Why no notherners in the national teams!

Gadfly · Post by **Gadfly** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:34 am

WHY THERE ARE NO NORTHERNERS IN THE NATIONAL TEAMS

An interview with Coaches Ben Duamlong, Zakare Baraje, and Daniel Amokachie of Nasarawa United

Preamble: Ben-Lutnaan Duamlong is no stranger to Nigerian football. Presently, he directs Nasarawa United as the Technical Adviser along with Zakare Baraje and Daniel Amokachie, whom themselves are well known to the football community both inside and outside Nigeria.

Nasarawa United Technical Adviser, Ben Duamlong

Coach Duamlong was born on the 7th of July, 1953 in Shendam, Plateau State. He attended primary schools in Kaduna and Jos. For his secondary school, he attended Governement Secondary School, Maiduguri where he finished with a HSC certificate.

For his coaching education, Coach Duamlong attended the National Institute of Sports, and the German Institute for Sports where he bagged a grade “A” Professional coaching license and Football Teacher’s License. He has attended several NFA, CAF and FIFIA organized courses/seminars.

Coach Duamlong during his playing days kept goal for Yankari Bulls of Maiduguri from 1968 to 1972, NNB of Benin in 1973, Asabatex of Asaba from 1974 to 1977, Jos Nigerian Standard from 1977 to 1978, and Julius Berger of Lagos from 1978 to 1980. He was in the national team, the Green Eagles from 1974 to 1977.

Coach Duamlong has coached the following Nigerian teams: Nigerian Standard (now Plateau United), Mighty Jets (thrice), NNPC of Kaduna, Jos Highlanders, Kano Pillars, Calabar Rovers, Plateau United, Mighty Jets, Wikki Tourist, Katsina United, Assistant Nigerian U23 Coach, Nigeria u20 Chief Coach, World Cup 2002 Assistant Coach, and now, Nasarawa United.

As a coach, Coach Duamlong has won the following laurels to name a few: the National Central Bank Cup with Jos Central Bank, Kaduna State Challenge Cup with NNPC, got Jos Highlanders promoted to Division 1, got Calabar Rovers to 3rd place finish in the 1991 National League, took Plateau United to 1998 Challenge Cup final where they lost to Wikki, qualified the U20 for the 2001 AYC.

Gadfly: I am from Cybereagles. I hope you are aware of Cybereagles?

Coach Duamlong: Yes.

Coach Baraje: Yes.

Amokachi: No. When I said internet, he then noted assent.

Gadfly: CONGRATULATIONS ON GETTING NASARAWA UNITED PROMOTED TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE. HOW IS THE TEAM?

Coach Duamlong: We are, like starting a new team. For example, the team that won the play-off in Port Harcourt had just about 3 or 4 old players. The Technical Crew is working very hard to put together a good team taking into consideration that the players are coming from different clubs.

Players acting playful before commence of practice

Gadfly: HOW MANY GOOD PLAYERS HAVE YOUR RECRUITED THAT WILL HELP FIGHT YOUR SURVIVAL IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE?

Coach Duamlong: We couldn’t have gone out to recruit bad players. All the players we recruited are good. They all got in on merit.

Coach Amokachi: Well, we have a few premiership players and we have some players that we think can be able to make the standard.

Showing their stuff

Gadfly[u/]: PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE SETUP OF THE NASARAWA UNITED TECHNICAL CREW.

Coach Duamlong: The “Solid Miners” comprises three coaches: the Technical Adviser, Chief Coach and Assistant Coach. I am the Technical Adviser. Coach Zakare Baraje is the Chief Coach, and Coach Daniel Amokachi is the Assistant Coach.

Gadfly: WHY ARE THERE FEW NORTHERN PLAYERS IN THE NATIONAL TEAMS?

Coach Amokachi: Well, the Technical Crew can be able to answer that or the Football Association.

Coach Duamlong: Mentality, culture, and awareness are key reasons why players of Northern origin are absent in the Super Eagles. We could also sum it up to people looking at football as play or big joke or as a past time. The real thing in the North is going to school but unfortunately, we are even yet to catch up with the South in that area.

Government involvement is less in the North. Our attitude to the game here is, above all, is less commitment.

This is not a difficult question. You smell it all over the place.

