Our country was one of the participants in the African Cup of Nations Football Tournament (AFCON), which ended on a good note in Cote d’Ivoire last Sunday. Against expectations, our team, the Super Eagles, flew very high all the way to the final where they squared against the host, Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire. Our darling team was beaten by two goals to one in a match that was characterized by tension, raw determination, and of course appreciable degree of tactical and technical savvy.
On paper the Super Eagles were the favourites to take the day going by team make up and the way the two teams made it to the final. Cote d’Ivoire was on the verge of getting out of the tournament only saved by the «rule» of best losers. The Elephants returned from the cold by the benevolence of the Moroccan team who ensured they defeated hard fighting Zambia. The result gave back warmth to Cote d’Ivoire and amazingly from that point of getting through the group stage, the resurrected Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire became unstoppable.
Surprisingly in the midst of confusion, they had courage to sack their French Coach, courage because administration purists won›t advice anyone to toe this line of action at the time Ivorians did but football managers in the country did just that to the surprise of the football watching world. Everyone thought far more disaster loomed large but the contrary turned out to be the case.
Under the Assistant coach, a local hand for that matter, what appeared a bad journey turned out differently. Obviously demoralized Elephants gained traction, going from one to another beating in the way more highly rated teams like the defending champion Senegal and Mali. They didn›t play excellent football but the force of nationalism kept them in, especially against very rugged opponents like Mali and DR Congo in the semi-final game. Against Nigeria, the team virtually came out running riots, they overwhelmed the Super Eagles to a near ridiculous level. Our boys moped while their opponents just zoomed and passed many times.
Many across the globe couldn›t believe it was the same Super Eagles players they had seen through the other rounds. It was a day much was expected from the Nigerian team and a day themselves and other factors conspired to do them in. Majority of the players went to sleep. The others couldn›t understand what was at stake. The coach lost creative instincts. When the heat came very hot, the Super Eagles handler couldn›t tell what was happening. It may have seemed so overwhelming and so he didn›t know the best way to reply, consequently Nigeria lost what would have been a most rewarding outing in one of the world›s best football tournaments. We lost the final and lost the honour of being crowned for the fourth time African Champions. It was very painful given our country›s pedigree in the round leather game.
Now we take the nitty gritty of the just ended AFCON in terms of organization, football development in Africa, national development and what ought to be the right approach. Someone, in fact, a friend described the competition and the attention it received as «national distraction.» This perspective is not only out of order really it is equally uncharitable to say the least. Sports is not only life, it is a pillar of proper national development. Such views stem from lack of knowledge of what national development is. Sports of all kinds are integral parts of national development like already observed. Apart from the gain of good health and of course the entertainment value attached to it, sports provide alternatives, very dignified avenues for self actualization and provision of employment.
Every citizen will not be a medical doctor, journalist, cleric, engineer or surveyor, before they can have means to earn very decent living. Sports provide avenues for many citizens to get employed or meaningfully engaged from where they earn so much to live dignified and fulfilling lives. It has become all the more so in our modern world. Some of the world›s richest personalities are sports giants. Space won›t allow us to mention names but the facts in this regard are commonplace. Well-located sporting facilities provoke huge physical transformations as well as provide massive economic returns. So much economic activities happen on the routes to stadiums and game villages as well as within the immediate vicinity. There is this other angle often hidden from the eyes of our leaders: it is the fact that unseen wars for superiority that almost always happen between nations is also fought through sports.
When Russia, the nemesis of western world is fighting in Ukraine and entire Europe gang sup to stop them from participating in all sporting activities, those who know understand the reasons underlying such action. It may not significantly hurt Russia but it will dent her standing in the comity of big and influential countries. This has plenty meaning in diplomacy and influence peddling. Part of the China challenge to the dominance of the West, particularly American world leadership, was to begin to pick up children from age five and begin that early to train them alongside formal education on specific sports. The objective being to bring the children to world competitive standards before they turn adults. The result is clear to all. For those who don›t know, in every global sporting event, the medal table will always show China occupying the first three positions. The gains are enormous.
The country is placed very high in world reckoning. Position on sporting excellence invariably tells more stories about the level of physical development. China, Russia, America, England, France and Germany don›t celebrate gold medals not because it is not proper but because they expect it. They work them proactive. Sports excellence is for them a part of the objective of state. What for them would be a surprise and out of order is failure to meet expectations. It is not about dreams alone, but it is more about actions. Deliberate actions directed at set targets. They build academies and special schools, provide adequate funds and create structures that will keep the flow of funds and more importantly train qualified personnel to do the task in the most professional way possible. America, China and Saudi Arabia aren›t football nations but because they want to be everyone, everyone is a witness to the extent they are going and ready to climb to the level they desire and it is working. We run on ad hoc basis and when things turn sour we cry and want to pull everything down.
