after a disappointing stretch. Let's sort it out.

Playing the blame game
Who is to blame for Nigeria not qualifying for the 2022 World Cup? It's a large pie, everyone can get fed. Let's start with the obvious: it was horrible goalkeeping for the Thomas Partey goal in their 1-1 draw against Ghana on Tuesday. The players looked like they were waiting for a third and fourth leg. Victor Osimhen was trying things he should not have. You get the point -- the players did not hold their weight.


The coaching. Manager Augustine Eguavoen was the assistant coach when Nigeria did not qualify for the 2006 World Cup, he is a legend on the pitch, but off of it, he has failed to replicate what Aliou Cisse and now Rigobert Song have done for their country. The tactics, player selections, the substitutions or lack thereof were not up to par. Eguavoen and his staff need to take a long look in the mirror.

The football federation. There are way too many egos and not enough humility within the NFF and the sporting authorities in Nigeria. From Amaju Pinnick to the rest, there seems to be no plan, just vibes and a lot of talking. Cameroon has Samuel Eto'o, arguably is the greatest African football player ever, in charge. Eto'o so far has taken no prisoners and has revived a Cameroonian side that was looking lethargic. Nigeria need a game plan from the men's side to the women's to the youth, even down to how the stadiums are managed.

Finally, the media in Nigeria. They hunted Rohr and he was fired. There are a lot of egos within Nigerian football, everyone seemingly wants the best but in reality it seems the other way. A lot of Nigerian media members advocate for local-based players and coaches, but when it comes down to it, there are not that many players or coaches who can take Nigeria to that level. Rohr should have been allowed to see out of the AFCON tournament in January. If he failed, fire him. That's how Cameroon, Tunisia and Ghana did it (you know, countries who qualified). The influential Nigerian media members need to ask themselves what exactly do they want? Do they want to continue driving agendas for their own gain or do they want to be genuine?

A head-scratching decision
Before we get started let's be real. Outside of 1994, Nigeria have not won much. In 1996 there was an Olympic gold medal, and in 2013 an AFCON title. It was not a pretty sight after the AFCON win. Pinnick took over Nigeria in 2014. What has been done since then? There have been two missed AFCON's, the loss of an Adidas sponsorship, court cases and corruption allegations. It is not all bad, though.

Nigeria have very gorgeous Nike kits and gear, they finished third in AFCON 2019, qualified for the 2018 World Cup in a group that had Zambia, Algeria and Cameroon. They ushered in a generation that is one of the most gifted on the continent, and brought in some diaspora talents. This was done mostly under the tutelage of Rohr (you know, the manager who Nigerian media and football heads ended up getting fired).

While football wasn't the most attractive under Rohr, Nigeria had their most successful period under Pinnick's reign with Rohr in charge. Should he have been fired? Maybe. But there was no plan to find anyone after he was gone, which is why firing him was a very unserious and now costly decision.

What is next?
Egos and pride need to be checked immediately. Some people need to quit, get fired, leave, whatever it is. There needs to be people who are doing what is best for the footballing of the country. That means not calling up eight wingers and four midfielders. That means hiring the best coaches, fixing the stadiums, paying the coaches and players on time, recruiting and calling up the best players, whether that is domestic or foreign-born.

Nigeria is a very tough country to live in and people want some sort of escape, pride and joy. When the national team does well, people connect to it. When they are not playing well, it adds to the pent-up frustration. Being Nigerian, there's a sense of pride and joy, the "giants of Africa" need to figure out who they want to be on the football pitch. Do they want to be Beautiful Gowns FC, or an actual football powerhouse?

The talent is there. The core is young, some players need to be moved on and some will retire (possibly Leon Balogun, Odion Ighalo, Ahmed Musa and maybe William Troost Ekong). For the most part this core will stay together, but the players need coaches who are sharp, witty and know how the modern game is played. You cannot rely on the ghosts of yesteryear to fuel players who were born after your glory days. Eguavoen has tried for years, but it is time to move on. Move on from the 1994 era, they had their chance. It is time to usher in a new generation of Nigerian football. If they want to be great, people like Pinnick need to put their hands up and say they have tried.