Coach Baraje: There are very few Northern players in the national teams because:

Coach Zakare Baraje who has coached Katsina United and 3SC

Northern State Governors have not been encouraging the youths in their state by not funding their teams – so there is less development compared to the south.
There are more ex-internationals from the south – which in turn help to push their young ones to foreign countries so they are better developed not minding the age categories.
National Sports Administrators in the north when in position do not help to uplift people from their end
Administrators from the south in position of authority are making sure only their people are put in place to handle the national teams. These coaches then do their best by helping most of their youths to the national teams, and while in the national teams, players from the north do not last long in camp for lack of protection from the coaches.
Other reasons can be attributed to politics, tribalism and sectionalism – they all play a game in the hinderance of northern players getting a fair shake in the national teams.

Gadfly: IN NIGERIA, IT SEEMS THE PROFESSIONAL TEAMS DO NOT HAVE A YOUTH OR JUNIOR TEAM LIKE IT IS IN EUROPE. WHY IS THIS SO?

Coach Duamlong: Part of our mandate is to prepare a junior team that will graduate into the senior team. We have since started assembly the players to make up the Team

Gadfly: SOME PEOPLE ON CYBEREAGLES BELIEVE THAT NIGERIAN LOCAL COACHES ARE NOT UP TO SNUFF? DO YOU AGREE?

Coach Duamlong: No! I do not agree. You can see on my desk, modern coaching tapes, dvds (he opens his desk drawer and shows me training/coaching tapes and books from Italy and Holland). A silent few who benefit from bringing foreing coaches orchestrated this campaign against local coaches. This is not to say that our coaches don’t have their engative sides. Like it is anywhere in the world, you have good and bad coaches. Local coaches go abroad all the time to attend and acquire modern techniques. What do you say about Chairman Chukwu’s stewardship? How many of the foreigners that came of late achieve what he has achieved in the period of his tour of duty? But all you ever hear is the call for his sack!

Coaches Amo and Baraje (yellow shirt, back to camera) giving instructions

Gadfly: LAST QUESTION, COACH AMOKACHI, WHAT ARE YOUR AMBITIONS? AN WHY ARE YOU STARTING IN NIGERIA WHEN YOU COULD START IN EUROPE?

To start a coaching career in Nigeria is a stepping stone for me because I have an ambition of taking over as the coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the near future. Time will tell.

kongi the emir · Post by **kongi the emir** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:59 am

Until we start to develope the NPL they will be underpresented in the SE. I bet we have several Makeles, jj, yak etc in the north but because we depend on the west to develope them we will not have northerners in the team because northerners are not as keen to abroad as the rest of us fortune seekers. The current method of football developement will only bring us moral victories. That is, we qualify beat a good team and get knocked out by serious contenders.

1,In 94 we shone against bulagira and greece but italy and Argentina disposed of us light toxic waste.

2, In 98, we beat almighty spain and Bulgaria but Denmark beat us like we robbed a bank in Copenhagen

3, 2002, Because we gave up on our capable players we were gang rapped.

4, 2006, We are on a better track but until i see that we are sticking with the program i advice u to pick option 1 or 2.

MORAL OF THE STORY IS, DONT EXPECT THE WORLD TO PUT NORTHERNERS ON YOUR TEAM.

Gotti · Post by **Gotti** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 1:17 am

Gadfly wrote:Coach Duamlong: No! I do not agree. You can see on my desk, modern coaching tapes, dvds (he opens his desk drawer and shows me training/coaching tapes and books from Italy and Holland). A silent few who benefit from bringing foreing coaches orchestrated this campaign against local coaches. This is not to say that our coaches don’t have their engative sides. Like it is anywhere in the world, you have good and bad coaches. Local coaches go abroad all the time to attend and acquire modern techniques. What do you say about Chairman Chukwu’s stewardship? How many of the foreigners that came of late achieve what he has achieved in the period of his tour of duty? But all you ever hear is the call for his sack! [/size]

GADFLY:
Thanks for the interview...
I am going to keep the foregoing in my archives.

