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Former Nigeria Football Association(NFA) Vice Chairman, Nwabufor Richard Obienu goes down memory lane with Joe Apu just back from the Coal City and recalls his near death experience in the hands of football fanatics at the institutional Rangers International ground known as the cathedral.
He also delved on his term as Super Eagles Coordinator; the World Cup qualification that many thought was impossible to earn a place in Korea /Japan 2002 and gives an outlook on the Super Eagles ahead of the AFCON 2019 in Egypt.
Enjoy the interview.
What chance do you think the Super Eagles of Nigeria have in this year’s AFCON?
In any competition we go to, we are rated highly to do well. Our destiny is in our hands. With what I’m seeing in the Pinnick Amaju led NFF, if we can prepare for the Nations Cup the way we prepared for the World Cup in Russia; we will get the AFCON trophy.
This is because Gernot Rohr is now more familiar with Africa football, he’s more familiar with the boys and the players are getting more confident with him. I believe that If he can select the best 23-man squad, we will perform well at the tournament and am happy our professionals are all doing well.
Having missed back-to-back AFCON tournaments, do you think this might affect the team in anyway?
I don’t think it will affect the team because we are just coming back from the World Cup in Russia so one can’t say they are rusty and I believe with proper training with our foreign professions, they will perform. All they need do is to go somewhere around North Africa to acclimatize with the weather. I do say if the Super Eagles camp for 3 weeks, I see them beating any team. Like coach Bonfrere Jo doing with us.
And for making that sacrifice, players should be given a lot of bonus. The team also needs a coordinator. As far as I am concerned, Rohr is over loaded. The players don’t need a man they will be answering ‘Yes sir’ whenever he speaks. Just like when I was there with late Keshi and Amodu. They appointed me based on my club experience and we did well.
But when a coach who doesn’t know left or right takes full responsibility we will not make any progress. And if I see Pinnick I will point that out to him. We have somebody like Felix Anyansi Agwu on the board and can fit into the position. We need somebody who is bold and can take responsibility for his actions.
Do you think Nigeria still strikes fear into other nations?
We don’t. Though, we are still respected but no longer dreaded. The likes of Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, South Africa and others are developing. I remember when I said it that the South African league will overtake us soon, people doubted me. Now their league is more organised and properly funded. They trashed us in Uyo and against them in South Africa, it ended in a draw. Even the North African teams are not as dreaded as they used to be. Look at what they did to Rangers. They came to Enugu and defeated us. I can talk about Man United’s next five games but I can’t do same for Nigeria league because I don’t know when it starts and when it’s ending. They see the continental as a tournament that can fetch them more money and returns.
Football is business. Rangers is an Igbo Identity and it’s not for Igbo alone. We have five states which holds the club. We must go back to the root and get Government off the club.
Look at Enyimba, are they are not winning the way they were. No, it’s because Orji Uzor Kalu is no longer there. It’s about time we go to the next level take it as a business. When that is done, we will start employing the doctors, physios, dieticians groundsmen etc. Can you see the opening? Very soon we will start having Sports medicine as a course in our universities. That’s where we should be going now. Let’s commercialize some of these things. Then you will see a child who will aspire to be like Ronaldo.
What do you think of the unceremonious exit of Victor Moses from the Super Eagles, does he deserve a return to the team?
In the case of Victor Moses, I think something happened which he didn’t make public. Some things were said at the World Cup which he didn’t make public and after the World Cup, his career was threatened at Chelsea and heeded to concentrate.
In trying to keep his place in Chelsea under a new coach and takes a decision, it could be emotional.
Any decision he took at that time is emotional and if it is emotional, I believe he is still relevant in Nigeria football. He is not a troublesome player. Because a troublesome guy would have exploded in Chelsea given the cold treatment but if he is playing well in Turkey, I think he deserves a place in the Super Eagles. But as for begging him, I won’t buy that idea.
He took a risk playing for Nigeria instead of England. He would have been one of the few blacks that would have played for England. And if he plays for England, the peanut we give him is nothing compared to what he would have earned in England team
You talked about club administration, what should be done to get us back on track?
You see, we have to move with the trend. Nigeria finds it difficult to move with the time. Look at election in America, no body stopped work; you cast your vote and go back to work. But look at the noise we are making for an election without knowing we are damaging the image of Nigeria. Senegal did theirs and quickly published the results. I keep saying it, we are done with Christian Chukwu, Okala and co era, the new set of boys can’t be like them because as far as we keep engaging government in our sport, we can’t move anywhere.
I have said this so many times that sports is an industry. Government may have shares but not majority. And if they tell you the business Arsenal and Man United do about football, you will be surprised. Arsenal were converting school boys into stars and they are making money. That’s business.
As Super Eagles coordinator what would you say were your happiest moment?
If I tell you my happiest moment, you won’t believe it. It has nothing to do with football. It was when I told the NFF we have to go to Kano or Maiduguri if we must go to Sudan and play. That was the match Oliseh didn’t come. Nobody was bothered. We trained under hot weather in Kano. We started training by 12:00 noon., the day we were departing to Sudan, I had a cocktail for them. We had a talk but I didn’t treat them like a small boys because they are richer than I am. Keshi gave a lecture, Shaibu talked, I talked, Taribo talked. All of a sudden, the sports ministry brought one person and said he is the coordinator for the Eagles to Sudan.
The players protested saying that Obienu has suffered that if they don’t see me in Sudan that they won’t play.
I didn’t know about the players stand. Keshi called the minister. I begged Keshi to take them to the airport. I don’t know they still called the minister when they were in the plane. They kept telling him if they didn’t see me in Sudan they won’t play. And I had already left Kano on my way to Enugu. The minister called me but I couldn’t be reached
Eventually, the minister got across to me after reaching my son and I was told to stop over in Abuja. I was made part of a private contingent that went with a private jet to Sudan. The minute we got down to Sudan, the hailing those boys gave me, brought tears to my eyes. And at the end of the day, we trashed Sudan 4-1.
Which would you say was your saddest moment?
My saddest moment was in the board room. I told them, let’s sack Bonfrere Jo. That he is the problem with Nigeria football, people kicked against my idea. I told them let Shaibu, Keshi and Erico take over and let’s appoint a coordinator.
Tijani Yusuf later called me and I told him, ‘you will be in charge of this’. I said they must give me some authority and they promised me everything. Then it was impossible for us to qualify, I was the only ‘idiot’ who believed Nigeria would qualify for the 2002 World Cup.
I left my business for 9 months inspiring the boys. We worked round the clock to ensure qualification. And with all this suffering, we went to Mali and came back with bronze at the AFCON 2002. Despite this, we were not appreciated. Everything they promised us wasn’t given to me. And the saddest thing is that, I was omitted from those to travel to Korea/Japan for the World Cup that I fought for.
Keshi, Amodu, Erico, Oliseh, Finidi and others were dropped because some people lied against us. My second saddest moment was at club level when Gabros was playing against Rangers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu. My two sons had insisted they must go with me, then we went to the stadium, before we knew it, Gabros was leading 2-0. Supporters of Rangers came to meet me at the VIP telling me that I was not safe with my sons if Rangers lost the match and that if I like my family, I should leave the stadium or pay with my life and that of my sons. Their allegation was that my presence was causing them a lot of problem because I am not an indigene.
High ranking officials and friends pleaded with me to leave for sake of my sons. I told my kids to leave just before half time and followed them out at the interval of the match. When I left the venue, the match ended 2-2, how it happened I never knew. So these are the two saddest moments in my life. The other was when Keshi, Amodu died.