Eight years in charge, one third-place finish, a ton of scandals and mismanagement of talent and funds is not a good legacy to have. Nigeria should be back at the 2026 World Cup, 32 years after winning hearts in the USA, they will be back in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Can the powers that be develop a squad, coaching staff, and stadiums fit enough to make 200+ million people proud? All we can do is hope and believe.
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

Post by truemamamia »

Truth be told, Nigeria was a goalkeeper holler away from a world cup spot. Narrative could have been different.
Ghana Nigeria games have always been tough so I dont understand why people felt so confident on CE
EVen in 2010 with Martins, Yakubu Ayigbeni, Chinedu Obasi, Odemwingie, Obinna ( same pattern of multiple strikers), Nigeria lost to the young Ghanaian squad
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

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If this failure helped drop offload Musa, ighalo then that’s comforting to a level
make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable.

"It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is. If the--if he--if 'is' means is and never has been, that is not--that is one thing. If it means there is none, that was a completely true statement....Now, if someone had asked me on that day, are you having any kind of sexual relations with Ms. Lewinsky, that is, asked me a question in the present tense, I would have said no. And it would have been completely true."
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

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Too Easy, too easy, the Ghanaian youngsters said as they celebrated.
Naija, you see your life?

Anyway, enjoy.
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

Post by marko »

Ghana has grown in leaps and bounds! Ghana is the to-go tourist spot for most blacks from the diaspora, their country is progressing, everything there works, just look at their international airport! world class! i have said this for the past 20 years in CE, Nigerian football is a reflection of society at large! every ill you see in Nigerian society is manifested in our football!
So angry Nigeria got kicked out of the world cup once again, i nearly told my wife that i caught my girlfriend with another man today!

Marko
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

Post by pajimoh »

Some of you here need to look at yourselves. We all need to look at ourselves.
We might be living in the West but our mentality is still very much Nigerian in some aspects.
We just have to understand, a very good coach or Manager can improve players but players cannot improve a coach or manager.

Yes, Nigeria's problem is societal but even in that, visions and dreams can still be accomplished with dedication and right leadership.
Pinick is not a visionary - lets establish that first and foremost.
Non of our ex players have shown or proven that they are exemplary enough to be trusted with any aspects of managing the SE. Too long we've placed such a low value on the SE, based on the size of NFF's coffers. The manager we get depends on what we can afford. We don't go for managers/coaches that can actually take the SE to another level or two.
As fans, we have to decide which is more important to us - the constant pains of "not quite good enough" "what a missed opportunity", "so near but..."? or results orientated SE?

If we are not ready to really push out the boat and make a bold statement as to the quality of hands we place the SE in, lets just accept whatever comes out of it.

Egu was NEVER EVER the right person, with his record. If he were a heart surgeon, you'd avoid him like a plaque. He was dusted down from the mothballed heap of underachievement and lack of coaching or managerial activities and put in charge of the holy grail of Nigeria's top team at two of the most crucial time of the team.
It turned out the so called boring and useless Rohr set us up nicely for AFCON and WC participation, Egu characteristically dumped us out of both.
No matter our opinion of Rohr, Egu was never an upgrade. Nigeria took a $12m gamble on Egu and lost woefully.
If we are not ready to make a bold statement about the SE, then sorry, we are not ready to possibly conquer territories.
The team needs an almighty shift, psychologically and a tough handler with no nonsense approach.
An expert can make glass look like diamond but a novice can make a diamond look like glass.
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

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truemamamia wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 4:27 am Truth be told, Nigeria was a goalkeeper holler away from a world cup spot. Narrative could have been different.
Ghana Nigeria games have always been tough so I dont understand why people felt so confident on CE
EVen in 2010 with Martins, Yakubu Ayigbeni, Chinedu Obasi, Odemwingie, Obinna ( same pattern of multiple strikers), Nigeria lost to the young Ghanaian squad
...truth be told too. I was not confident too, but was tough to voice out. Our shambolic preparations. You can drop all the players you want but if you don't cut off the head of the snake same thing will continue. The day will come a true football leader will take control and build back Nigeria from the local league to youth football to a national team that can play well and win. That "day" no one knows. Like the article said, 'too much egos'.
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

Post by imehjunior »

Otitokoro wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 5:35 am Too Easy, too easy, the Ghanaian youngsters said as they celebrated.
Naija, you see your life?

