Rangers goalkeeper, Seidu Mutawakilu; where’s Rohr? News

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Rangers goalkeeper, Seidu Mutawakilu; where’s Rohr?

By Daily Sports on August 14, 2017

Head coach of the Super Eagles Gernot Rohr is a worried man in every sense of the word over the problematic goalkeeping department of the team. For instance, he has grown more grey hair since Carl Ikeme, Super Eagles safe gloves were diagnosed of an ailment that would keep him off the pitch for some time.

It would be recalled that as soon as the Franco-German resumed, he made frantic moves to bring back Vincent Enyeama to the team after the former goalkeeper prematurely retired from international football due to irreconcilable face off with then amateur Super Eagles handler, Sunday Oliseh who was single-handedly recruited by Amaju Pinnick to help settle scores with players he perceived as opposition to the dictatorial tendencies of his leadership. It worked on Enyeama and Emelike.

It is on record that the former Eagles goalkeeper had disagreement with the Amaju-led body over Kaduna venue of a certain Super Eagles last AFCON qualifier game where the captain spoke on behalf of his teammates on the undesirability of the venue to host such a big game against Egypt. He was held hostage by Amaju and some of his executive committee members that insisted the lad must tender an apology over his harmless interview. It must be noted that Nigeria not only drew that match against Egypt, CAF also penalised the country for poor crowd control, and the rest is now in the refuse damp of history.

As that was calming down, came the last straw that broke the camel’s back, Sunday Oliseh. Then, Enyeama threw in the towel. Rohr knew his quality in goal keeping business. He tried all tricks in his amoury but the former Enyimba International FC goal tender stuck to his gun. Ikeme held forth to the best of his ability until the recent development. It has been patch-patch Akpeyi until he was recently declared undesirable in Super Eagles goal post, after his dismal showing in AFCON 2019 qualifier against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.

Thence on, the search for safer hands engulfed the foreign tactician. After making conflicting statements, the gaffer, went straight to employ a foreign goalkeeper trainer, with whom he had worked in several teams before his present job in Nigeria.

At first, he was opposed by Amaju’s NFF but the white man went ahead even if it meant paying from his pocket, the goalie trainer whom he has lots of confidence in. It is instructive to note that the first time Amaju spoke on the issue was when he appeared on Channels Television Sports programme penultimate week where he added that the man was not engaged to replace Alloy Agu, but rather to compliment his efforts to achieve a solid result. The Italian has since resumed.

The fact is that the country presently has the problem of reliable goalkeeper locally and internationally. A brave man that can stand and face squarely, any team no matter its pedigree. A goalkeeper that can organise his defence line without hassle and save situations when the need arises. At present, Super Eagles lack such a goalkeeper following the retirement of Enyeama. Ikeme stood in as his inadequacies were not as glaring as Akpeyi’s. It has been headache and threat to our dream of being in the finals of the Russia 2018 World Cup football summit.

To put it mildly, the other goalies were absolutely comfortable once an invitation was extended to them to the team’s camp for any international engagement. They were glad playing the second fiddle. The so called administrators were there clapping and emptily beating their naughty chests, lying that thing are looking up for the game in the country. Now the wind has blown, and we have seen the bom-bom of the fowl. That was how the Super Eagles were left unguided, not only in the goalkeeping area that became a subject of ridicule in a country of almost 70 million youths of football age. The administrators were contented and then relaxed. It became a downward journey for the round leather game in the country due largely to the visionless, ineptitude and miscalculations of the so called administrators who forced and bribed their way into very sensitive positions. In other climes the system is not crude like what obtains here.

The positions in the NFF executive committee, especially, the Presidency goes to the highest bidder. Gangsters have hijacked it. It has been a recurring decimal. Once you have deep pockets, the states and the FCT Football Association chairmen and their secretaries are in the pockets of the highest bidder. The brief you are reading is true narrative in the 2014 election in Warri, a certain candidate for the Presidency of NFF distributed N300, 000 each to all the states and FCT chairmen/their secretaries, and was promptly outwitted by his opponent who shared N3 million each for the same position to the same states and FCT chairman and secretaries. This is end of the sad commentary and it is not a moonlight tale. Close followers of the NFF and its 2014 charade of an election are aware. It has long been there in the public domain.

Now as the nation rues the draught of quality goalkeepers even our players are not on first rate cadre by Africa standard. There is an impending battle at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo come September 1 – a 2018 World Cup elimination first leg match against arch rivals, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon. The team the country would be going into the epic encounter with could safely be described as a rag-tag army whose last man in the defence is not certain and brave enough to ward off danger when under intensive pressure.

Cameroon has an aura, it has been there as threat between us even when Nigeria was adjudged the 4th best team in the world. The Central African country dares us head-on. Now the reality is here. One prays that the lack of planning, which has been the bane of the so called administrators even in the larger polity won’t leave us kissing the dust after 90 minutes duel against the African champions. Nigeria has the opportunity to pick the sole group B ticket to Russia come 2018. Already, it has 6 points from two games. There has been panic in the Nigerian camp after Ikeme’s sad news broke. The South African defeat has long been cushioned by the immediate take off of the 24-nation AFCON format in the 2019 edition. However, the raw determination of Gernot Rohr to soldier on despite the obvious loopholes. The technical hand has taken up the challenge headlong and personal. He wants to lead a team to the next World Cup to add to his CV as World Cup coach. That is the ultimate for a coach. He knows that, and this is his last chance to realise that his tall dream. He has been alone, preparing and planning.

