Some of them gloated about the impending calamity, for years, months and even before the last game against the Black Stars of Ghana inside the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja. Sadly, the majority of them were part of the system they claimed was rotten in the early years of the last administration. In fact, to stretch the argument further, the large mass of these latter-day crusaders against the prior board had served in previous boards, holding key positions, yet they couldn’t provide the structures for Nigeria’s qualification for the Mundial to be our birthright.
Who would miss the Super Eagles infamous for holding the country hostage over money at critical stages of the Mundial, especially if the country is just a game away from an epochal act? Let’s not revisit how the Eagles refused to obey Clemens Westerhof’s informed decision to change the abode of the players from their noisy hotel to a more serene accommodation before the game against Italy. This is a clear case of insubordination.
For Nigerians, our players can do no wrong. Rather than stand with Westerhof, our weary NFF chieftains and the Federal Government officials, humiliated the coach by asking the contingent to remain with the previous arrangement. He swallowed his pride and joined the recalcitrant players as directed by his employers. Need I remind Nigerians about what happened? The irony of Nigeria’s ouster from her maiden appearance at the World Cup in the USA was that Greece which Nigeria beat 3-0 in one of the group matches placed third at the end of the Mundial. Who says that the Super Eagles aren’t a pain in the ass? Nigeria lost the stem of growth for our football when we allowed our players to humiliate Westerhof in America. By that singular act, the Dutchman lost the dressing room he had a firm grip over. He knew it was time to go and never returned to the country with the team.
When our players win their first match at the Mundial, the beast in them comes to the fore. Funny ideas come into their minds, one of which was the pronouncement at France’s 98 World Cup that they should be paid $15,000 upfront before entering the pitch against Denmark in the second round. Where is that done? What would happen if they don’t win the game against the Danes? Would the players be honourable enough to refund the money? This didn’t cross their minds as they stuck to being paid $15,000 upfront. I wouldn’t know if indeed they were paid the money upfront.
Meantime, a top Nigerian newspaper had anticipated that Nigeria would beat Denmark and had projected a Nigeria victory. this reputable newspaper did a preview on the many sides of Nigeria versus Brazil, anchoring their preview on revenge for the Brazilians. Had the Eagles played to their potential, the newspaper would have swept the market clean and our football would have been better for it. Nigeria exited the France’98 World Cup in shame, losing to Denmark 4-1, after raising the hope of the world by beating Spain 3-2 in the opening game.
Where does this writer start the show of shame that characterised the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup? What this writer would state here is that Nigeria’s trip to the senior World Cup suddenly became a battleground for the Sports ministry’s fight for needless supremacy which divided the team into groups that affected the team’s overall performance. The Sports Ministry chiefs and the NFF men use the World Cup platform to wash their dirty linen in public. I won’t discuss the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup fiasco because two of the principal actors are dead. May their souls rest in peace, Amen.
The fallouts of the 2002 World Cup dogged the Eagles’ path as both the federation and its supervisory body ran against each other culminating in the fiasco in Kano. Nigeria was missing in Germany and many thought it was enough reason for things to change for the better. Not so, in the Sports Ministry cum NFF tussle such that the Eagles barely made it to the South Africa 2010 World Cup. The reason Nigeria had one team was because of FIFA’s strict compliance in dealing with its affiliate federations. Otherwise, the government through the ministry would have fielded a team. It was that bad with the government having a Presidential Task Force for the World Cup. What won’t you see in Nigeria? It didn’t matter if the world made us a laughing stock.
A striking line in Nigeria’s chaotic path to the World Cup has been a frequent change of guards in the team’s technical crew. Phillipe Troussier, the white witch doctor qualified Nigeria for the Mundial in France with two matches to spare. He was dropped for journeyman Bora Milutinovic. In 2010, it was Swede Lars Lagerback who led the Eagles through the Mundial in South Africa. Nigeria exited early in the second round, although those who held sway at the Glasshouse were dragged to face the law courts, with the trio being discharged and acquitted. The late Taiwo Ogunjobi never recovered from this trauma, though he will tell you then that he played soccer in Kuje during Christmas. Rest in Peace Taiwo.
One would love to skip the embarrassment associated with the Brazil 2014 World Cup because some of the key actors have gone home to rest. And it isn’t good to speak ill of the dead. I wouldn’t have but I have chosen to let go since they wouldn’t be able to defend themselves. It should be stated here that it was a disgraceful scene in which the Super Eagles failed to train a day before the second-round game against star-studded France. Rather than train for the high-profile game, the players and officials spent the ungodly wee hours before the game sharing $3.8 million which was brought in from Nigeria to France to appease them. What was the hurry? Couldn’t they have waited until after the game to share the money? You tell me.
Many people celebrated the second-term feat achieved by the last NFF board’s President. They argued that it would be a departure from the past since they have led the Super Eagles through one World Cup cycle. Not so with matters concerning Nigeria. Rather things went from bad to the worst with the federation and the Sports ministry always at daggers drawn.
Some chroniclers of history argued that Nigeria would always miss out on one edition of the World Cup after going through three. Meaning the country made a debut appearance in 1994 and attended the France’98 World Cup and the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup. The country missed the 2006 edition held in Germany. Nigeria returned to attend the World Cup again in 2010 in South Africa, Brazil 2014 World Cup and Russia in 2018, our third consecutive appearance at the World Cup. For these chroniclers of history rightly or wrongly, Nigeria was ‘destined’ to miss out on Qatar 2022 World Cup, following the trends. And it has come to pass. Hmmmmm!
I don’t belong to this historical school of thought. Rather, I would blame Nigeria’s troublesome World Cup appearances on our players’ attitude to the country’s assignments. If they handle these assignments with the same seriousness we see them while playing for their clubs, qualifying for the World Cup would always be piece of cake.
I’ve deliberately avoided talking about monies owed to players. How do other countries do theirs? Is it right to pay players cash for every game won, yet pay them World Cup appearance fees? You tell me, please.
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