Odegbami: The Problem With Nigerian Football!

[Toxicarrow]

Odegbami: The Problem With Nigerian Football!
18 November 26, 2022 8:08 am

I am watching the ongoing matches in Qatar but all I am thinking about is my country, Nigeria.

As I am writing this, the last of the African teams, Ghana, just played their first match and lost against one of the teams considered favourites to win the FIFA World Cup, Portugal.

It was a close match, one that spoke volumes. Nigeria could have been in Qatar.

Ghana halted Nigeria’s qualification in two qualifying matches that left genuine football persons wondering what to make of both teams. Between them there was little to choose. In both matches, try as much as I can, I am unable to remember a single outstanding moment of brilliance or creativity that lingers in the mind.

Meanwhile, everyone knows that the Black Stars have not been at their best these past few years. They have been, like the Super Eagles, a shadow of the team that was often described as the ‘Brazil of Africa’. In my humble estimation before the World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria, that particular Black Stars team was the weakest I have ever known. In Qatar, little wonder, Ghana are the lowest FIFA ranked team.

So, I have just watched Ghana take on Portugal. It was a rather uninspiring performance, yet they were only narrowly beaten. The difference between the lowest ranked team and one of the favourites is a very thin line, not planets apart. Even in losing Ghana scored two goals. With a little bit of discipline in the organisation of the team, the match could have ended differently. Acquiring that level of ‘discipline’ is the most difficult mountain to climb in world football. That’s what separates the giants from the rest!

I am only using the Ghana/Portugal match as a benchmark for my following academic excursion.

Bruno Fernandes, the talismanic player in the heart of Portugal’s midfield, described the Nigerian national team’s performance, after they met in Portugal’s last friendly match before Qatar 2022, as weak and of very low standard.

Fernandes’s words hurt and haunt. Yet, they speak the facts. Nigerian football is in a limbo, like a rudderless ship in the middle of the sea. How did Africa’s football powerhouse at a time derail from an ascendancy that was acknowledged by the greatest football player in history as potential World Cup-winning?

In 1989, Pele, the Brazilian football genius, was in Scotland for the FIFA Under-17 Championship. I was there too.

Together we watched a young Nigerian team put up raw, pure and unadulterated football for that level. Without much tactical organisation, they put up a display that portrayed them as uncut Diamonds. Pele predicted that within 10 years (before the turn of the last Century) an African team (referring to the Nigerian team) would win the World Cup.

This is from a man who knows his football, one that comes from the most successful football culture in the world. Pele knew Nigerian football very well. He played four or five times over a period of 10 years in different friendly matches in Nigeria.

Pele saw something special in the young Nigerian lads that evening in Glasgow.

I knew what he was talking about.

I had been a part of that upward rise of Nigerian football, the result of a deliberate architecture put in place to achieve a specific objective to conquer the world.

I cannot forget 1979. The Green Eagles were sent to Brazil for the first time in their history, spent three months in an isolated camp in Rio de Janeiro, were tutored in the Brazilian art of football, and played against various clubs across Brazil. The country hired the most respected Brazilian coach of that era, a professor of football, the coach that took Portugal to the semi-finals of the 1966 World Cup, and headed the Brazilian academy of coaches. Nigeria sent several Nigerian club coaches to Brazilian academies to imbibe the Brazilian football system

time the Eagles and Nigerian coaches returned to Nigeria, the players and the teams had transformed. Within a few months of their return, the beauty of their newly acquired style had infected the entire country’s domestic football. Even ordinary warm-up sessions by players all over the country took on the Brazilian style, till this day!!

Spectators that came to watch the Eagles train and play matches could see the difference in the old and new Eagles from a mile away.

The team had added fresh dimensions to the kick-and-follow style of Nigerian football pre-1979. They had added some flamboyance, some rhythm, individual expressiveness and flair to their natural power, speed, physicality, fighting spirit and dribbling.

Thus was birthed a lethal combination of Nature and Art in Nigerian football. Etim Esin, Daniel Amokachi, Benjamin Nzeakor, Jay Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, Tijani Babangida, Rashid Yekini, Samson Siasia, and whole generation of individually gifted players were no accidents. They were products of a deliberate system put in place.

The only ingredients missing are the organisation and discipline required for team tactics, a technical aspect of the game that belonged to European football.

Nigeria started to churn out exceptional players from the domestic leagues, full of new confidence, and playing with freedom and panache. They started migrating to Europe to become complete and armed to compete with the best in the world.

That’s part of the seed that Pele saw in 1989, blooming!

Less than one year into this new project and realm in 1980, Nigeria won the African Cup of Nations. The success was not an accident either. It was not a fluke. Although not mature yet, a tradition had been conceived, designed and executed in the boardrooms of the Nigeria Football Association and the Sports Ministry.