Gadfly · Post by **Gadfly** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 2:27 am

Gotti wrote:
Gadfly wrote:Coach Duamlong: No! I do not agree. You can see on my desk, modern coaching tapes, dvds (he opens his desk drawer and shows me training/coaching tapes and books from Italy and Holland). A silent few who benefit from bringing foreing coaches orchestrated this campaign against local coaches. This is not to say that our coaches don’t have their engative sides. Like it is anywhere in the world, you have good and bad coaches. Local coaches go abroad all the time to attend and acquire modern techniques. What do you say about Chairman Chukwu’s stewardship? How many of the foreigners that came of late achieve what he has achieved in the period of his tour of duty? But all you ever hear is the call for his sack! [/size]
GADFLY:
Thanks for the interview...
I am going to keep the foregoing in my archives.

Gotti,

I hope our "London Agent" is paying attention!

Catalyst · Post by **Catalyst** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 3:25 am

Coach Gadfly, thanks for this piece. I will rush home now to fully digest it.

mystic · Post by **mystic** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:12 am

Gadfly:

Great Stuff!!! As usual.

SSTAR · Post by **SSTAR** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 8:57 am

Gadfly. thanks for the interview and your capable representation of CE.
I noted that these coaches are ambitious people who are doing their best to make an impact and improve the system. They also can see through the inferiority complex and/or person interest involved in the demand by some for foreign coaches. I hope CCC & Co. will prove these naysayers wrong.
Again, thanks.

airwolex · Post by **airwolex** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 11:22 am

Excellent stuff!

Dammy · Post by **Dammy** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:07 pm

I read an interesting article on why the North does not produce players for the SE like in the south, suprising on Camfoot.com.
The article was posted by a Cameroonian who lived in Kaduna for 7 years. He put in all down to education, most of the great players in Nigeria, made their names while playing school boy football. The Odegamis, Atuegbus, Agbonavbares, Siasias, Okpallas, Keshis, Nwosus, Ikpebas, kanus, etc all made their names while playing in educational institutions. The current crop of U-17 are all secondary school players scouted in the schools sports football competition.
If the Northerners do not go to school, how can they be scouted?
Coaches in Nigeria do not go to the streets to scout for talents, they do it at Principals cups and other higher institution football competitions like NUGA or NIPOGA. The North is under-represented in these sports festival hence their under-representation in our various national teams.

Abubakar · Post by **Abubakar** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 2:40 pm

Gadfly,
My brother.
This interview is very one sided. You did not probe deeply into the "main" reasons for the exclusion of Northern players from the National team. You asked a broad question. They gave you a broad answer.

You may need to interview other teams in Kano and Gombe.

In any case, you did a fine job giving us an insight into the Nasarrawa United team. They seem to be serious about success. Good job!!!

Buran Uba!

BEEG EAGLE · Post by **BEEG EAGLE** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 3:36 pm

Well,that burly striker Manasseh Ishaku and Aliyu Datti seemed to be the brightest prospects from the North. Perhaps they deserve more regular look-ins by national team handlers albeit at the level of friendly matches first.

For instance,why players like that go dey yet dem no feature for di massively boycotted friendly against SA?

Post by **Cellular** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:25 pm

Good article Gadfly...

I still believe Northern players are not given the same opportunity(ies) that their Southern brothers get...

But that is Naijaria... we don't all get the same opportunities...

Maybe with a more professional setup and a commitment to developing youth football we can be able to give ALL Naijarians an opportunity to showcase their talent...

JACKAL · Post by **JACKAL** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 8:37 pm

Administrators from the south in position of authority are making sure only their people are put in place to handle the national teams. These coaches then do their best by helping most of their youths to the national teams, and while in the national teams, players from the north do not last long in camp for lack of protection from the coaches.

Other reasons can be attributed to politics, tribalism and sectionalism – they all play a game in the hinderance of northern players getting a fair shake in the national teams.

Gotti,

Now that you have all heard it from the people with the hurt in their shoes (i.e horses mouth) do you still beleive there is no discrimination on our National teams ???

Garfly,

Thanks for posting this !

Baii · Post by **Baii** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 9:10 pm

But truth be told, while we all agree that the Northern folks might have be marginalized in SE, it is the burden of the Northern elite to make something out of the situation that has presented itself.
I wouldn't want to say that the governors should steal the state funds to sponsor their team.
However, someone should convince Dangote, Babangida and co that it really doesn't cost an arm and a leg to sponsor a team.

