Opinion: NFF Wahala and Way Forward

Thoughts on Eagles, World Cup and the NFF crisis By Adekunle Salami It is nice to be back on the beat after few weeks break due to the coverage of the recently concluded World Cup in Russia. It is difficult to take just one topic for this week and so I will have to do a bit of review and commentary on the current state of sports in the country. The Super Eagles are yet to perform up to their potential over the years. At the 1994 World Cup when Nigeria paraded players regarded as the golden age set, the country crashed out in the second round against Italy. It was a match the players needed to just hang in for another three minutes to move into the quarterfinals. Against Argentina in Russia, it was a big opportunity for the current players to prove mettle but rather, five minutes to the end of the encounter at the St. Petersburg Stadium, Eagles again crumbled. The Eagles lacked character, cohesion and the right attitude. The players should raise their games when it mattered most and also work hard to play their A games in the colours of the country. For example, Victor Moses did not put up a great show at the Mundial compared to his form at his London-based club, Chelsea. Somehow, Manager, Gernot Rohr, succumbed to pressure by not rolling out 100 per cent merit list for the Mundial. All the midfielders were defensive midfielders and so there was no creativity in the team and the strikers lacked supply. Rohr failed to provide striking options in the Eagles at the Mundial and going forward these issues must be addressed especially because after missing the last two editions of the Nations Cup, Nigeria should make a strong presence at Cameroon 2019. The World Cup itself was a big spectacle with top teams like Germany, Spain, Argentina and Brazil crashing out early. Croatia and Belgium emerged the surprise teams at the Mundial as the two countries built on consistency and team play to stun the world. The experiment of the FIFA with the Video Assistant Referee was another drama entirely at the Mundial. In some cases, VAR was spot on while it was otherwise in other cases. The centre referees still had the power to determine crucial decisions. An example was the controversial penalty awarded to France in the final and it was a decision that changed the entire game. The story of Croatia was instructive. A country of just over four million people was in football crisis but somehow the officials put their house in order to record the country’s best result at the World Cup. Their star player Luka Modric also emerged the tournament’s best player. Russia were not given any chance at the World Cup but their players fought so hard and were in the last eight and they eliminated one of the favourites, Spain. Korea defeated Germany 2-0 to send the defending champions home. In the round leather game, impossible is nothing and if the NFF works better (technically) with the coaching crew, Nigeria will spring surprises at the next Mundial. However, those who are supposed to set the tone for injection of few fresh legs, change of attitude and preparation for the 2019 Nations Cup are engulfed in crisis. The leadership crisis in the Nigeria Football Federation reared its ugly head shortly after the country crashed out of the mundial. Club owner, Chris Giwa, is still laying claim the presidency seat of the federation. The current crisis was triggered by the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, who insisted that the Supreme Court ruling of June 5, 2018 and the Federal High Court of Jos ruling of April 27 must be upheld. Recent reports suggest that Dalung and the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, are engaging one another in power tussle. Malami insisted that he has orders from President Muhamadu Buhari that FIFA rules must be respected. Normalcy was restored on Monday when DSS operatives ejected Giwa’s men and brought in General secretary, Muhammed Sanusi. The stakeholders’ meeting that took place on Tuesday is yet to have effect while Giwa is still threatening to fight on. We need peace to move the country’s football to another level. Amaju Pinnick has only few weeks left in his tenure and should be allowed to finish. Elections billed for September should take place so that the administration of the game is not hindered.