Nigeria withdraws from soccer competitions until 2012
Nigerian President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan ordered on Tuesday that the country should withdraw from all soccer competitions until 2012. This is due to the country’s poor performance in the current world cup in South Africa.
The president’s directive did not surprise me, considering the lackluster performances of our teams of late. The last time they gave Nigerians cause for joy was in South Korea 2007, when the U-16 team conquered the world and returned with the trophy.
Our performance in Egypt 2009 (FIFA U-20 World Cup) was less than satisfactory, as we failed to advance beyond the second round in a competition that was eventually won by Black Starlets from Ghana. We eventually hosted the U-16 World Cup (October/November 2009) and lost to rookies Switzerland in the final; We must also not forget that we did not qualify for the competition because we were knocked out by the little-known Republic of Benin, only getting there as a host nation.
Why The Dwindling Fortunes?
Many things have contributed to this downward spiral of our national teams; I will only mention some of them for reasons of time:
Corruption – This is still the bane of our football as certain people in high government positions force players onto coaches. This theme of paternism has contributed greatly to the lackluster performance of our players, as those who are backed by these cabals believe that no one could remove them from the team while their godfathers are still alive. So they don’t give their best because they never came by merit but through the back door.
Quota system: The use of the quota system in almost all spheres of life has also affected our football, as certain areas/zones must also contribute players, whether they are fit or not. Players used to be selected to play for national teams based on merit, skill and fitness rather than geographical affiliation; but today the opposite is true.
Lack of continuity: Ghana is going strong today because they were able to graduate their young talents to replace the aging ones. But in our case, the old players have clung tenaciously to the jerseys of the national team, preventing the youngsters from graduating. How do we explain a situation where Kanu Nwankwo, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, John Utaka, Joseph Yobo, Rabiu Afolabi, etc. do they still keep a regular jersey in the team? Only Haruna Lukman now plays for the Super Eagles when all his teammates in South Korea: Rabiu Ibrahim, Yakubu Alfa, Oseni, etc. all have been left out. What also happened to coach Sampson Siasia’s Olympic team?
What should we do?
Administration: NFF veterans should be kicked out and ex-footballers should manage our football. They would bring passion and commitment, unlike today’s people who are looking for money.
Continuity: Our young players who have done well at various levels should graduate to take over from the older players who are struggling to get fit – we should borrow a leaf from Ghana.
Stop the quota system: Players should be invited to the national teams based solely on merit and not the quota system that is bringing mediocrity to the teams.
Discipline: Our players must be subject to discipline; no one should be guaranteed a permanent jersey anymore. Anyone who doesn’t get it right should be shown the way out and bring in the most committed.
Good development plans: Foreign coaches haven’t done too well for us (except Clemence Westerhof and Otto Gloria). Therefore, we need to start developing our local coaches who would show more commitment if they were appointed to manage our teams. Our soccer academies must also be improved to produce quality players.