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Former Super Eagles’ welfare coordinator, Sunmonu Bello-Osagie is unhappy with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) over the recent 3rd NFF-Aiteo Football Awards, where the Super Falcons team that reached the quarter finals of the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup hosted in the United States of America, were officially given recognition.
The team won two of three games in the group stage to become the first African side to make it to the quarter finals of the women’s World Cup, coming from three goals down but lost to the Brazilian team 4-3 in a gut-wrenching, exciting, nail-biting game that was decided by golden goal, the first time in the Women’s World Cup.
In this interview with Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Bello, an officer of the Nigeria Consulate in New York, United States of America, who had been part of the historical event, expressed disappointment that officials of the team were left out of the awards.
Enjoy the rest of the interview.
The NFF at the recent 3rd NFF-Aiteo Football Awards, recognized the Super Falcons’ class of 1999 that reached the quarter-finals of the Women’s World Cup in the United States of America. What’s your reaction?
I want to sincerely congratulate the present management of the Nigeria Football Federation for honoring the team and rewarding their efforts. A couple of years back I recall that the Super Eagles squad of 1994 were given recognition and now, they recently honoured our women, the Super Falcons’ class of 1999 that reached the quarter-finals of the Women’s World Cup in the United States of America.
But I was a little bit disappointed, I must confess for someone who was also part of the team; I received them right in Los Angeles when they came. As one coming from the protocol office of the Consulate General of Nigeria in 1999 I saw coaches like Ismaila Mabo, who was the then Chief coach, the Late Jossy Lad and there was another one who is also late now.
Throughout the five weeks they stayed before the competition started, I remember those team officials worked so hard. And I saw a posthumous award that was given to two of our Nigerians who left us unceremoniously, but at least, the coach is supposed to be honoured. Ismaila Mabo is still there, Jossy Lad is late and so is the other one. So it will be nice to find a way to do that because it will be unfair if they are not.
What if it was an oversight?
Well, I want to say that in an institution like that, oversight is really not an excuse because when you say a team, it consists of players and officials. Like I said, at that time I didn’t have an appointment with the Nigeria Football Association but because of the fact that I was assigned by the Consul General to be the protocol liaison just like I was in 1994 and the Atlanta’96 Olympics. I saw the coaches and can attest to the fact that they worked.
They can still rectify it, it is important because I’ve always believed in the second stanza of Nigeria’s national anthem which says the labour of our heroes’ past shall not be vain. And I’ve always believed that it must never be in vain, it is not when people are dead that you start celebrating them.
What’s your reaction to that huge scandal that rocked Team Nigeria’s camp at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games when 10 Nigerian athletes were disqualified from competing due to their missing mandatory tests?
Well, that should be a big lesson because that was a national embarrassment. That’s the truth, it is important that people learn to do what they’re supposed to do at that level. I mean, some of these athletes are professionals. But the rules are there so certain standards cannot be compromised.
But that was a big lesson because potentially we would have gotten some medals and no doubt the athletes ejected due to no faults of theirs must have been impacted negatively. It will be good to know that those responsible are sanctioned.
How do you rate the current administration’s attention on sports generally?
Well, the current administration’s attention to sports, I must be very frank with you, I think they’ve made tremendous progress. Because sports itself is a big honour to the country. And the way things are now at present, I want to believe strongly, and without any fear of contradiction, that I can see a lot of progress from the past.
The usual bickering with players not being paid their allowances is no longer there. I want to acknowledge the Nigeria Football Federation for reaching out to corporate bodies for resources to run the federation and competitions. I want to commend the Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyeama of Air Peace, who kept to his promise and redeemed the N20m pledge made to the Super Eagles prior to their second round Group C 2022 World Cup qualifier against Cape Verde in Mindelo.
The Eagles who flew to and fro Cape Verde in one of Air Peace’s ultramodern Embraer 195-E2 aircraft, received the cheque at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on arrival. I was very, very impressed.
Government alone cannot fund sports, it’s never done. It is good that they are looking the way of corporate bodies but you have to also make everything appetizing so that they can still generate some interest.
What’s your impression about our present crop of players who you said are young and do you think they can go far in the Nations Cup, World Cup?