SUYA · Post by **SUYA** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 9:21 pm

Haba......na here dem come post this gem?

TD · Post by TD » Thu Mar 10, 2005 9:26 pm

Solowe wrote:
Administrators from the south in position of authority are making sure only their people are put in place to handle the national teams. These coaches then do their best by helping most of their youths to the national teams, and while in the national teams, players from the north do not last long in camp for lack of protection from the coaches.

Other reasons can be attributed to politics, tribalism and sectionalism – they all play a game in the hinderance of northern players getting a fair shake in the national teams.
Gotti,

Now that you have all heard it from the people with the hurt in their shoes (i.e horses mouth) do you still beleive there is no discrimination on our National teams ???

Garfly,

Thanks for posting this !

Where is the discrimination? Not having northerners in the national team does not neccessarily imply that they are unfairly discriminated against. There are probably more tangible reasons for why they are not represented, one of which has aptly been decribed by kongi.

JACKAL · Post by **JACKAL** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 9:54 pm

kongi the emir wrote:Until we start to develope the NPL they will be underpresented in the SE. I bet we have several Makeles, jj, yak etc in the north but because we depend on the west to develope them we will not have northerners in the team because northerners are not as keen to abroad as the rest of us fortune seekers. The current method of football developement will only bring us moral victories. That is, we qualify beat a good team and get knocked out by serious contenders.

Kongi,

What an amazing leap of generalization. !!

JACKAL · Post by **JACKAL** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 9:57 pm

TD wrote: Where is the discrimination? Not having northerners in the national team does not neccessarily imply that they are unfairly discriminated against. There are probably more tangible reasons for why they are not represented, one of which has aptly been decribed by kongi.

TD,

You are entitled to beleive whatever "truth" you choose.

Hard Man · Post by **Hard Man** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:01 pm

A very intriguing point indeed!

Dammy wrote:I read an interesting article on why the North does not produce players for the SE like in the south, suprising on Camfoot.com.
The article was posted by a Cameroonian who lived in Kaduna for 7 years. He put in all down to education, most of the great players in Nigeria, made their names while playing school boy football. The Odegamis, Atuegbus, Agbonavbares, Siasias, Okpallas, Keshis, Nwosus, Ikpebas, kanus, etc all made their names while playing in educational institutions. The current crop of U-17 are all secondary school players scouted in the schools sports football competition.
If the Northerners do not go to school, how can they be scouted?
Coaches in Nigeria do not go to the streets to scout for talents, they do it at Principals cups and other higher institution football competitions like NUGA or NIPOGA. The North is under-represented in these sports festival hence their under-representation in our various national teams.

1naija · Post by **1naija** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:48 pm

Players acting playful before commence of practice

Showing their stuff

Coaches Amo and Baraje (yellow shirt, back to camera) giving instructions

Quite Frankly, any person that trains in an evironment like this has no business in the SE, no matter how good he is. Can you imagine the learning curve such player would have to go through before he can blend with the rest of the team? First, someone would have show him what green grass look like, and then train him on how to play on it. Then he would have to be shown the flood lights, and other modern amenities in the stadium like the bleachers, the rest rooms, press box, etc

This is a professional team? Good Lawd! No wonder Sharks lose whenever they play these teams. I am sorry, but this is pitiful!

1naija · Post by **1naija** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:54 pm

Gadfly: I am from Cybereagles. I hope you are aware of Cybereagles?

Coach Duamlong: Yes.

Coach Baraje: Yes.

Amokachi: No. When I said internet, he then noted assent.

Mudi E · Post by **Mudi E** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 11:00 pm

Kai...look at that dirty training ground.

green4life · Post by **green4life** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 11:34 pm

Mudi E wrote:Kai...look at that dirty training ground.

$@#% is tough... real tough... meanwhile, Gadfly tanks for di interview. If Amokachie can help mold that wretched looking team into a contender, then he's good. Where are the facilities? Na wao.

Cybereagles

Why no notherners in the national teams!

Why no notherners in the national teams!

Re: Why no notherners in the national teams!

Re: Why no notherners in the national teams!

Re: Why no notherners in the national teams!