GIWA vs NFF: Who will bell the cat? News

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GIWA vs NFF: Who will bell the cat?

By Daily Sports on May 9, 2016

I had choices on issues to comment on this week – Enyimba’s inconsistency and our CAF Champions League hopes, Ifeanyi Ubah’s election as Anambra State Football Association Chairman – which has sparked outrage among Anambraians – and the setting up of the Ibrahim Galadima Committee aimed at finding a lasting solution to stop attempts to shut down Nigerian football. In the end, however, I decided it would better serve Nigerian football for me to revisit the nefarious activities of enemies of the game which Chris Giwa and Sports Minister Solomon Dalung are spearheading.

Presently, Nigeria’s football is going downhill. Indeed, only whoever wants to be economical with the truth would dare say that darkness is not fast setting in on the future of the game here. Sports Pulse has spent much energy, time and materials to draw the attention of lovers of the game to the grave danger that lies ahead the sport if we sit back and watch these people forge ahead with their diabolical campaign against Nigerian football. You hardly read informed analysis on sports pages today; they said it is in tune with the times in which we live but l have oftentimes disagreed with that.

It is no longer news that the Super Eagles have failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations football summit for the second time in a row. As a result of protected imbroglio, the Super Eagles of Nigeria have maintained their spot in the latest FIFA rankings released last week. The Eagles remain at the 67th position in the world and 14th in Africa.

The reason for this is not far from the fact that Nigeria did not play any competitive game in April 2016, which would have been used to reassess the rankings. Algeria remains on top in Africa and 33rd in the world, with Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Egypt, Cape Verde Island, Tunisia, Congo DR, Guinea, Congo, Cameroon, Morocco, and Mali, making up for the first 13 in Africa.

On the global stage, Argentina remains top of the rankings, with Belgium, Chile, Colombia and Germany, maintaining 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th positions respectively. The Philippines achieved their best rankings during the month, gaining the 115th position, even though they failed to qualify for the next round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, in the AFC region.

All the NFF fellows are doing is scratch their heads and squeeze their heads in self-pity. On the other hand, Chris Giwa is leading nonconformists to wear their boxing gloves spiritedly in boardroom fights over an election held two years ago over who is fitter than the other to be the supremo, unmindful of the fact that they would continue to undermine the effectiveness of the Supers Eagles and also can incur the wrath of the world football governing body, FIFA, which can ban the country from all championships. That these squabbles go on so often signposts that they really do not have the interest of football at heart. They are looking for something other than the good of our football. We are quite aware.

Even as the impasse rages, the NFF officials have been talking of engaging a foreign coach since their last coach, Sunday Oliseh, walked out on them. Going by the facts on ground, I do accept that it is clear that what we need at this point in time is a sound foreign coach that can lift our game and our spirits again.

As the officials go out searching for a foreign technical hand of repute who can deliver, they have to also search for players who in given situations can change the tide of a game. They’re very few in the team now. It beats me hallow how can a big country like Nigeria cannot produce a Neymar, Ronaldo, Messi, Suarez, Benzema . . . another Jay Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo . . . Why? It is largely because our NFF is not deep rooted for successful mentoring of young talents that would reach the sky. And when the talented ones are come by they treat them as if they do not matter – in short, as if they are nobodies.

For instance, when trouble was brewing between coach Sunday Oliseh and two of his star players, Emmanuel Emenike and Vincent Enyeama, the NFF just stood around and did nothing. The insensitive coach known for his rude attitude and for not having the milk of human compassion hit the roof, telling the lads to go to hell.

It would be recalled that NFF earlier had some misunderstanding with Vincent Enyeama over Kaduna as venue of the Eagles game. To add salt to injury, one of the NFF officials said Enyeama was being soppy, that his remarks were unprofessional and unethical. He did not care to find out whether the former safe gloves and captain of the team was speaking the mind of the players. They simply descended on him and asked him to apologise. He did and they still promised to lay the stick on his back.

The football body exploited that and backed Oliseh to destroy the team. It was the genesis of the crisis in the squad before Giwa resurrected his moribund Jos High Court case that has thrown spanners on the wheel of our football.

Actually, Enyeama was right: Kaduna was not the safest place to play football and there were safer places where the players would not play under the influence of fear. So Enyeama’s fear was not speculative. The Swiss-based CIES Football Observatory has just named him (Enyeama) the sixth best goalkeeper in Europe and the best in Africa for the 2015/2016 season. Also in the French Ligue, he was nominated for the best goalkeeper award. See what we are losing by his sudden retirement from national team duty?

But instead of engaging their captain and the other players in a dialogue they thought it was better to thrash them hard into line. They forgot that these players are adults, most of them with families and that if you consider the poor treatment they customarily receive when they come to play for Nigeria you will know that they are playing largely for the love of country. I digress.

Now that our football has reached rock bottom, we should take steps to rebuild it. One of the first things a new coach must do is to build bridges in the team. Such move will obviously make him get better as the day goes by.

The present Eagles team lack a player who organises his defence very well and distributes the ball intelligently and still exudes confidence under intense pressure. There are some young players that are ripe for a permanent place in the team, players who graduated from the age grade champs and seem-ripe for the big league should be fished out forthwith and thrown into the Super Eagles battle field. Such players must be blended into the team to strike a balance between youthfulness and experience.

Let me confess that that was the angle Amaju Pinnick and his committee was tilting towards before this Giwa tragedy. The NFF was moving fast to redeem its poor image. It had put machinery in emotion to ensure that the country would not struggle to qualify for the Russia 2018 World Cup tournament as it has twice in a row it failed to take the Super Eagles to the AFCON.

One doesn’t need to look too far to notice that this is a crying shame and that the Federation owes it to Nigerians to redeem itself by taking our football up again. They must put their house in order and stop offering excuses for failure. They must plan ahead so that preparations for competitions can be top notch. That is the only way we can move up. That is the only way we can start winning again.

Foremost to achieving the above; Chris Giwa has to give the incumbent NFF leadership breathing space. Somebody should as a matter of urgent national importance call Giwa to order. He should be reminded that a house divided against itself cannot accomplish anything. It is time to lay down arms and join hands to move the game forward. Anybody fighting the NFF is obviously waging a relentless war against Nigeria. This game has been a unifying factor. Nobody should destroy it for us. A word should be enough for the wise. He that has ears should hear.

The die is cast on this matter that has dragged unnecessarily too long. It is on that note that we ask: Who will bell the cat? Meanwhile, we wait!!!

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

Source Daily Sports

Posted May 9, 2016