By Daily Sports on December 20, 2021

What happened to Gernot Rohr, the Franco-German lame duck technical hand of the Super Eagles, were long overdue and, therefore, no news.

For keen followers of the nation’s flagship team, the Super Eagles; it was never news rather than the expected which Amaju Pinnick and his fellow bedmates in the NFF held thus far.

Let me say that no evil or inept practice would last longer, no matter how those that prompted such unwholesomeness try to hold on, nourish or cover such up.

The Rohr story or sojourn in the Super Eagles was not a hidden tale at all. I deliberately used that word tale because tales are only told by idiots.

Former Chairman of NFF technical committee, Barrister Chris Green, has laughed last. Amaju Pinnick smuggled the less qualified coach Rohr on the technical committee, hence highly principled and no-nonsense Chris Green declined to return to the present board of the NFF.

I have told this story over and over again when Rohr was the headache of the national team, now with the head gone, nature has taken its hold for now but remember definitely not the problems associated with searching, hiring and sundry, over these years.

It is very irrelevant for a repeat. It was not easy coming that way on Rohr. If you like, it was more than a tug-of-war between Sports Minister, Sunday Dare and NFF bigwigs led by Amaju Pinnick, before this interim arrangement was arrived. Of course, not without the intervention of external persons before the Austin Eguavoen option as interim head coach held water.

Truth is that Super Eagles technical bench has been in crisis from day one Rohr came on board.

The issue presently is not about the interim arrangement but the solid way forward for the team that has been performing below average and the only honest path would be to hire a grade A technical adviser or head coach that has the technical knowhow and imaginative tactics to turn the Nigerian side thoroughly around.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, would be good and great enough. I decided not to join issues either with those for or against the appointment of the former Super Eagles captain to hold forth.

The present arrangement was the brain child of Amaju Pinnick to ensure that Sunday Dare’s suggestion that Emmanuel Amuneke should be recalled to be engaged, a move the NFF executive committee vowed to oppose to high heavens and promptly, they blocked that end. And because of Dare’s certain involvements with Amaju Pinnick and his men, he succumbed to such blackmail or antics of the Amajus, technically.

It is instructive to note that what transpired was just on the surface to the unsuspecting public as in the very real sense of the word, Amaju Pinnick’s antics triumphed. He peopled the interim technical bench with his cronies of either failed coaches liked Paul Aigbogun or highly discredited coach like Salisu Yusuf who allegedly took bribe from a player  and was suspended and now reinstated  to the chief coach position of the Super Eagles. What other abnormality do you want?

These and more are the disjointed state of what you have seen thus far in the names NFF announced just recently as interim technical bench of the Eagles.

One is not talking about the recycling aspect but the not-too-impressive-job therein. Yet there are people already clapping for this cunning Amaju Pinnick-led NFF board whose stock-in-trade has been the harvest of lots of abnormalities which have been the order of the day.

This NFF board, like Mahammadu Buhari’s government, came with high hopes from the fans; stakeholders, only for it, like the central government in Nigeria, to become totally a failed one where only huge external and internal borrowing and corruption index profile became the only glaring signpost it is currently showcasing.

It is the way NFF, nay Nigeria, is presently with Buhari holding sway in the larger polity, that Amaju Pinnick is with the NFF.

I remembered vividly the days when men with honour were at the helm in the Sports Ministry as Ministers. Those great and good old times when late Emeka Omeruah, late Ondo High Chief, Alex Akinyele, former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, held sway. They were all flamboyant and high profile personalities in all facets.

They were especially not in the pockets of various NFF board of their times. They were totally in charge of their environment and no NFA chairman then influenced them in any way to close their mouths and sense of reasoning as we have seen recently and during the inglorious days of Solomon Dalung, the worst ever of all and then present day where Sunday Dare is in the firm grip of Amaju Pinnick’s magnetic stance in good or bad intention (s).

Head or tail, that is what is left of our football today. The present interim arrangement is the brain child of Amaju Pinnick to ensure he implements’ his agenda of foreign hand shortly after the next AFCON football summit in Cameroun. This columnist is never bordered on the current but sitting back, truly being entertained on the shameful developments that have taken over our once-upon-a-time flourishing football at the national team levels.

I, like a good sports person, would wish the interim coaching team well. Eguavoen must be careful with most of those he has been surrounded with by Amaju Pinnick. All is for his (Pinnick’s) selfish ends.

I won’t say much than Eguavoen has a lot in his hands.  Super Eagles’ team needs total rebuilding.

And nothing would serve the country better. For Eguavoen to succeed, he must not forget to watch his back as he continues the national assignment. Honestly, there are lots of work to do, no doubt; and the interim head coach must be cautious as he threads. The terrain is rough and all eyes are on him.

The AFCON 2022 in Cameroun would serve as litmus test for him.

People, let me say colleagues, seeking for attention are already doing what they know best to do.

Let me make it absolutely clear here that I have nothing against the interim head coach. All I demand of him is level playing ground for qualified players to be invited wholly on merit to exhibit or showcase their God-given talents to gain entry into the national side. No more, no less.

The crew must avoid, totally, bribery and corruption in every sense of the word. Nothing stops Eguavoen from repeating the history late Stephen Keshi made, using near green horns to win our third AFCON. It is doable and it is left for him to decide which side of history to place himself.

Amaju Pinnick has done a good job in taking upper hand over Sunday Dare and Eguavoen must justify such. Though, he has been there before but history would judge him best if he, this time, leads the team for gold in AFCON 2022 in Cameroun.

In order not to be held solely responsible for the impending failure of the Super Eagles side, one must be extra careful. As you are reading this, Nigeria Professional Football League has kicked off for 2021/2022 season. One prays for hitch free season for the competition and for all the participating teams from across the country.

Worth of mention also would be the CAF Confederation Cup sole Nigerian representative, Enyimba International FC, against a Libyan team in Benghazi in war torn Libya. It would be recalled that CAF rejected the Nigerian side’s request to move the lingering first leg out of Libya.

Whatever will be the result, Enyimba haven won the second leg in Aba 2-0. The beat must go on to be or not to be.

Let us keep our fingers crossed while we keenly watch what holds sway for Nigerian football at the Super Eagles level, others and the just kicked off NPFL season. Keep faith always with us in www.dailysportsng.com. Keep shooting hard till next week as the struggle continues!!

Source Daily Sports

Posted December 20, 2021

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