Nigerians and her average players are solidly behind him. However, the dice will be cast September 1. He and the eleven players will be in the thick of the war theatre. They will be at the shooting range against desperate Cameroon, its President, Paul Biya has given a tall order to go and conquer in Uyo and back in two days’ time return leg in Cameroon and finished the act.

But both teams are closely monitoring the goings on in each other’s camp, Nigeria’s situation is more disturbing. Now all eyes are on the goalkeeping area. But there are more disturbing signals than the ones in the public galore.

A certain Tunde Adelakun is working at cross purposes on the mission to crush Cameroon in Uyo. He is alleged to be the fellow in-between Players’ Agents and Eagles coaches. His work in the team is not well defined. However, he has created unlimited access into the Super Eagles topmost even NFF. He aids these Players’ Agents to get their players into the team at a price.

It is a story for another day, you are aware that Daily Sports did report the issue. It is still loading. Tunde Adelakun would be unveiled sooner than later in your soar away all sports portal.

There is a goalkeeper called Seidu Mutawakilu. He is currently guarding the post for NPFL Champions, Rangers International FC of Enugu. He has all the attributes of a world class goalkeeper, if kept in the hands of an expert. I watched him during Wikki Tourists NPFL match against Rangers. Mutawakilu is a goalkeeper’s goalkeeper. He has all the trappings of quality safe gloves. What Rohr should do is to look towards the young lad direction and get him into the main stream. He is next Eagles reliable goalkeeper. His height is intimidating. It has been decades since the country has never such after the retirement of the legendary Emmanuel Okala. He is good. His reflexes are super. When it became Wikki Tourists against him, he stood like a rock. He saved dangerous situations, that enabled Rangers earn a point on the road. Mutawakilu left Wikki frustrated. The records are there.

Head or tail, one is still at a loss why Salisu Yusuf the man saddle with the affairs of the home based left Mutawakilu out of CHAN Eagles party. If he is invited he will make the team purely on merit. Nigerians should not be forced to believe that because he has no godfather or play the usual ball that has become a norm in national team invitation contributed to his absence in Yusuf’s CHAN Eagles calculations.

Rohr should cause enquire why this towering goal tender that would readily fit into the yawning goalkeeping gap existing in the Super Eagles line up is missing in home based Eagles camp. He has a place in our national team be it CHAN or the Super Eagles after all Rohr once said he will beam his searchlight among goalkeeper in the local scene.

Now that he has a renowned goalkeeper trainer in the Italian, Mutawakilu of Rangers should be recruited so that the Italian will panel beat him into a classic keeper. What the boy needs now to come up stronger and better is proper handling and mentorship. He is a material of the first order. If there has been proper monitoring of our domestic league aimed at fishing out raw and better talents that would take over, Seidu Mutawakilu would have been discovered. The trouble Rohr has been going through is because of the shortage of quality goalkeepers for the senior national team.

He should be kept in the hands of goalkeeper training expert to take proper care of him for the nation’s benefit. Without any prejudice, he is far better than those currently in CHAN Eagles team and the ones Rohr would consider for the Super Eagles.

Daily Sports captured Mutawakilu in that game thus:

“Rangers International goalkeeper, Seidu Mutawakilu produced superb saves to ensure the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) defending champion pick a point in Bauchi against Wikki Tourists in a Match day 33.

“Wikki Tourists dominated the game from beginning to finish. However, they failed to transform that into goals to the frustration of the home fans who were anxiously hoping their team avoid relegation.

“Rangers winger, Bright Silas put the visitors in front in the 15th minute after his deflected shot beat Wikki goalkeeper, Emeka Nwabulu.

“Rangers forward Chinedu Onyelonu leveled for Wikki in the 31st minute. And all efforts by the home team to maintain their 100 per cent home record since Bala Nikyu took over the helm of affairs were thwarted by the heroic goalkeeping of Mutawakilu.

“Silas, however, converted a free kick to goal which dropped at the edge of the box. The winger fired a shot that took a deflection after it hit the leg of Ahmed Mohammed and easily beat Nwabulu.

“This was eventually followed by a goal by the home side when their pressure resulted in a corner and from the corner a goalmouth scramble ensured Onyelonu’s deflection brought the score to 1-1.

“The result means that Wikki drops to 13th position from 11th with 44 points, while Rangers are in 15th place on the log with 43 points.”

We must salvage this beautiful game together despite the avoidable and deliberate hurdles placed on the road by corruption infested administrators. Let’s discuss this further on Twitter, WhatsAPP, LinkedIn and Facebook. Keep shooting hard, till next week!

Source Daily Sports

Posted August 14, 2017