Nine years into the project, Pele saw the product of that scheme in Scotland. 5 years after Pele’s prediction, Nigeria won her second continental trophy, played at the World Cup and was 14 minutes away from qualifying for the quarter finals of the World Cup. Nigeria rose in ranking to 5th in the World.

Also Read: 10 Most Valuable 2022 World Cup Players Who Don’t Play For Birth Nations

A few weeks after that, England played an African team in a friendly on the hallowed ground of Wembley stadium for the first time, a venue reserved only for the highest level of matches in England. It was a clear demonstration of how good Nigerian football had become and the level of respect the country’s football now commanded.

Two years later, in 1996, the country won the Olympic Gold medal in football.

The achievements of that era were not an accident or a fluke. They were the products of a deliberate scheme yielding fruit in a bounty.

A change in football culture does not happen in a day. It takes time. Losing it also is a gradual progression in a Southern direction.

That’s the catastrophe that has befallen Nigerian football in the past two decades, silently and steadily, in the hands of inexperienced leadership, to the point where the Super Eagles and clubs in the domestic league now play without a discernible style and organisation, to the point where a Bruno Fernandes would have the audacity to describe Nigerian football as weak and of low standard.

Nigerian football needs to be rescued from the hands of those with limited knowledge and experience in the deep matters of the beautiful game.

New Sheriffs are required to restore the wandering ship.

They must come up with a plan and a strategy to get Nigerian football back on track. Too many technically limited leaders have led the country’s football astray for too long.

Foreign coaches that do not know Nigeria football’s genesis and trajectory, that only understand the culture of European football and want to convert Nigerian football into the European brand, have only accelerated the destruction of the fabric and foundation of the rich traditions of Nigerian football as reinforced by the 1980s’ Brazilian project.

What we saw of the Eagles against Portugal shortly before Qatar 2022 is Nigerian football at its worst, destroyed by ignorant leaders – weak and of low standards.

Bruno Fernandes is right after all.

The problems can never be solved by outsiders but by ourselves for ourselves. The answer also lies here at home.
https://www.completesports.com/odegbami ... -football/

[nanijoe]

Odegbami may have been a great footballer for his time but he does not know what he's talking about..Our success in the 90s can be traced directly to YSFON and their efforts at the grassroots , starting in the 80s

[Flex Swift]

Stopped reading at the point he quoted a fake quote attributed to Bruno Fernandez.

[Damunk]

Stopped reading at the point he quoted a fake quote attributed to Bruno Fernandez.

Somebody please tell him.

[folem]

Odegbami may have been a great footballer for his time but he does not know what he's talking about..Our success in the 90s can be traced directly to YSFON and their efforts at the grassroots , starting in the 80s

Big Sege is a politician.

[Enugu II]

Odegbami may have been a great footballer for his time but he does not know what he's talking about..Our success in the 90s can be traced directly to YSFON and their efforts at the grassroots , starting in the 80s

Nanijoe

Success at the youth level and later senior but much of the earlier success starting mid-1970s was not about youth football but introduction of a national league which brought year round football beyond the Challenge Cup.

[1naija]

Spectator Segun spoken like a true spectator.

Stopped reading at the point he quoted a fake quote attributed to Bruno Fernandez.

[YemiBrazil]

Our football was destroyed by Port Harcourt football people when they upgraded their wuruwuru and wayo methods at their now dead and buried Sharks and OjoroDolphins FC.

Things went in that direction, core south, since then. When Shooting Stars of Africa was fully in charge with no relegation conspiracy by core south principalities and powers, our national football was flourishing.

[1naija]

^^^ As e dey pain dem, e dey sweet us...

[nanijoe]

70s and 80s success at the Senior level was from the league true, the baton was passed to Youth football around 1992 when the guys from U17 in 1987 started to play senior football and by 1998 the league was a non factor..

Odegbami may have been a great footballer for his time but he does not know what he's talking about..Our success in the 90s can be traced directly to YSFON and their efforts at the grassroots , starting in the 80s

Nanijoe

Success at the youth level and later senior but much of the earlier success starting mid-1970s was not about youth football but introduction of a national league which brought year round football beyond the Challenge Cup.

[Enugu II]

70s and 80s success at the Senior level was from the league true, the baton was passed to Youth football around 1992 when the guys from U17 in 1987 started to play senior football and by 1998 the league was a non factor..

