By Victor Enyinnaya on July 6, 2017

A leading voice in Nigeria football and former Executive Committee Member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Shuaibu Ahmed Gara Gombe, has expressed worries over Supper Eagles’ qualification for Russia 2018 World Cup finals and the AFCON in Cameroun.

According to the former Chairman of Gombe Football Association, the coast is cloudy for Nigeria’s qualification for the two major international tournament finals coming up in 2018 and 2019 respectively as South African defeat of Nigeria in AFCON qualifier last month has brought up many unanswered questions; unrealistic rating of the team; and its foreign technical hand, Gernot Rohr.

Gombe asked what the inclusion of John Mikel Obi, Victor Moses and other that were missing during the South African encounter would bring to the table during the epic encounter against the red hot Cameroonians.

“The worrisome headache is that most of the Eagles players are reserves and China legion. We are in transition and if care is not taken precisely, it will cost us a lot.

“The major bane of Nigerian football today is that her players are for money not necessarily career.  The new found attitude of the handler to be changing players in every game should be source of worry for Nigerians. For instance Cameroun played 11 matches in one year with maximum of 25 players, while Nigeria played less than 6-7 games with about 52 players but yet no convincing results,” he posited.

The former Special Adviser on Sports in Kano State recalled that “in three matches, the country had three coaches namely Samson Siasia, Sunday Oliseh and presently Gernot Rohr with 36 players.” He pointed out that less than a week to the game against South Africa, some players after the friendly match in France, travelled to their villages to enjoy themselves and reassembled for the match it lost disgracefully against South Africa in Uyo.

“It is only through miracle that Eagles would survive the total onslaught the Indomitable Lions and African Champions would mount in Uyo come August 31. The Central African country has a team with depth and character. Despite their showing at the recently concluded Confederations Cup in Russia, the team displayed the kind of stuff it is made of and it is a warning to Nigeria. Eagles won’t pick a single point in the return legs in Cameroun and Algeria. Our players are busy finding new haven in Chinese league. It is fact that countries that would lay strong claim to the tickets of next year’s World Cup are the ones that played in the last AFCON finals which Cameroun and Algeria are in the front row. Which competitive tournament has the Eagles taken part in after South Africa 2013 Nations Cup it won? There is a big problem on the road which those on the saddle have kept pretending about as if all is well. Truth is that other African countries have quickly learnt the ropes and caught up with the tricks of the game,” Gara Gombe stated.

Nigeria should imbibe the culture of employing coaches for football development not completion; Involve policy direction on selection of national team coaches; To stop the current practice whereby the technical and Development Committee has been turned into rehabilitation camp for people obviously bereft of modern football ideas that drives the game globally today; To forthwith device concrete means to stop in real terms putting the coaches under intensive pressure, as investigation have clearly shown that most the NFF executive committee members are now involved in the unwholesome act of being football agents and scouts, which is one of the major setbacks the nation’s football is experiencing.”

He also suggested that the leadership should learn from other countries’ Federations, how to accord the players unconditional respect in all ramifications, five star treatment with full dignity of human person, unlike what obtains currently.

He urged football authorities to prepare realistic and holistic transition timetable from the cadet category to the professional cadre.  “These are some of the remedies that would ensure continued solidification of our football at all levels. It would also breed steady growth of our national squads.”

Gara Gombe also informed that these remedies have to be classified into short, medium and long term.

“Time is now; we should stop the cut and paste method which has long acted as an ill-wind that has blown our football no good. The earlier we put our football house in order for onward together journey for steadfastness of the game the better for our youths and the professional alike, he pointed out.”  

•Photo shows Alhaji Shuaibu Ahmed Gara Gombe.

Source Daily Sports

Posted July 6, 2017

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