We took time to outline the above to show the inefficiency of government and governance in a setting such as ours. Almost 100 percent of the boys who represented us in AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire either grew up in the western world or ply their trade there. Those of them who had home feel didn›t stay long enough at home after they began to blossom. They just zoomed off for greener pastures as we often say. The outcome of such a system is predictable: instability and success based on chance. Good performance today and terrible outing tomorrow. All that played out in our AFCON outing in Cote d’Ivoire. Our team in spite of being loaded with stars opted to weave a very defensive pattern in a tournament of highly technical national teams. That the team made it to the final was a surprise to many football pundits; that they lost in the most miserable way wasn›t. An Ivorian told the world he observed the Nigerian players were gasping for breath by the time the first half came to a close. This is what anyone will get if the fish is taken out of the water.
There is football revolution taking place in Africa and a careful observation will show lesser endowed countries are the ones taking various advantages to grow their football department. So, styled football greats must be weary, there are no longer minnows in African football any longer. Those who want victory would be those who take the time to work at it.
These countries are taking time to do small things that matter most. And do them well. They have a vision of what they want. This is very important and the stated approach to reaching them. We hear they are spending world football grants building structures, facilities and on youth development programmes. We saw the outcome in their team composition. They create a hybrid between the local and «foreign.» Majority of their players are home based. It showed in their team play. In the AFCON games we saw what those teams made of nationalism in addition to tactics and techniques. When the players lose balls carelessly or shoot wide, we see pains in their faces as if they committed highest offense against fatherland. We saw Abubakar of Cameroon still want to play and turn things around for his team even when we know he is aged and wounded. That is the stuff.
Cote d’Ivoire was very high on nationalism. We could see the players and not the coach rearrange tactical approaches right there on the pitch while executing the final game, for those guys national prestige was at stake, for that reason they were ready to give all even to die if it came to that. They played as if they were possessed. Contrast that and the point being made comes out so very clearly.
Now in a remote sense, Super Eagles lost the match to visionlessness that has become the hallmark of administrative governance in the country for a long time running. As already observed, we don›t sow but desire to reap quick gains and the question would naturally be from where? On the immediate factors, our team lost to government inefficiency and ineptitude. The President Bola Tinubu government scored high points providing the team funds they needed for which they should reap credit but money as good and very necessary isn›t all there is to success at high levels.
When our boys hit the semi-final stage, government should have led the citizens to make an issue out of the tournament and helped make our desire to have the cup a national objective. The sporting world would hear and it would serve as high morale booster to the boys. Then this, if Morocco or Egypt made the final at Abidjan the Ivorian capital would have appeared like a city in a part of those countries. Government would ferry supporters across to the hosting country and officials would liaise with Confederation of African Football for tickets in the stands. We didn›t do all that andour boys were left at the mercy of the massive home crowd. It wasn›t right.
Now, let’s talk about the bench. In a match that would be tense and full of grit, why did the coach choose to keep Moses Simon on the bench and start Chukwueze? What was Chukwueze supposed to do as a starter? Wasn›t it obvious to the bench that Osimhen, African Footballer of the Year wasn›t good as a lone striker? Totally cut off from the rest of the team for most of the tournament? No one needed to be an expert to know Osimhen hadn›t the right psychology for the tournament having been crowned African Footballer of the Year just recently. Osimhen obviously needed special attention which from the look of things none around had fore knowledge to decipher. Didn›t they see Haller of Cote d’Ivoire and how effective he was? What did the Eagles know about their opponents?
The Elephants studied our video very well and knew few vital things among the the Eagles’ penchant to stick to wing play and lone half backs so they introduced more men when they have balls to the right back and left. God saved Calvin from committing very consequential fouls. He managed to stand them but not so for Ola Aina where the fine dribbler from Cote d’Ivoire dealt with him like a small boy. The two goals came from crosses in that flank. Didn›t the bench see Cote d’Ivoire’s desire to break through Aina›s end, if they saw that no one saw a reaction.
Many of us don›t understand how a team that qualified for finals will hole herself up in the periphery of their 18 yard box in very defensive formation and expect to triumph. Very baffling! Nevertheless we must commend President Bola Tinubu for his prompt support to the team and hosting them on return. Giving them national honours, a house and plot of land in Abuja is a wonderful gesture. The President has indeed scored very high there.
Some vital observations are important. Giving citizens who give all to bring honour lowest rank of national award is abhorrent. Dr Reuben Abati raised this point and to many patriots who our space developed it is a very germane point. Great awards shouldn›t be for politicians alone. Again, it is important to give them in addition physical cash. We don›t remember them when they pass their primes so reward them now. Finally, let all promises made be redeemed within the next two months. It hasn›t been so but nothing says a new pattern can›t be started today.
On a final note, sacking Paseiro, the coach now, may not be it but we must add a coach who is tactically very astute to the coaching crew. This is very important. Our team should be compact and creatively holistic. We want an attacking, goal scoring team. To successfully do this there is need to test out other strikers available to us. Devise a system to have connectivity between them and the rest of the team especially blasting, fast moving creative midfielders must start right away. The same for natural defenders! If Cote d’Ivoire can change the face of their team during an ongoing competition and make a success we can rebuild the face and depth of the current Super Eagles before our next world cup qualifier game in June. Opponents expect to see the AFCON Eagles. Let’s show them we have brains.