Anyway, enjoy.
Watching this brought the pains back all over again.
"Nigeria's No.1 problem is that all the smart Nigerians and those who know the solutions to everything are hiding here on CE." 1naija
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

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mcal wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 12:48 pm
truemamamia wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 4:27 am Truth be told, Nigeria was a goalkeeper holler away from a world cup spot. Narrative could have been different.
Ghana Nigeria games have always been tough so I dont understand why people felt so confident on CE
EVen in 2010 with Martins, Yakubu Ayigbeni, Chinedu Obasi, Odemwingie, Obinna ( same pattern of multiple strikers), Nigeria lost to the young Ghanaian squad
...truth be told too. I was not confident too, but was tough to voice out. Our shambolic preparations. You can drop all the players you want but if you don't cut off the head of the snake same thing will continue. The day will come a true football leader will take control and build back Nigeria from the local league to youth football to a national team that can play well and win. That "day" no one knows. Like the article said, 'too much egos'.
Truth be told, Nigeria hardly prepare well and seem to lack the sense of pride Ghanaians bring to the game. That's why it's affected fans over the years.
In Brentford, the team came out for the second half with the same wet, cold jersey. There was just shambolic planning and shambolic effort all round.
Last game, you put Egu in charge, he did not get any astute technical backup. Ghana pushed out the boat in what now seems money well spent.
You then take the game to Abuja, can anyone remember the last time the SE kicked a ball in anger in Abuja?
Just because you're playing in Nigeria doesn't make you the home team. Home is comfort, knowing the roll of the ball, every inch of the playing surface and not a stranger on your home turf.
Pinick got what he invested in the game - 0.00
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

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jette1 wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 4:53 am If this failure helped drop offload Musa, ighalo then that’s comforting to a level
... but the players whose names you listed are NOT the problem. Like the article suggested, why invite more STRIKERS/WINGERS than midfielders? Not just midfielders, but COMBATIVE ones

On the other hand, how devoted are these Super-eagles' players? How could you be kicking the ball around, or passing back, knowing you are about to miss going to the World cup?

For those who watched the game, they had a lot of bad things to say about the referee's officiating skills and how rough the Ghanaians played, but what was our plans - in advance - to quash such if it occurs?

Finally, exactly what formation did we play, please?
And the BIBLE says: The race is NOT for the swift, neither is the battle for the strong nor ... but time and chance makes them all.
Ecclesiastes 1:18: For in much wisdom is much grief and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow.
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

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marko wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 9:26 am Ghana has grown in leaps and bounds! Ghana is the to-go tourist spot for most blacks from the diaspora, their country is progressing, everything there works, just look at their international airport! world class! i have said this for the past 20 years in CE, Nigerian football is a reflection of society at large! every ill you see in Nigerian society is manifested in our football!
lMAO, let's not get carried away. Ghanaians are always complaining on SM.
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

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Actually, they are a HUGE part of the problem.

Why invite Ighalo, Musa and even Onazi (of all people) who are way past their 'sell by' date??? The only reason they were invited was because of NEPOTISM - Pinnick's boys. Ditto that for continuously playing Iheanacho in the squad ahead of other more deserving players. We all saw how he 'performed' in the first leg - dude was MIA but wasn't subbed. Why? Pinnick's boy.

Nigerians always love to live in a nostalgic world...'ah, we miss Enyeama', 'we miss Okocha', 'we miss Odegbami and Adokiye'. They also believe in the old adage 'turn by turn' to justify the dumb idea of inviting spent players to the National team. We need to build up the confidence levels of the up and coming players (like how Otto Addo thrust the likes of Kudus, Issahaku, Wollacot, Afena Gyan into the battlefield in a HUGE match and they performed way beyond expectation) - you will be surprised at how much added energy and how seamlessly they will fit in.

Case in point:
1980/82: the Algerian team, led by Ali Ferghani, had the youngsters like Assad Salah, Mardi Cerbah, Lakdhar Belloumi, Rabah Madjer. I remember sneaking out of High school to go watch their group B games against Ghana, Guinea and Morocco in Ibadan, during the 1980 AFCON. They were SO young and became one of the best teams in Africa, coming back to beat Nigeria to the 1982 WC (after losing the AFCON to Nigeria 2 yrs previous) and then beating the great West Germany in that WC.
You really have to get rid of the old guard - it prevents renewed growth of the team.
Odas wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 1:46 pm
jette1 wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 4:53 am If this failure helped drop offload Musa, ighalo then that’s comforting to a level
... but the players whose names you listed are NOT the problem. Like the article suggested, why invite more STRIKERS/WINGERS than midfielders? Not just midfielders, but COMBATIVE ones
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

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Otitokoro wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 6:13 pm Actually, they are a HUGE part of the problem.

