The resignation of Finidi George as the Coach of the national football team, the Super Eagles, has naturally raised the poser, again, as to whether a foreign, or an indigenous coach, is what Nigeria needs to excel as a footballing nation. There is no doubt that the country is blessed with thousands of young talented football players who are waiting only to be tapped and nurtured to greatness. The truth is that Nigeria’s football has been taking a nosedive over the past 20 years, especially after the country made its debut in the 1994 World Cup in the USA. Finidi George probably saw the handwriting of his likely sack on the wall, having failed to win any of the first two matches he handled; forcing South Africa to a 1-1 draw, and losing to Benin Republic 1-2.
However, the anxiety afflicting the Super Eagles and the generality of its Nigerian fans transcends the coach: it concerns why the country has been grossly underperforming vis-à-vis its huge potentials; and whether Nigeria is not headed for a mere observer role, for the second time in four years, in the next World Cup. Nigerians recall that the Eagles gave away its ticket to the mundial in 2022 when it lost to Ghana, right on the Nigerian soil. Having so far performed dismally in the qualifiers for the next world cup, the country’s fate is hanging in the balance. Besides, Nigerians still rue the loss to host Cote d’ivoire in the Africa Nations Cup last year, again a result of lack of cohesion when it mattered. Sadly, the football governing authorities in the country have been more of the problems than solution. Therefore, all Nigerians and football lovers must play a more active role in reversing the country’s growing misfortune in international soccer.
It was not for nothing that the late King of Football, Edson Arantes de Nascimento, also known as Pele, proclaimed in 1989 that Nigeria would win the World Cup before the year 2000. The reason was that at the Scotland 1989 U-17 World Cup, where the late Brazilian idol made the comment, Nigeria displayed a brand of football usually associated with the more developed soccer nations of the world; and was eventually hailed as one of the best youth teams of the world.
In 1994, Nigeria exited the World Cup as the most entertaining team of the championship, as well as the fifth best side in the world. Sadly since then, Nigeria has not been able to reach the heights of 1994, although it returned to the USA in 1996 to win the Olympic Games’ football gold.
That gold paled in comparison to the World Cup because it is an age grade competition. The question many observers have asked over the years is: Why has a country blessed with many raw talents more than many other more football-successful nations been unable to turn its potential to championship winning teams? No doubt, many things are wrong with the country, politically and otherwise. Fixing those issues will most likely rub off well with football. Countries with volatile politics and unstable economy are not reputed to excel in football competitions globally.
Many followers of the game alsopoint at faulty players’ recruitment process and official meddlesomeness as part of the problems inhibiting Nigerian football growth. For instance, there is the belief that Clemence Westerhof succeeded with the Super Eagles because he had direct access to the Chief of General Staff, Rear Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, who ensured that he got everything he needed to do his job. Aikhomu was the number two man, next to the president.
In contrast, many of the coaches that have handled the Super Eagles since then have been at the beck and call of NFF and government officials because they know that their continued stay on the job depends on the disposition of these officials.
Often, the football administration system glorifies foreign coaches no matter how poor their mastery of the game is and frustrates the home-gown managers. However, no foreign coach has won the FIFA World CUP for any country. To succeed in a competition as big as the World Cup, a coach must know the psychological make up of his players and how to get the best of them.
With national team meetings lasting between four to five days before a game, it is very difficult for any coach to study and grasp the peculiar behaviour of his team members to be able to bring out the best in them. Even after losing scandalously (5-1) in the opening game of the Algiers 1990 African Cup of Nations to hosts, Algeria, Clemence Westerhof was given up to five years to grow on the job before he could build a formidable Super Eagles. Conversely, the late Shaibu Amodu, and the late Stephen Keshi lost their jobs as national coaches on account of lame excuse such as insistence on calling the shots.
To bring about positive change, the composition of the NFF board must reflect competence and independence, while unqualified players should never be forced on coaches for any reason.
There should be a programme for coaches’ education so that at every given time, there would always be qualified managers for any of the national teams. In selecting indigenous coaches, only the best should be given the task of managing a national team as complex as the Super Eagles, and coaches must avoid coming on board with a mindset towards certain players, as such usually spells disaster for the team.
The NFF and the Ministry of Sports must find a way to develop the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) to produce top players for the national team as such countries like South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia are doing.Scouting Europe for players have drawbacks and cannot give the country the type of players it needs for success in international football.
Stephen Keshi won the 2013 African Cup of Nations with a blend of overseas-based players and home-based stars even when the country did not give him any chance of doing that. All the great footballing names in Nigeria, including Rashidi Yekini, Austin Okocha, Segun Odegbami and Kanu Nwankwo were all discovered locally and subsequently nurtured to stardom. A team made up of players who do not have the robustness the country’s football is known for, nor understand what it means to play for Nigeria, will always fail to meet the expectations of the people.
Finally, the NFF must develop financial capacity to pay the salaries and other emoluments of whoever they appoint as national team coach. This is the only way they will get the best of the coaches and also be able to attract qualified managers for the team.
