NFF And Their Cronies’ Denied Nigeria W/C Qualification News

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NFF And Their Cronies’ Denied Nigeria W/C Qualification

By Daily Sports Nigeria on April 4, 2022

Let me begin this week’s discourse on this sad insider’s story on how the NFF brought this standstill scenario to unsuspecting Nigerians fans forcing bitter and killer pills down their throats. The apex football governing body in the country engineered that false starting line up of entirely five new players on Eguaveon against Ghana in Abuja. This unsolicited handiwork of the NFF bigwigs and their other influential Nigerians spearheaded our ouster. According to insiders it was not the will of Austin Eguaveon as the players were imposed on him willy-nilly by the NFF.

Eguaveon it was gathered wanted to stick to his line up in Ghana first leg but the authority of the NFF said otherwise. It was really what brought about the night’s lack-lustre performance which Nigeria managed 1-1 draw which could not enough to get Nigeria the needed ticket because of away goal rule.

As usual, Eguaveon has been roundly critised and the entire technical crew swept off, ordinarily as then head of the technical crew the bulk ought to stop on his table. How on earth would you make five new changes from the one that almost won the first leg game? It remains unthinkable. You don’t go to war with rookies in game of that nature as Nigeria did against Ghana and got her fingers burnt so badly.

Look at this, in defence you had Calvin Bassey, midfielders Frank Onyeka and Oghene Etebo as well as strikers Emmanuel Dennis and Lookman Ademola started against the Black Stars that night in MKO Abiola National Stadium. If for the lack of words the above five new legs were all spoilers of that evening.

The truth was that Amaju Pinnick ensured he fulfilled the promised he made to the parents and guardians of these players that they must be fielded to play being one of the condition (s) for their release or agreement to lace their boots for Nigeria in the first place. That was the main reason why Nigeria’s qualification ticket was scarified on the altar of Ghana beating us to it on superior goal aggregate to Qatar where the draws have already been held.

Let us held it at that as continuous narration and revelations of the ugly and dirty details of the show of shame would not only be boring to the readers but also this writer.

They were overwhelmed as the game progressed. A lesson in character learnt and which ought to kept in mind for the future. Though, Nigeria is country without proper past records.

The revelation by backroom in the Super Eagles was so intriguing and revealing how that game was won and lost before the kick-off. The story is so sad and however a typical Nigerian nay NFF way of meddlesomeness into technical matters. It has been on but it depends on who is calling the shots technically.

These nonsense and unwholesome dealings were some of the difficulties late Stephen Keshi had with and against the NFF bigwigs in the past even Clemens Westerhof etc all experienced this but stoutly said no.

This columnist say without any equivocation or prejudice in clearer terms condemn the nonsensical and mocking apology from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) leadership poisoned the air with that statement to Government and people of Nigeria for the shocking failure of the Super Eagles from getting the ticket for Qatar 2022 World Cup describing such as rape on the psychology of unsuspecting Nigerians after playing Judas to the fiasco against Ghana’s Black Stars in Abuja.

I have over these years described this Amaju Pinnick led NFF as black leg. Pretenders all. One cannot vividly point to what it has achieved for the country’s football except monumental scandals; cover ups their dirty deeds with top government officials (Ministers) to look the other way from its activities can only be imagined than described.

After holding former head of the technical crew, Austin Eguaveon on gun point like to drop or field in the ill-fated game turned around to cry wolf where there is non. This deceitful NFF make believe was aimed at look more Nigerians than us on the ouster. I have oftentimes tells anybody or group that cared to listen that this NFF regime is hypocrite of the worst and first order. Everything about it has been but deceitful.

What Austin Eguaveon did was the best way to go despite the fact that information of his eminent sack along side the entire crew was leaked to him earlier hence he hurried submitted his paper.

According to NFF statement everything was put in place to enable and ensure the team’s performance towards securing a place but it turned not to be at the end of the day. As the body put it, football is you win some and lose some and so NFF has taken that though painful exit of the country from participating in this is year’s tournament with great stride as sportsmen and women going forward.

There is nothing good about this attitude of the NFF that uses right hand to give only within a twinkle of eyes collect such Greek gift back. When apology came I took it with a pinch of salt and true to their battered image the bubble how they single handed ruined the chances of Nigeria. NFF would have beaten its no record if that has happened willingly. It would have been the first of such step at least by this very arrogant regime. The body did all these to save face by pretence of not exhibiting its usual arrogance with impunity with which the body is known for and also carries its self and affairs of late.