Odegbami may have been a great footballer for his time but he does not know what he's talking about..Our success in the 90s can be traced directly to YSFON and their efforts at the grassroots , starting in the 80s

Nanijoe

Success at the youth level and later senior but much of the earlier success starting mid-1970s was not about youth football but introduction of a national league which brought year round football beyond the Challenge Cup.

nanijoe,

Most certainly. It is really interesting to often track how some of these things develop over time. They are not just happenstance. Most recently, I have tracked the development of Nigerian early dominance in African women soccer. It was not by happenstance and can be tracked as far back to 1937. Here is a link, if interested:

https://forgotten-heroines.com/2021/12/07/nigeria/

[1naija]

We had no success in the 70s and 80s. No NTions cup trophy (except the one we maanged to win at home), no World cup appearnces, no olympic medal, no nothing? Odegbami has no business discussing Nigerian football other than as a spectator.

70s and 80s success at the Senior level was from the league true, the baton was passed to Youth football around 1992 when the guys from U17 in 1987 started to play senior football and by 1998 the league was a non factor..

Odegbami may have been a great footballer for his time but he does not know what he's talking about..Our success in the 90s can be traced directly to YSFON and their efforts at the grassroots , starting in the 80s

Nanijoe

Success at the youth level and later senior but much of the earlier success starting mid-1970s was not about youth football but introduction of a national league which brought year round football beyond the Challenge Cup.

[Otitokoro]

This dullard called Odegbami again?
Still trying to be relevant.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

This dullard called Odegbami again?
Still trying to be relevant.

The tin taya me sef. I don’t know of anywhere in the world where a player from the 80s is a prominent pundit except this man.

[jette1]

Stopped reading at the point he quoted a fake quote attributed to Bruno Fernandez.

so you read all 1/4

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

If he was inspired to write this long winded exposé due to a meaningless friendly then Odegbami should go get a real job. He must be bored out of his mind


Cheers.

[Enugu II]

This dullard called Odegbami again?
Still trying to be relevant.

Otitokoro

Na real wa for you ooo!! Segun should have an opinion and there is nothing wrong with it. Insulting the guy simply crosses the line. Bros, please get off those kind of reaction.

[Aswani]

This dullard called Odegbami again?
Still trying to be relevant.

Otitokoro

Na real wa for you ooo!! Segun should have an opinion and there is nothing wrong with it. Insulting the guy simply crosses the line. Bros, please get off those kind of reaction.

Thanks for calling him out "Enugu II", absolutely not necessary what that guys said.

[Otitokoro]

For the record, I have followed Odegbami religiously since 1975 (which is more than most on this forum), right from the days of his exploits at IICC shooting stars while he was at Ibadan Polytechnic studying for his HND. Based on this fact, Consequently, I also have developed my opinion of him and have a right to that opinion.
The man has demonstrated over the years, especially after his footballing career came to a natural halt, that he knows very little or nothing about administration in general, let alone football administration. Whenever given an opportunity to lead (Shooting, Super Eagles), he's made a mess of it and also shows great resentment to those picked in his stead, especially when he loses to them.
The man is nothing but an empty vessel.

This dullard called Odegbami again?
Still trying to be relevant.

Otitokoro

Na real wa for you ooo!! Segun should have an opinion and there is nothing wrong with it. Insulting the guy simply crosses the line. Bros, please get off those kind of reaction.

[Enugu II]

For the record, I have followed Odegbami religiously since 1975 (which is more than most on this forum), right from the days of his exploits at IICC shooting stars while he was at Ibadan Polytechnic studying for his HND. Based on this fact, Consequently, I also have developed my opinion of him and have a right to that opinion.
The man has demonstrated over the years, especially after his footballing career came to a natural halt, that he knows very little or nothing about administration in general, let alone football administration. Whenever given an opportunity to lead (Shooting, Super Eagles), he's made a mess of it and also shows great resentment to those picked in his stead, especially when he loses to them.
The man is nothing but an empty vessel.

This dullard called Odegbami again?
Still trying to be relevant.

Otitokoro

Na real wa for you ooo!! Segun should have an opinion and there is nothing wrong with it. Insulting the guy simply crosses the line. Bros, please get off those kind of reaction.

Otitokoro,

I have followed him just as long maybe even longer from the time he was at Housing Corporation plus I have met and had discussions with him.

First of all the man is not a dullard unless your understanding of the word is different from the dictionary meaning. Dullard refers to someone who is slow and stupid. Is that your understanding of Segun?

Let me point out that for starters this was a highly skilled footballer whose standing in Nigerian football records remain outstanding nearly 40 years after he retired? How many of his peers have achieved what he did educationally? Management? Athletically, or otherwise? Yet you call him a dullard? That is just ridiculous.

Bros, your description us completely off the mark and to state the least, a shame. I was hoping that you will come off that description but instead you meet it with disappointment.