Opinion: Why Celebrate Mediocrity When There Are Resources To Be The Best

Opinion: Why Celebrate Mediocrity When There Are Resources To Be The Best? By Omolagba Oluwayemi I saw the way some Nigerians celebrated the win against Central Africa Republic on Sunday and I was forced to check if we just played against Brazil or Argentina. Some angle of the media called the win a revenge but then I asked myself, revenge against who? I saw congratulatory messages all around, how people showered encomiums on the team and that again left me speechless, wondering what has happened to our mentality as far as football is concerned. The commentator during the game said CAR has dragged Nigeria to their level, of-course he's right when you see the way the players celebrated the first goal on Sunday. In one of the videos circulated online, I saw some of Nigerian football fans in Cameroon shouting revenge during the first half break and I was perplexed by their gesture wondering if they know who exactly Nigeria played against, maybe they thought it was Cameroon since the match was played in Douala. After ruminating on all of these, it became dawned on me that of a truth Nigeria as a footballing Nation is on a downward slope and if things continue this way, we might just become the Nottingham Forest of National and we might never regain our position among the elites again. Years ago, countries like Central Africa Republic will almost not turn up for fixtures against Nigeria because they know the kind of embarrassment they will face both home and away but now, countries like Madagascar are confident of getting results against the Super Eagles, little wonder they beat Nigeria to Group B top spot during the 2019 Nations Cup. Aside the talents of the 90s, I haven't seen arrays of players with potentials this much at the national team yet we've played the poorest of football in years. Players who score goals week in and out for their clubs, players who serve as the heartbeat of their team, players whose defensive prowess keep helping their club achieve results everytime but when they return to the Super Eagles, they become so ordinary. I haven't seen the Super Eagles these clueless as they have been in the last five years. There were times Super Eagles played the give and take style of football and at a point in time, they played from the flank but these days, I can't even say this is how the three-time African champions play, they look so clueless despite the array of beautiful players in the team. The state of the national team these days requires a Town Hall meeting between the stake holders and some members of the public so as to know what really the problem and also proffer a solution to the problem at hand because I forsee a lingering danger if nothing is done soon. The team lacks vision, they lack commitment and their passion playing for their country is questionable. Maybe, I'm the only one seeing this, maybe nothing is wrong, maybe the team is actually doing well and maybe teams like Madagascar and Central Africa Republic have become the Brazil and Argentina of Africa. After all the country finished third in the last edition of the African Cup of Nations.