Why invite Ighalo, Musa and even Onazi (of all people) who are way past their 'sell by' date??? The only reason they were invited was because of NEPOTISM - Pinnick's boys. Ditto that for continuously playing Iheanacho in the squad ahead of other more deserving players. We all saw how he 'performed' in the first leg - dude was MIA but wasn't subbed. Why? Pinnick's boy.

Nigerians always love to live in a nostalgic world...'ah, we miss Enyeama', 'we miss Okocha', 'we miss Odegbami and Adokiye'. They also believe in the old adage 'turn by turn' to justify the dumb idea of inviting spent players to the National team. We need to build up the confidence levels of the up and coming players (like how Otto Addo thrust the likes of Kudus, Issahaku, Wollacot, Afena Gyan into the battlefield in a HUGE match and they performed way beyond expectation) - you will be surprised at how much added energy and how seamlessly they will fit in.

Case in point:
1980/82: the Algerian team, led by Ali Ferghani, had the youngsters like Assad Salah, Mardi Cerbah, Lakdhar Belloumi, Rabah Madjer. I remember sneaking out of High school to go watch their group B games against Ghana, Guinea and Morocco in Ibadan, during the 1980 AFCON. They were SO young and became one of the best teams in Africa, coming back to beat Nigeria to the 1982 WC (after losing the AFCON to Nigeria 2 yrs previous) and then beating the great West Germany in that WC.
You really have to get rid of the old guard - it prevents renewed growth of the team.
Odas wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 1:46 pm
jette1 wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 4:53 am If this failure helped drop offload Musa, ighalo then that’s comforting to a level
... but the players whose names you listed are NOT the problem. Like the article suggested, why invite more STRIKERS/WINGERS than midfielders? Not just midfielders, but COMBATIVE ones
...so we lost because those players were sitting on the bench?
Note, we lost the match in the first half, and by most of the 2nd half.
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

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Article doesn't really say much.
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

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Untill we start implementing Integrity into our Sports. Organization and good Planning. Major ingredients that have been the winning culture of top clubs and countries in the Footballing World. We will keep lamenting. As for me I said it here before the 2 games. So I am not surprise by the result. No one should blame any player or players. The boys gave their all.

Its quite clear. "You cant give what you dont have" Naija footy no get am now.. Integrity will always kill you if you lack it. Ghana I am with you in Qatar. But please go find a striker. You have none.
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

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Or perhaps, in their stead...
Invites could have been extended to youngsters like Alhassan Yusuf or Ralph Onyedika (to add dynamic, workaholic midfielders as additional options) or Yira Sor (winger/striker with blistering pace) or Taiwo Awoniyi (whose physical play could have taken a lot of focus off Osimhen and more pressure on the Ghanaian defense, in a 3-5-2 formation), amongst many other alternatives.

The fact that those 3 oldies took up valuable space (and were bench warmers for the most part) is indeed the basis of my argument here.
...so we lost because those players were sitting on the bench?
Note, we lost the match in the first half, and by most of the 2nd half.
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

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In all, I think we need combative midfielders in a 3-5-2 formation. Players, or midfielders who will always breath on the opponent's neck, pursue them worldwide if possible to recover the ball.
And the BIBLE says: The race is NOT for the swift, neither is the battle for the strong nor ... but time and chance makes them all.
Ecclesiastes 1:18: For in much wisdom is much grief and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow.
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

Post by Eaglezbeak »

The truth is Nigerians thought too highly of a badly oiled machine that was usually operated by c(r)ooks and plasterers,Rohr appeared on the scene with Nigeria nearing a decade with only one appearance in an Afcon (thankfully they won
that one appearance) after working on the rug that all the mess was swept under they pulled it from under his feet and sacked him despite him qualifying to a World Cup and reaching an Afcon Semifinal whilst being surrounded with amateurs who where planted in the back room.
I’m done talking about the yes man that replaced Rohr as that is not the issue ,those who employed and sacked both of these men are the cause of the failed conclusion (I can’t say they caused the rot as Nigeria hasn’t a good record of weeding out decaying matter)!
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Re: CBS Sports Article on Nigeria WC Disappointment...

Post by txj »

kalani JR wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 8:40 pm Article doesn't really say much.


Only if you are incapable of reading and understanding….
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