By By Victor Enyinnaya on June 20, 2022

Football like other sectors and sub-sectors in Nigeria polity today are down and out without any prejudice since 2015 Buhari/APC took the centre stage of governance in the biggest nation (Nigeria) housing black people in the World.

For those of us that have seen its all in sports reporting both locally and international meets, the records are there. I have not seen this kind of woeful state of our sports ever, especially football which has held us together and gives majority of us joy.

Everything has collapsed in every sense of the word. What we see here today in all its ramifications are the more you look the less you see.

Therefore don’t mind the sparing flash on the pan kind of successes by our athletes who have mostly posted some fantastic outings via their personal efforts so as to improve their fortunes in their chosen career.  Note vividly that not necessarily the administrative acumen of the actors in the various sports federations.

Like what has been happening in our football presently where every aspect of the game is just in half strength. We saw how the employment of foreign technical hand for the Super Eagles finally turned out. That has been the status quo, be it when it was NFA or NFF when it comes to the politics of employment of Super Eagles head coach; It dates back. After back and front in the name of engaging new technical adviser for Nigeria’s flagship team, it is sad that at the end of the day, it turned out to be an ‘arrangee’ white man emerging.

It was same old story in this present dispensation where yet another sub-standard foreign head coach was forced on the Nigerian male senior national team from Portugal, Jose Peresie.  The man has led the team through international friendly matches in USA, we knew the results.

Then the recent AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe undoubtedly which is none football playing countries in the continent, better known as minnows in the game. Both results have already been celebrated to high heavens as being fantastic results from the Super Eagles, a bed rock NFF executive committee members have been peddling around as a great fate.  In short, a sign of good things to come they chorused.

That is the way our football has been reduced to. The two teams or countries even the Falconets will conveniently wallop.  Peresie has been jumping up and boasting/flaunting them. We are keenly watching this man that failed in countries he previously handled, but happened to be Super Eagles foreign coach. It is the way this NFF has patterned it.

Look at Nigeria’s performance in the game drastically nose- diving unabated and the only remedy for it would be to be honest with issues and realities on ground.  Unfortunately, feelers’ emanating from the seat of power in football house in Abuja is that they are not well disposed with power shift, they stood on status quo.

The general and strong feelings held by the bigwigs in football house in Abuja are of the view that it will hand over power to one of them in the present executive committee to succeed Amaju Pinnick as there seems not to be any vacancy in NFF. The mindset of the powers that be in NFF seems to be exactly like what obtains in the larger Nigerian politics where it has become a turn by turn syndrome.

Investigations by Daily Sports earlier revealed that Shehu Dikko and Seyi Akinwunmi are key members of the present regime that are keenly laying strong claims to be the next NFF President. Other executive committee members are equally interested on the top job.

That is the Nigerian way and politics. New entrants like Emeruwa Christian, Peterside Idah, Benedict Akwuegbu etc seeking to succeed Amaju Pinnick are seen like outsiders, in short intruders or better still as interlopers. Such notion is never civilized in sane societies in comity of football nations. But in Nigeria it takes firm hold.

Truth is that Nigerian football needs not only fresh air but also clean break from the polluted past and present, foremost; the mess it is currently into. How the new ones aspiring to come into the main stream of Nigerian football administration in order to contribute their quota towards its growth, is what football analysts and pundits are keen to know how this uphill task would be accomplished with the present executive committee members with deep pockets to buy votes from even the lopsided delegates that equally tilted towards them.

The take of this columnist has been constant that new breed administrators led by Emeruwa Christian be given the chance to lead Nigeria Football Federation from the forthcoming delegates’ congress of the body later in the year. It is the best way to go. Nothing should derail it if we wish our football well.

We are fully aware the consequences if we fail to act accordingly i.e voting in Emeruwa Christian as the incoming President of the body. We must not continue with this kind of present regime of the establishment which has woefully failed us thus far. For instance, Amaju Pinnick held lots of airs of success when he signified interest and he came but failed parallel. We can attest that the kind of ovation that followed or heralded his coming aimed to high heavens.

We have all seen the more of wobbling and fumbling that characterised his administration.  He has left no hope for tomorrow for Nigerian football and therefore his men must be voted out.  It is then incumbent on all well meaning and right thinking stakeholders to put on their thinking caps and encourage the candidacy of Emeruwa Christian to rescue and reposition Nigerian football optimum performance of the game in the land.

It is still known fact that the sitting administration has preferred candidate among them for the President.

This would remain developing topic and this platform would continue to follow it like religion and report back accordingly to you our dear esteemed readers. Keep shooting hard till next week. Meanwhile we wait!!

Source Daily Sports Nigeria

Posted June 20, 2022

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