This is real instructive and as Nigerian the apology from NFF a public agency being fully funded with tax payers as it remains an indelible mark or if you like scar. This NFF is very callous. It is unacceptable by me until the body comes out to confess to Nigerian fans its role in the selection of players that played against Ghana in Abuja. It is never the way to go and we should not take that and put that ugly outing behind us and think deeply what next to do about the situation of football at that highest level.

We should tell ourselves the home truth that something fundamental is absolutely wrong no more lip service any longer. The era of blind decision must be over. Super Eagles situation is drastic and NFF and other stakeholders must not go to sleep. This is not the time to play nasty role of tribe or quota system which was order the day in the just sacked technical crew where failed and corrupt coaches too their front seat. It clear now that such misadventure, myopia thinking and judgment brought nothing meaningful to the table of the Super Eagles team. This is crunchy time for our football and so we must all think and see it likewise and let all hands truly be on deck.

As it is presently in the Super Eagles, the issue of who will store coaching confidence in the team is here. Again, the confidence and commitment of the players to the team must be thoroughly looked into. The players as they played against Ghana in Abuja left much to desire. It further leaves soured taste in the mouth. Those that can say the truth for the first time would attest to the less or I don’t like attitude commitment of the players.

In short, the commitment of the present Super Eagles players to the national team is at the lowest ebb and questionable too. What next? Let there be more answers than questions in this context. Nigerian football is yet again at the cross road at the Super Eagles level. It must bounce back practically and decisively too not on paper. We have the capacity. This shameful approach must stop henceforth and forthwith.

NFF said it will appoint new hands that would thinker for the team. This time if it is indigenous we must look inwards. There many of them that can make huge difference and positively too. Enough of these half measures, half truths and nonsense too.

Eguaveon did the most by taken the most noble by taking the part Egyptian coach and his Algerian counterpart had by resigning because of the inability of their teams to qualify for the Novembers World Cup in Qatar. It would be recalled that Senegal again stopped Egypt from being in Qatar after winning the AFCON at the expense of the North African country in Cameroun. It would be excellent to pull back the fortunate’s of the Super Eagles to its old solid ways again. Its former old self precision execution of playing and winning this round leather game not struggling kind of that has become the lot of the team of late.

One wonders why this kind of step is not being taken in Nigeria. Truth is that the current sack of Super Eagles coaches will not readily solve this enormous technical problem in the team but it may go a long if right choices are made with sentiment. It will cushion effectively some of devastating effects and give deep clue that Nigeria Football Federation officials have for once started thinking along the line of positivity, integrity and in line with what obtains in the civilized world. It is news that Nigerian football went further into limbo on Tuesday, March 29, in Abuja shortly after Ghana’s Black Stars booted Nigeria’s Super Eagles out from the November 2022 World Cup summit to be hosted by Qatar.

I was speechless after the game and could not say exactly what went wrong even after being borrowed a mouth of the gargantuan. One cannot up the time of putting this article together for this week’s column still feel like was nightmare and loss of words despite the face saving measures of sacking the entire technical crew of the Eagles. May be I expected much from the home team against Ghanaian side that failed roundly due to interference by the NFF and its over night friends that selected the first team list for the coaches for the game they ought to know the impact.

My candid but critical observation is that everything went wrong. Nigerians had great hopes but such hope was sharply betrayed. My policy is never to cry over spilled milk but I am forced to say the few above despite the fact that I knew inside out the kind of football administrators in the land like the larger polity are deaf, dumb and bereft of fresh ideas but full of empty arrogance.

What becomes of Austin Eguaveon and some of his lame duck colleagues warming the technical bench?

Honestly, much must be done on how best to reinvent the Super Eagles into a formidable team to be reckoned with. It is one task the present NFF executive committee must find lasting antidote to this steady decline in performance of the national team of late.

I should not be seen as critic of Eguaveon or the NFF no, all what are written here are for the good of the game. There must be critics that will keep those concerned on their toes for the system not to be one sided….O yes people. We knew these categories of people (O…yes people) are real problem of establishments. We have seen the damage and its sad effects.

Keep faith Nigerians for the best as Nigeria will soon go the Cameroun Football Federation style by ensuring that ex-international heads NFF with other ex-internationals as executive committee members as these people currently on the saddle have failed football and Nigerians like the politicians have done in the larger Nigeria.

Lets keep reading www.dailysportsng.com for undiluted reports. It is our tradition trending and daring where others shy away from. Keep shooting hard till next week as the struggle continues!!

Source By Victor Enyinnaya

Posted April 4, 2022