The latest edition of Africa’s most prestigious football showpiece, the African Cup of Nations, a.k.a. AFCON, has just ended, with the Senegalese Male National Team, the Terranga Lions, emerging winners with a hard fought 1-0 win over hosts, Morocco, last Sunday.
Conversely, Nigeria’s national team, the Super Eagles, came third for the ninth time, after edging out Egypt in a classification game, Saturday, January 17. Nigeria won 4-2 on penalty kicks.
Indeed, even though they did not win the trophy, many consider this Nigerian Team the best in recent times, given their quality, results and how they achieved them. In six matches, Nigeria won four games, scoring the highest number of goals (14) and conceding just four. They drew goalless in the remaining two games. There was no doubting the quality of the team which played with maturity and great technique. They only lost to Morocco in the semi-final in a penalty shoot-out, seen generally as a kind of lottery.
In fact, this Nigerian Team could have won the cup, had their luck been better and many are saddened that just when the team was coming of age, it would not be able to make it to the World Cup which it narrowly failed to qualify for. As it is, Nigeria will have to wait for almost two years to appear in another AFCON.
However, if there is any lesson to be learned from the just concluded tournament, it is that great teams do not fall from the sky. They are built, nurtured and unleashed. Senegal’s win was a result of all the above, not just for this very team that won the AFCON, but across their other national teams. Senegalese football has been on a steady rise from their youth to senior teams because a lot has been invested in proper planning by their football authorities. Thus, the victory of their senior team at the just concluded AFCON was an icing on the cake and a just reward for deliberate planning and persistent efforts.
Nigeria can emulate Senegal. We have what promises to become a great team in the near future but factors like administrative lapses and corruption have been our bane. Just before Nigeria’s match against Mozambique, the players had downed tools, refusing to train as a result of unpaid bonuses, an issue that reared its head at the latter stages of the World Cup qualifiers. Though the Nigerian Football Authorities were forced to quickly resolve it each time; it portrayed the unseriousness of our football managers.
Also corruption is another malaise dragging the country’s football backwards. This is seen in the hiring of substandard coaches whom they can control and the invitation of low quality players who are imposed on the yielding coaches because of money. These players are often bench warmers in their European clubs or playing in substandard European or other leagues. While this happens, other countries benefit from sound coaching and quality football administration. That Nigeria will not be going to the World Cup is directly because of this.
The initial appointment of rookie coach, Finidi George, an ex-Nigeria international, was viewed as catastrophic as he lacked what it takes to deliver. As a result, Nigeria threw away winnable points and by the time the current coach, Eric Chelle, from Mali, was appointed, it was clear it was going to be a race against time and it proved to be so.
Now, we have appointed Chelle, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, the body charged with running Nigeria’s Football, should refrain from interfering in his job, via player imposition. The present Super Eagles is arguably the best in recent times and if the coach is allowed to achieve continuity, the team can become the continent’s best in no time.
But we also have to scout for new players to take over from some of the aging ones to ensure seamless transitions.
We should not however be disappointed by the outcome of the tournament as our third place was deserving. It’s a pity we won’t be part of the World Cup but we should not remain on the ground crying. We have to dust ourselves and have another go at things. The next Nation’s Cup is next year and there’s no time to waste. Let’s go for it.