Yeah. Because, they seem to be enthusiastic about what they are doing. But what is important now is that people should not always emphasize on how far a team can go, any team can beat any team. What is important at this time is for them to have the perseverance and do the adequate training and preparation, preparation has always been the issue. Which brings to mind the present coach, I think the coach should try as much as possible to borrow a leaf from what Westerhof did during his time. We should try as much as possible, while we are encouraging the professionals we should also look at those good players around us and see how we can develop them.
The Amokachis of this world did not fall from heaven, he was in Ranchers Bees when Westerhof discovered him, Finidi George was playing at Sharks. Our local league was very strong then and Westerhof was going round different match venues. Gernot Rohr should do the same because nothing is constant in life. Before Kanu Nwankwo, Ahmed Musa became this famous, they were local based players.
We keep on talking about football development, it has to start today. It shouldn’t be an abstract. Let’s start right away. Let us really sit down and see how we can really prosecute it for the betterment of the game. And that’s the truth.
But there is something people don’t understand and I always ask when I was in football administration, how come these players perform well in their teams but sometimes when they come to the national team they don’t live up to expectation?
The answer is that in their teams, they don’t think about anything else but football. But I’m glad that the present administration of NFF is trying its best.
Are you in support of the argument that the current coach has overstayed his welcome?
Honestly, to tell you the truth, most of the things I see when Nigeria is playing are talents and individual efforts. An average Nigerian player is already talented. All the coach needs to do is to blend. I have been part of the team for almost 10 years of my life as the team coordinator. So I’ve seen coaches, like I told you before, I was the protocol liaison to the team in 1994 during the World Cup when Westerhof came with them. I was protocol liaison to the 1995 Gold Cup when Shuiabu Amodu came with them and I was also the protocol liaison to the Atlanta Olympic team.
The players are already a bunch of talents but this present coach must understand Nigeria is not an average football country, all he needs to do is to do that blending, if he does that Nigeria will go to greater heights.
The crisis rocking the various Federations, what is the way forward?
Well, the way forward is for all to have understanding and it’s also important that we should try as much as possible to always put the round peg in the round hole. Just like what I was saying earlier, we have people who are patriotic, who have the skill, who know what to do we should try to see how we can encourage them to take the mantle of leadership in some of these Federations that’s the truth honestly, but there’s always a factor and is always painful. I just hope we will get there.
How do you assess the tenure of the Sports Minister so far, are you impressed with his performance?
The present sports minister is a brilliant man. There is no way you can talk about sports without talking about the facility but for the first time the sports facility, that is the National Stadium Lagos, is being renovated and Abuja is also being renovated. I’ve seen some of the clips and it is a good thing, we just have to encourage him. I don’t know him personally. But I’ve witnessed some of his activities from afar. I’m quite impressed with what he’s doing. But at the end of the day, we all have to work together. The minister should try and bring everybody together because what you know I might not know and what I know you might not know.
What do you miss about your involvement in Nigerian sport?
I will be very honest, I really miss the setting. And I miss the players and miss the euphoria and I miss the Nigerian supporters club, the trumpets, the drumming and all that. The drumming and the trumpet sound good when we are winning, but when we lose it don’t sound so good. I used to play a lot of Bob Marley songs for my team, when I was the team coordinator.
When we lose I play songs like “Don’t worry about a thing, everything will be alright”, and all of them will shout “Mr. Beeeeeee”. I just had to come up with a lot of things to cheer the players up because sometimes it’s like a funeral home when we lose because everybody’s spirit is just down. I really miss that. And I’m praying that Nigeria will get those kinds of quality players again. Don’t get me wrong, the younger ones are doing well, they will get there, you understand what I am saying. But I hope we can get those guys back again because those days when you mentioned names like Taribo West, Jay Jay Okocha, there are something it does in the football world.
And let me tell you one thing they always do, anytime we are going for a match, the players themselves Eguavoen and the rest when we are in the bus, will say listen, these guys have been talking too much, boasting and all that, let’s go and trash them. And you will be surprised that they will actually defeat their opponent. I just want that kind of team with ‘can do spirit’ to come again.
You must have heard of Ben Alaiya’s death, how did you relate as Super Eagles coordinator?
Our brother Ben was a very seasoned and intelligent sports journalist. A man with impeccable integrity in sports journalism. I remember my days with Super Eagles as the team coordinator and anytime he calls or come to our camp he always write the story exactly the way it happened. He does not embellish. He will truly be missed. May God give the family the fortitude to bear his loss. What a great sports journalist.
