By Daily Sports on September 3, 2018

Let me, first of all, thank you, loyal readers, for solely believing in SPORTS pulse and Daily Sports as the authoritative and authentic daily all sports portal. I’m humbled by your observations and comments. That has honestly given me more impetus to carry on if only to know that some people out there read us daily and every Monday when your favourite column comes on stream. Thank you all for being there!  All your SMS commending our editorial stand all through the avoidable NFF imbroglio makes us stronger. Our promise remains that Daily Sports would continue to be on the part of the truth as we anchor our daily reportage.  

We were all witnesses to the avoidable crisis that befell our football house before the 2018 World summit that was held in Russia-The way and manner it came and the way and manner it also was resolved. It went that way because FIFA is a well-organised outfit that has rules and regulations that are binding on every member country that is a signatory to the document.

FIFA never bow to undue pressure from any government and this is one critical factor that made the international organisation exceptional no matter the accusing fingers and counter-accusing fingers pointing at it.

Notwithstanding some proven wrongdoings traced to its ex and serving officials, the truth remains that the body has never failed to deal with such matter (s) with the kind of precision it deserves.

One will thumb them up for maintaining the dynamic status quo of its founding fathers which has helped in no small measure to neutralise ordinarily the tendencies or maneuverings by some powerful countries often intended to influence or impose their well calculated selfish decisions on FIFA. Another amplified case study was the recent Nigerian government overtures to replace Amaju Pinnick led authentic NFF exco with her puppet. FIFA laws which are unambiguously clear made silly Nigeria government’s move to self-destruct, forcing her to return to status quo which saved the country from the dangling hammer from Zurich.

For long there have been more questions than answers concerning football administration in the country. For those of us keen and unbiased close watchers and analysts, there is every need to cleanse the system and make it more viable and less expensive in terms of administration.

The latest move by the government through Chris Giwa and Solomon Dalung was not only faulty but anti-football development and growth. Now that the anti-rule of law was quashed by FIFA, our President, Buhari the other day said that national interest would override the rule of law and this overstatement was frowned at by eminent citizens like Professor Wole Soyinka, the PDP and sundry, prompting him to make quick U-turn before the British Prime Minister and German Chancellor that the rule of law should never be tampered with. This showed how naïve the present regime has remained.

Our football administration has been one that has continued to leave a sour taste in the mouth. The present question of ineptitude that is associated with our football administration and management is one that ought to be ironed out decisively even before the next NFF polls. They are legion and one must be honest in the true sense of the word that something urgent must be done towards making the game much more viable. We need progressive action that will bring out steady growth to enable the beautiful sport to take its full course in our polity.

The issues bedeviling the remarkable development of the sports must be tackled headlong without sentiment no matter whose ox is gored. Nigerian fans and the players are bigger than individuals, groups, and government that want to snuff the life out of the game. The current and past problems hindering the administration and management of the game should be brought to the table for thorough scrutiny and solution and thoroughly resolved instead of this lip or pretence just for the fun of it and afterward what is crying will continue to cry.

There must a holistic approach to the whole problem that has retarded the game all these years and made Nigeria a laughing stock. The inability of past and present administrators of the game to deeply bring to the fore the white and if you like black papers that vividly listed the problems of the game and its solutions must be addressed if every stakeholder is honest to furthering the cause of the beautiful game in the world. Nigeria ought to have made great headway in the World Cup instead of the other way round.

For instance, since 1994,in our very first appearance in the World Cup we did well as very first time comers. But since then, the country has witnessed more of all motion without movement at the World Cup tournament till date. It has left much to be desired in heart of hearts of objective fans of the game and they have not hidden their disdain for the administrators that have refused to give their best in ensuring that the narrative of the sport changes for the better. Such a scenario has been the bane of the game here and nothing positive is seen on the horizon. It is no doubt a sad commentary in every sense of the word.

There must be a great departure from the past. The bad status quo must change for upbeat movement of football in the country both at the state and at the national levels. Administrative competence must be the order of the day. The issue of Nigeria Football Professional League (NPFL) being for the highest bidder must be discouraged forthwith and sanity brought to the arena as the only way forward to our football paradise. The era of our football being a paradise betrayed or disfigured must be nipped in the bud with all hands on deck.

Even a blind and dumb fan of the game knew the game has drastically and dangerously nosedived for the worse.   The resolve amongst us now is that the game has to be raised in our land. Much fund comes into the game today but very little is being channeled into its development and infrastructures. This forum is never to talk about huge corruption in football in the country but to appeal to the conscience of both those on the saddle today and the past ones that still have the development of football in the country at heart.  Despite the wrongs meted out to these people deliberately or otherwise by the system, they should for the love of the game brace up and come handy to proffer solutions and way forward.

Whether we accept it or not, Nigerian football is not only in comatose today but in the wilderness of the first order.  In my own thinking, it is not too late to make amends for the love of football and its teeming fans that cut across the length and breadth of the country. In that light, therefore, we should understand that Amaju Pinnick is the father of the game in the country today and whether anybody likes his face or not, he is the supremo that holds sway in Nigeria. Proverbially he is holding the knife and yam and anybody he cuts and gives the yam would eat.

That is a bare fact. FIFA revalidated such assertion recently when the Nigerian government tried to meddle with the football administration in the land.

I have not hidden it that there is much room for thorough improvement. We must be truthful to that fate and work assiduously towards achieving that lofty desire for our teeming youths who have taken deeply into the game and are ever ready to ply it in any part of the country cum world.   It then beholds on all of us to bring to bear all that it will take to right these wrongs that have befallen our football like the larger polity. Football is just microcosm inside the macrocosm where mal-administration is no longer ignominy and absurd.

It is my belief that the football community and lovers in the country can take the bull by the horn and make headway, for where there is a will there must be a way . It is doable if we so desire. Let me say without any prejudice that Amaju Pinnick has date with history, aside the fact that it almost obvious that he will break the jinx of body serving two tenures in the NFF, he would be in the safe hands of history if he should against all odds work with other critical stakeholders put feet on ground and strength the hold of football administration in the land.

My take is that if football stakeholders want, they can get things right now. Let us keep our fingers crossed and watch as we move forward believing for a brand new NFF football new lease of life and fresh breathe where greed, selfishness, arrogance and raw power play would give way for a reason and total love of the game. Our watchword should be to ensure that patriotic football managers and the key players harvest from their labour instead of the other way round.

Let us take to our social media platforms like Twitter, WhatsApp, Linkedin, Facebook and discuss further on this burning issue as it affects the game in our country.

Keep shooting hard till next week!

Source Daily Sports

Posted September 3, 2018

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