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2016 and the troubles ahead

By Daily Sports on January 11, 2016

Yes, we are on the march again like other sporting nations. This year 2016, Nigeria will participate in a number of international championships but whether the leadership is ready or not remains a moot point. It is not what fans of various sports would want to know. The only language they understand is that the country has a lot of human and material resources that can conveniently propel the nation to greater sporting glory in 2016.

For instance, the country will be in Rio, Brazil, for the 2016 Olympic Games. The truth is that many countries started preparations for the Games when the curtain was drawn on the last one about four years ago. It is the norm for nations that have proactive leadership in various sports and it has worked for them accordingly as their medals haul in Games have justified their action.

It is disheartening that Nigeria has held firmly to the old tradition whereby the country starts her preparations on the eve of every important championship, including the largest gathering of sportsmen, women, sports personalities, persons and other visitors that come from around the globe to be part and parcel of history at every Olympic Games.

The administrators are only keen on what comes to their pockets since Nigerian Government money poured into sports is not accounted for. It has left sports in tatters and nobody cares a hoot. Now nothing is done or heard on how Rio Olympic Games would be executed because everyone is waiting for government to release money.

One would not be surprised if labeled a prophet of doom, if l dare say that the sports sector that is wholly dependent on government subvention is in for a raw deal. The body language of the Buhari administration on the welfare of our sports men, women and officials is unambiguously clear. That is how it will be until he is voted out in 2019 for his anti-people programmes.

I digress; Let me zero in on the king of sports, football. To objective observers, the game is in danger in all facets. The sudden emergence of Amaju Pinnick as the President of the NFF has weakened the once vibrant sport and to worsen the already sorry state, he singlehandedly appointed an amateur coach, Sunday Oliseh, to be in charge of a high-flying national team like the Super Eagles.

The truth is that the Super Eagles had a chance to go top of Group G of AFCON 2017 qualifiers on goals aggregate but scandalously drew her simple games, meaning that the inconsistencies have sadly resurfaced in the Super Eagles under the rookie coach by name Sunday Oliseh. Eagles don’t take their chances in front of the goal and are not tight at the rear either. There has been clear absence of masterfully executed game plan by the Eagles bench since Oliseh took charge. Such has pushed him and the country into some murky water.

Since the young man assumed the leadership of the side, it has been one day, one trouble for the squad in all its ramifications. He openly abuses his players, which led to the sudden retirement of two top players, Vincent Enyeama and Emmanuel Emenike. In short, since after that episode, things are no longer at ease in the Super Eagles. Let me be honest with you, I really expected Sunday Oliseh to do the honourable by throwing in the towel after yet another fluke win against Swaziland in a 2018 World Cup qualifier game in Port Harcourt. The structure of the present Super Eagles squad is faulty.

The team has not only experienced her first all-time low rating in the FIFA rankings but has also had her fate hung in the balance over the possibility of qualifying for the Nations Cup coming up in Gabon in 2017. A recap on how we found ourselves yet again on the brink of not flying our flag amongst the finalists come AFCON 2017: Stephen Keshi led the team on her first game against Chad and won 2-0, but due to prejudice, he was shown the way out of the team. Enter Oliseh, who guided the side against the Taifa Stars of Tanzania and got a draw. The rest is now history. Fact: Nigeria is trailing behind red hot Egypt with four points as against Egypt’s six. The Eagles will tackle the Pharaohs in March in an epic encounter that has the trappings of the Group G decider.

The game is in the top forecast of bookmakers. With this kind of epileptic performance of the Eagles, there is apprehension on how the Nigerians could survive the fray of the soar away North Africans that have shown to be no respecter of any team since the elimination series started. The morale in the camp is always low due to Oliseh’s unfriendly attitude to players. The lads don’t find it funny playing under him. If he fails to learn how to be civil among his fellow human beings, what just happened to Jose Mourinho in Chelsea would befall him: players’ revolt. No coach from history has ever survived it.

Enough said on the Super Eagles for now. The U-23 Eagles are African champions and will compete in Rio Olympics football event. The team will face the best others in the world that would parade their dazzling well prepared stars in chase of gold.

How would the Dream Team VI fare? Nothing is on ground suggests that the handlers have been told to go all out fishing for the best legs that would bear our flag. Everybody has said the team needs comprehensive overhaul and we have all gone to sleep, waiting anxiously for the eleventh hour.

The year, no doubt, is very dicey for Nigerian football. This write-up highlighted just a few. Our women teams will be doing one qualifier or the other and it won’t be funny at all.

Then enter the clubs that would represent Nigeria in African club championships – no slightest evidence of gearing up at all. Let me confess that l expected them to have started preparations even if the League season hasn’t begun because preparation is the key. How ready the leadership of NFF and the various managements of these clubs are to shoulder these enormous burdens, only time will tell!

•Enyinnaya can be reached via 08055068145 (sms only) or by e-mail via sportzvictor@yahoo.com.au

Source Daily Sports

Posted January 11, 2016